FRIDAY, JAN. 19

SKATEPARK OF TAMPA 14-YEAR ANNIVERSARY w/DINOSAUR JR./THE BEAT BUTTONS Recently reunited, Dinosaur Jr. is — true to its name — a big, lumbering beast of a band, so massively important that it stirred up hardcore punk, classic riffs and pure screeching into a brew that would, years later, be called "grunge." Read this week's music feature on p. 37. Tonight's show celebrates the 14th birthday of the Skatepark of Tampa, and in its honor, the PBR flows for free all night. (The Cuban Club, Tampa) —Cooper Levey-Baker

SENSES FAIL/SAOSIN/ALEXISONFIRE/THE SLEEPING Although both Senses Fail and Alexisonfire reside on Vagrant Records, the guilty party behind Dashboard Confessional, this night is heavier than you would expect, with plenty of bite behind the bark. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) —CLB

GUY DAVIS He's just the guy to present an approximation of the Delta blues for a white audience in a plush performing arts hall — which is to say: nothing too gritty or racy. He'll offer up a few educational tidbits about acoustic blues, and tell stories between songs. Davis, who grew up in the New York suburbs, played the title character in the Off-Broadway show Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil — which is to say, he's most certainly not Robert Johnson. Still, this could be an entertaining evening for folks who want to stick a pinky-toe into the blues and avoid the soot that comes with authenticity. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

WINTER JAM TOUR SPECTACULAR w/NEWSONG/STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN/JEREMY CAMP/HAWK NELSON/SANCTUS REAL/BRITT NICOLE/TONY NOLAN This budget-friendly night — tickets are just $10 — of saintly pop music features some of the biggest names in Christian rock and, oddly enough, President Bush impersonator John Morgan, who offers his "hilarious but respectful" interpretation of the Commander in Chief. Last year's Jam was one of the biggest Christian music events of the year; 2007 promises even more. (Sun Dome, Tampa) —CLB

ENTER THE HAGGIS Toronto's Celtic fusion quintet uses traditional folk as the foundation for a lively, genre-crossing sound. Socio-political songwriting, bleating bagpipes and four-part harmonies are paired with the reverberating guitars and fierce drums of rock 'n' roll, laced with bluegrass twang and elements of jaunty Latin jazz. A heady brew, that. The band is currently touring in support of its fifth album, Soapbox Heroes. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —Leilani Polk

PIERCE PETTIS Repeat visits to Bradensota by the talented rootsy folk singer are definitely welcome. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) —CLB

ROGER CHASE & MICHIKO OTAKI Chase, a viola player, and Otaki, a pianist, often perform classical recitals together. Their program will include works by Bach, Brahms, Enesco, Bliss and others. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center)

TCHAIKOVSKY'S VIOLIN CONCERTO This Florida Orchestra Masterworks program, conducted by music director Stefan Sanderling, showcases Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35; Alexander Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44. The concert continues this season's custom of opening Masterworks evenings with a brief piece by a local composer — in this case David Manson (of the Emit Series and SHIM), who describes his And Jade Gorges Echo Unbroken as a "programmatic piece based on a line from a poem by Han Shan, a Taoist hermit." The same program will be performed Sat., Jan. 20 at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, and Sun. Jan. 21 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)

SATURDAY, JAN. 20

BLUE OCTOBER After three albums of cult-appreciated alt-rock, the Texas five-piece broke through last year with the album Foiled, spurred by the rock-radio hit "Hate Me." The music has moments of reflective dreaminess, which generally gives way to bombastic segments, wherein frontman Justin Furstenfeld cuts loose with the standard-issue alt-rock (over)emoting. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

CIGAR STORE INDIANS The pride of Crabapple, Ga., and a mainstay on Bay area stages, the CSIs always show a club crowd a corkin' good time with their white-hot blend of rockabilly and roots-rock. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

GIL MANTERA'S PARTY DREAM The music is New Wave synth-pop that would be the perfect soundtrack to a 1982 sci-fi adventure with a romantic subplot involving two robots whose brainwave transmissions are set to "emo." The live show is pure spectacle, complete with costumes that include (but aren't limited to) shiny red spandex and the sort of tight, sassy shirt you'd see on a 13-year-old who's just discovered her midriff. The Nein, Velveteen Pink, Poetry n' Lotion and Ryan Wendell Bauer open. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP

JOSHUA BELL With his tousled hair and boyish good looks, Bell is a genuine classical crossover star, a critically lauded violinist who bolsters his virtuosity with a keen commercial instinct. Expect more crowd-pleasing than challenging. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

FRIENDS OF FLORIDA FOLK FESTIVAL This mini-fest marks FOFF's 25th year and runs the full gamut of folk music, from contemporary (Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen) to old time (Dale Webber & Linda Fackeldy), with a splash of blues (Art Crummer & Friends). Other acts include Lloyd Goldstein & Ray Balenger and Carroll Smith & Cindy Roy. The show takes place from 2-5:30 p.m., followed by a circle jam, with both artists and audience members welcome. Check out foff.org (UU Dome @ Unitarian Universalist Church, Tampa)

