DECEMBER
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Nervous Turkey (Yeoman's Road Pub, Tampa)
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Rewind: The WMNF Tribute to the Music and Songs of 1968 w/ Boon/Christie Lenee/Crabgrass Cowboys/Ted Lukas/Johnny Zoom/Lush Progress/Midnight Bowler’s League/Rancid Polecats/Roppongi’s Ace/Talk to Mark WMNF’s Flee strays from his typical tribute show tradition of having a diverse lineup of local acts honor a single artist and has asked all the bands listed above to cover a tune from 1968. Songs I would like to hear from that year? How about killer renditions of The Rolling Stones’ “Factory Girl,” The Beatles’ “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle,” Loretta Lynn’s “Fist City” and The Velvet Underground’s “White Light/White Heat.” Seriously, that would be a rad setlist! “Party favors, champagne toast, breakfast included,” reads the ’MNF website. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Sister Hazel The Gainesville bar band that made it big a decade ago during Hootie mania is back, with $39.99 tickets that include “champagne toast, party favors and buffet.” (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Wednesday, Dec. 31 REAX Rockin' New Years Eve Party feat. The Basiqs/Sunbears!/Pauly Crush Tampa’s Basiqs are a highly talented hip-hop duo that drop finessed flow over sonics indebted to soul and classic rock. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Jason Ricci and New Blood w/Tucci With tight trousers and slanted hairstyle, youngster Jason Ricci might look like he should be playing pop punk rather than the blues. But the latter is his music of choice and Ricci is one of the best harp blowers around. Expect him to have this fabulously barn-like venue rocking! (Ace's Lounge, Bradenton)
Wednesday, Dec. 31 DJ Icey w/Tony Faline/Haf What’s up with Green Iguana bringing in all these killer DJs? Props to them. Icey made his name in Orlando during the gloriously decadent 1990s rave days. He’s best known for acid house, funk breaks and being the resident DJ at The Edge back in the day. (Green Iguana, Anderson Road, Tampa)
JANUARY
Friday, Jan. 02, WMNF presents Kenny Drew, Jr. The jazz pianist, 50, calls St. Petersburg home, but spends a lot of time gigging around the country and overseas. He comes from a decidedly bebop-inspired space — bluesy and hard swinging but capable of introspection and sensitivity. Drew is one of those jazzers who intuitively knows how to excite an audience, playing very fast while remaining coherent, and with his sense of melody always intact. Kenny Drew Jr. is a throwback in the best possible sense. His father Kenny Drew was an estimable pianist in the bop and post-bop eras. Drew doesn’t do a lot of Bay area gigs, and this trio show should be special, held at the acoustically excellent Springs Theatre, which is also a recording studio. (Springs Theatre, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 02 The Florida Orchestra Presents Five By Design in Stay Tuned The Orchestra goes a bit campy with this concert, backing the vocal ensemble Five By Design, which will sing music from the early days of television, including theme songs, commercials, skits and comedy bits. Guest conductor Will Delony presides. The same program takes place on Sat., Jan. 3 at Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete and Mon., Jan. 5 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 02 Galactic w/ Trombone Shorty/The Lee Boys The New Orleans quintet Galactic has never been shy about reinventing itself — or at least engaging in significant musical overhauls — especially in the last half decade. The group started in the mid-1990s as a gang of white boys copping Crescent City funk, then added African-American singer Theryl deClouet on vocals. They earned a following on the jam-band circuit and released several albums that built them into a solid cult act. DeClouet and the group parted company in ’04, and the band soldiered on as an instrumental ensemble — until last year, when Galactic unleashed the fine From the Corner to the Block, where the players laid down deep funk grooves behind an array of alt-rappers, including Boots Riley and Lyrics Born. Several rappers joined Galactic on their last tour, but I’ve not been able to discover whether that’s the plan for this trek or they’re reverting back to the all(mostly?)-instrumental format. The band’s website lists only The Lee Boys, a rousing “sacred steel” band, as openers, while Jannus Landing also says Trombone Shorty is on the bill. Let’s hope he is: The lithe trombonist, who also raps, sings and plays trumpet, is a fireball entertainer, and his band pulls from both traditional Crescent City and post-hip-hop influences.
