AMERICANARAMA
The Bay area isn't exactly hurting for roots shows, but in case you're feeling a bit low on Americana, don't miss this one. Prolific cult hero Will Johnson fronts two bands – Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel – and has also forged a blooming solo career. His craggy voice delivers open-a-vein lyrics, conveying the kind of naked emotionalism that's rare in any pop genre. The Austinite will perform solo. Bobby Bare Jr., son of country semi-legend Bobby Bare (Junior's probably sick of reading that), works the alt side of Nashville, with a twangy rock sound. Bare, who will play with a band, has been lauded for his energetic stage presence. A couple of locals offer splendid support. Bay area roots maven (and former Pagan Saint) Will Quinlan fronts his current outfit, The Diviners. Nessie, led by Planet music critic Scott Harrell, specializes in bar-friendly twang-pop.
Will Johnson w/Bobby Bare Jr., The Diviners, Nessie, Wed., July 27, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City. 21-and-up. $8.
THURSDAY, JULY 21
THE SOVIETTES/THE GRABASS CHARLESTONS/THE ANIMALS/SAFETY/J. PAGE The folks at the Skatepark of Tampa flew in their favorite coed Minneapolis punk outfit to headline last year's anniversary party, and The Soviettes just slew everybody with a sweaty set of smart, spiky, harmonious tunes. Now they're back, and you can bet SPoT's Transitions Art Gallery will be jammed to the rafters. (By the way, The Soviettes' latest album, III, is great, though it doesn't really pack the punch of the live set.) Along for the ride are Gainesville natives and fellow anniversary-show alumni The Grabass Charlestons, and a host of others. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)
MIKE CLARK'S PRESCRIPTION TRIO Renowned jazz/funk/fusion drummer Clark (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chet Baker) has drafted comparatively young bucks Robert Walter (keyboards, Greyboy Allstars) and Jeff Coffin (saxophone, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones) for his latest roadworthy one-off. Like his last side project, Prescription Renewal, the Prescription Trio works an accessible, groovy sound that's more jam-scene friendly than jazzy; the live recording I was sent displays elements of fusion dotting a dynamic soundscape dominated by funky, energetic rhythms and spirited (but not showy) instrumental interplay. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
WALTERPALOOZA It's a three-day retirement tribute to Walt Caskey, who's looked over the daytime drunks at St. Pete watering hole The Emerald for 35 years. That storied, still-hip little smoky room will play host to three consecutive nights of local rockage, and in addition to providing a little green care package for Caskey, some proceeds will also go to Crippled Masters drummer Chris Cosgrove, who recently broke his leg and will be out of work for a couple of months. The bill for all three shows includes, in alphabetical order: Arcade Inferno, Can't Do It, Car Bomb Driver, Crippled Masters, Mariola, The Mercy Seat, The No Loves, The Redliners, Ricky Wilcox & The Moonsnakes, Spankin' Fresh, Sparky's Nightmare, The Unrequited Loves, Where's Andy?, and Zanesville. (The Emerald, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, JULY 22
FAITH EVANS Before achieving stardom as both a solo performer and the wife of the late Notorious B.I.G., Evans wrote and sang on innumerable urban hits and misses – she worked with everyone from Mary J. Blige and Pebbles to Usher and Color Me Badd. Her fourth album, the brand new The First Lady, balances her famous soulful ballads with bouncy club tracks, and has received substantial acclaim. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
MICHAEL BUBLÉ New-school crooner Bublé knew he wanted to swing 'n' sing at an early age. He won a Canadian talent search and toured the States with the revue Swing before meeting noted producer David Foster and signing a solo contract during the early '00s. Since then, he's remained on the edge of the pop-culture consciousness, but recently got a big leg up when his cherub-with-bushy-eyebrows good looks appeared all over a still-running Starbuck's commercial. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
