THURSDAY, JUNE 22
CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED Oklahoma quartet Cross Canadian Ragweed is constantly being lauded by relatively mainstream publications as an alt-country crossover, but most y'allternative music snobs don't hear it that way, and dismiss the band as closer to contemporary pop-country than true roots. Whatever the case, CCR is definitely more twang-rockin' than most big-time contemporary country, albeit in an occasionally generic way. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, JUNE 23
THE VANS WARPED TOUR It's that time of year: Time for all the kids to get their tickets, and for all the punk fans over the age of about 25 to hem and haw over whether seeing 10 or so of their favorite bands is worth negotiating the sun, the kids, the schedule and the short sets. We're not going to go too deeply into it this year, because it's, like, the millionth time, and you know what you're getting — extreme sports, youth marketing, worthy political and social causes, and a whole lot of music that stretches the word "punk" beyond meaninglessness. Some highlights: Against Me!, Bouncing Souls, Joan Jett, Rise Against, Buzzcocks (!). Some lowlights: Aiden, From Autumn to Ashes, Helmet (sorry, it ain't what it used to be), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Silverstein. Some local bands: Chumley's Toy, Safety, Variety Workshop. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
PHIL LESH & FRIENDS The veteran musician, best known for his three-decade stint as bass player for The Grateful Dead, brings his current traveling band to town, much to the delight of area Deadheads (Florida being an admittedly infrequent stop for Lesh). With Phil & Friends, he continues the tradition of exploring Dead music and more in new ways with an ever-changing lineup of all-star musicians. The concerts in Florida showcase the talents of keyboardist Rob Barraco (The Zen Tricksters), drummer John Molo (Bruce Hornsby and the Range), singer-songwriter Joan Osborne, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour Band) and jazz guitarist John Scofield. See this week's music feature for more. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa) —Leilani Polk
BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASS Bandleader, banjo player and singer Jeff Mosier put jam-scene pioneers Blueground Undergrass back together in '04 after a two-year hiatus. BU was one of the first wave of bands to blend bluegrass, jazz and other seminal American music styles with the Dead's meandering eclecticism and improvisational bent. The band's comeback album, Faces, features a veritable who's-who of roots/jam icons. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
EDWIN MCCAIN The mass of fans who first came to him via the Hootie-era strum-pop trend (and his timely '99 hit "I'll Be") may have thinned considerably, but singer-songwriter McCain continues to nurture his loyal die-hards via constant roadwork. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
MATT COSTA/ELVIS PERKINS/GREG LASWELL It's an intimate underground singer-songwriter fest. Huntington Beach's Costa may have been "discovered" by Jack Johnson, but his earnest style is at least as much indie-pop as it is mellow and contemplative. Elvis Perkins hails from Rhode Island, and plies a wonderful, timeless style influenced by old soul ballads and early rock 'n' roll, while Greg Laswell puts out his moody, sophisticated modern singer-songwriter fare on respected roots/folk label Vanguard Records. Highly recommended. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
WARPED TOUR AFTER PARTY & SILENT AUCTION Health-minded Florida co-op Bands Doing Battle and new Bay area music mag Reax have gotten together with Bourbon Street to put on this combination post-Warped party, benefit auction and blood drive. The blood goes to Florida Blood Services, and those who donate won't have to pay the 10-buck cover; the proceeds go to Brad Andress, a member of Cincinnati-based Warped act Close to Home who's battling cancer. Close to Home will provide a rocking live set as well, along with Pittsburgh's After Drama and local acts DC North and Clenchfist. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
SATURDAY, JUNE 24
TOWER OF ROME/BEARFIGHT Kudos to Matt Welch and Skatepark of Tampa's Transitions Art Gallery; the space has stepped up its booking over the last year, and now provides a tour stop for plenty of unknown bands playing all manner of underground styles. This weekend's out-of-towner is Chicago's Tower of Rome, a stupefyingly spastic grindcore act that might plug its instruments into your various orifices so that the sound came out of your mouth along with your screams, were such a thing possible. In addition to being this issue's Best Band Name award-winner, Bearfight comes from the Riverview area, and maintains a Myspace page that takes 20 minutes to load, and doesn't even have any fucking music on it. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)
IBIS CAMERATA Multicultural piano-violin-cello-clarinet chamber quartet Ibis Camerata formed at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music in '01. The group tours when time allows, and has appeared at St. Petersburg, Russia's prestigious White Nights Festival. Tonight's program includes offerings from Beethoven, Dvorak and Robert Muczynski. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
BATTLE OF THE BANDS When Pinellas label Significant Records puts on a Battle o' the Bands, it's usually more than that, and this hardcore/metalcore-heavy shindig is no exception — touring acts xBishopx (featuring members of Remembering Never), Suffocate Faster and The Red Baron will play headline sets following the contenders. Speaking of contenders, here they are: Loose Cannon; Endurance; Frontline; Knock 'Em Out; Fighting Grounds; Last Bulb Burning; Social Lies; First Things First; and Speak Out. The bell rings at 3 p.m. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
