Thursday, April 5
NO MORE KINGS This synthy, dance-friendly rock outfit from L.A. is seriously stuck in the '80s. Their hit "Sweep the Leg" is a paean to the climatic finale of The Karate Kid, replete with a video (reportedly 500,000 views online) that uses actual movie footage. In case folks don't get what this band is all about, their MySpace site reads: "Music for anyone who's ever wanted a talking car." (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TOM JONES How dare Justin Timberlake claim to bring sexy back while this man still walks the planet. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
STEPHEN LYNCH Inspired to become a comedic singer-songwriter after watching This is Spinal Tap, Stephen Lynch performs a sort of pseudo stand-up that's mostly composed of emotively delivered acoustic guitar-driven songs with lyrics about subjects like his friend Special Ed, who's "just a little bit special" because his mom dropped him on the head. It's not the cleverest humor, but it's good for at least a laugh or three. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa). —Leilani Polk
DAY OF RECKONING w/DETOURA/CONTROL Z/FULL CRY A quartet of unsigned area metal bands join forces for a night of ear-splitting savagery. Headliner Day of Reckoning hails from Lakeland and plays slow (for the genre), heavy grooves often topped with guitar solos that shred with a bit of style. Rather than squawk like a demon with its tail on fire, lead vocalist/guitarist Beau Bullock affects a dark, deep baritone and, y'know, sings. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Friday, April 6
NORA JEAN BRUSCO w/JULIE BLACK Straight from the Mississippi Delta via Chicago comes Nora Jean Brusco (nee Williams), a big, beautiful woman who mixes plucky originals with rowdy standards such as the John Lee Hooker favorite "Doin' the Shout." (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
VNV NATION The London-based outfit creates dark, electro-dance tunes with rigid vocals à la Kraftwerk. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
PLAIN WHITE T'S/BOY'S NIGHT OUT/LOVEDRUG/DEER AND THE HEADLIGHTS Plain White T's are an upbeat emo band from Chicago that threw fans for a loop with their recent Top 40 hit, the acoustic ballad "Hey There Delilah," which is catchy and sweet but sounds like something Paul Simon might have done when he was 12. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FLICKERSTICK w/THE SEMIS/MILITARY JUNIOR/HOLY MOLY The Texas indie rockers start with soft verses and then assault listeners with bombastically sung choruses, couching it all in plastic keyboards and fuzzy guitars. Tampa's The Semis are a power trio led by wild man/stoner Billy Summers, who is inclined toward reverb-soaked guitar solos and dirtied-up Judas Priest covers. Military Junior is a St. Pete rock trio that brings heart and soul to tricky time-signature math rock. (The Orpheum, Ybor City)
EARTH BOMBS MARS Rich Whiteley is a singer/songwriter perhaps best known for cofronting Uncle John's Band, the good-times-creating Grateful Dead tribute act that has held court at Skipper's every Thursday for about a decade. His other band is the four-piece Earth Bombs Mars, a slightly spacier outfit that blends Whiteley's smartly crafted, folk-based originals with choice covers and the occasional improv jam. The newly opened Kelly's Pub is at 206 N. Morgan St. in downtown Tampa and appears to be testing the waters of original music, having booked Poetry 'n Lotion on March 30. (Kelly's Pub, Tampa)
EKOTREN/SYFUR/STRENGTH THRU DISCIPLINE Although the band calls Cape Coral home, EkoTren is playing a few Gulf Coast dates to support their new EP Destroying the American Dream. The troupe features the usual grinding metal sound, with barbaric drum rolls and machine-like guitar work that occasionally give way to quieter, melodic points of entry. (The Clubhouse Tavern, Sarasota) —Cooper Levey-Baker
Saturday, April 7
RIVER CITY HIGH w/THE HERO PATTERN/JET LAG GEMINI Richmond's River City High plays twangy power pop that speaks to broken-heart realities, late-night revelry and the blues of the working poor. In other words, it's what rock 'n' roll should be all about. On "The Hard Way," husky-voiced singer/bassist James Menefee intones "Empty bar and in my head is where I've been playing/ But I'll keep strumming, because, I swear man, I hear them singing." Highly recommended, especially for fans of Lucero and Bruce Springsteen. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
LEGENDARY JC'S w/NERVOUS TURKEY Orlando's Legendary J.C.'s includes eight dudes with chops and a deep love for the likes of James Brown and Otis Redding. They put on the kind of old school R&B soul revue that induces smiles and ass shaking (see music feature). Tampa's Nervous Turkey is a dirty blooze, guitar-keyboards-drum trio led by sandpaper-voiced frontman Ernie Locke. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
