Thursday, June 28
MILITARY JUNIOR w/BEAUTIFUL TROUBLE/ON EDGE/DOUBLE BIND Odd pairing of a local indie favorite and a Cali band primed for commercial radio play. CL Best of the Bay Winner 2006 (for Best Local CD), Military Junior offers a blend of tricky time signatures and manipulated guitar. It's a difficult sound to recreate in a live setting but the St. Pete trio makes it work, with singer/guitarist Jay Schultz occasionally delaying his ax output (with the assistance of an effects pedal) long enough to set the instrument down while it still emits sound and he struts around à la Mick Jagger. Well, maybe not that much strutting, but a fair amount for a member of the indie rock set. Beautiful Trouble's a quintet from San Diego that plays overwrought modern rock. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Friday, June 29
HEAD EAST Midwest classic rock band scored three minor hits in the mid-'70s, namely "Never Been Any Reason," "Love Me Tonight" and "Since You Been Gone." The band's most commercially successful LP was Head East Live!, which came out in '79. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
THE WORKING TITLE w/DAYS AWAY/GOODBYE TOMORROW The Working Title's a modern rock trio from Charleston, S.C., specializing in pained love songs fleshed out with sly guitar work and thick bass lines that point to the dance floor. Philadelphia-based Days Away deliver what they call on their MySpace page "Ear candy for the headphone trippers," quivering layers of keyboard and guitars over which singer Keith Goodwin sings in a hushed, earnest manner. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
JASON MICHAEL CARROL This hunky 28-year-old mainstream country crooner possesses a shockingly deep voice. No joke: I'm talking Barry White deep here. His bass befits his big and rich sound, warming hearts and heartlands with his crossover-quality stylings. (The Hall, Palmetto) —Cooper Levey-Baker
GREAT WHITE w/JANI LANE If it hadn't been for that one tragic night, Great White would be remembered as a decent hair-metal band that scored a huge hit in '89 with their cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten Twice Shy." Sadly, Great White's pyrotechnic act is now synonymous with the Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people, including the band's guitarist. The promoter for the Jannus concert has confirmed that it will be a no-pyro show. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL/HOLIDAYSBURG/SULTRY So what if we've pimped every Have Gun, Will Travel show from here to Okahumpka and back? Chase Theory main man Matt Burke's alt-country sideshow is just so freaking good, we can't help ourselves. Holidaysburg offers a similarly backwoods-oriented rock 'n' roll sound, albeit louder and more electric. (Rasher Tierney's, Bradenton) —CLB
CROOKED EDGE w/THE SWELLERS/ALUCARD/NO DAYS OFF Tampa quintet Crooked Edge issue a blend of sludgy punk/metal riffs and snotty, emo-ish vocals. The Swellers arrive from Flint, Mich., with a polished, Warped Tour-ready pop-punk sound. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
16 PENNY/HIEROSONIC At Sarasota's Clubhouse tonight is a double bill of contemporary rock. Sarasota's 16 Penny does that usual grind 'n' wail thing, while Harrisburg, Pa.'s Hierosonic explore more uncharted — if not particularly tempting — territory: electro-synth-metal. (The Clubhouse Tavern, Sarasota) —CLB
Saturday, June 30
AUTO!AUTOMATIC!! w/BREAKDOWN/THE RUKUS/ABORIGINAL/EFFEX/NICKEL Eclectic lineup of local indie rock and hip-hop acts features Auto!Automatic!!, the Tampa post-rock trio that makes melodic instrumentals that are as sophisticated as they are, well, pleasing. The tempos may switch on a dime and guitarist Brian Larsen implements a bevy of pedal effects to create otherworldly sounds, but the band never lets the process undermine the finished product — the music never sounds too cold or willfully inaccessible. Tampa backpacker Breakdown raps over jazzy, subtle beats about everything from the pros and cons of relationships to the sad state of the bling set with a confidence that makes him one of Tampa's most respected MCs. The Rukus, as his name suggests, is a backpacker with a more confrontational style, especially when paired with an equally provocative backing track courtesy of DJ Blenda. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
DROP DEAD GORGEOUS w/DANCE GAVIN DANCE/AT THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT/BEFORE THEIR EYES A night of screamo headlined by Drop Dead Gorgeous, a quintet from Denver featuring guys barely out of high school who opt for raw emotions over traditional musicianship. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
KEVIN NAQUIN & THE OSSUN PLAYBOYS w/GUMBO BOOGIE BAND Accordionist/vocalist Kevin Naquin leads this award-winning Cajun quartet that hails from deep down in Louisiana and plays the kind of bouncy bayou rhythms that always sound right under the sprawling oaks of the Skipperdome. The band augments its traditional accordion and fiddle sounds with bluesy electric guitar solos. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Sunday, July 1