Galactic, Fri., 9 p.m. Jan. 2, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $21 advance, $24 day of show, jannuslandingconcerts.com. —Eric Snider (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 02 Kim Kramer (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Saturday, Jan. 03 Murdok w/Of Angeline/A City Divided/Aveera/White Knuckle Drive Another metal lock-in at the State, featuring several bands from Tampa Bay that sort of hit a 6 on the heaviness scale. Murdock works a bit of rap into their groove-intensive sound; Of Angeline and A City Divided mix together low-croak verses with melodic choruses. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 03 Saint Sweetheart w/Alexander and the Grapes/The Turncoat Sarasota indie duo Saint Sweetheart surprised and impressed Creative Loafing Sarasota editor Cooper Levy-Baker last July with a spirited, high-quality live show. In the blog post that followed, he wrote, “No other act can match the way the duo combines its sweet songwriting charm with a noisy, off-kilter instrumental delivery.”(The Uptown Bar, St. Petersburg) —Leilani Polk
Saturday, Jan. 03 Select Start CD Release Show w/Vega Under Fire, Stages & Stereos, The Woodwork, And Then There Was You Tampa’s beloved power-poptronic quintet, Select Start, celebrates the release of its new EP, <3. PureVolume — a social media company that houses profiles and music of more than 400,000 emerging artists — named Select Start as one of its Top 21 Unsigned Artists of 2008. They’re joined by Naples indie-dance-rock quintet Vega Under Fire (also a PureVolume featured Top 21 Unsigned Artist of 2008), Tallahassee’s Stages & Stereos, Miami’s And Then There Was You and The Woodwork of Tampa. (Brass Mug, Tampa) —LP
Saturday, Jan. 03 Jet City w/The Hitmen (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
Saturday, Jan. 03-Sunday, Jan. 04 JJ Grey and Mofro w/Inca Maya I’ve seen JJ Grey play under a multitude of Florida skies, from the cold and starry darkness of the upper reaches of rural North Florida to the warm and sunny blue of a South Florida metropolis to the tree-shrouded courtyard right here mid-state at Skipper’s Smokehouse. Makes sense that the Jacksonville musician’s laid-back, roots-rock-meets-retro-funk style fits with pretty much any outdoor Southern setting, especially those of his home state, his soulful drawl and redolent lyrics calling to mind swamplands and soul food and juke joints and late-night back-porch parties. Grey and his band Mofro are currently touring in support of the groove-infused Orange Blossoms. For this tour, he’s joined by fellow Jacksonvillans Inca Maya, a four-piece funk-rock outfit with reggae-flavored jams. A second show happens Sunday, Jan. 3. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —Leilani Polk
Sunday, Jan. 04 Small Potatoes w/Hymn For Her The Chicago-based folk duo of Jacquie Manning and Rich Preziosa plays a wide-ranging mix of Celtic, cowboy, jazz, blues, swing and trad folk. “Our music is the result of careful indecision,” Prezioso has said. “We’re really just eclecto-maniacs.” Also on the bill is the like-minded, but somewhat more progressive, Philadelphia duo Hymn For Her. Show starts at 3 p.m. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
Sunday, Jan. 04 Sean Carney Ohio-based singer/guitarist Sean Carney leads an experienced band that specializes in urbane, swinging blues with a decidedly Windy City bent. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —Wade Tatangelo
Monday, Jan. 05 The Florida Orchestra Presents Five By Design in Stay Tuned The Orchestra goes a bit campy with this concert, backing the vocal ensemble Five By Design, which will sing music from the early days of television, including theme songs, commercials, skits and comedy bits. Guest conductor Will Delony presides. The same program takes place on Sat., Jan. 3 at Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete and Mon., Jan. 5 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tuesday, Jan. 06 Freight Train Annie's Girlie Show w/The Marys/boon/Juniper Trio/Someday Souvenir The monthly femme-centric concert series continues this Tuesday with hosts The Marys and, of course, scene stalwart Freight Train Annie. The January local showcase features sets by boon, a rockin’ four-piece fronted by throaty vocalist Pam M., Celtic folk band Juniper Trio and an acoustic set by Tampa/Lakeland alt-rock quintet Someday Souvenir, led by sexy songstress Dari Mahnic. