THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22

Julia Stewart's Bad Ass Going Away Party w/DJ Craig Heneveld/Alien House/Maximino/Wilt Chamberlain Top Tampa DJ Craig Heneveld dishes out the deep house jams on a show that also includes sets by Alien House, a Tampa guitar/sampler duo that makes hazy ambient jams, and Maximino, with its thick, dreamy electronic sound. DJ/producer/remixer Heneveld — whose rep is rising on the jam-tronica scene — has opened for Mark Farina, Perpetual Groove, Boomboxx and others. Sayonara, Julie, we'll miss you behind the bar — and thanks for the shows, too. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

A Rockapella Holiday Twenty-five years, 20 albums, near nonstop touring: those are the bona fides of Rockapella, a band that takes vocals-only music in new and oft-times interesting directions. The five-member group landed its big break in '91 when they were hired to write and record the theme song for the show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? These sweet-voiced boys excel at holiday-themed shows. Check out Dave Russell's Q&A with leader Scott Leonard at cltampa.com/music. "We've got some brand new stuff to share with all," he said in the interview, "and, at each concert this year, one of us will be performing without pants." (Tampa Theatre, downtown Tampa)

Starlight Envy w/John Gold/The Happiness Machine/Erin Solari/A Play on Words Headlining this multi-band bill is the fairly new St. Petersburg band Starlight Envy, with ties to the Dixie Hollins High School drama program. They have a skewed, angular take on pop-punk, stirring in electronica, dream-pop, jangle and other elements. John Gold is a passionate act out of Tampa who cuts a wide swath through folk and alt-country. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg)

John Clark w/Artist Block/Troy Youngblood Clark's music has been described as "'60s Folk Revival," but his estimable signature tune, "Hope in Hard Times," is an Americana-inflected rouser. Michele Shocked included the song in her American Idle 2010 tour. Much of the rest of Clark's repertoire hews closer to acoustic singer/songwriter fare. (Tre Amici @ The Bunker, Ybor City)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23

Punk Rock Karaoke You know how you find yourself three-quarters in the bag and suddenly there's a karaoke mic in your hand and the lyrics are blurry and moving too fast and you worry about sucking really, really bad? No reason for concern here. Organizers suggest boning up on Descendents, Stiff Little Fingers, Misfits, Ramones, The Clash, Black Flag and others. (The Bricks, Ybor City)

Straight No Chaser If you like a cappella music with your eggnog, this is a banner week. The 10-member Straight No Chaser, founded at University of Indiana in 1996, digs into pop and soul classics, from "Like a Prayer" to "Wonderwall." Their "Christmas Can-Can" is a hoot. The fellas are so wholesome they should hit the stage dressed in letter sweaters (preferably tied around their shoulders). (Carol Morsani Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa)

For the Kids: Creative Loafing's Holiday Mixtape Party w/Geri X/Rebekah Pulley/Bite Size/Brian Merrill, Mark Warren and Jonathan Harrison A benefit for the Children's Home sponsored by CL and prompted by the success of CL's Holiday Auction mixtape, this show features some of Tampa Bay's premier singing and songwriting talent. Geri X and Pulley bring contrasting approaches to post-folk — Geri is more intense and confessional, Rebekah's more restrained and tuneful. Joining the fun is Bite Size, an indie band out of Tampa. Also on tap: a special appearance by three venerated Bay area artists — Merrill, Warren and Harrison. Their collaboration is sure to deliver its share of delights. (St. Pete Shuffleboard Courts, St. Petersburg)

A Fubar Festivus w/Only Monsters/Signals From Satellties/Dead Sound A snotty take on the old Seinfeld trope and "a way to celebrate the holiday season without participating in its pressures and commercialism." ($3 at the door.) Only Monsters, whose sound revolves around acoustic guitars, will lovingly perform such Holiday favorites as "Who the Fuck Gives a Fuck" and "Fuck My Life." (Fubar, St. Petersburg)

Christie Lenee The singer/songwriter, perhaps better known for her fleet-fingered guitar work, maintains two bands: one in Florida and one in Philadelphia. She'll presumably perform solo in the acoustically pristine and living-room-esque Hideaway. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)

Shana Banana Holiday Show: Merry Chriskwanzanukah! Children's entertainer Shana Banana brings an uplifting, multi-cultural program to the intimate venue. (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa)