YO MAMA'S BIG FAT BOOTY BAND w/BIRD STREET PLAYERS This biracial, mixed-gender ensemble from Asheville, N.C., with the memorable name swings from heavy funk instrumentals, occasionally topped with the fellas rapping, to more jam-band-oriented material featuring the crooning of Suzanna Baum. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
IMPERIAL w/SLEEPING ALONE/DANCEFLOOR TRAGEDY/IN DARKNESS SHINING A night of frightening metalcore headlined by Orlando six-piece Imperial, a band that blends Megadeth guitar riffs with guttural, unintelligible screams and the occasional bit of emo-ish singing. St. Pete four-piece Sleeping Alone forgo singing in favor of the full-on growl. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MONDAY, July 2
MARC BROUSSARD w/SHANNON MCNALLY Louisiana music man Marc Broussard and Mississippi music woman Shannon McNally team for what is being billed as an old-school soul revue. Broussard is that rare white boy — think Gregg Allman — who can sing classic R&B and make it sound authentic. Just check out his version of the Al Green classic "Love and Happiness" (myspace.com/marcbroussard), from his upcoming LP S.O.S: Save Our Soul. McNally's one of the best-kept secrets working the alt-country/roots music circuit. After being dumped by Capitol a few years ago, she bounced back with a pair of releases on the independent label Back Porch that prove she's one of the most capable songwriters and vocalists around (see music feature, p. 67). (Tamiami Bar, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, JUly 3
THE GUESS WHO "American Woman" might seem like the perfect song for the red-white-and-bluebloods to get excited about this close to Independence Day. But listen closely to lines like: "I don't need your war machines/ I don't need your ghetto scenes." The band from Canada is actually slagging on the good ol' U.S. of A. (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
"CLASSIC ROCK CARES" FEAT. BRIAN JOHNSON w/CLIFF WILLIAMS/ROBIN ZANDER/JOE LYNN TURNER AC/DC's Brian Johnson (lead singer) and Cliff Williams (bass), Cheap Trick's Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Joe Lynn Turner (singer for Rainbow and Deep Purple) join forces (along with help from some hired guns) to raise funds for The John Entwistle Foundation, a charity — named after the late bassist for The Who — that is dedicated to music education. The publicity material for the show promises the bands will perform hits from AC/DC, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick and Rainbow, with all the artists closing the night with "Highway to Hell." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
CLEARWATER CELEBRATES AMERICA FT. THE OUTLAWS w/STARSHIP Formed right here in Tampa in '72, The Outlaws are responsible for the Southern rock chestnut "There Goes Another Love Song" and the epic jam "Green Grass & High Tides." Don't expect the original lineup, though. Two of the band members died within a week of each other in 1985. Starship featuring Mickey Thomas gave the world "We Built This City," the critically abhorred song cowritten by Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. The event continues the next day with a performance by The Mostly Pops Orchestra with John and Mary K. Wilson. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
THESE ARMS OF FAITH w/HAND GUN ROMANCE/XAELA/BURIED BY YOU Miami-based Christian-hardcore quintet These Arms of Faith sing and scream their hymns to Jesus. They are joined by fellow Miamians Handgun Romance, a band that doesn't advertise their faith like These Arms and screeches so hair-raisingly (and unintelligibly) that for all we know they may be worshiping the devil, which could make this an interesting evening of good vs. evil. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, July 4
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD Celebrate Independence Day proper with a rousing sing-along of "We're An American Band," the go-to number by the Michigan power trio that also created the classic-rock favorite "Some Kind of Wonderful." (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
THE OAK RIDGE BOYS Speaking of sing-alongs, one of country music's longest-running acts will be trotting out golden oldies like "Elvira" and surely their patriotic hit "American Made." (Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven)
EDGAR WINTER/RICK DERRINGER/SHAMAN w/HENRY LAWRENCE/THE BLUESERS/KOKO RAY/DR. DAVE What better way to celebrate America's independence than with a hard-drivin', shit-talkin' afternoon and evening of good ol' classic rock. You know Winter from his pair of titanic mid-'70s hits, "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," and Rick Derringer from his Flintstonian hard-rock banger, "Rock & Roll, Hoochie Koo." These riff-meisters are all set to get your red, white and blue blood boiling. (Riverside Drive, Palmetto) —CLB
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2007.