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Tuesday, Jan. 06 The Nelson Riddle Orchestra The late Nelson Riddle was a bandleader of large-ensemble, easy-listening music but is most critically renowned for his arrangements, especially the string charts he wrote for Frank Sinatra albums like In the Wee Small Hours. His son Christopher Riddle leads the Orchestra. The show is at 1 p.m. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tuesday, Jan. 06 Aaron Lewis The brawny-voiced frontman of post-grunge outfit Staind recently told Billboard.com that he’s working on a solo acoustic album and touring in a stripped-down mode that reflects the future project. Perhaps Lewis will debut some of the new material. But if he wants to appease concertgoers, the newly restrained rocker will offer “unplugged” renditions of Staind hits like 2001’s “It’s Been Awhile,” 2003’s “Price to Play,” 2004’s “So Far Away” and 2006’s “Right Here.” (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Wade Tatangelo
Wednesday, Jan. 07 Marshall Tucker The most country-leaning of the so-called Southern rock acts that followed the Allman Brothers Band to national success in the 1970s, MTB issued a string of sweet, smoothly rustic albums resulting in enduringly pleasing singles like “Fire on the Mountain,” “Long Hard Ride” and the classic-rock staple “Can’t You See.” The band began fizzling in 1980 after the death of bassist Tommy Caldwell. His brother, guitarist/songwriter Toy Caldwell, died in 1993. These days, the only major player from the original lineup is singer Doug Gray, who, to his credit, was in fine voice when I saw the band perform in Bradenton several years ago. (Largo Cultural Center) —Wade Tatangelo
Thursday, Jan. 08 Madball w/La Veija Guardia/Thick as Blood/Kids Like Us/Palestine Established in 1988 as the side project of NYC hardore punk pioneers Agnostic Front and featuring lead vocals by Freddy Cricien — the little brother of AF frontman Roger Miret — Madball is apparently a hardcore staple, different from AF for its guttural yell-talk lyrical delivery and fatter, more menacing bass lines. (Orpheum, Tampa).
Thursday, Jan. 08 Bryan Adams Looking back over the man’s chart history, I was surprised to discover just how many hit songs the Canadian native notched. From 1983’s “Straight From the Heart” (No. 10) to 1995’s “Have You Ever Really Love a Woman?” (No. 1), he landed 21 singles on the Top 40, including four No. 1s. Folks, No. 1s ain’t easy to come by. That’s not to suggest that Adams’ milieu has been important. At best, “Heaven,” “Summer of ’69,” “Everything I Do (I Do it For You)” et al are disposable ditties that might elicit nostalgia pangs from certain folks, folks who like simple, sentimental, heartland-style pop-rock with raspy vocals. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, Jan. 09 Cigar City Tattoo Convention w/Drag the River/Joey Cape The two-day tat convo kicks off with Colorado alt-country ensemble Drag the River, a twangy project of punk-rockers Chad Price (singer and bassist of ALL) and Jon Snodgrass (former guitarist and singer of Armchair Martian). The music’s pretty ordinary — no new territory covered here — but if you like the lost-my-woman-and-am-drinking-away-my-blues sort of songs with the occasional barroom stomper thrown in for good measure, this show’s for you. San Francisco singer/songwriter Joey Cape (frontman of Calfornia’s Lagwagon) plays a solo gig in support of Drag the River’s two Florida dates. (The Cuban Club, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 09 Tattoo Convention After Party w/Rude Squad/Surly/Party Time/The Redliners (Orpheum, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 09 Pinetop Perkins w/Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin Blues Band/Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues At 95, Pinetop Perkins is living, breathing music history. Better than that, he’s still going strong, still bringing his boogie-infused blues piano and down-home vocals to audiences around the world. Born in Belzoni, Miss., Pinetop started as a guitarist but an arm injury forced him to piano, where he became one of the defining stylists of the genre. He’s worked with Rice “Sonny Boy Williamson” Miller, B.B. King and others, but he’s most lauded for his work in the late ’60s and ’70s as part of Muddy Waters band. It wasn’t until 1988, at the age of 75, that Pinetop recorded his first album as a leader, After Hours (Blind Pig). Now based in Austin, the pianist is playing a WMNF show and will be backed by guitarist Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin and his band. Last year, Pinetop won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, making him the oldest person ever to win the coveted music award.
