Live music Oldsmar, Clearwater, Safety Harbor (Florida)

Question

Does anyone know if there is an app or website that shows where there is live music happening in Oldsmar, Clearwater, or Safety Harbor? I really do not like driving out to Tampa, but around here it feels like a hit or miss. Since COVID, a lot of restaurants and bars stopped updating their Facebook or Instagram pages, so I never know when live music is happening anymore.

I am not talking about buying tickets for big concerts. I mean the smaller stuff, like when you go out for dinner or lunch and there is a local band playing, or just someone singing and playing guitar. Am I missing something, or is there really no good way to find this information?

Answer

Finding live music in smaller cities like Oldsmar, Clearwater, or Safety Harbor can indeed be a bit tricky, especially post-COVID, as many bars and restaurants stopped maintaining regular social media updates. Unlike Tampa, which has a more centralized scene with dedicated event listings, these smaller towns often rely on a mix of local websites, social media, and word of mouth to advertise live music.

Here are some resources and strategies that can help you track live music in the area:

Local Event Aggregator Websites: Websites like Eventbrite, Bandsintown, and Songkick allow you to search for live music by location. While they are often focused on ticketed events, you can filter for smaller or free events and local artists.
Restaurant and Bar Websites: Even if Facebook/Instagram is less reliable, some venues maintain their own websites or Google Business listings with live music schedules. Checking sites for popular spots in Clearwater, Safety Harbor, and Oldsmar (like Shephard’s Beach Resort in Clearwater or local breweries and cafes) can yield current schedules.
Local Newspapers and Magazines: Community newspapers or regional magazines (e.g., Creative Loafing Tampa Bay) often have weekly or monthly event listings that include smaller gigs.

Other helpful tips:

Join local Facebook groups or community boards dedicated to the specific city (e.g., “Live Music Clearwater” or “Safety Harbor Events”) as they are sometimes more up-to-date than venue pages.
Follow local musicians directly on social media; many post their live gigs even when the venues do not.
Use Google Maps to search for bars or restaurants with “live music” or “music events” near your location and check the reviews or posts for recent performances.

While there isn’t a single comprehensive app dedicated solely to small, local live music in these towns, combining a few of these strategies—especially Bandsintown for artist tracking, local community groups, and venue websites—will give you the best shot at discovering live performances without having to drive into Tampa. It’s a bit of a patchwork approach, but it generally works for the smaller Gulf Coast towns.