FRIDAY, MAY 9
TIM MCGRAW w/JASON ALDEAN/HALFWAY TO HAZARD The last time Tug McGraw's son came through town, he played the St. Pete Times Forum in 2006 with his wife, Faith Hill, a Nashville hitmaker — and serious hottie — who, alas, is as boring as her hubby in the music department. "But wait," you non-baseball fans ask, "who's Tug McGraw?" Well, I'll tell ya, 'cause ya need to know. Tug is Tim's late father, the zany, screwball-hurling relief pitcher who helped the Miracle Mets win the World Series in 1969 and then aided the Philadelphia Phillies to their lone championship of 1980. Problem is, Tim's not as interesting onstage as his pops was on the mound. Not even close. Granted, Junior will probably take home a bigger paycheck for a couple hours of listless crooning tonight at the Ford Amp than his dad earned in any given season. But Tim's music is still country-pop at its Hallmark worst. I've loathed Tim McGraw ever since his brain-dead, politically incorrect breakthrough single, "Indian Outlaw," flooded the airwaves in '94. Put it this way: I'd rather watch Tim McGraw's wife do the dishes in baggy house clothes and curlers than attend this concert. Come to think of it, I'd rather watch Faith Hill do a lot of things — scrub floors, prune trees — than attend this concert. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
RED ELVISES w/TRUCKSTOP COFFEE Rockabilly and surf recyclers with Russian roots, the Red Elvises, who sing in English and their native tongue, call California home but have made the Skipperdome a home-away-from-home of sorts, regularly playing the venue and drawing throngs of enthusiasts. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
APOCALYPTIC PUNK II Mind Syndicate Productions assembles a who's who lineup of area thrashers, punks, skankers and assorted ne'r do wells, among the tops The Tri-Fives, Mag Ops, The In-Crowd, Whiskey Romance, 2 Pump Chumps, Faceplant! and A Gentlemen Army. (VFW Post #3233, Sarasota) —Amanda Schurr
THE ABSENCE Props to Crowbar for running a kick-ass club and booking great national and local acts — but must you also routinely welcome Tampa's myriad death-metal bands, of which The Absence has been one of the more prominent of recent years? (Crowbar, Ybor City)
DAYLIGHT DISTRICT CD RELEASE W/HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/ HISTORY The indie hip-hop rockers drop their second release, "Beautiful, Historic," a self-proclaimed "emotional rollercoaster" informed by engineer Greg Marchak's passing mid-production. The finished disc, featuring catchy tracks like "Snapshot," is a marked step forward for composer/ keyboardist/MC Frank Friend and crew, a more realized stew of influences, arrangements and songwriting. (Rasher Tierneys, Bradenton) —AS
SATURDAY, MAY 10
THE DEAD SCIENCE w/THE BUDDY SYSTEM/GIDDY-UP, HELICOPTER!/SUPER SECRET BEST FRIENDS/TRAVEL LIKE TRAINS Seattle's gray skies used to produce grunge bands that sang about killing themselves in a way that made the masses cheer. Now, the Pacific Northwest gives us pretentious "experimental/indie rock" acts such as The Dead Science, which instead of threatening suicide, inspire it, with falsetto-sung songs made by musicians who wouldn't know a hook if it pierced their eyes. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
STEPHEN MARLEY Like big bro' and former bandmate Ziggy, Stephen knows that following in the old-man-they-barely-knew's footsteps is a surefire way to entertain scads of stoned college students who purchased Legend their freshman year. (Jannus landing, St. Petersburg)
YOUNG JEEZY Cocaine has inspired historic works by the likes of Sigmund Freud, Hunter S. Thompson and Paris Hilton (you know it took at least an eight-ball to get her to do that sex tape). But I'd rather be strapped to a chair Clockwork Orange-style and watch "This is your brain on drugs" ads than have to again witness Jeezy clumsily rap about his blow-dealing past. I saw him headline Wild Splash in Clearwater about a year ago, and 15 minutes into his performance I was bored enough to try and score a crack rock from the nearby Scientologists — or worse yet, agree to a tone-scale reading. (Club Underground, Tampa)
