Thursday, July 12
GERI X The queen of the local coffeehouse circuit returns from a trip to Wisconsin to spend the summer playing familiar haunts such as Sacred Grounds, where she will likely draw a sizable crowd of devotees. Incidentally, the prolific singer/songwriter recently posted a new tune on her MySpace site called "3000 Lines of Defense." It features biting lyrics, jazzy vocals and dancing, Spanish-style guitar, making it one her most accomplished and satisfying songs to date. (Sacred Grounds Coffee Lounge, Tampa)
AS TALL AS LIONS w/BAND MARINO/CASSINO/THE SNAKE, THE CROWN, THE CROSS A wide yet complementary range of styles converge here with New York's As Tall As Lions bringing the emo soundscapes, while Orlando's Band Marino offer tasty indie twang. Feeling glum? Listen to the band's banjo-laced ditty "Chasing Rainbows" (myspace.com/bandmarino) — it's a certified spirits-lifter. Alabama's Cassino also keeps it country, but with lyrics more indebted to Elliott Smith than Steve Earle. The Snake, the Crown, The Cross pair evocative, baroque lyrics with sparse folk and striking rock thrusts. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Friday, July 13
SHOOTER JENNINGS Although he doesn't possess the deep, resonant voice of his legendary father, Waylon, or the same level of songwriting chops, Shooter is still a fresh addition to the not-quite-Nashville scene. Penning candid tales of love, debauchery and the aftermath, Shooter adroitly splits the difference between classic country and Southern rock — just like his dad did. Plus, give it up to Shooter for issuing "4th of July," one of the hottest, hookiest summer anthems of recent years. The night after this show, Sat., July 14, country station The Bull 106.9 brings Jennings to Arcadia to play the Turner Agri-Civic Center. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
SOULAR SYSTEM This Florida funk ensemble with Tampa ties knows how to create good times, with frontman Rev. Desmond D'Angelo delivering a deep, theatrical croon over the spacey, ass-shaking grooves created by his eight-piece band. While most of the songs celebrate such things as "Gumbo" and "Bitches," there's the song "Bushwhacked," which points to all those untruths emanating from the White House. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THEO AND THE SKYSCAPERS w/THE STATIC AGE How about a little rave rock to inspire some dirty disco dancing? New York trio Theo and the Skyscrapers are led by firebrand frontwoman Theo Kogan, a highly tattooed hottie (think Suicide Girls, but sexier) who delivers with ample sass such lines as "I'm so jealous that you die" over manic rhythms that are almost as seductive as the singer herself. The Static Age are considerably mellower, with their emo-ish brand of alt-rock balladry proving rather flat. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
CITY OF SHIPS w/RED ROOM CINEMA/100 CAR PILEUP Originally from Jacksonville but now living in Richmond, Va., City of Ships are a trio of dudes barely old enough to legally drink who perform proggy metal that's heavy and loud one moment, dark and introspective the next. The vocals are of limited quality, but that shouldn't matter much at Crowbar, where listeners will likely be too lost in the guitar and drum barrage that dominates the band's music to get hung up on the singer's shortcomings. Also on the lineup is Tampa prog/mostly instrumental/post-rock favorite Red Room Cinema, who just released their debut album and were very impressive when I saw them a couple weeks back at Summer Jam III. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
JORAN SLANE w/GEOFF ABRAHAM/KATHERINE KELLY/JOEL MALIZIA The lead singers for three Bay area bands of varying styles bust out the acoustic guitars for an intimate night of music in downtown St. Pete's funkiest java joint. Leading the way are a couple of CL staffers: Joran Slane (of the art-rock band Auditorium) and Geoff Abraham (of the neo-classic-rock outfits R50, Lovin Thorns). They'll be joined by Katherine Kelly, who fronts the Sarasota alt-rock band Nous Rapport. Also on the roster is Joel Malizia, a Clearwater singer/songwriter who deftly alternates between serious and lighthearted ("I Love My Dog"). (Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg)
ALBERT CASTIGLIA An unhealthy mutha' with the six-string, Castiglia earned his big break in the mid-'90s when Junior Wells recruited him to play lead on a handful of tours shortly before his death. In 2001, Castiglia returned to his native Coral Gables and has been chewing up the Florida scenery with his own songs ever since. The tunes are kind of an afterthought, since you check out Castiglia for one reason only: to hear him wail away to his heart's content. (Aces Lounge, Bradenton) —Cooper Levey-Baker
BRADENTUCKY BOMBERS BENEFIT w/STRENGTH THRU DISCIPLINE/THE DOLL PARTS/BAKER ACT/SPANKIN' FRESH Another night of heavy-duty punk and metal supporting the lovely, ass-kicking young debutantes of local roller derby. (Rasher Tierney's, Bradenton) —CLB
