THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28
CHRISTABEL AND THE JONS w/THE TWO GENTLEMEN BAND/REBEKAH PULLEY The Knoxville, Tenn., quartet Christabel and the Jons adroitly blend Appalachian banjo, mandolin and fiddle with trumpet that sounds culled from the French Quarter. The namesake frontwoman offers expressive vocals that alternate from folk-style straightforwardness to swinging fun. Confessional numbers like "I Believe" brim with engaging intimacy. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
TRÉS BIEN/CANDY BARS/STAVROS Downtown St. Pete's newest live music venue has created a justifiable buzz thanks to a strong lineup of upcoming shows, including this one featuring nationally recognized Clearwater garage-rockers Trés Bien and Tampa indie-pop standouts the Candy Bars. For more on Trés Bien, see p. 51. (Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg)
BOBBY VINTON Primarily known for booking country stars, this year's Florida Strawberry Festival concert series kicks off with a 3:30 p.m. performance by veteran pop crooner Bobby Vinton. He had No. 1 hits in the '60s with songs like "Roses Are Red (My Love)" and "Blue Velvet," the latter featured prominently in the classic 1986 David Lynch film of the same name. For specific show times, ticket prices, etc. regarding the rest of the artists performing at the Strawberry Festival, visit flstrawberryfestival.com. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
JOSH TURNER A contemporary country singer with a deep voice and an obvious appreciation for the honky-tonk heroes of yesteryear, Turner established himself as a rising star with the '04 hit "Long Black Train" and earned cred in Americana circles when he teamed with bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley for the evocative hymn "Me and God." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
GASOLINE HEART w/TAILGUNNER JOE AND THE EARLS OF SLANDER/MIKE DUNN This roster of commendable regional rock bands that skew alt-country is headlined by Gasoline Heart, a Winter Park ensemble that delivers gorgeously soulful originals. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
THIS IS HELL w/ELYSIA/RUINER/SOLDIERS The Long Island, N.Y., hardcore quintet This Is Hell recently issued its fierce second album, Misfortunes, on the venerable Trustkill label. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
JOSPEH ISRAEL This roots-reggae revivalist bent the ears of campus Rastas nationwide with his debut album, Gone are the Days, which reached No. 11 last year on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29
MIRANDA LAMBERT A young, refreshingly feisty and intelligent Nashville luminary whose hottie looks unfortunately might distract from her immense talents as a singer and songwriter. Her sophomore effort, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, proved to be the best mainstream country album of last year. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
PEOPLE NOISE w/THE BEAUVILLES/KINGSBURY Former VHS or Beta member Zeke Buck returns to town with his new (as of '06) outfit People Noise. The quartet's surging U2-style anthems are executed with a gritty, alt-rock sensibility. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
AIDEN w/IVORYLINE/SCHOOLYARD HEROES/FAREWELL TO FREEWAY Seattle's Aiden brings a Gothic element to the emo template that's garnered the band a growing fanbase — the quintet's latest album, Conviction, peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard 200 chart. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
PAT GREEN A major star in his native Texas, singer/songwriter Green had a mainstream country (and to a lesser extent pop) hit in 2004 with the classic-rock-channeling "Wave on Wave." (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
JON CLEARY AND THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN w/BILLY NORRIS GROUP British-born singer/pianist Jon Cleary is a significant and much respected player on the vibrant New Orleans music scene. Formerly the keyboardist for Bonnie Raitt, Cleary and his Absolute Monster Gentlemen band deftly alternate between emotive R&B and the Crescent City funkiness pioneered by The Meters. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
CITY OF SHIPS W/RED ROOM CINEMA/GUILTMAKER Virginia's prog-leaning indie-rock trio City of Ships returns to their native Florida to articulate life in the modern age via pleading vocals that give way to primal growls and shifting sonics, which sway from melodic excursions to potent, bottom-heavy assaults of focused noise. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Jason Kushner
CHARLEY PRIDE The rare black man to pursue a career in country music, Pride made race a non-issue with a string of hits that stretched from the late-'60s to late-'80s and included such memorable recordings as "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone" and "Kiss an Angel Good Morning." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
PRE-STREETWISE 2 Before the actual Streetwise 2 moves to new, larger digs in late April, a consortium of rappers, slam poets, breakdancers, beatboxers and everything in between will rep the urban scene in downtown SRQ. From the looks of this lineup, the evening's gonna be tight in more ways than one, capped by headliners, Pittsburgh-twosome Grand Buffet. Among the local names to check: slick hip-hoppers Matteo and the atmospheric sounds of Figment. (O'Malley's Irish Pub, Sarasota) —Amanda Schurr
SATURDAY, MARCH 1
MOJO GURUS w/MEMPHIS TRAIN UNION/BLIND BUDDY MOODY One of the few local bands to ink major-label record deals over the years, glam-turned-roots-rockers the Mojo Gurus offer crowd-pleasing performances marked by frontman Kevin Steele's assured stage presence and the guitar heroics of Doc Lovett. (Two Buks Saloon, Clearwater)
MERCYME Christian rockers MercyMe have scored numerous hits in recent years with titles like "I Can Only Imagine" and "Hold Fast." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
SUNDAY, MARCH 2
ROSANNE CASH w/MARK O'CONNOR Carving a fruitful career largely removed from her father Johnny Cash's legacy, Rosanne Cash has spent the past quarter-century dabbling in country, rock, pop and singer/songwriter fare. Her latest album, 2006's Black Cadillac, is a poignant song cycle about dealing with the loss of loved ones that she wrote and recorded following the death of her dad and stepmother, June Carter Cash. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa.)
