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.