HAND TO HAND w/MURDOK/DESRIVED Hand to Hand is a generic screamo band from Orlando that deserves to be playing a one-car garage — not one of the 'Burg's most venerable venues. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
TRIPOD Owing as much to Nels Cline's ambient guitar and Brian Eno as to '70s era Krautrock and the atmospheric fuzz of My Bloody Valentine, the Sarasota prog minimalists play a rare live set during a mack b show opening. "Motorik" musicians Terry Porter, Patrick Miller and David Genualdi should infuse a heavy dose of improv to the proceedings. (mack b gallery, Sarasota) —AS
COTEE RIVER SEAFOOD FESTIVAL-BLUES BY THE RIVER: TINSLEY ELLIS/LAZY BOY AND FRIENDS/HYBRID GROOVE/BACK ALLEY BLUES BAND/JOHN ALLEN AND The COTTON GIN BAND/WILLIE LOMAX BLUES REVUE (SAT.) CHARLIE O. AND THE HOUSEROCKERS/THE DUKES OF JUKE/SARASOTA SLIM Saturday night headliner Tinsley Ellis does the SRV thing better than most. For more information on this free concert/boat show, go to nprmainstreet.com. (Downtown New Port Richey, New Port Richey)
SUNDAY, MAY 11
UH HUH HER w/ANGLE MATTSON An ace electropop band, Uh Huh Her is co-fronted by Leisha Hailey, a (gorgeous) gifted singer/songwriter and star of Showtime's hit series The L Word. Uh Huh Her's highly anticipated debut full-length, Common Reaction, will be issued by RCA August 19. For my interview with Hailey, go to p. 43. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
98ROCK FEST: KID ROCK/3 DOORS DOWN/SERJ TANKIAN/SHINEDOWN/FILTER/ASHES DIVIDE/THEORY OF A DEADMAN/FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH/SAVING ABEL/SKRATCH-N-SNIFF Kid Rock is a mediocre rapper, rocker and country singer who should probably be slammed for his stage name alone. But even though I've hated on Kid Rock in the past, the fact that charisma, more than talent, has sustained him all these years, makes me "hate/respect" the guy. He lives the rock 'n' debauched lifestyle — with minimal musical chops. In a weird way, that impresses me. It's an existence most of us dreamed about as adolescents. Perhaps it's just that I look at him with envy and go, "Damn, I could do that. Why didn't I set out to be a rock star instead of a rock critic?" (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
YOLANDA ADAMS Blessed with a silky voice that could easily climb the pop charts, Yolanda Adams instead opted for the Christian Life, which can also prove lucrative for musicians (not to suggest that that was her intention). Actually, it's a move I respect. The Jesus portrayed in the Four Gospels seems like a good guy with sound advice. I dig that his first miracle was turning water into wine. I figure that, like me, Jesus would be down with Yolanda Adams, who infuses her music with ample, old-school soul. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
SINCE OCTOBER W/THE PROSPECT/THE IN-CROWD/THE D.O.O.D./SIXX-YEAR BENDER Faith-based Bradenton band Since October was recently taken under the wing of producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D.), who produced their debut, This Is My Heart, due out later this month, on Tooth & Nail Records. The hard-rocking quartet takes a break from national promotion duties to play their home turf. (The Hall, Palmetto) —AS
THRASH UNREAL w/STAGES & STEROES Wow, The Killers already have a tribute band. Well, kinda. Thrash Unreal writes its own material, but the influence of the quartet's fellow, famous Las Vegans overpowers everything the band does. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
13th ANNUAL TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!: WOMEN'S BLUES REVUE/DENISE MOORE/LIZ PENNOCK & DR. BLUES This Domestic Violence Shelters benefit features Women's Blues Revue, a decade-running band that "has been enchanting audiences across Florida [for] their mixture of R&B, jazz, classic rock and gospel harmonies." (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MONDAY, MAY 12
THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP This is a telling thing: The only song featured on the Spencer Davis Group's MySpace page is "Gimme Some Lovin'." A Top 10 hit. In 1966. Sung by Steve Winwood. Who left the group in 1967. By the way, in case you didn't know, Spencer Davis plays guitar. He's 67 years old. Lives in California. Tours incessantly. (Largo Cultural Center) —Eric Snider
This article appears in May 7-13, 2008.