THURS 08
Big Sean w/Cyhi the Prynce/Shawn Chrystopher/Luden It takes a certain level of cockiness to name your debut album Finally Famous, but when you sign to G.O.O.D Music, it's probably hard not to get caught up in that all-encompassing vortex of cocky bastardness that is Kanye West. Luckily, what Big Sean lacks in humility, he makes up for with a contagious lust for life, and a solid set of rhyme skills. They were good enough to convince West to eventually sign him to G.O.O.D, after Sean smooth talked his way into a Detroit radio station to freestyle for the hip hop giant and give him a demo. He's got one of the more expressive voices around, and it doesn't hurt that West has crafted him a host of splashy beats that match it perfectly. (The Ritz, Ybor City) —Christopher Spata
Bunker Anniversary Party with the Tre Amici @ The Bunker All Stars WMNF's Amy Snider brings a festive air to the weekly Singer/Songwriter Night she hosts at Tre Amici, celebrating the Ybor coffee and wine café's longevity with a showcase of live original music by a range of familiar faces who play two songs each between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. (Tre Amici @ The Bunker, Ybor City)
David Allan Coe The 72-year-old outlaw(ish) country artist with the flowing locks and long bead-studded goatee made his bread with hits like "The Ride," "Longhaired Redneck" "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)" (covered most notably by Tanya Tucker) and "Take This Job and Shove It," also made famous by someone else, Johnny Paycheck, whose version spent 18 weeks on the charts. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Koffin Kats w/The Returners/The Dead Popes/Housebroken A punk rock attack headed up by pyschobilly-leaning Motor City-based Koffin Kats, currently on tour to herald the coming of a sixth LP, Our Way and The Highway (due out on January 24 on Sailor's Grave Records). The band will try out some new tracks (like the fast and raucous-driving "For the Good Times") along with dishing out tried-and-true favorites — "Chaos," "Koffin Kat Rock" and the like. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FRI 09
Steve Earle w/Allison Moorer The country-roots rocker has a career that encompasses 14 studio albums (including 2011's Billboard-charting T-Bone Burnett-produced I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive) and three Grammy wins. Steve Earle is known for his candid political views and addresses topics ranging from the death penalty to the war in his music while serving as an activist in his daily life. Expect musings on OccupyUSA at this intimate acoustic show; he's been spotted at a few rallies and will likely have some stories to share. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Evergreen Terrace w/Casey Jones/Boys No Good Jacksonville's melodic hardcore/metalcore outfit brings their "Week of Florida Terror" tour to town; no new albums since 2009's Almost Home, but they plan to issue an EP in the next year, marking their final release via Metal Blade Records. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
iPhonic Among the latest crop of "party" hip-pop groups is Cleveland's iPhonic. Jumping between rapping and singing are co-vocalists/co-frontmen Dave D and JQ, who deliver their rhymes over a mix of dancefloor pop, acoustic rock and club bangin' hip hop. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Jobsite Rocks! VIII: Babes in Toyland w/The Vodkanauts/Poetry n' Lotion/8 Kinds of Thunder The eighth annual rock 'n' roll fundraiser for Jobsite Theater welcomes back tried-and-true favorites — surf-lounge purveyors Vodkanauts, which have played every Jobsite Rocks! event since the first, and trumpet-fused post-jazz/metal makers Poetry n' Lotion — along with 8 Kinds of Thunder, the twangy-emo rock outfit formerly known as Nessie. Prize raffles and a toy drive to support Metropolitan Ministries round out the evening. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and get a draft on the house. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Todd Snider w/Amy LaVere Singer-songwriter Todd Snider is a folksy storyteller, bringing a poetic sensibility and a sharp air of dissent to his to his alt-country tales for the average downtrodden American. It's mellow, somewhat melancholy Americana for troublemakers, but Snider delivers it with a half-smile in his soothing, weather-beaten voice. Amy Lavere is another rootsy singer-songwriter. She plucks an upright bass, and sings in a voice that's both sultry, and endearingly mousy. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —CS