CTQ WING DING w/CHRIS CAGLE/STEVE HOLY/KELLIE PICKLER/COLE DEGGS/ERIC CHURCH/JAKE OWEN This gaggle of young country-pop acts enjoying varying degrees of success is headlined by Chris Cagle, a Winter Park resident who bounced back from problems having to do with hard living to enjoy success the past year or so with the hit album Anywhere But Here, which is buoyed by the piano-and-steel-guitar-driven title track. It's one of those tear-in-the-beer story songs that goes straight for the heartstrings. Cagle's got the voice and life experiences to sell the poignant ballad, which finds the singer fallen off the wagon, drunk at the bar, missing his girl and begging a mutual friend to lie about his whereabouts. "Tell her I'm in Tampa on the causeway," goes the one line. "Watching the waves rollin in … Tell her I'm anywhere but here." (Manatee County Fairgrounds, Palmetto)
1ST ANNUAL HARDCORE/METAL FEST FEAT. PRO-PAIN/STRENGTH THRU DISCIPLINE/THE D.O.O.D./IN THE BLOOD/MORTALITUS/KING CONQUER Pro-Pain is celebrating its 15th year of blood-curdling metal-making with a stop at Sarasota's newest head-banging destination, Gallery Billiards. Coincidentally enough, the group also has an album to promote, the excellently titled Age of Tyranny: The Tenth Crusade. I've got a feeling that with song titles like "All for King George," "Impeach, Indict, Imprison" and "Iraqnam," the disc isn't exactly a patriotic, rhapsodic song cycle about our Commander in Chief. (Gallery Billiards, Sarasota) —CLB
Sunday, April 8
THE DECEMBERISTS w/MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND A must-love act for any sensitive, self-respecting hipster, Portland's The Decemberists are a mixed-gender quintet that plays melodic, soft-guitar chamber pop featuring sad-sack lyrics about pining and longing that are way too precious, faux-English sounding and heavy on self-pity for my taste. The band left the super-cool indie label Kill Rock Stars for Capitol last year and found its album The Crane Wife cracking Billboard's Top 40, a first for the band, which started issuing CDs in '02. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando)
MONDAY, April 9
BURT BACHARACH He wrote scads of unimpeachably wonderful songs, but as a singer/performer? Let's just say his whispery croak doesn't exactly blow folks away. Burt does have a nice head o' hair, though. (Youkey Theater at Lakeland Center, Lakeland) —ES
TV ON THE RADIO w/THE NOISETTES David Bowie's favorite live act comes no closer to the Bay area than Orlando, so Bay area fans will have to make the hour-plus trek to enjoy a concert by the super dynamic alt-indie quintet. TVOTR's dark, atmospheric, fuzzed-out, percussion-heavy rock is marked by elements of electronica and hip-hop. Their latest release, Return to Cookie Mountain, was possibly one of the most original albums to come out in 2006 and was recognized as such by both Spin magazine and Pitchfork Media. The Noisettes — a U.K. female-fronted version of TV on the Radio — open. Highly recommended. (Club Firestone, Orlando) —LP
DAUGHTRY w/CINDER ROAD The popularity of American Idol rocker Daughtry (the dude dropped the "Chris") makes me want to join a monastery. The show is sold out. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, April 10
THE DEAD SCIENCE w/WHEN TIDES COLLIDE/VIOLENCE OR VIOLINS/DJ TERAS Seattle's The Dead Science are a post-rock trio featuring the creepy, Thom Yorke-copped whispers of guitarist/vocalists Sam Mickens. Actually, fans of latter-day Radiohead might dig The Dead Science. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
OLGA KERN The Moscow-based pianist made her Carnegie Hall debut in '04, earning rave reviews from the Gotham press. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
JAMIE LYNN-SIGLER Hottie "Meadow Soprano" sings too, doing the pop-tart thing with a Latin spice. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, April 11
BLOOD BROTHERS w/CELEBRATION/DEAD SCIENCE Seattle's Blood Brothers play frantic, eccentric rock that is rather engaging, but the high, grating vocals are an acquired taste. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
MAYDAY w/BREAKDOWN I'm impressed by what I've heard on Mayday's website, especially the track "Chasing Ghosts," where one hears cool keyboard lines, a little old-school scratching and a smooth vocal delivery, with lyrics that use creative metaphors to address age-old women problems. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
For venue addresses and phone numbers, see Soundboard.
This article appears in Apr 4-10, 2007.