THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Strung Out w/The Swellers/Such Gold SoCal punk-metal rockers Strung Out formed in 1989, were one of the earliest bands signed to Fat Wreck Chords (the label owned and operated by NOFX’s Fat Mike), and have continued to release recordings under the imprint to this day. The five-piece hits town on their “Twisted In A Suburban Wasteland” tour, during which they perform both of their seminal albums back-to-back and in full: Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues (1996) and Twisted By Design (1998). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Broadway w/Us, From Outside/These Hearts Orlando post-hardcore foursome Broadway went viral with their cover of Lonely Island’s spoofy track, “I’m on a Boat” and issued a well-regarded first album, Kingdoms, via Uprising Records (formerly home to Fall Out Boy and Emmure) in 2009. Sophomore follow-up Gentlemen’s Brawl dropped in June, and found them exploring a more upbeat punk-pop sound. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Citizen Cope “Together we could walk to the river / Stand with the families / Move to the sound of the band from Atlantis / One lovely day,” the artist otherwise known as Clarence Greenwood croons huskily in the title track off his 2012 sixth LP, its wistfully hopeful strains built on acoustic guitar, sturdy piano, elastic bouncing bass and relaxed rhythms. The rest of One Lovely Day proves a similarly appealing, sometimes tinkling blend of melodic blues-pop, island rock, psychedelia lite and hip-hop. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
UPROAR Festival w/Shinedown/Godsmack/Staind/Adelitas Way/P.O.D./Thousand Foot Krutch/more Papa Roach withdrew from the third annual traveling UPROAR Festival and bumped up Las Vegas newbs Adelitas Way (“Invincible”) onto the main stage, but it still feels a bit like an early aughts revival. Godsmack’s star rose with with back-to-back platinum-selling and Grammy-nominated albums Awake and Faceless in 2000 and 2003; their heavy grinding alt-metal is driven by the deep, raspy roars of Sully Erna that you likely best remember from hits like “Awake” and “I Stand Alone.” The grungy alt-rock-with-acoustic-interludes of Staind is marked by Aaron Lewis’ overpained (constipative-induced?) wailing; their two highest-grossing albums were 2001’s Break the Cycle (“It’s Been a While”) and 2003’s 14 Shades of Grey (“So Far Away”). Jacksonville’s Alice in Chains-channeling Shinedown rose to mainstream prominence in 2003 with their platinum debut, Leave a Whisper, and has charted eight No. 1 Hot Mainstream Rock hits that are apparently responsible for putting them at the top of this bill. (1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Arrested Development w/The Black Honkeys/Trenchfoot Shindig/J-Killz/Scott Tanner Remember “Mr. Wendal,” the catchiest pop tune you’ve ever heard about a bum? Or the bumpin’ spliced and diced “Tennessee,” which has leader/rapper Speech conversing with God about his ancestors and history along with his hopes, fears and reflections on humanity? Or perhaps you know their grooving Sly Stone remix, “People Everyday,” best? All are off Arrested Development’s multi-platinum 1992 debut, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of… The uplifting and socially aware alt hip-hop group from Atlanta hits town on as part of their 20th anniversary tour. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Bard and Mustache w/RUG/RedFeather/Goodnight Neverland Sarasota singer/guitarist Erin Murphy (Equines) and Philly native cellist Greg Bortnichak (Sparta Philharmonic) met a few years ago, embarked on a whirlwind indie rock romance and started a collaborative recording project they dubbed Bard and Mustache that evolved into permanent pairing after Bortnichak’s move to the Sunshine State last year. The two recently merged their respective labels (hers Finch House, his NJ-based Atlas), and simultaneously got engaged and released their third EP, Bitter Painter, in August. Dark, baroque-flavored rock with more urgent pacing and experimentation than previous excursions, Bitter Painter has a haunting, lo-fi Grizzly Bear quality imbued by the all-analog studio and reel-to-reel tape machines used to record the layers of fuzzy guitars, mechanized beats, and electric violins and looped cellos. The overlap of Murphy’s throaty rich vocals and Bortnichak’s lower register talk-murmur style and ethereal higher-register add an intriguing capriciousness to the tracks. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Elton John The newly revamped USF Sun Dome kicks off its Grand Opening with an explosive bang on the ivories by one of the most successful artists of all time. Elton John has recorded more than 30 albums in his nearly five-decade career as a pop-minded piano rocker and experienced all-manner of transformations through the eras, both in fashion and musical styles as he dished out hits in the 1970s, ’80s, 90s and ‘00s, from the funky disco-tromp of “Philadelphia Freedom,” to the bluesy pop of “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” to the Disney-approved balladry of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” This is his first headlining gig in Tampa in 14 years. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
