The Irritable Tribe of Poets This creative collective is the result of two ensemble performances last year at the Orpheum. Featuring Greenwich Blue bassist (and music journalist) Philip Booth, percussionist (and singer/songwriter) Jim Beckwith and a host of others, the group's funk/jazz/world hybrid is augmented by spoken-word performances from a number of artists, including Tampa Poet Laureate James Tokley. The performance starts at 9 p.m. and goes till midnight, and admission is free. (April 5, King Corona Cigars)
Old School House Rocks w/Rane/Vinyl Gem Presented by That Girl's Got Rhythm (www.thatgirlsgotrhythm.com), chick jocks Rane and Vinyl Gem will spin classic techno and house tracks, starting when the doors open at 9 p.m. The first Thursday of every month will belong to the ladies from here on out. Cover's $5 for those 21 and up, $6 for those under. (April 5, Orpheum)
4th Annual Crawfish Festival w/Zydeco Force Today's activities start at 5 p.m., with two hours of zydeco dance lessons. Zydeco Force plays two sets, one 7:30-9 p.m. and another 9:30-11. All three days include vendors, wall-climbing, a Titanic Slide, kids' games and, of course, food. The three-day pass purchase date has passed, but tickets for today only cost $8. Children under 12 get in free. (April 6, Cajun Cafe on the Bayou)
Anarchy DJ Spin-Off Put together by MC Cles-One (Stateside Collective, Force Recordings), this unique event is basically an open mic night for DJs. Tonight it's not all politics, writes Cles; turns at the tables are first-come, first-served, and the winner will be chosen by crowd response, so bring plenty of friends. (April 6, Orpheum)
Moscow Nights Led by accordionist Vitaliy Bezrodnov, this trio of Russian-born musicians performs humorous songs, elaborate lyrical suites, upbeat dance numbers and everything in between, all based on the traditional folklore of their native culture. Two balalaika players (one regular, one contrabass) round out the colorful group. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10 for students and Center members, $12 for the rest of us. (April 6, Tarpon Springs Cultural Center)
Riders in the Sky This trio has been paying jokey but respectful tribute to '40s and '50s cowboy movie music for over two decades. Earlier this year they won a Grammy for their contribution to Toy Story 2, Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs. Tickets are $25 and there are two shows, one at 4 and another at 7 p.m. Both concerts include a buffet dinner. Tickets for kids 5-12 are only $12.50. 877-722-2696, www.rockcrushercanyon.com. (April 6, Rock Crusher Canyon)
Rocket from the Crypt w/(International) Noise Conspiracy/The Explosion Inspired by a quote from Phil Ochs that states, the perfect rock outfit would be a combination of Elvis and Che Guevara, Sweden's (International) Noise Conspiracy (featuring former Refused vocalist Dennis Lyxzen) came together in 1998, tautly combining '70s punk, garage rock and '60s soul under the umbrella of anti-capitalist resistance. Boston Oi!sters The Explosion open the show. See Music for a feature on the headliners. Doors are at 8:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 in advance, $12 at the door. (April 6, State Theatre)
St. Petersburg Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival w/Kevin Naquin & The Ossun Playboys The first day of this weekend-long festival kicks off with music at 7 p.m., with all the traditional Cajun fare — boudin, spicy shrimp, southern pralines, etc. — available for chompin'. A one-day ticket costs $10, $25 for a three-day pass. (April 6, St. Pete Times Arena)
Walter "Wolfman" Washington & The Roadmasters w/King Johnson The climb to success has been a slow, steady one for Louisiana-born and -bred guitarist Washington, who incorporates soul, funk, jazz and blues into his New Orleans-style R&B. King Johnson is an Atlanta-based, funky blues quintet featuring Tab Benoit's former guitarist on lead vox. The group makes especially good use of its horn section, which employs arrangement that transcend typical R&B section fare. Show's at 8 p.m., admission is $10 in advance, $13 day of show. (April 6, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Covenant w/And One Not the industrial Covenant, and not the Dave Gryder Covenant, but rather the Original Covenant, a death/black metal band from Holland. Bow down and get nasty, yo. Doors are at 8 p.m., tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 day of show. (April 6, Masquerade)
4th Annual Crawfish Festival w/Lee Benoit & The Bayou Stompers/JoJo Reed & The Happy Hill Zydeco Band Today's events start at 1 p.m. and include a gumbo cook-off and a crawfish-eating contest. Lee Benoit plays two sets, one at 3:30 p.m. and another at 8; JoJo Reed plays from 9:30-11. The three-day pass purchase date has passed, but tickets for today only cost $8. Children under 12 get in free. (April 7, Cajun Cafe on the Bayou)
