FRIDAY, AUGUST 31
Jazz, The Art of Music Series: Stolen Idols Museum of Fine Art’s Friday night summer concert series — which brings a range of fine Bay area jazz artists to the scenic confines of its glass conservatory — concludes with a performance by Stolen Idols. The quintet crafts slinky exotica made for swaying amid the flickering light of tiki torches, melodic keyboard arrangements textured with vibes, marimba, percussion and upright bass. The $10 ticket price includes entry to the museum. (Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg)
Rescuer w/With Increase/Faith Addiction A free all-ages show to close August, all three hardcore bands making their debut on the Mojo stage: Rescuer, a quintet signed to Rise Records that purveys melodic hardcore and galloping punk with desperate screamo vocals; another five-piece, With Increase, slings jagged bursts of fury and delivers lyrics in breathless feral shouts; and cleverly-named Faith Addiction, their brutal raging style shaded deep metallic. (Mojo Books & Music, Tampa)
Turbid North Hailing from the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex — God, what an awesome Minority Report-esque word — by way of Alaska, rising thrash outfit Turbid hits the road in support of their new concept album Orogeny. A tale of survival in the brutal northern wilds, Orogeny is equal parts Jack London, Ride The Lightning-era Metallica and classic, moody death metal; following a stint opening up for new-school favorite Unearth, the group was signed to that band’s Ironclad Recordings. This is probably the last time you’ll catch this act anyplace as small as Fubar — they’ve got the goods to rise quickly through the ranks of the current metal/crossover scene. (Fubar, St. Petersburg) —Scott Harrell
Abiotic w/Dark Sermon/Bigredrobot/The Rival Within/All Sets Aside/A Long Way From Living/many more In “Vermosapien,” the first video-spawning single from newcomers Abiotic, ear-shattering roars and harsh wet shrieks climb over complex rhythms that pound and breakdown in staccato blasts or intense grinding thrusts with the distortion-crunched guitar and bass riffs, another guitar lasering clean solos amid all the heaviness. The Miami technical death metal fivesome released their first EP in 2011 and signed a worldwide multi-album deal with Metal Blade Records earlier this year. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Chris McCarty w/Wester Joseph’s Stereo Vudu Despite regularly performing stages all over the Bay area, singer-songwriter Chris McCarty usually returns to the Skipperdome with his soulful, amorous, feel-good acoustic rock grooves. Joining him on this foray is fellow Gainesvillian, Wester Joseph’s Stereo Vudu, fronted by Miami-born Joseph, who incorporates hints of his Haitian island roots into his full-bodied brand of funk and blues rock. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
The Heavy Pets w/Greenhouse Lounge South Florida’s Heavy Pets have grown into a fine group of musicians in the five years since they formed, tightly fusing elements of rock, funkadelic jazz, reggae, blues and jamtronica into a celebratory dance-inducing sound. The fivesome took a more organic approach to last year’s acoustic foray, Swim Out Past the Sun, produced and recorded with Grammy winner Vlado Meller (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction), and featuring sit-ins by longtime Jerry Garcia collaborator David Grisman. Greenhouse Lounge, from Jacksonville, warms up the show with their sample-strewn, manipulated and synthesized electro-dub soundscapes, assembled by a laptop rocker/guitarist, bass player and drummer. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Geoff Abraham & The Stone City A three-piece led by guitarist/gruff-singing guitarist Abraham with drummer Mark Busto (formerly Sugarspoon) and bassist Aaron Akers (The Loving Thorns), who dole out deep-fried blues-rock with gritty Southern appeal. For fans of the Black Crowes and Black Keys. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
