THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
THE BEAUVILLES w/LUSH PROGRESS/MOUSEFIRE/DJ N8 Tampa's Shawn Kyle Beauville and his namesake quartet celebrate the release of their full-length debut, Whispering Sin, a clever, dark, visceral slice of alterna-rock. "Most songs on the record deal with what I was going through over the past couple years, being someone who is restless, traveling the country, meeting people and realizing that there are a lot of upset people in the world," Beauville said in an interview with CL. Fellow Tampa act Lush Progress successfully works the Radiohead template with dreamy keyboard and guitar washes that occasionally give way to dynamic orchestral swells, while the vocals vacillate between fragile pleas and forceful demands. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
IZZY COX She's a chanteuse for the hellbilly set who mostly concentrates on spooky, first-person-sung murder ballads that largely transcend shtick. Cox calls her music "voodoobilly jazz," and it would fit perfectly on a Quentin Tarantino film soundtrack. A road-warrior vagabond, she calls Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and Austin home. (The Garage, St. Petersburg)
AUGUST BURNS RED w/A SKYLIT DRIVE/GREELY ESTATES/SKY EATS AIRPLANE/THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE Lancaster, Pa.'s August Burns Red cranks out taut — albeit formulaic — metalcore. Oh, yeah, and the guys are outspoken Christians. Of course, the speaking-in-tongues vocals are completely unintelligible, so you can't tell if the singer is praising Christ — or growling about going down on Satan. The latter would make for a way more interesting metal tune. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
PSYOPUS w/FUCK THE FACTS/WAR FROM A HARLOT'S MOUTH/LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE/RACEBANNON/LEFT TO VANISH For the past six years, Rochester, N.Y.'s Psyopus has crafted brilliantly intricate math metal that at times might be too tricky — the myriad time signature changes can be jolting — for its own good but remains intriguing nonetheless. The band's mastermind is guitarist Christopher Art, a technically flawless and highly innovative player already considered a "legend" in metal circles. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
DAVID RALSTON New York native Ralston has called Okinawa, Japan, home for the past 15 years, where he's honed his bluesy roots-pop. The slide guitarist is playing several Stateside dates in support of his latest album, I've Been Waiting, a solid showcase for his playing chops sullied only by a terrifically overwrought cover of "No Woman No Cry." Ralston also plays the Five O'Clock Club in Sarasota on Sept. 12. (Flying Dog Café, Sarasota) —Amanda Schurr
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
SOULPHONICS & RUBY VELLE w/SPENCER GARN QUARTET Atlanta (by way of Gainesville) R&B collective Soulphonics funk things up like it's 1970, laying down greasy grooves and hot horn parts that speak to an evening of good times. At the forefront of the stage you'll find the dynamite Ruby Velle singing with sass and authority about matters of the heart. Soulphonics mostly stick to originals, but these are songs that closely resemble the classics. If you attend, bring your dancing shoes. These guys are known for making folks shake it. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
GIL MANTERA'S PARTY DREAM w/SUMMERBIRDS IN THE CELLAR/AUTO!AUTOMATIC!!/AWESOME NEW REPUBLIC Youngstown, Ohio, duo GMPD produces kitschy, New Wave-flavored electro synth-pop — top-flight dance-party music. The band's over-the-top, alcohol-fueled live performances are marked by flashy WWE-style outfits and passionate aerobic dancing. A humorously compelling train wreck. Read CL's profile of GMPD here. (Crowbar, Tampa). —Leilani Polk
SARGE & THE AEROMENw/CHRISTEE LENEE AND THE FUNKGRASS GROOVE/POETRY 'N LOTION A crowd-pleasing, genre-hopping, roots-rock act, Sarge & The Aeromen is the latest project by local guitar hero Mark Warren (Vodkanauts, Barely Pink, Leonard Croon Band). Speaking of local guitar heroes, be sure to catch Christie Lenee, one of the finest acoustic pickers in the region, front her jammy Funkgrass Groove outfit. The mandolin-led, mostly instrumentalists Poetry 'N Lotion, of Tampa, plan to unveil new material during their hourlong opening set that kicks off at 9:30 p.m. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
MR. GNOME This guitar/drum duo from Cleveland occasionally brings it hard and heavy à la The White Stripes and fellow Ohio residents Black Keys. But Mr. Gnome also delves into neo-psychedelia, which is carried by the whispery vocals of guitarist Nicole Barille. It will be interesting to see how the dynamic, which works on record, plays out in concert. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MOJO GURUS The Bay's dirty-blues-with-a-twang band returns to Dave's for what will surely be a fun, rowdy night of old-school rock 'n' roll. (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg)
