THURSDAY 26
The Weeknd w/Anna Lunoe/Banks Canadian alternative R&B artist/producer The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) has a silky, ceiling-brushing falsetto that’s joined by the nasal-brassy rhyme-flinging of fellow Canada countryman and frequent collaborator Drake in “Live For.” The fourth single off The Weeknd’s just-released major label debut Kiss Land is a blend of brooding drama and sentiment that reflects how the album flows overall, in deliberately, moodily, subtly-woven pop-groovescapes. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center, Tampa) —Leilani Polk
Blues Traveler Last year the John Popper-led band celebrated its 25th anniversary with a double-disc comp and an 11th studio album, Suzie Cracks the Whip. This year, Blues Traveler — which left a footprint in the 1990s with folky, bluesy harmonica-driven pop-rock charters like “Run-Around” and “Hook” — are back on the road in support. (Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) —Carol Currie
Big Something N.C.’s Big Something make their bread and butter on the road, building jam-rock grooves that leave room for improvisation with sci-fidelic and greasy-funky keyboards, fatty bombastic basslines, dual blues-riffing and soloing guitars ala the Allmans but with more Umphrey’s McGee-minded progressive turns, a two-horn punch of trumpet and sax, and in some songs, passable-to-good vocals (hey, it’s more about the instrumentals). Original material is studded with eclectic covers; current numbers in rotation include “Calm Like a Bomb” by Rage Against the Machine and Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.” (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)—LP
The Pretty Reckless w/Heaven’s Basement/Louna Though she wet her feet in acting, fashion and modeling, Taylor Momsen is far removed from the Gossip Girl we all knew, trading in Hollywood glam for rocker grit as frontwoman of hard-edged heavy metal outfit The Pretty Reckless, and even going so far as to pose topless (but not completely bare) for a new tour poster; her New York-based band supports a brand new sophomore LP, Going to Hell. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —CC
Mini-Tour Kick-Off Party: Y Los Dos Pistoles/Radarmen/Jeff Brawer Shae Krispinsky-led garage-roots rockers Y Los Dos Pistoles along with Radarmen (featuring the three-prong alt-rock attack of guitarist Rodney Smith, bassist David Kibby and drummer Adam Revak), and Dukes of Hillsborough guitarist-singer Jeff Brawer rolling solo acoustic prepare to embark on a short Florida tour with this Hub date. (The Hub, Tampa)—LP
O’Brother/Daylight w/Junior Astronomers/Rescuer O’Brother delivers a seething, roiling, propulsive rock synthesis of stoner/sludge metal, sprawling prog rock and driving art and post rock atmospherics. Darkened layers of sustained low-end growls, static-crunching guitar distortion and shrieking reverb, pounding doomful drumbeats and faster-pumping drive balance melodic interludes of quiet melancholy or build to explosive climaxes as soul-gripping singer/guitarist Tanner Merritt murmurs in creepy sly intones or explodes in anguished howls over top. Also on the bill is Philly area outfit Daylight, which purveys grungy alt-rock marked by dual guitar crunch. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—LP
FRIDAY 27
Maze feat. Frankie Beverly This longstanding unit holds a unique place in the annals of R&B. Formed in Philadelphia in 1970 and transplanted to San Francisco the following year, the band, then called Raw Soul, established itself amid the waning hippie movement. While Maze has maintained a steady presence on the R&B charts, the act has not crossed over to a mainstream audience, never having a single reach higher than No. 67 on the pop charts. Maze has a silky but organic sound built around undulating funk, tight ensemble playing and Beverly’s laid-back soul croon and easygoing stage presence. The band willingly let hip-hop pass it by, and has been the better for it. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) —Eric Snider
Blast Friday! w/John Cafferty Contrary to popular opinion, John Cafferty is not technically a One Hit Wonder. Yes, “On the Dark Side,” which climbed to No. 7 in ’84 as part of the Eddie & the Cruisers soundtrack, is the song for which Cafferty and his Beaver Brown band are best known. But the Rhode Island group did have three other singles make the Top 40, and 1985’s “C-I-T-Y” reached No. 18 (surely you can hum it, right?). Cafferty and company were so reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band that it was almost creepy. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater) —ES
Tyler Farr The first three singles off Tyler Farr’s on-the-verge-of-dropping debut full-length — women (“Hot Mess,” “Hello Goodbye” and title track “Redneck Crazy”) — are sure indicators of his low-country style. The rest of his subject matter is likewise geared on drinking, favored pastimes, women and heartache, sometimes all in one song ala his collab with Colt Ford, “Chicks, Trucks and Beer.” (Dallas Bull, Tampa)—LP
Beach Day w/Permanent Makeup/Alaskus Hollywood, Fla.’s Beach Day has concocts a melding of chunky garage-rock and girl-group gleam that borders on the sublime. The Bay area trio Permanent Makeup makes scruffy, garage-y avant-rock with elements of surf and punk. Nicole Schleif and Sandra Lolo make up Alaskus, a spacey psychedelic shoegaze act. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —ES