Saturday, July 14
DISTURBING THE PEACE FEST 10 Billed as "The largest local music and arts festival ever," the 10th edition of Disturbing the Peace Fest (all profits go to charity) will find droves of many of the Bay area's best music acts — ranging from shoegaze to hardcore rap — spread across the four stages that make up the delightfully retro Cuban Club. Among the acts scheduled to play are punk faves Car Bomb Driver (see the music feature); those purveyors of classic post-Beatles pop, The Ditchflowers; indie-rock mopesters Giddy-Up, Helicopter!; coffeehouse queen Geri X (see Thursday); art-rockers Auditorium; and Acafool, the local hip-hop luminary responsible for the regional novelty hit "Hatablockas." Highly recommended. (Cuban Club, Ybor City)
CHRIS MCCARTY BAND This Gainesville acoustic rock/pop act with a hint of funk and reggae does the Jack Johnson/Ben Harper thing better than most, cultivating a strong Tampa following thanks to regularly well-received shows at the Skipperdome. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
DANDI WIND w/FILTHY DEFEX/DJ IAN APPLEBY/DJ VIDEO BOY Dandi Wind are a hard-hitting Goth/synth band from Canada made interesting by the on-stage performance art of lead singer Dandilion Wind Opaine. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
ODIUM/MORTALITUS/PARIS IS BURNING/SESSO Another evening of rib-crunching metal mania at Sarasota's Gallery Billiards, proof that the much-discussed closing of Rockerfella's earlier this year was little more than a speed bump for the local metal scene. (Gallery Billiards, Sarasota) —CLB
Sunday, July 15
DEEP PURPLE w/EDGAR WINTER BAND It's summer, and that means classic-rock caravans. Deep Purple, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, was a primary player in the rise of British hard-rock/neo-metal. Although they don't boast quite the legendary credentials of the other two bands, they're still a much-loved act with several classic-rock staples to their credit, including "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star" and "Hush." The current lineup includes singer Ian Gillan (the voice of virtually every DP tune that matters), guitar wizard Steve Morse, keyboardist Don Airey, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice. Edgar Winter, Johnny's more pop-minded brother, gave us durable hits like "Free Ride" and "Frankenstein." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES
WALKER SMITH GROUP w/CHARLIE O & THE HOUSEROCKERS/KELLY DEES St. Pete's Walker Smith is a versatile singer/guitarist who mixes uptown Chicago blues with country picking. He's also an accomplished vocalist in possession of a smooth, sultry croon. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
ANXIOUS ARMS w/SURLY/KILROY/TEN SPOKE INDIES/EARTH STOOD STILL Long Island, N.Y.'s Anxious Arms are a cookie-cutter emo band with a lackluster vocalist. As for influences, they cite Alkaline Trio, Jawbreaker and Bon Jovi — because, y'know, that last one's ironic and hilarious, dude. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TUESDAY, JUly 17
BOYS NIGHT OUT w/EMANUEL/JUNE/OLYMPIA An emo band with better lyrics than most, Boston's Boys Like Girls are touring behind their breakthrough hit single "The Great Escape." (Orpheum, Ybor City)
BUZZ SUMMER JAM w/PLAIN WHITE T'S These pop-punksters' gig at Sarasota/Manatee USF some time back got rained out, so they're trying it again, this time indoors. (The Hall, Palmetto) —CLB
WEDNESDAY, July 18
311 w/MATISYAHU/THE ENGLISH BEAT Since 1995's hopelessly grating chart-topper "Down" introduced them to mainstream audiences, 311 has maintained their equilibrium with a steady stream of catchy yet tepid singles and enduring support from MTV. Omaha, Neb.'s, only well-known alt-ska-reggae-rock band stops in Tampa as part of its Summer Unity Tour 2007. Joining them on this leg is fast-chanting Hasidic Jewish reggae star Matisyahu, whose music blends traditional Jewish themes with reggae rock in a style that's underwhelming in a live setting. The English Beat — arguably one of the most important ska-reggae bands to come out of Britain — round out the bill. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa) —Leilani Polk
MICKEY AVALON w/DIRTY NASTY/ANDRE LEGACY Like a hip-hop Charles Bukowski, Mickey Avalon's a white boy who rhymes over slinky, subtle beats authoritatively and thoughtfully about the perils of living in Los Angeles' low-rent district. Last year, his self-titled debut CD became the first record issued on MySpace's label. It features the infectious track "Jane Fonda," which finds the rapper hilariously recounting his best female conquests. The song was used in the HBO series Entourage. Seriously, this guy Avalon recalls early Eminem. Very impressive. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2007.