CONSCIOUS SOUND SYSTEM This local outfit plays a heady mix of electronica, funk and jazz marked by turntablism (Sean Deep), prominent alto and tenor sax (Mike Ratza), popping bass guitar (Red The Low Frequency Shaman) and guitar/mandolin (Dave Berry). Flutist Nicole Golden occasionally sits in with the band. (Kelly's Pub, Tampa)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS w/FINCH/TICKLE ME PINK/OUR LAST NIGHT Don't let the cutesy moniker mislead, Phoenix's Scary Kids Scaring Kids plays gritty post-hardcore — not pop-punk or emo. Granted, the sextet, which features a keyboardist, has its more melodic side, but, all told, it's an aggressive rock unit. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
1997w/NATIONAL PRODUCT And the winner for the most annoying, counterproductive and unoriginal band name goes to Chicago's 1997. Seriously, shouldn't someone at the record label (Victory) have pulled these clowns aside and advised a change? 1997's saccharine emo is more pedestrian than bothersome, but I just can't get past the moniker — or wrap my head around the idea of saying: "Hey man, have you heard 1997?" There's more explaining required there than the band warrants, y'know? I mean, these guys aren't the fucking Who. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
BLUE DICE This Local rhythm-and-blues outfit offers horn-spiced covers of classic-rock and funk gems by the likes of James Brown, Tower of Power and The Rolling Stones. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE LAKE AUDITION w/SAINT SWEETHEART/CLOCK HANDS STRANGLE/JOON St. Petersburg's The Lake Audition is a guitar band as competent with classic-rock straightforwardness as it is navigating more angular soundscapes of the indie variety. For instance, the cut "Pete the Possum" works a heavy Wolfmother riff, whereas the instrumental "Back of the Essence" is a serpentine adventure that skews post-rock. (New World Brewery, Tampa)
THE 1ST ANNUAL FLORIDA DEATH FEST: CARCASS w/SUFFOCATION/NECROPHAGIST Liverpool has given us The Beatles … and Carcass. The latter have been hailed as pioneers of the grindcore genre. The band's groundbreaking contribution? "Try[ing] a different lyrical approach — one that reflected a fascination with surgical gadgets and peculiar words straight out of a med student's textbook," reads the AllMusic.com entry. Revolutionary? Really? Why didn't Lennon or McCartney think of that? (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
HORSE THE BAND w/HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW Noise-rock/metalcore outfit Horse the Band has the distinction of being the first group associated with the tag Nintendocore — a term referring to acts that attempt to re-create the blips and chirps of old-school '90s video games. Wikipedia says the term was first coined as a joke by HTB lead howler Nathan Winneke. (Springs Theatre, Tampa)
THE REAL BIG DEAL: MUSIC, CAMPING & ARTS FESTIVAL FEAT. DRIVE BY TRUCKERS /STANTON MOORE/TOUBAB KREWE/GIL MANTERA'S PARTY DREAM/AUTOMATIC LOVELETTER/WILD SWEET ORANGE/MATES OF STATE/MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK/WIN WIN WINTER/THE BEAUVILLES/CLOCK HANDS STRANGLE AND MANY OTHERS Southern-rock saviors The Drive-By Truckers headline this two-day fest and are scheduled to take the stage at 10 p.m. Sunday. Pop-punk faves Motion City Soundtrack play the same time slot/main stage on Saturday. The Tampa Bay acts on the lineup include Automatic Loveletter, Win Win Winter, Très Bien and The Beauvilles. For a complete schedule, see therealbigdeal.com. (Alachua County Fairgrounds, Gainesville)
HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/RADIO-FREE CARMELA & THE TRANSMITTERS/BRYAN BEARDSLEY The Burke brothers, folk songstress Carmela and acoustic rocker Beardsley team up for a night of first-rate local Americana. (Pastimes Pub, Sarasota) —AS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
THE QUEERS w/THE INDEPENDENTS/DEAD POPES Long-running pop-punk trio The Queers (they're not gay, by the way) are purveyors of big hooks and winningly juvenile lyrics. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
LUNA HALO w/RUN RUN RUN/NO CIRCUS/TAILGUNNER JOE & THE EARLS OF SLANDER Luna Halo is a solid, although not exactly remarkable, modern rock band that emerged from the Contemporary Christian ranks. The group's self-titled major-label debut came out last year on American/Columbia. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
NINJA GUN w/THE TIM VERSION/NESSIE The Valdosta, Ga., quartet Ninja Gun pulls off a killer amalgamation of power-pop, punk and alt-country — all of which is delivered with an endearing sense of honesty. (Kelly's Pub, Tampa)
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.