For their fourth full-length, Omni, Seattle-based indie rock five-piece Minus the Bear (pictured) signed with new label Dangerbird Records, brought on Grammy-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket), and tried a more organic approach in the studio (fewer scratch tracks and overdubs) while experimenting and straying further into electro funland with slinky funk and sexy dance grooves incorporated into their progressive synth-pop aesthetic. The band hasn’t lost their knack for using unexpected time signatures nor are they missing their propulsive energy — its muscular head in songs like “Secret Country” with its multiple instrumental breakdowns — but the catchy-sensual grind of “Animal Backwards” with its fuzz-buzz synths and robo-bleeps is a welcome change of pace, if only because it doesn’t feel the least bit forced. Weds., May 12, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, ritzybor.com. —Leilani Polk
You’ve heard Ben Stiller recite lyrics from “Day By Day” as a hilarious table prayer in Meet the Parents. If you’re super cool, you’ve seen a group of campers from Camp Firewood perform the song in a talent show at the end of Wet Hot American Summer. Now you can watch the song from the popular Broadway success, Godspell, live at the Straz Center (the show is in its final week of production). The passion play tells the gospel according to St. Matthew, but the parables are shown through a modern lens as Jesus Christ leads his disciples through 1960s NYC. The score, written by Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), offers catchy melodic, heartfelt pop songs that are heavy on the keys. Through May 16, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun., $31.50, Jaeb Theater, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, tbpac.org. —Lily Reisman
Cheeky electro-punk trio All Leather is composed of noise rocker Justin Pearson, ex-Some Girls guitarist Nathan Joyner and drummer Jung Sing. They released an EP, Hung Like A Horse, in 2009 and this past April, they dropped their full-length debut, When I Grow Up, I Wanna F*** Like A Girl. The nine tracks mix throat shredding screams with seedy synths, loads of distortion, pounding rhythms and plenty of digital sound effects. Yip Yip opens. Weds., May 12, Orpheum, Ybor City, myspace.com/theorpheum. –Matthew Spencer
This article appears in May 5-11, 2010.