CL‘s picks for the week’s best shows

THURSDAY, NOV. 09

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL w/BRAND NEW Chris Carrabba's strummy emo-pop catharsis has fallen steadily out of favor with the kids since he went electric, like Dylan with sleeve tattoos and a MySpace account, back in '03; no wonder this year's Dusk and Summer harks back to Dashboard's confessional origins. I can remember bagging on Long Island emo-meets-hard-rock combo Brand New in the past, but their more recent stuff shows promise. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)

MC CHRIS Yup, it's that nasally white joke-rapper who owes his fame to the demented young minds at Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. And yup, this show is going to be packed. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

RIVERHAWK MUSIC FESTIVAL Brooksville's Sertoma Youth Ranch plays host to yet another roots/jam-fest. The Weary Boys, Paul Thorn, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Bob Rafkin, Clumsy Lovers, The Biscuit Burners, Paul Cebar and Maggi, Pierce & EJ are just a few of the 30-odd acts scheduled to perform. For more info and directions, check out www.riverhawkmusic.com. (Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville)

FRIDAY, NOV. 10

MUSHROOMHEAD/SOIL/THE AUTUMN OFFERING/BRAND NEW SIN Midwestern metal unit Mushroomhead might be best known as the group that's still bitching about Slipknot stealing its shtick, but more than a few folks dig the group's creepy, pseudo-industrial sound — the new album Savior Sorrow sold an impressive 26,000 or so copies during the first week of its release in September and landed in the top half of Billboard's Top 200. Expect varying degrees of brutality from every band on this bill. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

AVETT BROTHERS/FRUIT/SHANNON CURFMAN Back-to-basics roots/bluegrass trio the Avett Brothers hail from North Carolina and have been celebrated for the over-the-top energy of their sets. Fruit, those WMNF-beloved Australian harmony specialists and the young, critically acclaimed blues-rock phenom Shannon Curfman round out the slate. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

STEPHEN PEARCY w/JULLIETT/DIRTY BLACK HALO The former Ratt frontman rolls back through town with what's sure to be a set heavy on his ex-band's best known hits. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)

TRISHA YEARWOOD This gal's been a Nashville superstar since way back: Her big break came when she sang backing vocals on a little guy named Garth's early albums. On recent releases like last year's Jasper County, she's focused more on big, sweeping, production-heavy ballads than on down 'n' dirty country, but she hasn't slipped entirely into Celine Dion territory just yet. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —Cooper Levey-Baker

JAMES CRUMBLY The pianist is the director of the Patel Conservatory Jazz Ensemble, as well as a teacher at Blake High. To quote a TBPAC press release, "[He] turns on the blender for an eclectic mix of music, from Rachmaninoff to Bernstein." (TECO Theater, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center) —Eric Snider

APRIL VERCH/HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL Signed to big-boy folk label Rounder Records, Verch's resume includes the titles of Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion, making it a safe guess that she's the most decorated fiddle player to ever visit the Suncoast. During her shows, she stepdances with a full backing band. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) —CLB

GERI X CD RELEASE PARTY There's a reason why we named her the Bay's best singer-songwriter this year, people. Geri's evocative voice and deceptively unadorned songwriting are top-notch. Come be blown away, then buy a copy of I Can't Make You Happy. Auditorium's Joran Slane, Latin-flavored fellow Best of the Bay winner Acho Brother, Rebekah Pulley and Incredible Crisis also perform. (The Garage, St. Petersburg)

SATURDAY, NOV. 11

BROOKS & DUNN The showboating, multiple award-winning and insanely overrated pop-country duo brings its arena-rock-indebted live spectacle to Tampa. Again. Lucky us. Atlanta-based singer-songwriter trio Sugarland and veteran honky-tonker Jack Ingram open up. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)

HUDOST A loose collective of musicians from Montreal and New York, HuDost mixes acoustic psychedelic rock with Eastern percussion and chants, with oddly harmonious results. The group is performing in Sarasota to raise money for Rising Tide International, a nonprofit peacenik faith organization. (Rising Tide International, Sarasota) —CLB

KEVIN MAHOGANY TRIO Mahogany's smooth, syrupy jazz voice is in town at the request of the Jazz Club of Sarasota, even though he's tried to branch out in recent years by recording an album of jazzed-up Motown covers. (Temple Sinai, Sarasota) —CLB

SUNDAY, NOV. 12

THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND/KARL DENSON'S JAZZ TRIO The DDBB specializes in that particular New Orleans tradition where ragtag groups of brass musicians play in funeral processions. The ensemble was the first to take the vibrant form to the international stage. DDBB plays with an adroit balance of precision and abandon. Above all, it's a party y'all. I saw saxophonist Karl Denson's Tiny Universe once and thought it was a snooze, basically a smooth jazz show in jam-band clothing. I'm glad to see he's performing with a trio; maybe he'll get to shine. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —ES