The Legendary JC's w/The Gerry Williams Band Whether it's a blues festival or a wedding (I've seen the band in both environments), The Legendary JC's always perform a rousing show of old-school R&B and funk. Go 'head — try to not dance. Skipper's has been the ensemble's Tampa Bay outpost for many years, and it's where they kick it up a notch. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

Jarvik 7 w/Easybreezy/ A.T.T.I.C. Named after a model of artificial heart, Jarvik 7 is a long-standing Bay area indie quintet adroit at building layers of sludgy guitar and the ol' quiet-loud-quiet-loud. After several seasonal and a debut LP in 2010 (The Formal Absence of Precious Things), the band is calling it quits; this is their official last show. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

Oceana w/Glendale Lights/The August Name/Goodnight Neverland Oceana's rock comes in waves, soft and undulating, then crashing and intense. The quartet, formed in 2007 (and kaput for three months in '09), hails from the 'burg. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

Brokenmold Fifth Annual Holiday Party w/Jane Jane Pollock/November Foxtrot Whiskey/Florida Night Heat Tampa's Brokenmold Entertainment, home to Nervous Turkey, Poetry 'n Lotion, Jim Morey and others, throws a holiday bash featuring an array of acts. Jane Jane Pollock emphasizes quirk and whimsy, outfitting their drone-style songs with ukulele, harmonium, cooking pots, higher brass and more. November Foxtrot Whiskey has morphed quite a bit through the years and is now a five-guy unit that plays anything from rowdy garage-rock to whack mountain music to klezmer. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24

Gaza Grand Market: Spida Man & Pretty Ricky B-Day Bash and Caribbean Reggae Party A nice survey of modern Island music. Spida Man homes in on dancehall, reggae and even a splash of calypso, while Pretty Ricky skews more R&B/hip-hop. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25

New Granada Xmas Night Extravaganza w/Set and Setting/The Holy Slow Train feat. Will Quinlan/Permanent Makeup Long-standing Bay-based label New Granada throws its annual Christmas night show. Set and Setting, an instrumental post-rock band, favors drones and the slow build. They'll be joined by the considerably more earthy (but still shoe-gazy) Holy Slow Train, featuring Americana stalwart Will Quinlan. Permanent Makeup slathers on the avant-noise-rock with a whiff of surf. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27

Smokehouse Rats Comprising members of Uncle John's Band, Koko Ray and the Soul Providers, Cope, Funky Seeds and Buffalo Strange (plus whomever else turns up); a legitimate Bay area supergroup of the jam-band ilk. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28

BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series: Andy Brey & Friends Neo-folkie Brey brings his guitar, mandolin and compelling voice, along with some pals, to New World for a modern hootenanny. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

Reggae Jerk Jam w/Fab 5/Impulse Here's one of those hidden-treasure shows. Fab 5, formed in 1970 as a show band backing Jamaican artists, laid down the rhythm tracks for Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" (1972) the first smash hit (No. 1 in the U.S.) to feature an authentic reggae beat. The band has released 19 albums and a slew of singles on its own, enjoying more success in Jamaica than Stateside. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

Cee Lo Green w/Penatonix Landing this bowling ball of a singer/composer/rapper is quite a coup for the Mahaffey's new management. Emerging from the remnants of the Dirty South hip-hop group Goodie Mob, Cee Lo emphatically proved his could sing and write grabby tunes — with Gnarls Barkley and as a solo artist. His ethereal voice has a spooky vibe, complementing a style that laces old-school soul with a touch of Southern gothic. "Fuck You" is one of the grabbiest, funniest, outright honest blockbuster singles to come along in quite some time. Just added to the bill: Penatonix, winners of NBC's third season of the a cappella reality competition, The Sing Off. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

Feed Me The GAYbor club brings in London dance act Feed Me, which combines heavy synth grind with pop/house vocals. CLRH20, Baker and Mr. Saturn are also on the bill. (The Honey Pot, Ybor City)

Kylesa w/Landbridge/Recreant How could we let '11 go without a big slab of stoner-metal? The cacophony comes courtesy of Kylesa, formed in Savannah, Ga. in 2001, and featuring four men and a woman. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.

This article appears in Dec 22-28, 2011.

Eric Snider is the dean of Bay area music critics. He started in the early 1980s as one of the founding members of Music magazine, a free bi-monthly. He was the pop music critic for the then-St. Petersburg...