Thursday, June 14
ASIA w/ALAN PARSONS LIVE PROJECT In the '70s, several refugees from British art-rock bands Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson made abortive attempts to form a supergroup. By '81, the dust had settled in the form of Asia: Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), John Wetton (Crimson) and Geoff Downes (Buggles, Yes). Rather than continue in a proggy vein, the band delved into glossy pop-rock with songs like "Heat of the Moment" and "Don't Cry." Almost 20 musicians have been members of Asia over the years, but this tour features the original lineup celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first album. The group will also play material from the members' prior bands, including The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." Alan Parsons started as an engineer (on landmark projects like Abbey Road and Dark Side of the Moon), then formed his Project in '75. Over the course of 10 years, the act produced seven Top 40 hits, the most renowned of which are "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "Eye in the Sky." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Eric Snider
DAVE MATTHEWS TRIBUTE BAND A national restaurant chain specializing in chicken wings and domestic suds with a location in North Tampa has devoted every Thursday to tribute shows, a practice that should be outlawed if the artist being aped is still alive and regularly touring and is as annoying as Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews Tribute Band, not be confused with the Dave Matthews Cover Band, plays this Thursday. Highly recommended for fans of DMB and beer pong. (Wild Wing Café, Tampa)
Friday, June 15
FALL OUT BOY w/PLUS 44/THE ACADEMY IS/PAUL WALL/COBRA STARSHIP Fall Out Boy bassist/primary songwriter Pete Wentz might just be the biggest asshole in the music business. There's something about him — the outsized ego, the shit-eating grin, the emo comb-over that he says inspired the latest Spider-Man look — that just rankles me. However, I must give the dude props for penning some of the more interesting — very snarky, slightly sexist — lyrics in all of pop-punk, a genre stained by some of the lamest lyrics in the history of recorded music. Plus 44 is a spin-off on another pillar of modern songwriting, Blink-182, a band only a spaz could love. The Academy Is, like Fall Out Boy, hail from the Chicago area but bring more of a U2/anthemic sound to the emo/pop-punk template. Cobra Starship are a disco-punk band best known for "Bring it (Snakes on a Plane)," the theme song from that colossal turkey of a flick starring Samuel L. Jackson. Paul Wall is the token rapper on the bill, a Houston white boy wearing grills who does the chopped, screwed and cough-syrup thing. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
LES CLAYPOOL w/TWO GALLANTS Revered bassist, singer and former Primus frontman Les Claypool went from alternative music star in the 1990s to jam-band hero in the '00s thanks to his role in the supergroup Oysterhead and solo projects like his latest, Fancy Band. For an interview with Claypool see the music feature. Two Gallants are an indie rock duo with a folk bent from San Francisco that shouldn't be missed, judging by the quirky yet catchy songs they've posted online. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
SANCHEZ w/THRILLER U/TONY CURTIS/SINGING MELODY/LUKIE D/IRIE LOVE Reggae/gospel singer Sanchez has spent the past two decades performing classic and dub originals, as well as doing interpretations of songs by the likes of Tracy Chapman. (Network, formerly Club Code, Ybor City)
JERSEY w/LARCEN/INFARELL/PREME/DJ RANMECCA/KAYESS Two of Tampa's top rappers are facing off at this one. Maybe a little dozens competition in between sets? We'll see. Jersey (originally from the Garden State) calls himself the "King of the 813" and articulates his boasts in a grave manner that's menacing yet musical. As for content, there's violent threats, recollections of a rough childhood, and hometown shout-outs, especially on the cut "My City." The beats are dark, heavy and sparse, augmented with synthetic strings and not much else. Larcen, a Tampa transplant from the Bronx, spits in a whiskey-soaked, confrontational style that's throaty and low at one point, high and mighty the next. His dramatic delivery is the perfect vehicle for his vicious puns, which are issued over mostly original beats — and then there's a judicious sample of the ELO classic rock favorite "Don't Bring me Down," on which Larcen keeps the original title and reworks it as a threat to snitches. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
BUFFALO STRANGE w/SUNSET BRIDGE The St. Pete six-piece jam band led by singer/guitarist/flutist and songwriter Rob Pieniak has earned a strong local following with feel-good ditties that incorporate reggae, funk and folk. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Saturday, June 16
RUSH The Canadian prog-rock band is an acquired taste that a lot of people have acquired — and that I haven't. In fact, Tatangelo and I flipped a coin to see who would blurb this show; neither of us get Rush. It would be a waste of paper and ink to list the reasons I dislike the trio — although it starts with Geddy Lee's voice — so I won't. If you like Rush, you already have tickets and are amped. If you don't like Rush, you'd rather be getting a root canal — OK, maybe that's a bit harsh; you'd rather be having your teeth cleaned. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa) —ES