HELLOGOODBYE/REGGIE & THE FULL EFFECT/CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR/DAVE MELILLO From Huntington Beach, Hellogoodbye offers proof that not all emo is worthless — some of it grows up to be ambitious, Beach Boys-loving pop. Reggie & The Full Effect has likewise matured beyond half-assed Get Up Kids side project to become a half-assed full-time power-/ synth-pop band. Cute is What We Aim For has a self-consciously ironic name and generic sound that's still got some aging to do, while Orlando's Dave Melillo comes off as a one-man acoustic Taking Back Sunday cover band. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

MARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO'S/PEMBERLEY/GIDDY-UP, HELICOPTER!/JOHN MCNICHOLAS Indianapolis' Margot is a beautifully fractured chamber-pop project to which you desperately need to be exposed; check out the story on page 57. Pemberley is an interesting, shoegaze-y coed modern-rock outfit from Lakeland; Giddy-Up, Helicopter! is simply one of the best bands in town; and John McNicholas is simply one of the best pop singer-songwriters to leave town for Atlanta. Highly recommended. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

CONGA CALIENTE Tampa's Al Lopez Park plays host to some percussive cross-cultural action for the third consecutive year. Alvaro Torres, Lalo Rodriguez and the duo of Carmen Cano and Rafael Garce act as Ambassadors of the Beat, along with a throng of talented locals. This family-oriented event runs from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Admission is free, and beverage sales benefit the nonprofit Arts for All, Inc. (Al Lopez Park, Tampa)

MITCH HAMPTON TRIO Another intimate jazz matinee at the Gorilla. Pianist Hampton hails from Boston and has a formidable resume in academic and performing circles. He'll be joined by bassist Michael Ross and drummer Walt Hubbard. The Tampa Jazz Club show starts at 3 p.m. Call 813-879-2914 for more info. (Gorilla Theatre, Tampa) —ES

Monday, NOV. 13

THE LIMELITERS Care to guess how many of the original members of this '60s-folk household name (they even scored a hit with their Coke jingle, for Christ's sake) are on board? If you guessed "zero," you win a Coke. According to The Limeliters, things go better with it. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)

CARRIE NEWCOMER The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's intimate Club Jaeb Series continues with this gig by 20-year singer-songwriter circuit veteran Newcomer. After spending the '80s in noted folk trio Stone Soup, she embarked on a solo career, which involves a more eclectic style that includes elements of jazz and rock. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)

HAPPY 50TH: CLASSIC JAZZ WORKS OF 1956-57 In keeping with its ambitious agenda, the Center for Jazz Composition at USF, headed by composer/arranger Chuck Owen, unveils the next performance in its Masterworks Series. This time, the Jazz Surge big band, along with special guests Reggie Thomas and Clay Jenkins, tackle some iconic music from 50 years ago: The Miles Ahead suite, as arranged by Gil Evans and recorded by Miles Davis; the Cuban Fire suite, composed by Johnny Richards and recorded by Stan Kenton; selections from Duke Ellington's Newport Jazz Concert and more. There's a second performance on Tues. Nov. 14 at the Palladium Theater in St. Pete. For more info, go to centerforjazzcomp.arts.usf.edu/. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa) —ES

Tuesday, NOV. 14

UMBRELLAS They're signed to emo-kid-friendly label The Militia Group, but ex-Lyndsay Diaries principal Scott Windsor's Umbrellas are so much more than that; the project's outfit consists mainly of layered, electro-accented dream-rock. The new album Illuminare is hit-and-miss, but when Windsor and guests are on, it can be gorgeous. The Tuesday Music Club is located at 421 East Park St. in Lakeland. (Tuesday Music Club, Lakeland)

Wednesday, NOV. 15

KELLER WILLIAMS Virginian singer-songwriter Williams is known as the guy who uses various looping effects to create a full-band sound as a solo performer, but his quirky, oft-improvised songs are organic and engaging enough to have long ago endeared him to the jam-fan set. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)

THE TEMPTATIONS/THE FOUR TOPS Otis Williams is the only remaining original Temptation in the current lineup; the group's website is littered with a list of MIA members. I don't doubt, though, that whoever the Temptations are today can effectively approximate the classic Motown sound. You'll have to be the judge on whether or not a simulation of soul is worth the ticket price. The Four Tops, meanwhile, have hardly changed at all: The lineup was continuous from its prime all the way through 1997, when death made changes unavoidable. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —CLB

MOONSPELL/KATATONIA/DAYLIGHT DIES Portuguese doom-/ Goth-metal quintet Moonspell's atmospheric sound presaged the style and success of artists like Italy's currently heavily hyped Lacuna Coil. Sweden's Katatonia sports a heavier, more traditional Scandinavian doom-metal sound, the kind that influenced American groups such as North Carolina's Daylight Dies. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2006.