Funk-metal quartet Clutch is clearly influenced by 1980s acts such as Faith No More and early Red Hot Chili Peppers but doesn't put a premium on weirdness, bringing more of a classic rock vibe. The band formed in '91 and has managed to cultivate a sizable fanbase with relentless touring, consistent studio releases and a sound that wasn't so grungy that it got dated at the turn of the century. The band has flirted with mainstream success since its self-titled debut album came out in '95 but more than a decade later Clutch still hasn't notched a major hit. That might be a good thing. They sound hungry and tight on their brand spanking new LP From Beale Street Oblivion. Whereas Clutch likes to spice its metal with funk, Dub Trio, as the name suggests, likes its metal with a dose of dub, a style of reggae marked by echo and reverb that's favored by the kids. Judging by what I sampled online, Five Horse Johnson is a good, old-fashioned groove rock band that just might give headliner Clutch a run for its money — arrive on time.
Clutch w/Dub Trio/Five Horse Johnson, 7 p.m. Mon., March 5. State Theatre, St. Petersburg. $16/$18 day of show. —Wade Tatangelo
Bucking the trend
Lindsey Buckingham's latest album, last year's largely acoustic Under the Skin, his first in 14 years, was well received by critics, just another feather in the cap of a supremely talented, but often elusive, artist. On the one hand is the Fleetwood Mac hitmaker — the guy behind "Go Your Own Way" and "Big Love." Then there's the musical subversive who followed up the über-smash Rumors with Tusk, one of the strangest and most ambitious LPs in pop annals. Similarly, Buckingham's solo career has been quirky and idiosyncratic. Reviews of his current tour, which features him solo and with a three-person backing band, have been largely favorable. The Austin America-Statesman called his January show "a masterful romp through four decades of song."
Lindsey Buckingham, 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 7, Tampa Theatre, Tampa. $41/$36 tampatheatre.org. —Eric Snider
Jazzy and classy
Georgia-born Madeleine Peyroux spent a decade in Paris, from age 13-22, where she did her share of busking. It was shortly afterward that she released her debut album, Dreamland, in 1996. Critics were taken with her ability to channel Billie Holiday and Patsy Cline without resorting to slavish imitation. Last year's Half the Perfect World, her third CD, brings a dash of Euro-jazz into the mix, and carries a sprightly kick all the way through. This is the kind of show we don't get all that often in these parts: a cult artist with a jazz bent playing a classy old theater.
This show comes with a value-added feature in the form of emotionally resonant singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith.
Madeleine Peyroux w/Ron Sexsmith, 8 p.m. Tues., March 6, Tampa Theatre, Tampa. $34.50 tampatheatre.org. —ES
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2007.