Miggs w/10th Concession/Woody For the past 10 years, Tampa native singer-guitarist Don Miggs has been riding the ebbing and flowing career path of a professional musician — playing locally and touring nationally with mixed results, getting a brief taste of acclaim before returning to the grind, cycling through band members (including a whole lot of drummers), writing, recording and releasing albums amid ever-changing circumstances under the Miggs moniker. His current strong lineup (bassist Michael Lombardo, drummer Walker Adams and guitarist John Luzzi) joined him to record a fifth LP of catchy melodic AC alt-rock heavily dosed with rootsy heartland influences, 15th & Hope, out last week via Elm City Music and produced by legendary 15-time Grammy winner Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Paul Simon). (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Shaun Hopper I received upward of 40 emails from Shaun Hopper fans begging, suggesting and even demanding that CL run a cover story about the locally based finger-style guitar genius to promote his first headlining gig at Capitol Theatre. This excludes emails forwarded to me or ones I was told about verbally from co-workers in editorial, sales, marketing, and even distribution. FYI, spamming an alt weekly can have a few unexpected consequences. 1. You irritate the people who actually write the stories and make the decisions about what goes on the cover (the Editors) with unexpected surplus emails added to already jammed inboxes, and engender negative feelings rather than interest in the subject in question, especially when you spell the artists’ name “Hooper” instead of “Hopper” right in the subject line. 2. You draw attention away from the artist in question when the Editor decides to write about you instead of him. Luckily, Hopper is a finely talented musician who deserves at least a few words dedicated to his fret prowess, and should rightly be proud and super stoked about headlining a venue with ideal acoustics for hearing the nuances of his playing. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
WMNF Bluesy Birthday Party w/Shemekia Copeland/Stooges Brass Band/Billy Seward and Soulfonic The first of two days worth of music celebrating WMNF’s birthday kicks off with the soulful blues belting vocalist from Harlem, Shemekia Copeland, who’s hyping her fifth full-length, 33 1/3, produced by Oliver Wood and set for release Sept. 25 on Telarc. NOLA’s Stooges Brass Band mixes funk and hip-hop in their horn-driven dance parties while San Diego-based bluesman Silly Seward adds soul and R&B to his sound. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
Girls on Film w/Astari Night Celebrate the 1980s, the modern way, with a few bands from the now influenced by the then. Tallahassee’s Girls on Film wear New Wave influences all over their glammy synth-pop sleeves, the two-women duo joined by a male on keys during live sets. South Florida’s Astari Night has a similarly retro aesthetic, but features three dudes on vocals, drums and keys, and guitar. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown w/Red Rockits/Lions After Dark/BANDIT Young guitar whiz Tyler Bryant started on six-string at six, traded in his 11th birthday present — a dirt bike — for his first electric guitar (an Epiphone Les Paul), and by 16, had been invited to play at Crossroads Guitar Festival by Eric Clapton himself. He hit town last year on tour with Jeff Beck, returned to headline the Local 662 later that summer, and finally makes his way back here as a 21-year-old, more than a year later, and with The Shakedown (guitarist Graham Whitford, drummer Caleb Crosby and bassist Noah Denney) in tow to deliver a set of guitar-assaulting blues rock. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
WMNF Alt-Rockin’ Birthday Party w/Black Taxi/Florida Kilos/Alexander and the Grapes Night two of the ’MNF Birthday Party showcases the energetic talents of NYC’s Black Taxi, a four-piece that memorably opened for Bright Light Social Hour at Skipper’s early this year, then returned for Heatwave … and are back to headline this show with their pop-scuzzy, post punk-shadowed electro rock. High-quality locals support. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Girls Out Loud Music Festival Finally, an event that’s all about the ladies. Yes, we all know the Tampa Bay area is super LGBT friendly. But most events and establishments cater to gay male or mixed crowds. Now, Girl2Girl Productions introduces an exciting new music festival that will be sure to have all the lesbians atwitter: Girls Out Loud. The first concert to be held at St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Field, Girls Out Loud hopes to draw from the area’s extensive lesbian community as well as other areas of Florida. The Real L Word’s alt-rockin’ four-piece Hunter Valentine hit the stage as headliners, and support acts include local songstresses Kelly Neff, Lisa Noe, and Geri X along with Miami outfit All the Pretty Cars. Get more info and the full story about Girl2Girl Productions at cltampa.com/music. (Al Lang Field at Progress Energy Park, St. Petersburg) —Tiffany Razzano
Parmalee A two-years-young country music group made up of tatted rockers from North Carolina as led by singer-guitarist Matt Thomas, with strong back-up from drummer brother Scott Thomas, bassist Barry Knox and guitar-slinger Josh McSwain. First single “Musta Had a Good Time” flippantly tallies up the damage left behind from a wild party the song’s narrator doesn’t exactly remember. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
