THURSDAY, JULY 24

GUTTERMOUTH w/NEW SCHOOL KINGS/HARLOE Huntington Beach, Calif., skate-punk quintet Guttermouth has been blasting listeners with buzzsaw guitars and juvenile-to-the-point-of-offensive lyrics for longer (nearly 20 years) than most of its fans have been alive. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

COWBOY MOUTH This punk-informed New Orleans bar band was on MCA a decade ago and landed a pair of hit singles: "Are You With Me?" (1997) and "Mercyland" (1998). In 2006, the rockers made a serious misstep on the album Voodoo Shoppe by including the well-intentioned-but-horribly-sappy-post-Katrina ballad "The Avenue." Just hope the band sticks to the rocking numbers in concert. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

FRIDAY, JULY 25

BROOKS & DUNN w/RODNEY ATKINS/JAMES OTTO It's hard not to begrudge country music's all-time biggest-selling duo for helping usher in the line-dancing phenomenon of the 1990s, but Brooks & Dunn have recorded more than their share of memorable songs, if you can stomach Music City slickness. And for as much as I despise "Boot Scootin' Boogie," I consider the Ronnie Dunn-penned barroom beauty from the same period, "Neon Moon," a classic nearly on par with George Jones' and Merle Haggard's famed saloon songs. Remarkably, the Brooks & Dunn hit machine continues to regularly chart songs, including the duo's latest single "Put a Girl in It." (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)

MORGAN HERITAGE The sons of semi-legendary reggae vocalist Denroy Morgan have been honoring the family name since 1991 with commercial reggae sounds matched with lyrics that explore the seedier side of Jamaica. Released in April, the ensemble's full-length Mission in Progress reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

LOVE PIECE w/BISHOP WAYNE Lakeland's Love Piece is a soul/funk band specializing in slow-burning jams. The quartet will be supported by Plant City R&B singer Bishop Wayne, who has an expressive voice that recalls the classic Stax sounds with a bit of Motown smoothness. (Music Showcase, Brandon)

SUBURBAN TRAGEDY w/LETTUCE OLIVE/NEW VIOLATION/IRRATIONAL Palm Harbor six-piece Suburban Tragedy's earnest, highly polished brand of modern rock — bouncy up- tempo numbers; string-and-piano ballads — landed the band on stage for 97X's Next Big Thing 5. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

MATT BUTCHER w/ROPPONGI'S ACE/BRAHM'S BONES I saw Orlando singer/songwriter/strummer Matt Butcher turn in a gripping performance at New World Brewery a few months back when he played on a bill with Have Gun, Will Travel and Will Quinlan. Butcher held his own with the local Americana heavyweights thanks to a clutch of compelling originals, a high, distinctive voice and a surprisingly touching reading of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

SATURDAY, JULY 26

LUCKY AND JAMES PETERSON St. Pete resident James Peterson is a singer/songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist and harmonica player who used to run a blues emporium called Governor's Inn in Buffalo, N.Y. He also led the house band and sat in with greats like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Fredie King. Watching from the sidelines was James' son Lucky, who became a child prodigy playing the same instruments as his dad, with guitar being junior's weapon of choice. In the '90s, Lucky recorded for venerable labels like Alligator, Verve and Polygram. His most acclaimed album, Triple Threat, came out on Alligator in 1990. Expect a high-energy show; both these men have chops and showmanship to spare. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

BOGUS POMP Tampa Bay's venerable Frank Zappa repertory band adds another feather to its plumey cap. In August, the group will perform at two events in Germany: the Zappanale festival and the first annual Zappa Meets Bach concert. This State Theatre show is a tune-up for those events; the fellas always bring game, but we can expect them to be in tip-top form for this show. I've written iterations of the following more times than I can count, but it bears repeating: If you haven't seen Bogus Pomp and you like Zappa, or just like intricate music, this band handles the task with an extraordinary amount of skill and panache. And BP are not just amazing; they're wickedly entertaining as well. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Eric Snider

CARTEL w/THERE FOR TOMORROW/US ROYALTY/STALLING DAWN Atlanta pop-punks Cartel aren't expanding the genre's parameters but paint by the numbers better than most, offering sugary injections of big guitar hooks and emotive vocals that mostly steer clear of high school histrionics. The five-piece scored a Top 40 smash a couple years ago with the baby-please-don't-go number "Honestly," which does worm its way into the old memory bank quite effectively. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