THE HISS w/LYMBYC SYSTEM/THE OAKS/KING OF SPAIN This lineup is a bit of a head-scratcher — with a little something for both rockers and wallflowers. Atlanta's The Hiss are a quartet that cites people like Dr. John, Neil Young and Ike Turner as influences, and then actually makes music that fans of classic rock and R&B would appreciate: ass-shaking backbeats, Stonesy guitar riffs and a charismatic lead vocalist gleefully singing about life's seedier elements — in short, the perfect soundtrack for a rowdy Saturday night in Ybor City. The other bands on the bill, however, issue stand-with-arms-folded headphone music. Lymbyc System, of Austin, Texas, add a techno element to its post-rock soundscapes, while Orlando's The Oaks play a warm, earnest brand of indie folk. Tampa's King of Spain is Matt Slate expressing the same precious sadness found on Sufjan Stevens records, with Slate's "Cinco de Mayo" bearing a striking resemblance to Stevens' "Casimir Pulaski Day." (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
OZMA w/THE ACTUAL/EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS/PLAIN JANE AUTOMOBILE Pasadena rock/power-pop band Ozma have been around since 1995, having split in 2004 only to reform in 2006 and land a deal with About a Girl (a Sony subsidiary). Last month, the band released the album Pasadena, a rousing mix of power-pop, lo-fi electronica and the occasional flashy, Brian May-style guitar solo. L.A.'s The Actual play catchy pop-rock fleshed out with sinewy guitar. The band's second album, In Stitches, came out last month and was produced by Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland. Another interesting bio note: Singer/guitarist Max Bernstein is the son of Carl Bernstein and Nora Ephron. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
YOUNG JEEZY When music historians chronicle the demise of gangsta rap, particularly the how-to-sell-cocaine movement that has flourished in the new millennium, Young Jeezy will be cited as the nail-in-the-coffin. He'll be outed as a no-talent thug who hustled his way to the top of the music charts without displaying a scrap of poetic skill. Young Jeezy will be remembered as the one who made music buyers finally realize that the proverbial well had run dry, that they would have to start getting their kicks listening to someone rap about something more substantial than drug trafficking. (Club Underground, Tampa)
HALCYON w/GIDDY-UP, HELICOPTER! This long-running female folk duo with local ties returns again to the Skipperdome, where they have been delighting their dedicated fanbase for more than a decade. One of Tampa's most hyped new indie acts, Giddy-Up, Helicopter! opens. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
WORLDWIDE ZOO This Tampa trio of multi-instrumentalists — the basic set-up is drums, bass and keyboards — plays a spacey brand of funk-jazz that's by turns propulsive and exploratory. (Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, Tampa)
Sunday, June 17
UNWRITTEN LAW w/ZEBRAHEAD/BULLETS AND OCTANE The San Diego quartet Unwritten Law pretty much splits between hard-rock and power-pop, with chanting occasionally taking the place of singing. The band's single "Seein' Red" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Modern Tracks tally in 2002. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
HAT TRICK HEROES w/AUDITORIUM/OFF SHORE RIOT A threesome of Tampa rock bands join forces: Hat Trick Heroes bring a neo-classic-rock sound with shades of grunge; Auditorium issue visceral art-rock; and Off Shore Riot play poolside reggae indebted to Sublime. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MONDAY, JUNE 18
RISE AGAINST w/SILVERSTEIN/COMEBACK KID A sing/scream, power-chord-loving post-hardcore quartet from Chicago, Rise Against have enjoyed radio success in recent years with hits like "Swing Life Away" and "Ready to Fall." (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, JUNE 19
BATTLES W/AUTO!AUTOMATIC!! Battles are a New York City-based quartet that was formed by a respected cast of indie rock musicians, among them, ex-Don Caballero members Ian Williams and John Stanier, who's also a former member of Helmet and a current player in the Mike Patton-led Tomahawk. Battles marries intelligent dance music with avant-garde rock, the result a stimulating brew of songs that fluctuate from melodic to chunky and industrial, the tempos ever-shifting, the vocals altered to the point of incoherence and punctuated with hoots, sighs, hums and whistling. Tampa experimental post-rockers Auto!Automatic!! provide support. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Leilani Polk
RAILROAD EARTH Five-piece jam-grass band from New Jersey does a fine job carrying on the tradition of free-roaming mandolin and banjo sounds popularized by folks like Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
CLAY MCCLINTON The son of Delbert McClinton plays roadhouse Texas music, much like his dad does. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, June 20
HE IS LEGEND w/HOUSE OF FOOLS The North Carolina punk/screamo quintet does little to distinguish itself from the pack, but that hasn't stopped the band from enjoying a strong following and decent chart success, with their 2006 album Suck the Poison cracking Billboard's Top 10 Heatseekers survey. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE LEGENDARY SHACKSHAKERS w/WHISKEY ROMANCE/THE VOYEURS/TAILGUNNER JOE Nashville cow-punk weirdoes The Legendary Shackshakers proved over-hyped and downright annoying when I saw them several years back at Tropical Heatwave, where front man J.D. Wilkes had to resort to unzipping his pants to, you know, show he was a punk. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2007.