LORNA BRACEWELL Lauded regional singer-songwriter Bracewell is teaming up with oboist Lane Lederer and cellist Sasha von Dassow — both of the Florida Orchestra — for this cross-genre exploration. Given the skills of those involved, it should be more than interesting. Proceeds from this gig will go to Habitat for Humanity, as well. Pro Star Recording Studio is located at 3220 28th St. North in St. Pete. (Pro Star Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
FAG FIESTA Celebrate St. Pete Pride with some of the coolest kids in town, at one of downtown's newest and most comfortable hipster hangouts. And lest ye think you'll be sitting around listening to 500 verses of some damn Indigo Girls song, think again; what you'll get is killer indie-rock from locals Pirate Prude and (all my musician buddies' current favorite band) Giddy-Up, Helicopter!, as well as Alabama's So. (Bombshell Gallery, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, JUNE 25
MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE w/KILL HANNAH If you've ever been exposed to Mindless Self Indulgence, you know the band's snotty, pre-electroclash robo-punk is a love-it-or-hate-it phenomenon — loud, brash and cleverly stupid. But you've gotta give the group props for rising to sell out 1,500-seat clubs and theaters on little more than word-of-mouth and a motivated fanbase. Opener Kill Hannah hails from Chicago, and is currently rising through the ranks on the strength of a sound that's pretty easily lumped in with the whole Killers-instigated cool-synth-rock resurgence. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
LEGENDARY PINK DOTS The enduring, cult-beloved psychedelic/ambient-industrial act celebrates a quarter of a century of existence with a new album, cheerily named Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves, and a spin around the States. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
WEBB WILDER/COMMANDER CODY Named after a music-obsessed character from an obscure short film, Webb Wilder the bandleader plays an intriguingly cinematic blend of surf-rock and twangy, rollicking proto-rock 'n' roll. With his Lost Planet Airmen, pianist Commander Cody spent the late '60s and most of the '70s playing stripped-down bar-band rock that was grittier and less pretentious than most of its arena-bound contemporaries. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE LYNNE ARRIALE TRIO While she plays piano in a standard jazz trio format, Arriale has shown crossover appeal during her nine-album career. She can handle old chestnuts and jazz standards by the likes of Monk and Miles, but prefers to offer jazz renditions of more modern classics like The Beatles' "Come Together," Burt Bacharach's "A House is Not a Home" and Bill Withers' "Lean on Me." Arriale has a luxuriant tone and favors lavish phrasing, but can bring the swing too. Note: The show is at 6 p.m. (Gorilla Theater, Tampa) —Eric Snider
WSLR BENEFIT w/BIG NIGHT OUT Sarasota's community radio station gets another musician-assisted boost this week with a performance by Big Night Out. The group is one of the most fun on the Suncoast, with its Latin-tinged takes on the Isley Brothers and James Brown. (Flanzer Jewish Community Center, Sarasota) —Cooper Lane Baker
MONDAY, JUNE 26
SO THEY SAY/RACE THE SUN/MADINA LAKE As you may have guessed by the names, this is an emo show. But don't dismiss it with a backwards-hair joke just yet, because St. Louis' So They Say is better than most at giving up edgy melody — the band actually sounds committed, and that makes a lot of difference. Richmond's Race The Sun splits the difference between anthemic pouting and a more melodic hardcore-influenced sound, and Madina Lake, seemingly the 30th band from Chicago to come through town this week, does the same. Neither of the openers is as compelling as the headliner, but both are at least a little more original and listenable than most of their ilk. Well, maybe not Madina Lake. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SAM PACETTI/GABE VALLA This month's entry in the Sarasota Folk Club outdoor evening concert series is Sam Pacetti, with a smooth, English country-folk sound buoyed by some awfully impressive finger-picking. Born in northern Florida, Pacetti recorded his only studio CD — 1997's Solitary Travel — in Gainesville with producer Gabriel Valla, who just happens to be sharing the spotlight at this gig. Valla's quite a picker himself, and both have worked the Florida folk circuit for years. (Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Sarasota) —CLB
TUESDAY, JUNE 27
DASH RIP ROCK If you're over 30 and dig on both punk and roots-rock, chances are you've gotten shithoused at a Dash Rip Rock show at least once. These unapologetic New Orleans party hounds have made some of the fastest, simplest, catchiest and most fun cowpunk around, and are simply always a killer live night out. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28
PHIL VASSAR Vassar was a successful behind-the-scenes pop-country songwriter for a few years before a record deal of his own resulted in 2000's hit singles "Carlene" and "Just Another Day in Paradise." He's had a fairly steady string of popular tunes since, the latest being current Top Fiver "Last Day of My Life." Tonight, he performs at The Dallas Bull's new location, a half a mile south of I-4 on U.S. 301. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
THE SAMPLES Like so many early '90s alternative acts, the folky, poppy Samples endured a frustrating major-label experience and went on to sustain a mid-level independent career that has garnered a limited but devoted fanbase. The group continues to pick up new ears little by little, mostly after being lauded in the press by some much more visible artists (like Dave Matthews Band, for instance), and tends its flock via constant do-it-yourself club and theater touring. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2006.