Berry Hungry Like The Wolf: Mixtape Takes A Bite Out of South Florida Strawberry Festival

By Joanie Cox-Henry

The South Florida Strawberry Festival took over South County Regional Park last weekend with plenty of strawberry-flavored fun and Mixtape was there to plant the seeds for an epic soundtrack with performances on Jan. 17 and Jan. 19. While Jan. 17th's show was hit with a wave of Annie Lennox-like rain, much like the tenacious Taylor Swift, Mixtape soldiered on through the wet weather and proceeded to pump out some of the best hits the '80s had to offer. Mixtape's fabulously fierce frontwoman Lindsay Giova delivered dynamic renditions of "Flashdance What A Feeling," "Walking On Sunshine," and "Simply The Best," while lead guitarist Mike Elmore's ultra fun versions of "Love Shack," and "Hungry Like The Wolf" amped up the crowd with supernatural precision. The bass-slinging virtuoso known as "Funkmaster" Fernando Santomaggio laid down groove-heavy lines on "Play That Funky Music" and "Don't You Forget About Me," the anthem from The Breakfast Club that defined Generation X. With the massively talented Steve Kaminer delivering killer solos on guitar and keys and percussion powerhouse Paco Camara rounding out the fresh flavor of this band on drums, Mixtape continues to consistently be the ultimate '80s DeLorean ride back to when we were all having the time of our lives.

Let's Get Physical: Energetic entertainer Lindsay Giova shines on stage with Mixtape.

Mixtape's Sunday show was complimented with blue skies and a satisfied crowd of eventgoers. Giova even indulged one of the littlest and most adorable fans in the audience when she handed a pint-sized girl her tambourine and a chance to say hello to the crowd on the mic. It was a berry-sweet moment!

I had the tremendous honor of performing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" with this incredibly talented band. It was such a joyful moment, and I had an absolute blast getting to (strawberry) jam with this band!

Mixtape has more shows popping up around South Florida, so definitely keep this band on your 2025 radar, especially if you "Wanna Dance With Somebody" and have an absolute blast. Every Mixtape show leaves you wanting to push rewind so you can relive the fun!