Wet Nurse w/Florida Night Heat An evening of unruly live music brought to you by Brokenmold and The Bricks, and featuring Orlando all-girl punk-garage pop threesome Wet Nurse, fronted by sneering-singing sisters Nina and Susana Chaplin (on guitar and bass respectively) with drums by Vanessa Brewster. Florida Night Heat rounds out the bill with their power trio style of sludgy, grimy post-rock. (The Bricks of Ybor, Ybor City)
ArtOfficial w/Green Sunshine Another free show, this one on the other side of the bay and with a groovin' bounce as headed up by Miami's own ArtOffical. Newsense and Logics deliver sing-song rhymes and vocals over a mix of jazz, funk and hip hop as produced by musicians Ralf Valencia (bass), Danny Perez (keys), and Keith Cooper (saxophone). (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Nate Najar Trio Holiday Jazz Show w/Harry Allen/Jon-Erik Kellso Popular local jazz guitarist Najar leads an ensemble cast of fine instrumentalist, two NYC talents among them — NYC's Harry Allen on tenor sax and Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet. Also with bassist John Lamb, drummer Stephen Bucholtz and a TBA female vocalist. The holiday-themed program includes Ellington's Jazz Nutcracker. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Tierney Sutton Band The 2012 Grammy nominees were revealed last week and among the five contenders for Best Vocal Jazz Album is LA-based Tierney Sutton Band, which marks their fourth appearance in this category, this time for 2011's ode to our country, American Road. Sutton has a rich, gorgeous, silky-clear singing voice and a very classy style of scatting, her collaborative equals — dual bassists Kevin Axt and Trey Henry, pianist Christian Jacob, and drummer/percussionist Ray Brinker — delivering tight and virtuosic accompaniment. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
Yo Gabba Gabba The live traveling incarnation of the popular Emmy-nominated children's show with the hip indie music vibe returns to the Bay area with a mix of music, animation, games, singing and dancing. Based on a set of parents I know who are as excited about their super close seats as much for their precocious 2-year-old as for themselves, this will likely be a very fun time for both adults and their pint-sized models. Characters from the show like DJ Lance Rock, Muno and Toodee appear in the fur and flesh and felt along with guests like family-friendly hip hop-ers, Biz Markie and Leslie Hall. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
SAT 10
Michael McDonald / America McDonald made his soulful multi-octave range known first with the Doobie Brothers, then as a well-regarded soft rock solo artist who issued such hits as "What a Fool Believes," "I Keep Forgettin'" and "Sweet Freedom." British-American folk rock band America has a new No. 1 hits as well — "A Horse with No Name," "Sister Golden Hair" — as well as some other gems ("Ventura Highway," most famously sampled in Janet Jackson's "Someone to Call My Lover" and "Lonely People"). (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Peter Baldwin w/Jackals/Saskatchewan I've caught Peter Baldwin a couple times as an opening act. On both occasions, I was totally engrossed in ordering drinks, talking to my friends, and basically trying to let the openers fade into the background when Baldwin's smooth, soulful falsetto over electric guitar stopped me dead in my tracks, held me captive and left me wishing he'd played longer. He does alt-soul music, but with an indie rock and pop sensible vibe. His lyrics come packed with plenty of emotion, but he knows how to balance his sets with just the right amount of playfulness. Baldwin, a Full Sail grad, re-located from Orlando to NYC and released a new EP, Peter Baldwin in Vodville, earlier this year. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —CS
Livingston Taylor The singer-songwriter has a melodic tenor that is just as warm and welcoming as his better-known older brother's, James, but his own have a little more rootsy dust and his acoustic guitar, piano and celesta instrumentals are flecked in folk-pop, jazz, bluegrass and country-gospel influences. His 13th album, 2010's Last Alaska Moon, was a generally well-regarded effort, a "carefully crafted and artistically wrought collection" per Allmusic.com. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
SUN 11
93.3 FLZ's Jingle Ball: Pitbull / David Guetta / many more The annual year-end celebration concert brings a long list of top-40 radio stars together onto one big bill. Miami rapper Pitbull brings the crunk, French DJ and red-hot-producer-of-the-moment David Guetta brings the house, and Irish band The Script brings soothing, anthemic, pop-rock. Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush, and Disney channel pop singer Demi Lovato will likely appeal to the younger sect. R&B singer Jason Derulo had a huge smash a couple years ago with "Whatcha Say" and synthpop band Cobra Starship is rocking a top 10 single with "You Make Me Feel." (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) —CS