Pinetop Perkins & the Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin Blues Band w/Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues, 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 9, Skipper’s Smokehouse. $15 advance, $20 day of show. wmnf.org. —Eric Snider (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 09 Villanova Junction w/Kore/Jett (The Garage Bar, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 09 Linda Eder w/William Joseph Pop vocalist Eder gained career momentum on Star Search, which for you young’uns was a distant precursor to American Idol. She comes from the Garland/Streisand mold, although her latest album, 2008’s The Other Side of Me, has a pop-country flavor. Pianist William Joseph specializes in quasi-classical and pompous pop. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, Jan. 09 Karl Denson's Tiny Universe West Coast jazz-funk musician Karl Denson leads two of his own self-monikered ensembles, the Karl Denson Trio (KD3) and his more popular and longer-running Tiny Universe. Denson sings, plays a sexy sax (and flute, too), and is a rather engaging presence (not to mention smokin’ hot). I’ve heard Snider call Tiny Universe “smooth,” but I disagree; Denson’s grooves have a nice bit of booty-moving funkiness and his high-energy shows are like dance parties. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 09 Kosondra Rose (Whistle Stop Grill, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 09-Sunday, Jan. 11 The Florida Orchestra Presents Petrushka with Puppets (TBPAC, REH)
Friday, Jan. 09 Have Gun, Will Travel After a breakthrough 2008, Matt Burke and company grabbed a little down time at year’s end. Now HGWT is back gigging actively. This year should see a further expansion and refinement of the act’s melodic, emotive America sound. (The Uptown Bar, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 10 New Granada Presents Lush Progress w/Morningbell/November Foxtrot Whisky This troika of bands provides indie-rock enthusiasts with a nice smorgasbord of sounds. The rising Lush Progress, of Tampa, melds appealing hooks, languid vocals and intriguing arrangements that showcase imaginative string parts. Morningbell brings its gauzy psychedelic folk down from Gainesville. Haven’t heard much from November Foxtrot Whiskey in awhile, but I’m glad they’re putting their quirky, angular pop back into action. (New World Brewery, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 10, Tea Leaf Green San Francisco melodic jammers Tea Leaf Green makes a trio of Florida stops following their gig on JamCruise. (The Social, Orlando)
Saturday, Jan. 10 Cigar City Tattoo Convention w/Unknown Hinson/Red Rocket Deluxe Day two of the tat convo features North Carolina rockabilly troubadour Unknown Hinson (aka Stuart Daniel Baker). This is the third time the freaky solo artist has been to Tampa in less than a year, but folks seem to like his onstage B-horror-movie shtick. (The Cuban Club, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 10 Second Annual "A Reason to Rock" Benefit w/Chris McCarty/Soulfound/Radio Reset/The Prospect A young local woman whose father has Parkinson’s disease stages her second annual benefit concert to raise funds for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 10 The Ira Sullivan Quartet Tampa Jazz Club welcomes multi-instrumentalist bebopper Ira Sullivan for a 3 p.m. show at the historic Springs Theater. Sullivan is known for his ability to improvise on a wide variety instruments — trumpet, flute, alto, soprano and tenor saxophone — and was a leading artist in the 1950s Chicago hard-bop scene. He’s joined by Michael Royal on piano, Richard Drexler on bass, and drummer Danny Gottlieb (who was the first drummer in the Pat Metheny Group). (The Springs Theater, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 10 Fast Taker w/Sins of the Father/Paradigm/Precipice/Kings of Awesome/Shattered Spine (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Saturday, Jan. 10 Josh Riley (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Saturday, Jan.10 Halcyon w/Hymn For Her The heavenly, harmonizing pop-folk duo of Deb Hunseder and Stephanie Callahan make their monthly stop at Skipper’s. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 10 Rebekah Pulley You’d have to ask her to be sure, but my guess is that 2008 was pretty good professionally to Pulley, who solidified her position as one of Tampa Bay’s preeminent singer/songwriters and Americana artists. Next, the world. (Purple Moon, Dunedin)
