FRIDAY, APRIL 22
CLUB EMPIRE'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY FEAT. FLAVOR FLAV Anybody remember when The Masquerade used to be down at the other end of Seventh? Or when the club was called Evolution? Well, if it seems like just yesterday, it wasn't, because hip-hop-heavy Club Empire has been packing 'em in on the strip's east side for 10 years now. They're celebrating with a free performance by former Public Enemy hype-man/apologetic critic of emergency response services/current reality-TV gigolo Flavor Flav, who always knows what time it is, and not just because he's got that giant timepiece around his neck. Pre- and post-Flav spinnage comes courtesy of DJ Eyeball, DJ Royce and various special guests. (Club Empire, Ybor City)
RICHARD THOMPSON The British singer-songwriter and guitar wizard has enjoyed an enthusiastic Tampa Bay following ever since he first played St. Pete's long-gone Club Detroit in the early '90s. He's a gregarious sort, who can turn an acoustic solo performance (which is what this show will be) into something special. Thompson deftly combines his Brit-folk roots with elements of rock 'n' roll, blues, R&B and other styles. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa) -Eric Snider
BADFINGER Pete Ham, the creative nexus of the Welsh band Badfinger, committed suicide 30 years ago; I could not dig up personnel in the current incarnation, but let's hope they can adequately play such great early '70s power-pop tunes as "Day After Day," "Baby Blue" and, especially, "No Matter What." (The group's first major hit was the cloying "Come and Get It," handed to them by Paul McCartney after a few failed attempts to break singles.) Badfinger was probably the best of the Beatles chasers, which never set well with the members, although the group was signed to the Fab Four's Apple label. Badfinger even got its name from the working title of the Beatles song "With a Little Help From My Friends:" "Bad Finger Boogie." (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey) -ES
THE U.S. STORM TOUR Hard-edged, industrial-influenced electronic tuneage from Assemblage 23 (the quasi-live-band brainchild of Seattle native Tom Shear) and Backandtotheleft. There's also a DJ set by Negative Format principal Brian Matson. (Masuqerade Infinity Room, Ybor City)
ABI TAPIA & FRIENDS Austinite country/folk singer-songwriter Abi Tapia's on the road supporting her latest independent album, One Foot Out The Door. She and her coterie have an early appearance in Bradenton at Manatee Community College's Earth Day Celebration (which kicks off at 10:30 a.m.), and a low-key gig at North Tampa's Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse tonight. (Manatee Community College, Bradenton; Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, Tampa)
THE LARGO MUSIC FEST The City of Largo presents three days of music for boomers. Tonight's theme is "Americana Salute," which should maybe include a parenthetical addendum explaining that no, they don't mean alt-country; Don McLean, Lee Greenwood and Ron Rich perform. Tomorrow night's program, "Rock Salute," features Three Dog Night, Survivor and local classic-rock cover act Rent Money, and Sunday's "Pop Salute (Pop as in The Boston Pops, Rather than Ashlee Simpson)" includes both the Florida Orchestra and Pinellas Youth Symphony. Largo Central Park is located at 122 Central Park Drive, naturally enough, and you can get more info at www.largomusicfest.com. (Largo Central Park, Largo)
SATURDAY, APRIL 23
LUDACRIS Though Atlanta-based rapper Ludacris originally made waves with the independent, sexually charged "What's Your Fantasy?" he's since brought a much-needed sense of humor to the Dirty South scene. Luda's as guilty as any of his contemporaries for offering up his share of oversimplified, bouncy dreck ("Move Bitch" springs irritatingly to mind), but he's also worked some canny hooks, and is unafraid to offer up creative lyrical topics or sometimes play the fool. D12's Proof will reportedly serve as this show's hype man; Juvenile and Pretty Ricky & The Mavericks provide support. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
SPRING FEST 2005 Come on, Bruce. You couldn't come up with a better name than Spring Fest? There are, like, five of those! Anyway, this one's definitely got the biggest name, as far as all-ages indie-scene stuff goes – South Florida emo faves Further Seems Forever will headline 10 hours' worth of Christian punk, rock, pop, and hardcore. Other buzzed outfits include 7th Star, My Rocket Heart, Dreams You Die In, and Take These Eyes; 15 acts in all will perform, beginning just after noon. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
REBA MCENTIRE w/BRAD PAISLEY After a lengthy run as the single most successful female country artists of the '80s and early '90s – during which she scored 18 No. 1 singles – Reba hit the small screen to respectable sitcom popularity. There's no doubt she's still able to pull in music fans of all ages and give them what they want, and the presence of comparatively young pop-country hitmaker Brad Paisley helps out. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE FREE FOR ALL TOUR FEAT. PIGFACE/SHEEP ON DRUGS/NOCTURNE/VOODOU Veteran industrial-music presence Martin Atkins (Pil, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails) continues to bring Pigface's revolving-door lineup and ever-evolving cacophony to the die-hard fans. This tour features more mostly provocative noise – Nocturne's got a great singer, but the music too often mimics turgid nü-metal – from Atkins' Invisible Records label, and an innovative ticket-price scheme that returns the cover to fans in the form of discounts at the merch booth. See the Music feature for more. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
ANGRY SAMOANS w/CAR BOMB DRIVER/LAST GREAT HOPE/SHARP OBJECTS It's hard to believe that this is seminal SoCal hardcore act Angry Samoans' very first trip to Florida ever – hey, better (25 years) late than never. AS was right there with Black Flag and The Circle Jerks when those outfits first decided that UK punk was too slow, long-winded, melodic and safe. Yes, that means original frontman "Metal" Mike Saunders is your parents' age, but we bet he'll still rock you good. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
