Microgroove 5-Year Anniversary w/Draem Girl/Pajamas/Vic Alvarez/MrEnc/Piss Ghost/Disevered You know what’s hard? Running a record store. Sure, it looks like someone’s doing what they love day in and day out (and that’s true), but buying new vinyl to stock in a store is still a gamble (compared to CDs which retailers usually ship back if unsold) and acquiring collections is a tricky game, too. All the more reason to celebrate Microgroove sticking it out on their Seminole Heights block for a half decade now. For their anniversary bash, shop owner Keith Ulrey is inviting a few local food & drink vendors (Commune + Co. coffee, One of the Wurst wiener collective, and Jug & Bottle who are doling out Mother Kombucha and Tidal Board ginger beer) to do their thing while some of his favorite bands do theirs. Awkward Age and Living Decent frontman Vic Alvarez will play a solo set, while Orlampa dark-arts specialist MrENC will play selections from a new album of rock-noir CL profiled over the summer. Death metal gets delivered by Tampa’s own Disevered, and St. Pete punks Piss Ghost will provide the toiletrock before Mouse Fire frontman Shane Schuch does a electro-pop a la his Pajamas solo project. Capping off the festivities (which kick off around Noon:30) are newish, possibly dyslexic grunge and shoegaze trio Draem Girl. There will be discounts on almost everything in-store and free PBR for anyone old enough to drink it. (Microgroove, Tampa) INFO
Mad Dogs and Sacred Fire Tributes get a bad shake sometimes, but members of Mad Dogs, an homage to Joe Cocker, have played with Carole King, War and Bobby Womack, so don’t knock ‘em till you try it. What’s more is that the same lineup will also perform as Santana tribute Sacred Fire on the very same night. You’ll never transport back to the 1970s mom, so this is you’re next best bet. We’ll be your designated driver. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
David Crosby w/Michael League/Becca Stevens/Michelle Willis In our interview with 60s folk icon David Crosby, the 75-year-old songwriter talked about mortality (Bowie, Cohen, Russell), immortality (he should’ve never lived through the life he led back in the day) and a brand new album, Lighthouse. He claims to have even more music in the tank, and truly sounds like one of the happiest guys in music right now. Expect him to express a lot of that at this show and work through a ton of Lighthouse alongside an all-star band that includes the album’s producer, Michael League of Snarky Puppy. Crosby is, naturally, interested in talking about his relationships with Graham Nash and Neil Young, but he likely won’t shy away from some Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young songs at this intimate show. “I hope you come out to the show,” he told us before ending the interview, “the songs speak much better for me than I actually can on the phone.” (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
The Havana Cuba All-Stars If you’ve paid any kind of attention to the news (you know the real kind, versus the highly partisan, sometimes wholly inaccurate stuff that gets shared on social media from time to time), then you know that the figurative wall around Cuba is getting torn down bit by bit every single day (thanks Obama?). That doesn’t make the arrival of this ensemble any less exciting though, and there’s no doubt that this 11-piece direct from Havana is going to deliver a nostalgic blast of traditional Cuban son music that will please natives of the island nation and curious onlookers alike. (Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Burke Brothers Thanksgiving is for family, and that’s what you’ll get at this installment of the notorious Ella’s Sunday brunch where the Burke Brothers (of Have Gun, Will Travel fame) take to the Seminole Heights eatery’s tiny stage for a set of timeless, regionally-loved Americana. (Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa) INFO
Taj Motel Trio/Sketchie/Yugoskavia/more It’s been almost ten years since Taj Motel Trio released their skapunk Christmas masterpiece Pretzels & Beer for Santa, but we’re hoping that the proximity to the holiday will call for a performance of the eight-minute, seven-track blast of yuletide skank. The Atlanta-based seven-piece have at least a handful more releases to pull from if they’re feeling Scrooge-y, and they’ll have plenty of back up on the all-ska bill, too. Yugoskavia will make the drive from Orlando while Sketchie, Help! Police! And Unchecked Aggression all file in from Tampa. (Lucky You Tattoo, Seminole) INFO
Oba Brasil: An Afternoon of Brazilian Jazz w/Andrea Moraes Manson/O Som Do Jazz We’re obviously a little biased, but CL Space is a lovely room to catch a show in, and we’re stoked that our friends at Tempus Projects in Seminole Heights have decided to activate it with some South American flavor care of St. Pete singer Andrea Moraes Manson, who arrives in Ybor City with all the influence of her hometown, Rio de Janiero, in tow. Her band, O Som Do Jazz (translates to “The Sound of Jazz” in Portuguese) specializes in the kind of 60s sounds you may have heard coming out of Rio nightclubs where Brazillian musicians did their best to add their own touch to the progressive sounds coming from the United States at the time. (CL Space, Ybor City) INFO
BobaFlex w/Pröwess You might have to go to New Port Richey if you want to catch the final 2016 tour from West Virginia rock outfit Bobaflex, who’ve said that they’re going to be holed up in the studio next year as they work on a follow up to Anything That Moves. The band also plays Crowbar in Ybor City on Wednesday, so you have the option, too. (Venom Custom Choppers,
New Port Richey) INFO
This article appears in Nov 24 – Dec 1, 2016.