By photojournalist Raul Toro

As live music starts to return to the Tampa Bay area, many venues are opening their doors back up and giving us our fix for auditory pleasure. Friday night the Daiquiri Shak played host to the return of one of the Tampa Bay Area’s wildly popular cover bands–Pitbull Toddler.  One patron excitedly remarked, “I came to watch the Bolts win and then get my face melted off by Pitbull Toddler.”

The atmosphere harkened back to the throwback of 80s punk rock and garage band shows. Where the crowd was unified by their location, camaraderie and shared musical interests. Anticipation was so thick that you would need a machete to cut through it.  Everyone in attendance was aching to hear live music again

As the first note from Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar entered into everyone’s external acoustic meatus and slammed into their tympanic membrane, it gave rise to trigger an electrical impulse to their brains and rush to fill the stage area.  They made a hundred people feel like a thousand.    Pitbull Toddler bewitched the crowd with their renditions of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Going To Take It”, the Beastie Boys’ “You Gotta’ Fight” and Poison’s “Nothing But A Good Time”.

For a finale, the Charismatic front man Josh Maloney summoned all the X chromosome fans to join them on stage for their recitation of “Paradise City” by Guns & Roses.  When the last drum beat was slammed you could see the sweat from each of the Pitbull Toddler members’ souls poured out on the stage and not one person left the Shak disappointed.  Pitbull Toddler is composed of front man Josh Maloney, John Brennan (guitar), Pete Larios (Guitar), drummer Galvin and Mike Calta (bass) from The Mike Calta Show on 102.5 The Bone.

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