COPE Last year’s Reader’s Poll winners of the “Best Jam Band” award went to Cope, and fans of the foursome — which dips into funk, jazz, bluegrass, Southern rock and reggae to get to their rockin’ sound — are offered two chances to see them this weekend; this Friday night gig in Dunedin, and then again on Saturday at Ringside café in St. Pete. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Sublime With Rome w/Matisyahu/Cypress Hill/The Dirty Heads/Pepper A big tour of reggae rock with a splash of hip-hop hits Pinellas Park. The post-Bradley Nowell Rome Ramirez-led Sublime with Rome finally issued a debut, Yours Truly, last year, and hits town in support. Currently, the sole leftover from the original Sublime is bassist Eric Wilson; Bud Gaugh departed in January and has been replaced by John Freese (A Perfect Circle, Devo, NIN). Also on the bill: quicksilver rhyme-spouting beat-boxing reggae artist Matisyahu, sporting a new look (cleanly shaved, hair grown out from a close-cut buzz to short, bleached and chic), backing a new Kool Kojak-produced album (2012’s Spark Seeker) with a fresher sound and exotic instrumentation, and shedding his strict spirituality-on-sleeve Judiasm in favor of a more loving and unencumbered creative attitude; old school hip-hop slayers Cypress Hill, their most recent release a collaboration with dubstep artist Rusko; SoCal fivesome The Dirty Heads, backing their sophomore LP, Cabin by the Sea, which arrived in a mailed press kit with a set of oversized DH-branded rolling papers; and Pepper, a popular melodic rocking dub, ska and reggae rock trio from the Hawaiian islands. (England Brothers Bandshell, Pinellas Park)
A Labor Day Weekend Rock n’ Roll Event! w/The Normandy/Two Weeks Time/Coyote Van Shakedown/Lights Out Lemmings/High Five Go/The Mother Machine Super Sidekick stages this holiday weekend rock ’n’ roll party featuring select acts from the local scene, among them, five-piece guitar-driven alt rock band The Normandy, newly fronted by throaty vocalist Lyska; The Mother Machine, their sound a marriage of hard rock riffs, garage-bluesy swagger and dark alt metal undertones; and snotty punk rock spirited trio, Coyote Van Shakedown. (Gasoline Alley, Largo)
Summer Jam 8 w/David Dondero/Chasing Kings/The Applebutter Express/Five Eight/Easter Island/Moon Lasso/The Owlsley Bros./Not a Planet/Mouse Fire/Jensen Serf Co./Rec Center/Outmode/The Woolly Bushmen/ Bleubird/The Rosewoods THX Management’s eighth annual end-of-summer and Labor Day weekend bash promises to be as eclectic as ever, with beloved indie acoustic rock fave David Dondero heading up the festivities at Crowbar, LA trio Chasing Kings doing their alt-pop thing to culminate the festivities at New World, and a huge range of intriguing other indie acts filling out the rest of the two-stage bill. For more info, see p. 51. (Crowbar and New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Honey Island Swamp Band Four of the five members of Honey Island Swamp Band were musician refugees from Katrina who met and formed in San Francisco before returning to their hometown three years later. Ostensibly led by mandolinist, harmonica player, guitarist and gruff-drawling vocalist Aaron Wilkinson along with co-songwriter Chris Mulé (an axeman with a mean slide technique and another twangy crooner on band’s rugged four-part harmonies), HISB crafts New Orleans bayou-soaked roots Americana, country rock and lightly funky blues. Rhythm section Sam Price (bass) and Garland Paul (drums) lay down the stomping or rambling foundation and fifth member Trevor Brooks (who joined in 2010) adds Hammond B3 fills and honky tonking keywork. For fans of The Band. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Nonpoint w/Eye Empire Ft. Lauderdale heavy alt and groove metal outfit Nonpoint has gone through some key lineup changes in their 15-year tenure, the most recent in 2011 with the exit of original bassist Ken MacMillan and three-year guitarist Zach Broderick; both were replaced (by Rasheed Thomas and Adam Woloszyn respectively) and a second guitarist (Dave Lizzio ) was added to the lineup that still includes wailing vocalist Elias Soriano and drummer Rob Riviera; 2012 self-titled LP is the first featuring the current five-piece. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
