Gasparilla Music Festival: The dirty dozen

The Gasparilla Music Festival returns to downtown Tampa’s riverfront this weekend for its fourth year, and brings the usual feast of sights, sounds and savors. The majority of folks planning to attend GMF this year are likely doing so because of national indie-rock heavyweights and fest headliners Modest Mouse, but there’s plenty else worthy of your attention, touching on everything from roots reggae to indie dance music to alternative folk, gypsy-punk and New Orleans brass. Suggestions for both days of the festival follow.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7
The Porch Sessions This unique Tampa Bay quartet has quickly and somewhat quietly risen from a hip word-of-mouth reference at the edges of the scene to one of the area’s most heavily buzzed original acts. And with good reason — the group’s tidal, atmospheric instrumental work foregoes noodly textures in favor of big, building, give-and-take wallops of tension and release that don’t sacrifice melody or emotional impact. 1:30-2 p.m., Amphitheatre Stage. —Scott Harrell

The Budos Band The Staten Island-spawned instrumental ensemble synthesizes deep groove-hawking funk, soul, jazz and Afrobeat dosed heavily in greasy-slinking psychedelic rock. All of it is fueled by sinister organ swells, an urgent trumpet-and-bari sax attack, and rolling and surging rhythms washed in hand percussive textures and colored in ’70s vintage warmth. Budos Band dropped its fourth full-length, Burnt Offering, last year via the well-regarded indie label Daptone Records (Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Antibalas). 4-5 p.m., Soulshine Stage. —Leilani Polk

Roadkill Ghost Choir One of those Central Florida workhorse bands that’s been on the road pretty consistently since issuing its first EP in 2012. Roadkill’s 2014 debut full-length In Tongues was recorded with Doug Boehm (Dr. Dog, Girls) and self-released last fall, its cohesive blend of breezy dreamy alt-folk, dusty fast-paced roots-Americana, and propulsive Brit invasion rock marked by haunting pedal steel guitar melodies or plucked and strummed banjo, electro  experimental effects and accents, and the earnest high-register calls of singer-guitarist Andrew Shepard. 4:45-5:45 p.m., Kiley Garden Stage. —LP

MuteMath Since releasing fantastic third full-length Odd Soul in 2011 and supporting it in the few years that followed, MuteMath has been somewhat inactive, as least as far as studio recordings go. The New Orleans band has been plenty busy touring, however, its 2012 live EP revealing a dynamic frontman capable of howling a brawny lead as well as hitting falsetto notes that soar over muscular vintage-hued rock ‘n’ roll, wah-wah psychedelic soul and new garage-blues treated with electro-synth sonic hues. 5:30-6:45 p.m., Soulshine Stage. —LP

Wax Wings Femme-fronted Wax Wings hails from Gainesville and employs eclectic instrumentation (violin and cello with banjo, upright bass, drums, and occasional trumpet and tuba) to craft a finely textured yet upbeat and bouncing mix of chamber folk, gypsy-swing, ragtime jazz and kicking punk-country marked by the confessional lyrics and strong sonorous lead vocals of Chelsea Carnes. 5:45-6:15 p.m., Amphitheatre Stage. —LP


Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. After dark, GMF’s Kiley Stage has traditionally featured performers who bring a certified dance party vibe. The masters of this year’s getting-down ceremonies are Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., a Detroit electro-pop outfit led by Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, whose songs range from swirly and saccharine New Wave-tinged odes like “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t on the Dancefloor)” off 2013 sophomore album The Speed of Things, to the slower synth-blipping pace and wishful thinking of new single, “James Dean.” 8-9:15 p.m., Kiley Garden Stage. —LP

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

Margo & The Pricetags Rolling Stone has likened Nashville songstress Margo Price to both Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. In a honeyed high-toned drawl, she croons world-weary odes about everything from drinking away relationship woes in “Since You Put Me Down” (“I killed the angel on my shoulder with a fifth of Evan Williams/when I found out you were never coming home”) to the sleazy schmoozing of the music biz in “This Town Gets Around” (“There’s a saying that goes, ‘It’s not who you know, but it’s who you blow that’ll put you in the show’”). Her band’s classic country and downhome roots music is soaked in twangy lap steel melodies. 12:30-1:15 p.m., Kiley Garden Stage. —LP

Suenalo If you enjoy rhythmic music and stylistic mash-ups, then Suenalo’s show should be muy bueno for you. The purveyors of Latin, funk, fusion and jam-band music comprise some well-traveled musicians: musical director Carlos Guzman on bass, vocalist/MC Amin De Jesus, vocalist Michelle Forman, sax and flute player Juan Turros (David Lee Roth and Maynard Ferguson’s bands), Chad Bernstein on trombone and conch shells (also of Spam Allstars), percussionist Allan Ramos, drummer Abner Torres (Julio Iglesias’ band), Adrian Gonzalez on piano and vocals, and guitarist Eric Escanes. Pronounced “sweh-nah-low,” but if you say the name into your phone, voice recognition picks it up as “Swing Allah.” 1:45-2:45 p.m., Kiley Garden Stage. —Julie Garisto

The Abyssinians A perfect group to usher in the fading afternoon, The Abyssinians ply swaying roots reggae direct from Jamaica as propelled by the three-part vocal harmonies and Rastafarian ideals of leaders Donald Manning, Bernard Collins and Linford Manning, who’ve performed together since the group first formed in the late ’60s. 2:15-3:15 p.m., Soulshine Stage. —LP

Hot 8 Brass Band Hailing from a city known for its potent horn power comes Hot 8 Brass Band, established in ’95 and pushing a sound rooted in classic New Orleans marching band music — built on tuba, sax, two trumpets and two trombones, bolstered by bass and snare drum rhythms, and touching on hip-hop, R&B, jazz and funk by way of original material and covers ranging from Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” to “What’s My Name” by Snoop Dogg. 3:15-4:15 p.m., Kiley Garden Stage. —LP

Dynasty Lady Dy isn’t world-famous yet but she should be. With battle-tastic wordplay and an expert sense of musical style, the artist also known as Diana Hardy gets the crowd going with her spirited stage presence and infectious smile. Having worked with Sandman and other expert mixers, Dynasty delivers a sound that’s both tough and inspiring, benefited by boom-bat beats, soaring backing vocals and uplifting lyrics. An activist with her PUSH Program, she is a role model for both Tampa Bay and her hometown of Queens. 4:15-4:45 p.m., Amphitheatre Stage. —JG

Gogol Bordello The most notorious gypsy-punk band of them all still flies somewhat under the radar and visits infrequently enough to be mysterious and intriguing to the general Tampa Bay public. This set could help boost Gogol Bordello’s name power, at least for the local denizens who haven’t witnessed the vibrant bombastic collective live in all their pounding, crashing, fast-paced fury and cheeky, high-spirited fun-kicking glory. Ring-led by thickly accented vocalist (and famed mustachio) Eugene Hütz, Gogol Bordello will undoubtedly bring a wildly rousing close to the GMF festivities. 5:30-7 p.m., Soulshine Stage. —LP 

This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2015.