THURSDAY, MARCH 6
BUILT TO SPILL w/MEAT PUPPETS/HELVETIA Guitar heroes of the '90s indie-rock scene, Built to Spill headlines with support by the Meat Puppets, the most country-influenced band of the '90s alt-rock movement. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
LANGERADO 2008 w/BEASTIE BOYS/R.E.M/MATISYAHU/THIEVERY CORPORATION/THE ROOTS/GOV'T MULE/ OTHERS The South Florida event — currently the state's largest multi-genre outdoor music festival — celebrates its sixth year in a new location and with a nearly doubled lineup. For more info, see p. 37. (Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation) —Leilani Polk
"MYSPACE MUSIC TOUR:"JUSTICE/DJ MEHDI/FANCY The hottest French DJ duo not named Daft Punk, Justice makes a Central Florida stop via this MySpace tour. (Club Firestone, Orlando)
VAMPIRE WEEKEND w/THE WALKMEN New York's Vampire Weekend may be the most buzzed rock band of the moment. Graduates of Columbia University, the quartet melds elements of African music — especially the ringing, trebly guitars — into a grabby pop framework. Fun, uplifting music. (The Social, Orlando) —Eric Snider
CHARLIE DANIELS BAND He went from hip Nashville session man to respected Southern rock star to Right Wing blowhard responsible for the post-9/11 embarrassment "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
VELVETEEN PINK w/GIDDY-UP, HELICOPTER!/CRATE BROTHERS Be warned: Athens, Ga.-based quartet Velveteen Pink's funktastic mix of synth-pop, R&B and disco decadence should keep your ass grinding on the dance floor 'til the house lights go up. (Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg)
LONELY H w/CLOCK HANDS STRANGLE/WILL FARINA Washington state foursome Lonely H unapologetically bite from The Beatles, Zep, Queen, etc. — the quartet's output amounting to a delicious (albeit shamelessly derivative) dish of neo-classic rock comfort food. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
BLIND BUDDY MOODY'S COUNTRY, WESTERN AND BLUES REVIEW A seasoned interpreter of vintage honky-tonk, blues and rockabilly, Blind Buddy Moody hosts this first in a series of monthly open-mic nights at Dave's. For the debut evening, which happens to be his birthday, the singer/multi-instrumentalist will be joined by Rebekah Pulley, Ted Lukas, Marlee Flanagan (Some Dancing Skeleton), Experimental Pilot and Mojo Gurus axe man Doc Lovett, who'll sit in with Moody. (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg)
SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL This is the 28th edition of the fest, continuing this week with Chuck Mangione today. He's the flugelhornist responsible for proto-smooth-jazz treacle like "Feels So Good." On Fri., March 7, a trumpeter of a completely different stripe, Marcus Belgrave, will perform his Louis Armstrong-inspired pieces at 2 p.m. Elegant pianist/educator Billy Taylor will hold court with his trio at 8 p.m. On Sat., March 8, The Chenille Sisters will do a kids' performance at 10:30 a.m. and then perform with James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band at 2. Branford Marsalis closes the fest at 8. See a separate entry below. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —ES
FRIDAY, MARCH 7
FOREIGNER The jukebox heroes hit up the big top to benefit PAL's Sailor Circus Capital Campaign. Of the original lineup, only Mick Jones remains, though he's getting fine support by rock royalty Jason Bonham on drums. Expect a greatest-hits performance that's hot-blooded and/or cold as ice — either way, it definitely won't feel like the first time. (PAL Sailor Circus Arena, Sarasota) —Amanda Schurr
DEAD CONFEDERATE w/THE BEAUVILLES/PALANTINE/STRANGERS How's this for hipster cred? Dead Confederate, of Athens, Ga., is playing Langerado, opening a string of dates for R.E.M. and just recorded its debut album with Spoon producer Mike McCarthy. The quintet delivers compelling grunge — the kind many of us OD'ed on in the early part of last decade but miss these days. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
THE CLAIRE LYNCH BAND An angel-voiced bluegrass singer, the Grammy-nominated Lynch is also an accomplished songwriter — in the '80s, she penned selections for such country stars as Patty Loveless and Kathy Mattea. (Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center, Pinellas Park)
DAMON FOWLER GROUP One of the Bay area's most talented and versatile guitarists (he's also a fine singer), Fowler brings his potent, national-touring power trio back again to the venue where he first became a local blues star as a teen in the late '90s. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
TRACE ADKINS A country star built like an NFL linebacker, Adkins has spent the past decade issuing a glut of laughable ditties such as the 2005 smash "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
THROWDOWN w/SOILWORK/THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD/WAR OF AGES Orange County thrash upstarts Throwdown keep it fast and furious, just like the elbows hurled in the mosh pits that inevitably form at their shows. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
CAJUN ZYDECO CRAWFISH FESTIVAL Suck the head, eat the tail and listen to Louisiana two-step goodness by Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie on Friday and Saturday — as well as Chubby Carrier and his Bayou Swamp Band on Sunday. For more info on this annual three-day fest, see cajunconnection.org. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
