Hey look — you made it to Friday! Why not celebrate with some live music? Here's a breakdown of highlights for this Fri., June 3, along with a look at what's coming up in concerts this weekend…
The Hooten Hallers with Sonic Graffiti, The Cowboy Mafia, Sibyls It’s a night of raucous rock-outs as ring-led by The Hooten Hallers, a soulful, bluesy hillbilly rock band from Missouri that doses their ramshackle dirt-floor odes with booming baritone and bass saxophones (juggled by the band's sole lady member) and slide-licked gee-tar played by a vocalist whose gut bellows match her deep brassy tones, but sound more like they were dredged from the Delta swamp and cycled through a New Orleans rinse cycle. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)–Leilani Polk
Alejandro Escovedo with Nic & Ari The 65-year-old Mexican-American roots rock/alt country songsmith from Texas has endured many ups and downs in both his career and life, sometimes simultaneously; the Hep-C that took him down and left him broke also spurred his musicians friends (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, John Cale, The Jayhawks, Bob Neuwirth and Son Volt among them) to record Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo and donate all proceeds from it to a medical and living expense fund created in his honor. He’s been doing peachy for a while now and arrives shortly after recording his first album in four years. Though no release date has been confirmed, you’ll likely hear some fresh barn burners on this night. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)–LP
Seafoam Walls with Soapbox Soliloquy, Surfin Serf A showcase of experimental bands that includes Miami-churned Seafoam Walls, which produce lazy rambling-and-straying lo-fi pop songs with blasé warp-effected vocal qualities and abstract thought processes in place of lyrics, Sacramento’s off-kilter R&B maker Surfin Serf, and St. Pete’s own high-quality audio-trip engineer, Soapbox Soliloquy. (The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg)–LP
Andy Black with Colours Remember when glam metal was a thing? Those days of wildly teased hair and testicle-destroying leather pants, of unparalleled hedonism and decadence? Ever wish that Motley Crue and Cocteau Twins recorded a split? If you answered yes to any of these with any degree of fondness, well friend, Andy Biersack (aka Andy Black) has got your number. Support from Colours, poised to go absolutely nuclear in terms of popularity with some serious hype and exposure from high profile outlets. The Sarasota-based dark dream pop duo could have an immense future; soulful falsettos and oppressive, anxious synths help propel Ivory,, their darkly imaginative debut Ivory released last year on Victory Records. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –Brian Roesler
“Weird Al” Yankovic It’s unlikely that you aren’t familiar with the material of “Weird Al” Yankovic, who’s been engaging in accordion-fueled parody production since the early ‘80s and has flexed his lyrical punnage on artists ranging from Michael Jackson and Tom Petty to Iggy Azalea and Lorde. He’s kept it real and inserted a healthy dose of cheeky originals into his catalog along the way, too. Read this week’s Weird Al story here. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)–LP
The Tubes Feat. Fee Waybill with John Waite Since their stunning 1975 self-titled debut, The Tubes – a legendary San Francisco-based collective comprised of left-of-center musicians, artists and actors – have represented humor, catchy songs and good times, and boasting a stage show no other rock band has ever had the chutzpah to pull off. Described as anything from pornography to performance art, their carefully crafted live experience (featuring can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him lead singer/ringleader Fee Waybill) was like no other, a balance of outrageous visuals and stunning musicianship – juggling costumes changes, stage characters, scantily clad dancers, theater pieces and chainsaws amid playing. This wasn’t a gang of talentless hacks with the sheer purpose of shocking an audience; these were skilled musicians who wanted to turn a conventional rock concert into full-fledged sensory overload. Check out my full interview with Waybill here, and don’t miss this show – if it hasn’t sold out by the time of this writing, that is… (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) –Gabe Echazabal
ALSO TONIGHT
First Friday… First Timer's Edition w/The Freecoasters/Sketchie/Candorra (Fubar, St. Petersburg)
Styles & Complete (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Ultimate Hip Hop Showcase (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Darius Rucker w/Dan + Shay/Michael Ray (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Radarmen/Dawns/Abortion Twins (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
The Strange Trip (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Bobby Lee Rodgers (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Paying Respect w/Not Prince and the Revolution/Acho Brother Sat., June 4, Crowbar, Ybor City
She Wants Revenge Sat., June 4, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
Corky Laing Plays Mountain & Kofi Baker Plays Cream Sat., June 4, Largo Cultural Center, Largo
Bobby Meader Music w/Swept/Ryan Daniel Tharin Sat., June 4, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Steve Connelly & the Greater Good w/The Outpatients/Jeffrey Brockman Sat., June 4, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Emo Night 1-Year Anniversary w/Tanner Jones Sat., June 4, First Chance Last Chance Bar, Tampa
Under the Willow w/Rosewood Creek Sat., June 4, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
The Elements w/Kenosobi/Burnright/Hype Cuz/Jroc Jones/Dabron Kain/Free Will/IAmMuzikAve/Prob C Pimptress/Gutta Melodies Sat., June 4, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Chant the Trees Sat., June 4, Studio@620, St. Petersburg
Beer Camp Across America w/Max Frost Sat., June 4, Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa
Focus Sundays, Gemini 2016 Edition w/Brian Busto/Serious Soul Chang/Lovecraft/Brian Jackson/Sleven/Mike Mosgaard Sun., June 5, Red Star Rock Bar, Tampa
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2016.