Monday, Jan. 12 Lucy Kaplansky In an era when singer/songwriters generally duck genre tags, New York-based Kaplansky calls herself, simply, “folk” on her MySpace page. Go girl. She’s an unrepentant musical storyteller who proudly strums and fingerpicks an acoustic guitar and sings with lots of intimacy and feeling. (Jaeb Theater-TBPAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 13 Mogul Street Reserve w/The Tape Delay/Via Segovia The opening acts for the We Were Born as Ghosts show — which was cancelled along with the rest of WWBG’s January tour — plunge ahead sans a national headliner: Mogul Street Reserve, a foursome with catchy hooks and contagious energy, post-rock duo The Tape Delay and psychedelia quartet Via Segovia. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Wednesday, Jan. 14 Funeral For a Friend w/The Sleeping Welsh post-hardcore five-piece Funeral for a Friend is currently touring the U.S. in support of its new album, Memory and Humanity, out on Roadrunner Records. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Wednesday, Jan. 14 American Big Band This production simulates vintage radio broadcasts and takes a “sentimental journey” through eight decades of big band music in America. Twenty singers, dancers and musicians evoke Miller, Duke, Goodman et al. Show starts at 1 p.m. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Thursday, Jan. 15 Combichrist w/Black Light Burns (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 16 The Jazz With Jim Series feat. The Dave Lynch Trio (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 16 Del Castillo (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 16 Freddy Montes Y Su Son (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, Jan. 16 Hamel On Trial (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 16 70's Soul Jam feat. The Stylistics/Heatwave/Harold Melvin's Bluenotes (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, Jan. 16 Tailgunner Joe and the Earls of Slander w/Urbane Cowboys/Someday Souvenir/Glasgow (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Delta Moon (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Del Castillo w/Chicago Afrobeat Project (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Variety Workshop CD Release Party (Big Shots, Clearwater)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Wu-Tang Clan (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Mighty Clouds of Joy (Ferguson Hall-TBPAC)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Days of the New (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Greg West (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Saturday Jan. 17 Tampa Bay Church Choir Competition (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Geri X Record Release Show feat. Geri X w/The Beauvilles/Have Gun, Will Travel/The Vega Star (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Pinehill CD Release Party w/Hat Trick Heroes/Pellets On Target (Market On Seventh, Ybor City)
Sunday, Jan. 18 Roy Clark (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Sunday, Jan. 18 Brett Dennen w/Eric McCarley (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Sunday, Jan. 18 Florida Folk Festival feat. Dale Crider/Mike Jurgensen/Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen/Leigh and Ken Skeens/Mark Smith/Jeanie Fitchen/Jenny James and Ron Gilbert (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
Monday, Jan. 19 Glenn Miller Orchestra (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tuesday, Jan. 20 Alejandro Escovedo (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Tuesday, Jan. 20 Katy Perry (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Tuesday, Jan. 20 Los Campesinos w/Titus Andronicus (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Tuesday, Jan. 20 Joshua Bell (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Wednesday Jan. 21 Two Man Gentleman Band (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Thursday, Jan. 22 James Hunter w/Ryan Shaw (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Thursday, Jan. 22 Ballas Hough Band (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Friday, Jan. 23 Josh Gibson (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Friday, Jan. 23-Sunday, Jan. 25 The Florida Orchestra and Guest Pianist Peter Rösel present Pictures at an Exhibition (TBPAC, MAH, REH)
Friday, Jan. 23 Big Sam's Funky Nation w/The Trio (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Saturday, Jan. 24, Cowboy Mouth (Tamiami, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 24 Roy Bookbinder (Craftsman House, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Jan. 24 Sophie Milman (Ferguson Hall-TBPAC)
Saturday, Jan. 24 Rebekah Pulley (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Saturday, Jan. 24 The Florida Orchestra Presents Pictures at an Exhibition (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Saturday, Jan. 24 Brother Bean w/DJ Craig Heneveld (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Tuesday, Jan. 27 Keller Williams (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Wednesday, Jan. 28 Celine Dion (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
Thursday, Jan. 29 Eagles (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
Thursday, Jan. 29 John Legend w/ Estelle (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Thursday, Jan. 29 Dark Star Orchestra (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Thursday, Jan. 29 NFL Pepsi Smash Superbowl Bash feat. Rihanna w/Fall Out Boy/Lifehouse (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 30 Pepsi Musica Super Bowl feat. Enrique Iglesias w/Belanova (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 30 Damon Fowler Group (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Friday, Jan. 30 The Florida Orchestra Performs the Music of Pink Floyd (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 30 Josh Riley (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Friday, Jan. 30 The Vodkanauts (Ringside Cafe, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Jan. 30 Auto!Automatic!! w/Look Mexico/The Dark Romantics/TV Club (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Saturday, Jan. 31 Steve Grant (Whistle Stop Grill, Safety Harbor)