SATURDAY, MARCH 8
WILD SPLASH w/WYCLEF JEAN/PITBULL/BEENIE MAN/TRINA/RICK ROSS/BABY BASH/J. HOLIDAY/GRIND MODE/TREAL Wild 98.7's signature bash relocated this year from the Scientologist-monitored Coachman Park in Clearwater to Tampa's Ford Amphitheatre. Former Fugee Wyclef Jean headlines. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE DYNAMITES FEATURING CHARLES WALKER w/SOUL2EARTH Soul survivor Charles Walker — he started singing on the "chitlin' circuit" in the '60s — leads this formidable, Nashville-based funk ensemble. Winter Haven's Soul2Earth opens. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
JONAS BROTHERS w/ROONEY Like Hanson circa '97 but with the all-powerful Disney empire ensuring arena-filling success, the Jonas Brothers are the latest act that any self-respecting 'tween simply must see — regardless of what mom or dad must do to procure tix. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
FLOGGING MOLLY w/THE REV. PEYTON'S BIG DAMN BAND/CHERRY COKES St. Paddy's Day is on the horizon, and Celt-punk faves Flogging Molly are a hot ticket — this gig sold out last week. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
MATT POND PA w/MOUSE FIRE/PEMBERLEY Matt Pond PA's melodic pop features poignant lyrics sung with engaging directness — these are songs that return to you at odd times, like the heartfelt remarks of a random stranger. Formed in Philly nearly a decade ago, the quintet's latest album, Last Light, includes such memorable tracks as the bouncy masterstroke "Sunlight." (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
NILE w/FACELESS/NACHTMYSTIUM/SUICIDE SILENCE/THE AGONIST The rare death-metal act to land albums on the pop charts, Nile's last two albums — 2005's Annihilation of the Wicked and last year's Ithyphallic — both appeared on various Billboard surveys. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BILLY RAY CYRUS The "Achy Breaky Heart" singer has endured countless cheap shots over the years but stands tall — maintaining a loyal fan base while steering his daughter Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) to unprecedented teen success that, so far, has been scandal-free. Nice work, Pop. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
NEAL MCCOY A Nashville standout in the '90s, he's best known for the No. 1 country hits "No Doubt About It" and "Wink." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
"DOO WOP VIII:" LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS w/JOHNNY MAESTRO AND THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE/KENNY VANCE AND THE PLANOTONES/TOMMY MARA Little Anthony emerged as the falsetto-singing shit in '58, his debut single, "Tears on My Pillow," elevating him to a level of stardom that's still paying off a lifetime later. There will be separate performances featuring all the acts at 4 and 8 p.m. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
BRANFORD MARSALIS The saxophonist started out in his brother Wynton's early-'80s quintet, but quickly became his own man by signing on to tour with Sting (much to his younger sib's chagrin). Over the years, Branford has been the bandleader for Jay Leno and dabbled in hip-hop crossover but has always returned to the post-bop format that best suits him. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —ES
SUNDAY, MARCH 9
THE ROOTS Hip-hop's preeminent live band has never notched a monster hit, but in the two decades since the Grammy-winning ensemble first debuted its distinctive brand of jazz-rap on the streets of Philly, they've come to be regarded as a must-see concert attraction. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
BLUE MAN GROUP w/MIKE RELM When it comes to this grease-paint-wearing trio that rocks out while doing a highbrow version of Gallagher's food-spraying shtick, opinions tend to fall into two categories: love and respect or WTF? (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
GARY ALLAN Gotta admit, I dig Allan's current country smash "Watching Airplanes." It's a simple but convincing song about a fellow trying to figure out why she left him. Over bombastic strings, the singer drops a gritty vocal that speaks to self-doubt, regret, desperation and remorse. (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
SUGARLAND This female-fronted band from Atlanta has been raking in the hits recently — their annoying tearjerker "Stay" from last year hit No. 2 on Billboard's country singles chart and crossed over to the pop Top 40. (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
JASON ALDEAN This country singer with Sunshine State ties established himself as a burgeoning Nashville star in '06 with the smash "Why." (Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City)
TUESDAY, MARCH 11
ANI DIFRANCO w/OVER THE RHINE Creative Loafing cover girl Ani DiFranco — the most important folk singer of her generation — talks politics, parenting and finding happiness on p.14. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
CHICAGO It would've really been something to see Chicago back in 1970. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
"TAKE ACTION TOUR:" EVERY TIME I DIE/FROM FIRST TO LAST/THE BLED/AUGUST BURNS RED/HUMAN ABSTRACT Buffalo, N.Y., post-hardcore quintet Every Time I Die takes top billing on this showcase of alternative metal bands. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2008.