PAM TILLIS The daughter of one of Nashville's most successful songwriters, Mel Tillis, Pam has had a few big country charters, won a Best Female Vocalist CMA and even hit country nirvana when she joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2000. Tonight, she headlines this year's Manatee County Fair. (Manatee County Fair Grounds, Palmetto) —CLB

SUNDAY, JAN. 21

DAVE BRUBECK & RAMSEY LEWIS These are two of the more commercially successful pianists in jazz history. College kids in the '50s name-checked Brubeck when they wanted to sound hip. He's long been known for his experiments with different time signatures — in fact, his most celebrated tune, "Take Five" (written by his long-time saxophonist Paul Desmond), was in 5/4 time. Brubeck is 86 fricking years old, but members of his quartet are, we trust, considerably younger. Lewis, 71, forged improbable sales with his mannered take on instrumental R&B in the '60s and '70s. He placed an astonishing 19 tunes in the Billboard top 100 singles chart, including "The 'In' Crowd," which reached No. 5 in 1965. He's evolved into a tuxedo-clad elder statesman of jazz. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

GAELIC STORM Another Celtic band, this one from Santa Monica, Calif., claims fame for their appearance as the spirited musicians in the steerage scene of Titanic. Gaelic Storm plays a mix of Irish music and acoustic rock, along with ballads about drinking, bad weather, homesickness, the rough life of manual laborers, and, well, drinking. (PHCC Performing Arts Center, New Port Richey) —LP

TUESDAY, JAN. 23

ERIC TAYLOR The singer/songwriter came of age in the burgeoning '60s/'70s Houston scene that produced the likes of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen and Nanci Griffith. Taylor is lesser known than those artists, but thought of as something of a leading light among Texas Troubadours. He's a wicked guitar finger-picker, writes vivid narratives and delivers them with a craggy, intimate voice. (UU Dome @ Unitarian Universalist Church, Tampa)

THE LOVED ONES/ZOLOF AND THE ROCK AND ROLL DESTROYER Although The Loved Ones announced on Dec. 30 that their bassist had departed from the band, the guys are soldiering ahead with a long series of dates around the U.S. The Philly-based dudes play a not-exactly-original melodic hardcore sound. (The Orpheum, Tampa) —CLB

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24

INDIGO GIRLS Since scoring their first hit, "Closer to Fine," in 1989, the Indigo Girls haven't strayed from their formula of perky, earnest pop-folk with hints of wry humor. The duo is also known for its political activism, with an emphasis on the environment. When Amy Ray and Emily Saliers join voices in harmony, the sound is instantly recognizable. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

For venue addresses and phone numbers, see Soundboard, p. 43.

January

26 Claire Lynch Band w/Jack Williams Palladium Theater

26 The Fray w/Mute Math Ruth Eckerd Hall

27 Bill Gaither and his Homecoming Friends St. Pete Times Forum

28 Mastodon Jannus Landing

28 David Bromberg & Angel Band Skipper's Smokehouse

28 Red Hot Chili Peppers St. Pete Times Forum

30 Richard Gilewitz Skipper's Smokehouse

31 Tribute to Patsy Cline Largo Cultural Center

February

1 Dark Funeral/Enslaved/Abigail Williams State Theatre

1 Jack Jones Ruth Eckerd Hall

2 Bottle Rockets Skipper's Smokehouse

2 The Lemonheads State Theatre

7 Bobby McFerrin Ruth Eckerd Hall

8 Chicago Ruth Eckerd Hall

9 & 10 Less Than Jake State Theatre

10 Gipsy Kings Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

11 Winger State Theatre

14 Joe Bonamassa Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

14 Huey Lewis & The News Ruth Eckerd Hall

14 Blues is Alright Tour St. Pete Times Forum

16 Dark Star Orchestra Jannus Landing

17 Julio Iglesias Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

18 CeCe Winans Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

19 Irish Rovers Ruth Eckerd Hall

21 Against Me State Theatre

22 Justin Timberlake w/Pink St. Pete Times Forum

22 Taylor Hicks Tampa Theatre

23 Hinder Jannus Landing

23 Liza Minnelli Ruth Eckerd Hall

24 Harry Connick Jr. Ruth Eckerd Hall

25 Roger Williams Ruth Eckerd Hall

26 Catie Curtis Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

28 Ladysmith Black Mambazo Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

March

2 Patti LaBelle Ruth Eckerd Hall

3 Doo Wop VII Ruth Eckerd Hall

6 Madeleine Peyroux Tampa Theatre

7 & 8 Engelbert Humperdinck Ruth Eckerd Hall

8 The Early November State Theatre

8 Keb' Mo' Tampa Theatre

13 The Who Ford Amphitheatre

20 Paul Anka Ruth Eckerd Hall

22 Sha Na Na Largo Cultural Center

25 Bobby Vinton Ruth Eckerd Hall

31 Gilberto Gil Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.