Saturday, Jan. 31 Chris McCarty (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, Jan. 31 Light Yourself On Fire w/Magadog/Eyeznpowa (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
FEBRUARY
Wednesday, Feb. 04, Engelbert Humperdinck (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Wednesday, Feb. 04 Dar Williams w/Joshua Radin (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Wednesday, Feb. 04 Pato Banton and Mystic Roots w/DJ Diesel (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Thursday, Feb. 05 B.B. King and Buddy Guy (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Thursday, Feb. 05 Perpetual Groove (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Friday, Feb. 06-Saturday, Feb. 07 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Saturday, Feb. 7 Adult Swim Pres. Tim and Eric (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Sunday, Feb. 08 The Florida Orchestra Presents Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Monday, Feb. 09 Bernadette Peters (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tuesday, Feb. 10 Munich Symphony Orchestra (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Wednesday, Feb. 11 Julio Iglesias (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Wednesday, Feb. 11 Reckless Kelly w/Sons of Bill (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Wednesday, Feb. 11 Millionaires (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Thursday, Feb. 12 The Basiqs (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Friday, Feb. 13 Pat Dinizio w/The Vodkanauts (The Garage, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Feb. 13 Reax Pre-Valentine's '80s Prom feat. The A+ Team Band (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Saturday, Feb. 14 Yonder Mountain String Band (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Feb. 14 Blind Boys of Alabama (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, Feb. 14 Natalie Cole (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Sunday, Feb. 15 The Florida Orchestra Presents An Evening of Romance and Love Songs (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Sunday, Feb. 15 Bobby Vinton (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Tuesday, Feb. 17 John Davidson (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Thursday, Feb. 19 The Temptations w/Four Tops (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Saturday, Feb. 21 Citizen Cope (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Feb. 21 WMNF pres. Rockabilly Ruckus (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, Feb. 21 Livingston Taylor (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Saturday, Feb. 21 Jerry Lewis (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Sunday, Feb. 22 The Florida Orchestra Presents Blue Danube (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, Feb. 27 The Spam Allstars w/The Hip Abduction/Cope (Crowbar, Yor City)
Saturday, Feb. 28 Pinellas Youth Symphony (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Saturday, Feb. 28 Hollywood Undead w/ Senses Fail/Haste the Day/Brokencyde (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Saturday, Feb. 28 Cute Is What We Aim For w/Meg and Dia/Breathe Carolina/Every Avenue/Anarbor (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
MARCH
Wednesday, Mar. 04 Morrissey (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Wednesday, Mar. 04 Paddy Moloney w/The Chieftains (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Thursday, Mar. 05 Wednesday 13 (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Friday, Mar. 06 Kodo Drummers (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Sunday, Mar. 08 Britney Spears w/The Pussycat Dolls (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
Tuesday, Mar. 10 Less Than Jake w/The Expendables (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
Thursday, Mar. 12 Lord Jeff w/The Vera Violets/Strangers Family Band (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Sunday, March 15 Bonnie Raitt (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Friday, March 20, Ani DiFranco (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
Thursday, Mar. 26 Black Lips w/ Gentleman Jesse and His Men(Orpheum, Ybor City)
Friday, Mar. 27-Saturday Mar. 28 Ultra Music Festival 11 feat. Tiesto/Bloc Party/The Ting Tings/Carl Cox/Cut Copy/Deadmau5/Santogold/Hercules and Love Affair/Roni Size and Reprazent/Crystal Castles/The Presets/Simian Mobile Disco/Busy P. (Bicentennial Park, Miami)
Tuesday, Mar. 31 That 1 Guy (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
APRIL
Saturday, April 11 Yanni Voices (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
This article appears in Dec 31, 2008 – Jan 6, 2009.