"I’ve got to come dance and hug somebody!"
-- Dusty Furlong, a longtime regular at Leo’s Italian Grill in Palm Harbor
Regulars call it the "fallout" or the "mishap" or the "situation."
It has been eight months, but the breakup of Leo’s Italian Grill and its longtime band, True Passion, resonates like a fair-to-middling car crash. Not fatal but nasty, both drivers turned in odd directions, the cause mysterious.
For 15 years on Tuesdays, the band performed at Leo’s, supplying the music that powered one of Tampa Bay’s hottest dance spots for seniors. These people see the band as the soul of a club. When the band and restaurant owner Ilir "Leo" Karruli got in a dispute over booking dates, many blamed Leo for the breakup.
Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.