Il Volo Think of the trio as the fresh-faced equivalent of The Three Tenors — ones with a more pop-oriented operatic style and youthful exuberance appealing to a fanbase who’ve probably never heard of the aforementioned gents. Vocalists Piero Barone (19), Ignazio Boschetto (17) and Gianluca Ginoble (17) originally met as individual competitors on Italian musical variety show Ti Lascio Una Canzone (Leavin’ You a Song), performed “’O sole mio” as a trio on the show (which Ginoble eventually won), and continued to perform together afterwards, eventually adopting the moniker Il Volo (which means “flight”). (Carol Morsani Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Chris Isaak For his 2011 debut on Vanguard Records, Beyond the Sun, rockabilly crooner Chris Isaak ventured into Memphis’ Sun Studios, and walked in the shoes of the artists who got their starts there — Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis among them — by producing cuts by the greats within those hallowed walls. Expect lots of that material, along with other trademark Isaak tunes. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/DJ Earwaxxx/DJ Shotgun Hard-buzzing Las Vegas DJ (and winner of the Las Vegas DJ Award for “Most Talented DJ”), Earwaxxx drops into Ol’ Dirty Sundays for some spins, scratches, and general high quality turntablism amid mixes and mashes of Top 40, pop and hip-hop. Jacksonville-by-way-of-Detroit hip-hop DJ, turntablist and producer Shotgun has the distinction of working as the tour DJ for Goodie Mob. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Sky Burial w/set and setting/Recreant/Collapse/Realms A wide-ranging bill that encompasses Nashville-based Sky Burial and their minimalist melodic metallic-kissed post rock, the louder and headier/heavier drone and stoned sounds of set and setting, and the screamo symphonies of Recreant. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Tony Lucca w/Todd Carey He surprised the celeb coaches/judges on NBC’s second season of The Voice when he embraced, laughed about and moved past his Mickey Mouse Club roots all in one surprisingly rocking performance of “…Baby One More Time,” a song by fellow Mousketeer Britney Spears; his delivery of The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now” wasn’t half bad, either. Though Tony Lucca didn’t win, he did leave a lasting impression as second runner-up and was able to jumpstart his flagging solo career while drawing attention to eight albums’ worth of material he’s released since 1997. (Jaeb Theater at Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa)
Monday Music Series hosted by Jun w/Mountain Holler and John Holt III The next edition of the laid-back concert series hosted in the Ale and the Witch’s communal courtyard by Jun Bustamante finds the by soul-jazz roots songstress joined by guests Mountain Holler, aka Mark Etherington, drummer of set and setting and frontman of RedFeather doing his howling acoustic solo thing, and singer/guitarist John Holt III of soulful reggae-fused outfit Danfield, who delivers a set of his own sans-band ramblings. (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Go Go’s While the Go Go’s haven’t penned any new material in more than a decade, the fab femme fivesome led by velvety piper Belinda Carlisle are behind several catchy New Wave pop tunes and grrl power anthems that kept us boppin’ through the decades — “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “We’ve Got the Beat,” “Vacation” and “Head over Heels” (a personal fave) among them. The Go-Go’s commemorated the 30th anniversary of their 1981 first album Beauty and the Beat last year. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Yelawolf w/Rittz/Trouble Andrew/DJ Vajra With the co-sign of Eminem and his first commercial release out last year, Yelawolf is, by all standards, a mainstream rapper. And for a tall, scrawny dude from Gadsden, Ala., his flow is ridonkulously impeccable. Yelawolf’s live power is three-fold. He’s got the breakneck delivery along the lines of emcees like Mac Lethal or Twista, the macabre imagery and lyricism of rap provocateurs like Eminem (whose Shady Records label Yelawolf is signed to), and the stage presence of a fucking banshee, which is always awesome regardless of music. By the conclusion of last year’s Czar show, the crowd was nestled in his sweaty tatted hands. Crowd-surfing aplenty, Yela wrapped up with a bang, all the while reminding us that a rap show doesn’t always have to be a smoked-out, standstill endeavor. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Andrew Silverstein
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series w/Tatiana Kochkareva During this cool and classy edition of the food and music series, NYC songstress Kochkareva serenades with deep, haunting, jazz-soulful vocals that grab you and take hold, the minimal instrumentation merely a backdrop against which the real instrument (her voice) plays. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Guided by Voices w/Detective This year saw Guided by Voices release of two albums and yet another is due out by 2012’s end. In January, the much-anticipated Let’s Go Eat the Factory marked the return of classic GBV lineup (Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos and Kevin Fennell). It was the vet Midwestern indie rock band’s first album of new material in this lineup since 1996’s Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, and comprises 21 tracks that hearken back to what bandleader Pollard called “the semi-collegial approach of iconic GBV albums like Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes.” The fivesome must be leaking songs at the seams, because a second 2012 LP, Class Clown Spots a UFO, dropped in June and a third, The Bears for Lunch, is expected in November. (The Beacham, Orlando)
ALSO THIS WEEK
Damion Suomi & the Minor Prophets/The Wholetones/Lauris Vidal & the Prisoneers Fri., Sept. 14, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Nate Najar: Jazz Samba Fri., Sept. 14, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Resurrection w/Ebullition/Contorted/Druid Lord/BigRedRobot Sat., Sept. 15, Crowbar, Ybor City
Grand Funk Railroad Sat., Sept. 15, Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg
Pretty Voices/Zanesville/Holiday/RUG Sat., Sept. 15, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Saxes Gone Wild 3 Sun., Sept. 16, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Toby Keith w/Brantley Gilbert Sun., Sept. 16, 1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa
Helios Jazz Orchestra w/Eliana Blanchard Tue., Nova 535, St. Petersburg
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2012.
