The friends are in from out of town, the Christmas shopping is (nearly) done. You might be venturing out to the Hub or the Emerald Bar and other neighborhood watering holes to see old friends. Here's a suggestion: Invite your pals and loved ones to two outstanding local music shows while you're making plans, the Brokenmold Holiday Party at Crowbar and the Grapefruit League/Grecian Urns show at New World Brewery.
Brokenmold Entertainment spreads some live music cheer with its fifth annual holiday party, a jolly fun affair featuring a huge and diverse roster of talent. Two of CL’s Top 25 in 2010 bands head up the bill – Billy Summer-led garage surf rockers The Semis and newly trumpet-busting instrumental jazz-metal-psychedelia fusionists Poetry 'n’ Lotion, which will be performing Black Sabbath’s Paranoid in its entirety.
Other highlights include effervescent alt-folk troubadour Lauris Vidal, whose Better Part EP was just released in September via P is for Panda; Roppongi’s Ace, Tampa’s twangy, soulful-raw rock-stomping four-piece we see on the rare occasion that all members are in town at the same time (in this case for the holidays); and Orlando-based jangly post-punk garage trio Alias Punch, who have a definite early Talking Heads appeal. Rounding out the bill are pop-rockin' NYC outfit Cooper, melodic alt rock threesome Signals from Satellites, and Morphine tribute ensemble Pale Orchestra. 7 p.m., Crowbar, 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor City, $8, crowbarlive.com.
Heat up your holiday season with some heart-warming folk pop courtesy of Thx Management at New World Brewery tonight. Headlining the bill is Grapefruit League, a four-piece that features singer/guitarist Eric Hayden of Orlando’s now-defunct Sugar Oaks. Haydn and crew currently play around NYC, but still have ties to Tampa and bring a sort of backporch rootsy, stripped-down feel to their sound.
Friends and fellow folksters Grecian Urns (pictured, right) flesh out their own music with a chamber-y range of instrumentation (trumpet, harmonica, ukulele and more), and perform when all members are on break from school. The septet recently announced on Facebook that this might be one of their last shows, a surprising revelation from a band responsible for one of the year’s best debut LPs, LOVEDREAM. Pastor and musician Preson Phillips rounds things out with his sunny spiritual songwriting. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, 1313 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City, 813-248-4969. Thanks to Leilani Polk for the lovely verbiage on both shows.
For last-minute holiday doin's — Christmas lights, art shows and the like — visit the CL Merrymakers Holiday Guide.
This article appears in Dec 23-29, 2010.