Tampa Bay’s local live music calendar is, once again, full of options for listeners interested in hearing the noise that their neighbors are making. See highlights — and a listing of events — below.
THURSDAY MAY 30
Blest w/Venus as a Boy/Gushing Three synthesizers, a drum machine, guitar, and voice going through a microphone are what make sounds in Gushing — but it’s not that simple. There are various effects being applied to the guitar and the vocals, and a machine called a Squarp Pyramid juggles MIDI loops, notes and other information which is sent to the synths, drum machine and vocal effects. Then there’s the three stereo phase audio looper that sets the tempo of the other machines while juggling the more rhythmic and textural guitar parts.
“I would draw you a picture,” Gushing (aka Joe Suel) wrote in 2018 message to CL, “but it would be even worse than these words. Lots of virtual juggling and wires.” And that was just the St. Petersburg band’s last release, Chasing Infinity. Gushing’s April 2019 release, www.1-800-Funk-Sauce.com, is even juicier thanks to some steel drum, kalimba and didgeridoo, and Suel kept the party going on a May 2019 EP, Flowers 4UKT, whose five tracks play like a sensible, sexy synthesis of real life lust and robot love. He brings his show to The Bends for another installment of the collaborative concert series curated by Blestian. It’ll cost you no dollars to get in the door, and it’ll probably be a performance you won’t ever forget. The Bends, St. Petersburg. INFO.
Rutterkin w/The Problem Addicts/Resistors/The New Brutarians St Petersburg punk trio Rutterkin, which just announced its appearance at Fest 2019, plays Central Avenue’s always echoey VFW Post 39 alongside Orlando pop-punk band The Problem Addicts. The stacked lineup also showcases local acts Resistors and The New Brutarians. With the closure of many go-to punk venues in the Tampa Bay, more multi-purpose, D.I.Y spaces like VFW Post 39 could be the answer to the lack of punk havens. Bring your earplugs, or suffer like the rest of us. VFW Post 39, St. Petersburg. INFO. —Kyla Fields
Beer Garden Sessions w/Lauris Vidal/Jordan Esker/Hector Mayoral/Gordon Sloan/Taylor Raynor Prepare for a mashup of soul, folk and alternative rock with this month’s Beer Garden Sessions at Ybor City’s Crowbar. This edition of the always free, outdoor, showcase features performances from one-man-band Lauris Vidal, introspective alt-rocker, Jordan Esker; Hector Mayoral of Acho Brother and Grandeur and the Delusions frontman Gordon Sloan. Taylor Raynor’s soft melodies and raw lyrics round things out. Crowbar, Ybor City. crowbarybor.com —Emma Witmer
FRIDAY MAY 31
Legendary JC’s w/Time Out Girls Connoisseurs of soul and parishioners of funk, The Legendary JC’s are bringing their foot stomping groove to Tampa live music staple, Skipper’s Smokehouse. This eight-piece group is no stranger to these parts (we would’ve loved seeing them at Ka`Tiki in Treasure Island a few weeks ago), but it’ll be nice to soak in the Orlando-natives’ sound from underneath the Skipperdome where Time Out Girls open the show. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa. skipperssmokehouse.com —EW
Erik Hempel w/The Modern World The Blue Note is quite often home to rock and folk shows, but it does live up to the promise of the venue’s name when it plays safe harbor for young jazzers like Lakewood High School bassist Erik Hempel who is bringing his new band, The Modern World (featuring drummer Nick Love, multi-instrumentalists Anthony Aldissi and Alex Malkovich, plus trumpeter Luca Stine) to the stage. The Blue Note, Tampa. INFO
SATURDAY MAY 01
Youth Antics w/The Forum/Taverns/Treis & Friends Gainesville indie-rock trio The Forum ends its southeast tour in St. Petersburg alongside local bands (and Sarasota-based friends) Youth Antics. Tampa’s own Taverns and Treis & Friends hold down the rest of the bill for this show happening at St. Petersburg Music Factory, which is a recording studio and music lesson space by day, but a niche local venue by night. Start your summer off right with some feel good, head bopping, indie rock. St. Petersburg Music Factory, St. Petersburg. INFO —KF
LOCAL/REGIONAL BAND CONCERT CALENDAR
Thursday
May 30, The Jazz Phools (Morningside Recreation Complex, Clearwater)
Friday
May 31, Jack Sprouse (Independent Bar, St.Petersburg)
May 31, Rebecca Zapen & Jeremy Douglass (Lakewood United Church of Christ, Clearwater)
May 31, Tuff Son (Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
May 31, Emo Night 4-Year Anniversary Art Show w/Fast Talkers/Photo Fire (The Bricks, Ybor City)
May 31, Lassyu w/Vetnough/Jon Ditty (Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg)
May 31, Cadillac Cowboys (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
May 31, David Potts (c. 1949 Florida Beer Garden, Tampa)
May 31, Jericho Turnpike (Wild Rover Brewing Company, Tampa)
May 31, Vicious Vic (5 Star Dive Bar, Ybor City)
May 31, Gypsy Elise & The Royal Blues (Zydeco Brew Werks, Ybor City)
May 31, Voodoo Visionary w/Ajeva (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Saturday
June 1, Rebekah Pulley & the Reluctant Prophets CD Release (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
June 1, Left Lane Ent: Soul Sessions (SubCentral at Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg)
June 1, Emo Night 4-Year Anniversary w/Boston Marriage/Expert Timing/Crate Bros.(The Bricks, Ybor City)
June 1, Albert Castiglia (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
June 1, Nate Najar Trio (Independent Bar and Café, Tampa)
June 1, Row Jomah w/Ella Jet (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
June 1, Actual Bank Robbers w/Aerwave (Wild Rover Brewing Company, Tampa)
June 1, Brutality Is Law (Brass Mug, Tampa)
June 1, Vetnough w/Infinite Third/Eyelid Cinema/Revel In The View (Paper Crane, St. Petersburg)
June 1, Gypsy Wind (Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor)
June 1, Coming Home w/Redlight Stare/Groovewraps/Cruel Curses/Lassyu (Pegasus Night Club, Tampa)
June 1, Chris Sgammato Student Showcase (Blue Note, Tampa)
Sunday
June 2, Cade Foehner (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City)
June 2, Gypsy Wind (Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
June 2, Tony Rocks w/Eli Lev (Independent Bar and Café, Tampa)
June 2 “A Long Time Ago” w/Carrollwood Winds (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa)
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This article appears in May 23-30, 2019.