Blue Dice The Tampa Bay powerhouse soul/blues octet goes on at 8 p.m. This is a benefit concert for The Friendship Trail. (April 7, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Madonna Night Come dressed as one of The Material Girl's many incarnations and get in free. Plus get $1 domestic beers and $2 wells from 9-11 p.m. (April 7, La Femme Buvette)
Marsha/Ian Van Dahl Vocalist Marsha, who has worked with the Albany, N.Y., drum 'n' bass collective Verticle 8, appears with trance artist Van Dahl. Doors open at 8 p.m. (April 7, Frankie's Patio)
ROCKAIDS Benefit w/Lo/Nine2Life/ Neurotica/Low2theLeft/Desperate Cry This all-ages event featuring local original rock bands is now in its third year, and has hit the big time — it's now sponsored by 97X (WSUN-97.1 FM) as well as original sponsors, Statscript Pharmacy. The health department is once again offering free HIV testing, there will be raffles for prizes, and all door and raffle proceeds go to FACT (For AIDS Care Today). Things start happening at 6 p.m., and cover's $5. (April 7, Jannus Landing)
St. Petersburg Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival w/Richard LeBouef & Two-Step/ File/Horace Trahan & The New Ossun ExpressToday's festivities start at 1 and go till 11 p.m. A one-day ticket costs $10, $25 for a three-day pass. (April 7, St. Pete Times Arena)
4th Annual Crawfish Festival w/Lee Benoit & The Bayou Stompers/JoJo Reed & The Happy Hill Zydeco Band Today kicks off start at 1 p.m. and includes pirogue racing and zydeco dance lessons. JoJo Reed plays at 3 p.m.; Lee Benoit goes on at 5:30. The three-day pass purchase date has passed, but tickets for today only cost $5. Children under 12 get in free. (April 8, Cajun Cafe on the Bayou)
Crossbreed/Darwin's Waiting Room/ Attica/Calm Thanks to girl-rockers Kittie, Tampa's own industro-neo-metal band Crossbreed got a leg up, and a deal with NYC-based indie Artemis. Now they're home from a two-week, Florida mini-tour, and their Artemis debut, Synthetic Division, is due out May 8. Doors open early, at 6 p.m., and cover's $5. (April 8, State Theatre)
Michael Johnson In the late '70s and early '80s, singer/songwriter Johnson scored pop and country hits with Bluer Than Blue, Almost Like Being in Love, This Night Won't Last Forever, Give Me Wings and The Moon is Still Over Her Shoulder. Now the Nashville-based performer focuses on country styles. Show's at 5 p.m., tickets are $10. (April 8, UU Dome)
Spiritual Renaissance Singers The group performs a concert of a cappella American spirituals at 3 p.m. Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 for children. 813-988-4321. (April 8, First United Church of Tampa)
St. Petersburg Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival w/Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys/Creole Zydeco Farmers Today's activities begin at 1 p.m., with the big event, Steve Mamou, firing up at 4 and burning till 8. A one-day ticket costs $10, $25 for a three-day pass. (April 8, St. Pete Times Arena)
Victory at Sea/The Mercury Program/Jarvic 7 Wear your waders — it's gonna be a watery night. Boston trio Victory at Sea offer earnest, co-ed slo-core — alternately compared to Shipping News, June of 44 (oh, that Jeff Mueller!) and Slint. Despite their fluid, visceral live dynamic, Gainesville's Mercury Program sometimes delivers recordings that are little more than lovely, largely instrumental wallpaper. The good news is that the band's latest EP, All the Suits Began to Fall Off (Tiger Style) boasts their warmest, most accomplished work to date, with subtle humor creeping in other places besides the Monty Pythonish title — Marianas winds down in a toy ballerina-style dance across the vibes, and The Secret to Quiet ends with a burlesque-house drum flourish. Doors are at 9 p.m., tickets are $5. (April 8, Orpheum)
Jim Beckwith & Native Vibe CD Release Party Local multi-instrumentalist (and owner of Common Touch Music) Beckwith is celebrating the release of his new disc, Step Right, Shake Left. The record, a laid-back collection of smooth, jazzy, worldbeat-brushed pop, was recorded with Los Angeles-based band Native Vibe. Show's at 8 p.m., cover charge is $5 for students, $8 for everyone else. (April 10, Skipper's Smokehouse)
The Bikini Spiders w/DJ WWJD/Baydomain Kids Raunch N Roll proudly present Bloomington, Indiana's Bikini Spiders, an instrumental quartet that comes off like The Cramps as led by Danny Elfman. Rick and Cindy of www.baydomain.com and DJ WWJD keep you sonically satisfied before and after. Doors open at 9 p.m., cover's $4, and there's $2 drinks all night long. (April 10, Orpheum)
Gergely Werner Szuecs & The Gypsy Fire Quartet Szuecs, a charismatic, Austrian-born violin virtuoso, is in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the world's smallest violin. During his performances of Gypsy music, he regularly sets down his standard-size instrument to pick up the one-inch marvel. The Gypsy Fire Quartet comprises costumed players wielding such traditional Romany instruments as the t'rogatu and the cimbalom. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets cost $26 for adults, $20 for students and $18 per person for groups of 10 or more. (April 11, Palladium)
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2001.