PAUL POTTS The English opera singer who sang with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra became a pop star after winning the Simon Cowell-produced reality TV program Britain's Got Talent. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
CLAY WALKER A purveyor of solid, albeit rather generic country hits, Walker topped the charts in the '90s with singles like "What's It to You" and "Rumor Has It." (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
ALAN JACKSON Easily the biggest draw at this year's Strawberry Fest, country heavyweight Jackson became somewhat of a national hero in the months following 9/11 with his self-penned smash "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" — a song that thoughtfully reflected on the tragedy without getting all boot-in-their-ass jingoistic. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
CHRIS CAGLE A midlevel Nashville star with a home in Winter Park, Cagle name-checks Tampa in the hit "Anywhere But Here." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
TWIZTID These guys are the protégés of the loathsome Insane Clown Posse. 'Nuff said. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
ENTRAIN w/GRATEFUL DREAD A jam band from Martha's Vineyard, Entrain incorporates worldbeat, funk and rock into its improv-intensive presentation. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SMOKEY ROBINSON Is it just my imagination running away with me, or is Smokey Robinson lookin' a bit nipped and tucked these days? See for yourself when the Motown legend returns to the Big Purple to croon crowds back to, ahem, a more youthful time. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —AS
MONDAY, MARCH 3
BLOODLINED CALLIGRAPHY w/XDEATHSTARX/A PLEA FOR PURGING Thrash metalcore outfit Bloodlined Calligraphy sets itself apart — sorta — with a female lead singer. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TRAVIS TRITT Updating the outlaw country sounds of Waylon Jennings and, more directly, Hank Williams Jr., Tritt became a Nashville star in the '90s with a slew of Southern-rock-tinged hits like "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" and the Steve Earle cover "Sometimes She Forgets." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
MICKEY GILLEY A cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, pianist/vocalist Gilley enjoyed national acclaim when he and his nightclub were featured in the blockbuster 1980 film Urban Cowboy. The singer had countrypolitan hits before the movie's success but even bigger ones after the flick's release, with titles like "Stand By Me" and "True Love Ways." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
TUESDAY, MARCH 4
THREE DAYS GRACE W/BREAKING BENJAMIN/SEETHER/HURT Canadian alt-metal faves Three Days Grace don't do much for me, but their latest album, 2006's One-X, reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 pop tally thanks to hits like "Pain." (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
GLEN CAMPBELL Campbell went from late-'60s country hitmaker to international pop star in the '70s with crossover smashes like "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights," the former covered in concert by none other than Radiohead. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
SILVERSTEIN w/THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA/A DAY TO REMEMBER/PROTEST THE HERO Canadian post-hardcore/emo quintet Silverstein has played it by the numbers right up the charts, its latest album, Arrivals & Departure, hitting No. 25 on the Billboard 200. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
GIPSY KINGS The band's name might not instantly ring a bell, but if you've seen The Big Lebowski — you know 'em. It's their flamenco version of "Hotel California" that plays during the hilarious bowling scene featuring John Turturro's "Jesus." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
BLAKE SHELTON He became a Nashville star in 2001 with the sentimental number "Austin," which topped the country chart. Shelton had another country No. 1 in '04 with the humorous novelty tune "Some Beach." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5
TOM JONES The charismatic, age-defying showman has successfully surveyed pop, rock, country and techno over the years, but is probably best known for 1965's "It's Not Unusual" and "What's New, Pussycat?" — although he did notch a club hit in '04 with the bass-intensive single "Sexbomb." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
CRYSTAL GAYLE Loretta Lynn's lil' sis topped the country chart in the '70s with hits like "I'll Get Over You" and "Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
DARK STAR ORCHESTRA The nation's most meticulous Grateful Dead cover band brings its psychedelic folk to St. Petersburg. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) —JK
FREDA PAYNE Acclaimed vocalist and Broadway luminary Freda Payne pays tribute to jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald in this program fittingly titled Ella. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 4, 2008.