MC CHRIS/SILENCE AFTER TRAGEDY/SNMNMNM/MESINJEBRIB Though he's written and recorded for years, eccentric, often humorous rapper MC Chris is best known by many for his association with several of the programs in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim late-night lineup. And it's certainly helped – he sold out the State Theatre a few months back, much to the surprise of everyone except the fans who helped book the show; I heard his set was killer, as well. This eclectic all-ages bill also features local screamo favorite Silence After Tragedy, and the hard-touring, idiosyncratic pop-orchestra that is SNMNMNM. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DJ HIVE Hive has been referred to as a "futurist B-Boy," and has recorded, remixed and produced for tons of artists and labels other than his own Violence collective. He's one of very few American drum 'n' bass specialists to be counted among the genre's finest, most of whom hail from across the pond. (Masquerade Infinity Room, Ybor City)
MOUNTAIN OF VENUS CD RELEASE PARTY Hard-touring vagabond jam act Mountain of Venus called such places as Steamboat Springs, Colo., Cambridge, Mass., and Fayetteville, Ark., home before relocating to Dunedin to work with local manager/promoter Ted Freed's Rising Jupiter collective. The female-fronted group plays a blend of funk, rock and jazzy psychedelia; tonight is the release party for its latest disc, about which I could find no information on either the band's site or www.risingjupiter.net. Come on, people. (Java Junction, Clearwater)
SATURDAY, JULY 23
RONAN TYNAN Tynan is both a founding member of the Irish Tenors and a popular solo attraction here in the States, but his rising profile as a vocalist is only the latest chapter in a remarkable life. His birth was a lengthy, touch-and-go procedure that claimed the life of his twin and left Ronan frail, but after having both legs amputated in the wake of a car accident, Tynan went on to set several track-and-field records as a disabled athlete. He's sung at folk festivals, performed opera, and appeared at special events ranging from the 9/11 memorial service at Yankee Stadium to Rudy Giuliani's wedding and Reagan's funeral. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
BACKSTREET BOYS w/THE CLICK FIVE These days, the Boys are aiming for the mothers of the tweens that made them rich half a decade ago, with a "more mature" sound that's exactly as resonant, relevant and substantial as what they used to do. The Click Five are a post-boy band boy band that plays its own instruments; Fountains of Wayne pop genius Adam Schlesinger provided the two tunes on The Click Five's album Greetings from Imrie House that the band didn't pen itself. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
HATE ETERNAL/KRISIUM/INTO ETERNITY/INCANTATION/ALL SHALL PERISH Urrrrggggghhhhhaaarrrrrggghhhhh! All the guitars and logos are pointy, all the vocals are indecipherable, and all the songs aren't just called something, they're "entitled" something (as in, "this next song is entitled 'Protomorphic Maggots Nesting in Beelzebub's Rectum,'" or whatever). (Masquerade, Ybor City)
THE ADOLESCENTS w/THE BRIGGS/DANKO JONES SoCal punk pioneers The Adolescents work the genre's ongoing mainstream cameo with their first full-on tour in 17 years. ATTENTION DIE-HARD FANS: It was just announced that original guitarist Frank Agnew won't be present at the St. Pete date, as he's recovering from knee surgery; the lineup for this show is vocalist Tony Cadena, bassist Steve Soto, drummer Derek O'Brien (from Social Distortion), and 15-year-old (!) Wrecking Crew guitarist Joe Harrison. Relatively new but still old-sounding L.A. outfit The Briggs, and Danko Jones, who are surprisingly attitude laden for Canadians, open. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BOGUS POMP What was it that Michael said in Godfather III? "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." The same could be said about Bogus Pomp, a brilliant ensemble that exclusively plays the music of Frank Zappa and just happens to be based in the Tampa Bay area. The group has hung up it up on several occasions, not so much willingly but due to a variety of factors: logistical (revolving drum chair), economic (tough to break even) and artistic (get out while it's still fresh). But something always comes up that binds the fellas back together and gets them on stage. Mostly, it's been the opportunity for a special gig, but it's also something else: Just as Corleone was lured back to his life of crime, so are these virtuoso musicians sucked back into performing Zappa's heady, intricate compositions. This local show is effectively a tune-up for when Bogus Pomp plays the Zappanale Festival in Germany in early August. But don't let the term "tune up" fool ya – these guys nail every show every time. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) -ERIC SNIDER
