The weekend lies ahead, filled with promise. Check out the concert highlights for this Fri., April 8, then take a peek at what's coming up on Saturday and Sunday, too.
Tampa Bay Blues Festival The Tampa Bay Blues Festival returns with a big ol’ bombastic bill of the genre’s finest talents for its 21st edition. Victor Wainwright and WildRoots usher the weekend with a Thursday night kick-off party at Palladium Theater (which also hosts after-parties on Friday and Saturday nights). The blues fest begins in earnest at Vinoy Park on Friday; Kenny Wayne Shepherd takes the headlining slot followed in close pursuit by Tommy Castro & The Painkillers. On Saturday, Aaron Neville commands the lead billing, with fine warm-up beforehand in JJ Grey & Mofro and Curtis Salgado. Finally, Sugar Ray & the Bluetones perform on Sunday before Walter Trout closes down Tampa Bay Blues Fest on Sunday. Check out the full schedule of performers at tampabaybluesfest.com. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
The Dave Rawlings Machine In this project of Americana mainstays and decades-long collaborators Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch, the better-known latter takes a back seat to the former, his warm drawling tenor taking the lead on dusty rambling odes that sometimes take a downright backwoods turn. Last fall saw the release of a new LP from his Machine (which also includes bassist Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show’s Willie Watson on vocals and guitar), and that record, Nashville Obsolete, prompts the current tour. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
G. Love & Special Sauce with The Bones of J.R. Jones Philly music maker G. Love (real name Garrett Dutton) has been pushing his trademark mix of blues, hip hop and rock n’ roll since the early ‘90s, though he really gained traction (and started amassing the relentlessly devoted fanbase that follows him today) after signing to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire label in 2004. This date supports the release of his 10th LP with his Special Sauce, Love Saves the Day, which has a grittier guitar-seared and NOLA-steeped sound than previous efforts. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Afroman A few years ago, Afroman re-imagined his ubiquitous “Because I Got High,” into an anthemic ode about legalization, trading in his seeming cavalier attitude to deliver a more pointed (yet still easybreezy) message promoting the medical and monetary benefits of marijuana. The remix is one of six tracks included on his 2015 One Hit Wonder EP, which brings him to town on this date. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Archangel Tampa’s Archangel deliver a no-nonsense amalgamation of styles spanning decades. Tracks like “Wings of Death Alone” pit vocals that swing between glam metal falsettos and deep growls against thrashy instrumentals, while “Prayers Upon Deaf Ears” carries impacting aggression offset by a symphonic intro that segues into a tension-building breakdown. Lyrically, both touch on religious iconography and angst. Also on the bill: Pagan Faith, Vain Rachel, Unchecked Agression, Shithouse Slim and the Upperdeckers. (Brass Mug, Tampa) –Justin Croteau
SUNN O))) A widely revered avant-metal band from Seattle formed by musicians Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson in 1996 has returned to the road for the first time in several years behind 2015 full-length Kannon. Their sound calls on elements of drone, doom and black metal with heavy doses of noise and experimentation, sludgy-slow tempos, fuzz-distorted dropped-tuned guitars and bass, and in place of any rhythmic structures, feedback loops that create eerie, expansive soundscapes. Live, the band members perform in long black robes amid gouts of billowing fog. This is their first Florida tour. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Jim Chambers Music Box Presents: Extra Celestial, Surviving the Mile, Inkblot, A Long Way from Kansas, Abandoned Royalty A showcase of bands repped by the rock school academy located in Carrollwood, and led by all-girl power quartet Extra Celestial. Read more about the band and the Box here. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
ALSO TONIGHT
Christie Lenée/HuDost /John Stringer Fri., April 8, Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
DJs Three, Busto & Chang The Castle, Ybor City
Keiko Matsui Largo Cultural Center, Largo
Lauren Mitchell Band Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Genghis Flan Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Green Sunshine Ale and the Witch, Ybor City
Claudia Schmidt Craftsman House, St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg College Faculty Chamber Recital SPC Music Center, St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Blues Fest After Party w/Biscuit Miller/Tommy Castro/The Reba Russell Band Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Let It Be – Beatles Tribute Sat., April 9, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Rock for a Reason w/Against My Will/Deathstar Thrive/Vapid/Demented Truth/more Sat., April 9, Brass Mug, Tampa
The Wilson Van w/The Ries Brothers Sat., April 9, State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Hideaway Cafe 7 Year Anniversary w/The Hummingbirds/TC Carr & Bolts of Blue Sat., April 9, Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Morgan Page Sat., April 9, Amphitheatre, Ybor City
Napalm Death/Melvins w/Melt Banana Sat., April 9, Orpheum, Ybor City
Rock & Roll Dance Party w/Holey Miss Moley/Twisty Chris & the Puddin Packs/Little Sheba & The Shamans Sat., April 9, The Blueberry Patch, Gulfport
Norma Jean w/He Is Legend/Forevermore/Rival Choir Sat., April 9, Epic Problem, Tampa
Bloody Jug Band w/The Hang Ups Sat., April 9, Ale and the Witch, Ybor City
Soulfound w/Trace Of Day/Vertebreaker Sat., April 9, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Ajeva Album Release Party w/Flat Land/Este Loves Sat., April 9, Ringside Café, St. Petersburg
Peace of Woodstock Sat., April 9, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Corey Smith w/Morgan Myles Sat., April 9, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Blues Fest After Party w/Danielle Nicole/Curtis Salgado/The Cash Box Kings Sat., April 9, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Poetry n’ Lotion w/End of Daisies/John Nowicki Sat., April 9, The Hub, downtown Tampa
EMEFE Sun., April 10, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg
Najee Sun., April 10, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
2016 DMC Tampa Regional DJ Battle feat. Chris Karns Sun., April 10, Crowbar, Ybor City
Boy Without Batteries/T-T)b/Nestrogen/Shadrew/Ugly Spud Sun., April 10, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Dawes w/Hiss Golden Messenger Sun., April 10, State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival: All American Rejects Sun., April 10, Busch Gardens, Tampa
Stolen Idols Sun., April 10, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
The Midtown Men Sun., April 10, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
AntiFest Blow-out w/Divorce Ring/Virgin Flower/Burnt Hair/Bacon Grease/Wren Turco/Ola Lindefelt/Groovslave Sun., April 10, Venture Compound, St. Petersburg
Classic Albums Live: Fleetwood Mac, Rumours Sun., April 10, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Patel Rock School Blow-Out Sun., April 10, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Uncle John’s Band Sun., April 10, Ale and the Witch, Ybor City
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2016.