MUSTARD PLUG/DAN POTTHAST/OVER IT/RUDESQUAD/SAFETY Maybe you haven't heard, but all the kids you made fun of for still liking ska-punk after Goldfinger ruined it for everybody are getting their comeuppance in a pretty big way these days. Mustard Plug and Dan Potthast (from MU330) have been down from day one, and have managed to put their own inventive twists on Third Wave fare. Virginia's Over It work a balance of old- and new-school melodic punk – and, with a sweet Warped Tour berth coming up, are poised to be one of the scene's Next Big Things. Bouncy, energetic locals RudeSquad and Safety kick things off. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
RAGE AGAINST LEUKEMIA North Tampa's favorite punk, rock, and punk-rock bar hosts an all-day fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with some help from Tim and Amy Rice, a Tampa couple who help run San Diego's Rock and Roll Marathon shindig. The time: 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. The cover: eight bones. The lineup: Epitome of Nothing, Lost Cause, Joey Needles, Elevated, Six String Silence, Daniel Hawks, Fist Monkey, Weaksauce, 28 Gates, and Skywolf. (Pegasus Lounge, Tampa)
BATTLE OF THE MEDIA BANDS Every year, guys and girls who work for various Tampa Bay media outlets and also happen to sing or rap or play an instrument – and some who don't – put together a band of friends and a couple of songs, and go at each other like rabid badgers in the name of having a good time and raising some money for the Society of Professional Journalists' Minority Scholarship Fund. This year's competitors include WMOR-TV32; ABC Action News 28; the St. Petersburg Times; and defending BOMB champions Bay News 9. Oh, and Lotus used to be Twilight, Club Fun, and The Rubb. (Lotus, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, APRIL 24
TAKING BACK SUNDAY w/ANBERLIN/THE FORMAT The reigning kings of modern rock radio-approved emo are coming to town to christen the Ford Amphitheatre's new, more intimate general-admission Courtyard Stage. And the kids rejoiced. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE DROWNING POOL w/OPIATE FOR THE MASSES/SLUNT Prior to the death of extroverted original lead singer Dave Williams from an undiagnosed heart defect in 2002, Texas groove-metal act Drowning Pool scored a massive hit right out of the box with the meathead anthem "Bodies." After mourning and an extensive search, the band returned last year with a new singer and a new album, Desensitized, but the truth of the matter is that Williams' unpretentious charisma was about the only thing that set the band apart even a little. Providing support are predictable, overwrought Arizona heavy rock act Opiate for the Masses and Slunt, a female-fronted NYC foursome that plays a straightforward, attitude-laden mix of punk and hard rock. (Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
MATT BIANCO It isn't a person, but rather a jazzy pop threesome that dreamed up its idea of the ultimate suave 'n' deadly TV spy, then named its band after him. The group – which features the haughty, husky vocals of Polish singer Basia – had a hit back in the '80s with "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed," but this is actually the first time the trio is touring and performing live together. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
JOHN KAY & STEPPENWOLF w/EXILE What, no ribs? This free double dose of classic rock and country is part of Clearwater's spring Fun 'N' Sun celebration. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN/GREG DAVIS/BIRD SHOW/MY WINTER AT SEA/KEITH ZAK Electro/avant-garde/post-music/sound-collage composer, producer and screwer-arounder Whitman has spent nearly a decade intriguing the adventurous and annoying the pop-minded, more often than not in the guise of Hrvatski and other vaguely German-sounding monikers. He's got a history of friendship, mutual admiration and collaboration with Greg Davis, whose work is similarly experimental but somewhat more organic. Whitman, Davis and Bird Show (aka Chicago art-music veteran Ben Vida) are all closely associated with lauded Chi-town label Kranky. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
MONDAY, APRIL 25
SCARFACE A former member of gritty, ultra-street Houston crew Geto Boys, Scarface defined the Southern-thug experience for the underground long before New Orleans bounced and Atlanta and Miami blinged. Def Jam tried like hell to break Scarface into the mainstream with his best solo album to date, The Fix, in 2002, but he remains more of an underground hero and oft-cited influence than a contemporary rap-scene presence. Tonight's performance is at Bradenton's Club Heat; Scarface will also appear at Seminole's Boomerz Boiler Room the following night, Tuesday, April 26. (Club Heat, Bradenton/Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
TUESDAY, APRIL 26
THE CODETALKERS FEAT. COL. BRUCE HAMPTON & JIMMY HERRING w/THE ROWAN BROTHERS Visionary Aquarium Rescue Unit leader Bruce Hampton continues to thrill jam fans with his now five-year-old "new" outfit The Codetalkers; for this tour, the band will be joined by guitarist Jimmy Herring, who played in a little granola outfit called The Grateful Dead, as well as Phil Lesh & Friends and with Hampton in ARU. And if you happened to miss The Rowan Brothers' show at the U.U. Dome on Sunday, make sure you come early – bluegrass deity Peter Rowan's younger brothers Chris and Lorin have an enviable knack for infusing classic Appalachian styles with elements of classic country and roots-rock. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
HYDRA Hydra is a side-project collaboration between rising electro-jam combo Particle, and Grateful Dead drummer/fervent ethnomusicologist Mickey Hart. The word "extreme" shows up a lot in the press materials for Hydra – which hasn't yet released any recorded material – but the sounds available at www.hydra-music.com would sit comfortably alongside a lot of other laid-back-but-tripped-out fare. Expect re-workings of familiar tunes by both of the parties involved, as well. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Apr 20-26, 2005.