The Hip Abduction w/Spiritual Rez/Tahoe Fox/Automatic Heat This multi-band bill of jams benefits the Suzanne Ciani Brain Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit set up to help send her for treatment at the Gerson Center in Mexico and to help others whose lives have been impacted by brain cancer. Two brass and reggae-infused bands head up the charitable event; The Hip Abduction brings jiving and swaying Afro-centric jazz rock vibrations while Spiritual Rez leads more heavy to ska-island grooves. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Types w/Deadly Fists of Kung Fu/Well Wisher/The Weapons of Ass Destruction New St. Pete-based band Types comprises all the guys from Nessie, but instead of the garage-twang, it’s more of an eclectic, moody indie-rock-type deal. Deadly Fists of Kung Fu, from Pensacola, plays Tampa Bay somewhat frequently and has built up a following, owed to the band’s fun, fuzzy rock sound. Think Superdrag meets the Replacements. Well Wisher (ex-Surly and The Tape Delay; also their first show) offers up layered, somewhat heavy melodic post-rock and lifelong St. Pete scene vets The Weapons of Ass Destruction bring more decibals and grimaces. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Kataklysm w/Fleshgod Apocalypse/Vital Remains/Rose Funeral Self-styled purveyors of “Northern hyperblast,” Montreal death metal outfit Kataklysm headlines this North American “Iron Will Tour 2012” supporting a recent multi-disc DVD release, The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined, which includes a documentary tracking the ups and downs of the band’s turbulent, more than two-decade career and features performances from select concerts. Also of note: Fleshgod Apocalypse, a technical death metal quintet from Italy. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Jack Grisham’s Lost Soul feat. The Music of T.S.O.L. and The Joykiller An underground icon of the West Coast punk scene, Jack Grisham (of T.S.O.L. aka True Sounds of Liberty, Joykiller, The Manic Low) has dabbled in politics and activism, took a spin in the fields of motivational speaking and hypnotherapy, and even wrote a book chronicling 20 years of experiences in a mix of fact and fiction (2011’s An American Demon: A Memoir). He is always been a musician at heart, and Jack Grisham’s Lost Soul is his latest project, covering T.S.O.L. and Joykiller Tracks with T.S.O.L.’s drummer Anthony “Tiny” Biuso and keyboardist Greg Kuehn along with guitarist Clinton Calton (D.I.) and wave-riding bassist Trevor Lucca. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Day Joy w/Loud Valley Two Orlando bands spawned from the Introduction to Sunshine-Bananafish collectives unite for this free Hub show. (The Hub, downtown Tampa)
Enrique Iglesias/Jennifer Lopez w/Frankie J Two sexy Latin pop superstars co-headline a North American summer tour; Iglesias is still riding the waves of success from 2010’s Euphoria, his ninth full-length, while J-Lo backs her seventh, Love?. Both albums were Top 10 charters on the Billboard 200. (Amway Center, Orlando)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Andy D & Steve Miller Come out, grab a few brews, express Birthday well-wishes to Mrs. Susie Ulrey (the co-owner of New Granada and sweetly-piping frontwoman of Rec Center is celebrating her 35th), and get your face rocked off by the outrageous one-man electro-funk pop rock explosion of Andy D, who raps lines like “The dancefloor is my playground, and my playground is your face” and “I am the greatest Viking, and now you’ll be my queen,” and fancies himself the “anachronistic love child of Punky Brewster and Lee Van Cleef — the perfect amalgam of a fictional rogue and a real-life badass.” Good times. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series: Chris Bell The quirk pop musician from New York rocks an electric cello and uses looping pedals to record as he plays, tapping out a full backing soundtrack with his foot and running through a repertoire of pleasant originals (released on a full-length eponymous full-length last month) and his own Bell-styled renditions of songs by artists ranging from Bill Withers to Paul Simon to M. Ward. A nice way to digest your Wednesday evening barbeque dinner. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2012.