The Fun Fur All Ball w/Juanjamon Band/ Skull and Bone Band/The Human Condition/Sunset Bridge A concert to raise funds in support of local nonprofit Big Cat Rescue. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
My Morning Jacket The Southern alt-rock band with the soulful psyche, funk and groove backbone has a well-earned rep for staging epic live shows. Their Orlando performance is one of their last in 2011, and they end on a triumphant note with a 2011 sixth album, Circuital, that not only debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 but earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album of the Year. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando) —CS and LP
Max Bemis w/Sherri DuPree/Marksmen A solo acoustic gig by Max Bemis, the vocalist and lyricist of emo punk-rock outfit Say Anything. Wife Sherri DuPree Bemis plays a warm-up set and joins Max for some songs during his own performance. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TUES 13
An Intimate Evening with John Legend This event is not being billed as a concert so much as a speaking engagement that will feature a handful of songs to "accentuate the evening." Aside from singing, the multi-Grammy winning R&B singer shares his thoughts about his own path through life and the importance of education. Proceeds go to the United Way of Tampa's fund for educational community programs. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) —CS
Flavor of Jazz VI: Peter White Christmas w/Kirk Whalum & Mindi Abair For its fourth annual food and jazz fundraiser to support the Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute and Clearwater Jazz Holiday Education Programs, Ruth Eckerd welcomes guitarist Peter White for his smooth take on festive favorites with saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Mindi Abair. Tickets price includes tastes from a range of our area's finest restaurants; the REH/Clearwater Jazz Holiday Youth Band opens. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
WEDS 14
The Chicken Chasers Final Show The quirky local fusers of Klezmer, swing jazz and pop culture comedy (they like to call it "shving!") call it quits with one last show. Make sure to stop by for a dance or two, and wish the musicians well on their next (and current) musical endeavors. (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg)
Protest the Hero w/Scale the Summit/Last Chance to Reason "Hair Trigger," the second single off Protest the Hero's third and latest album of progressive metal finds the band delivering a jaded love song. Vocalist Rody Walker broods about his addiction to his toxic lover in high-reaching operatic howls, exclaiming "Try to remember that she hates you, and though she might elate you, she tries to kill the great that's in you now," and joined late in the song by the sweetly-contrasting femme vocals of Jadae Kelly. The Canadian quintet's virtuoso technicality is on full display throughout Scurrilous, heavy distorted riffage mixed with shredding solos, funk-metal basslines, and the impressive time signature changes that'd make any prog vet proud. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
ALSO THIS WEEK
MURK w/Three/Brian Busto Fri., Dec. 9, Hyde Park Café, Tampa
Betty Fox & the Dirty Bastards Fri., Dec. 9, Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Drake and Sofia / TEETH Sat., Dec. 10, Orpheum, Ybor City
Jennifer O'Connor w/more Sat., Dec. 10, Crowbar, Ybor City
Robot Ears w/The Produkt/MP Sat., Dec. 10, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Sat., Dec. 10, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa
The Funeral Dazies w/Boney Fiend/ No Loves Sat., Dec. 10, Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg
The Dukes Of Juke/Blue Dice Sat., Dec. 10, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Pete Stein w/Snakehealers/more Sun., Dec. 11, New World Brewery, Ybor City
John McCutcheon Sun., Dec. 11, Craftsman House Gallery, St. Petersburg
Reggae Sunday w/The Movement/more Sun., Dec. 11, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Florida Gulf Coast Reggae Show Sun., Dec. 11, The Local 662, St Petersburg
Victorian Halls w/The Scenery/Peter Pepper Tue., Dec. 13, The Local 662, St. Petersburg
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series: Scott Harrell Wed., Dec. 14, New World Brewery, Ybor City
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.