THE HUMAN ECHO/THE NUEVOS/RED ROOM CINEMA/MODERN EXPLORER Looks like shows at the on-again, off-again Sulphur Springs hole The Harbor Club are on again, and this is a good one for indie-rock fans – you've got four local bands that could definitely hang nationally in one room. The Human Echo plies a weird, mesmerizing blend of shoegaze-y layers and big-rock dynamics; Bradensota's The Nuevos do simple, catchy, College Wave-informed pop amazingly well; Red Room Cinema tempers experimentalism with traditional arrangements and occasional hooks; and the constantly morphing Modern Explorer (featuring former members of about a million great local bands, from Modern to Chester to Versailles) messes about with hypnotic post-rock. (The Harbor Club, Tampa)
SUNDAY, JULY 24
EVERGREEN TERRACE w/MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD/ON BROKEN WINGS Screamo is a pretty new scene, but in terms of context, Evergreen Terrace is a veteran act; the Jacksonville band has been touring hard and releasing records since '99. The group's latest, Sincerity is an Easy Disguise in This Business, is easily its most accomplished effort to date. Most Precious Blood sounds exactly like you'd think a band called Most Precious Blood (and signed to Trustkill Records) would, and Boston act On Broken Wings sounds like Most Precious Blood, only angrier and from Boston. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
CHRIS DUARTE Veteran Texas bluesman Duarte has never escaped comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan. It's certainly a compliment, but let's face it: he probably gets tired of hearing it after awhile (sorry, dude); Duarte's style has that spicy rock flavor SRV evinced so liberally, but also includes an intricate, jazz-like element. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THOR w/ARGUS/GARDY-LOO! Thor is the musical vision of Jon Mikl Thor, former bodybuilder, Mr. America and Mr. Canada. The cover of Thor Against the World features a drawing of a shirtless Viking attacking a dragon with a guitar. Would you like to know more? Of course you would. The music is horrible – a primitive mix of cock-rock and metal featuring lyrics packed with mythology, slutty/scheming chicks/sirens, and (of course) odes to Thor. You really can't tell if it's supposed to be funny or sincere. But the press kit promises a spectacular live show, including feats of strength like "bending steel bars with his teeth, crushing stacks of bricks on his chest and so forth," so I'll see you there. (Pegasus Lounge, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27
BETTER THAN EZRA I'm inclined to believe that everyone, deep in their heart's deepest, most secret cockles, loves at least one of Better Than Ezra's hit tunes. BTE is like Counting Crows and The Gin Blossoms that way; everybody out there stays on some FM station when it plays "Good," "In The Blood" or "Desperately Wanting" – they're just solid, unpretentious little pop tunes that work. The New Orleans-spawned unit hasn't had a big radio single in a while, but its first full-length in four years, Before The Robots, shows Better Than Ezra can still make some dial-surf-stopping pop-rock. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
GBH More old-school punk action, this time of a British and decidedly more aggressive persuasion. GBH emerged from a waning English punk scene during the early '80s, and is generally considered the first well-known band to infuse its hardcore with more than a little metal; Metallica has long cited the band as both a forerunner of the thrash genre and a personal favorite. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
RANDOM HERO/TRANSMISSION St. Pete nightspot The Bank is doing a lot of original live music lately, so get out there and spend some money before they realize that's the poorhouse looming up ahead in the dark. Random Hero hails from Baltimore, and does a punky thing that makes listeners want to jump around like the cast of Empire Records, while Transmission could be any one of the hundreds of bands that share that name: I suspect we're talking about a heavy-alternative outfit from Cincinnati here. If not, I apologize, but shit, doesn't anybody do a Web search before naming their band? (The Bank, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2005.