KEVIN SO w/NEXT EXIT New York-based singer/songwriter Kevin So pens detailed, literate lyrics but eschews folk for a more R&B-flavored brand of strum-pop infused with ample soul. The guy's got a great, warm voice, too, which makes me think this could be one of those sleeper shows that shouldn't be missed. (UU Dome, Tampa)

BEAR COLONY w/LOOK MEXICO Little Rock, Ark.-based Bear Colony returns to town with its intelligent mash-up of emo and electronica featuring the captivating, often poignant songs of leader Vince Griffin. Tallahassee quartet Look Mexico offers mostly mellow indie-pop with occasional shades of sideways twang. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

SUNDAY, JULY 27

311 w/SNOOP DOGG/FICTION PLANE 311's Midwest take on funk, metal and reggae — replete with affected Jamaican accent (the band's originally from Omaha, Neb.) — has always grated on me, especially the head-in-the-sand positivism of the lyrics. On the other hand, Snoop Dogg remains one of my favorite rappers to emerge from the gangsta era. In fact, his 1993 George-Clinton-meets-Slick-Rick masterstroke Doggystyle still enjoys fairly regular rotation on the home stereo. Snoop's latest disc, Ego Trippin', features the Johnny Cash dedication "My Medicine." On it, the MC drops sly rhymes in his trademark drawl about staying stoned over a bluesy performance by the rock band Everlast that's goosed by greasy slide guitar licks. Very cool. For those of you into all things Snoop, MVD recently released a DVD of a 2005 live show in Belgium titled Drop It Like It's Hot. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)

IDINA MENZEL Songstress/actress Menzel has parlayed a successful Broadway stage career — which includes a Tony Award-winning turn as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in Wicked — into a solo singing career. Menzel's recent foray into adult contemporary pop, I Stand, marks her debut with Warner Bros., and she's currently touring in support of the album, which came out in January to lukewarm reviews. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa) —Leilani Polk

GREG POULUS CD RELEASE PARTY The Venturas' ace guitarist goes solo with a disc full of rock-and-blues marked by scorching six-string solos and whiskey vocals. The same three-piece band that helped flesh out Poulus' album Angels from Hazard will back him in concert. (Skipper's Smokehouse)

TUESDAY, JULY 29

BOYS LIKE GIRLS w/GOOD CHARLOTTE/METRO STATION/THE MAINE Ruth Eckerd Hall continues its adventurous new booking with this gig featuring Boston emo faves Boys Like Girls, which had a huge smash hit last year with the teen-bliss ode "The Great Escape." Mall punks Good Charlotte, who are probably more famous for the dating habits of identical brothers Joel and Benji Madden than making music, are also on the lineup. What? You don't tune in to TMZ? Joel fathered a child with his girlfriend Nicole Ritchie. Benji, who has DJ'ed at Push Ultra Lounge in St. Pete, dates Paris Hilton. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

THE FLOBOTS w/BUSDRIVER Denver's Flobots might be the only hip-hop ensemble on the scene featuring a viola player. Not sold? The live band features dual MCs who spit witty, harmonious flow — interesting stuff that's resulted in a hit single this year: "Handlebars," off its commercially and critically acclaimed debut album, Fight with Tools. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30

JOURNEY w/HEART/CHEAP TRICK Formed by former members of Santana, Journey has gone through numerous lineup changes over the decades, especially in the lead singer department. To wit: Greg Rolie held the position from 1973-1980, followed by Robert Fleischman (1977); Steve Perry (1977-1998); Steve Augeri (1998-2006); Jeff Soto (2006-2007); and Arnel Pineda (2007-present). Yeah, makes Spinal Tap's drummer problem pale by comparison. The classic-rock cavalcade also features a couple of other '70s/'80 faves. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)

JUICE NEWTON The pop/country singer had back-to-back mega-hits in 1981 with "Angel of the Morning" (No. 1) and "Queen of Hearts." (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)

JULY

31 Return to Forever: Chick Corea/Al Di Meola/Stanley Clarke/Lenny White Ruth Eckerd Hall

AUGUST

2 George Michael St. Pete Times Forum

2 LL Cool J Tropicana Field

2 Projekt Revolution: Linkin Park w/Chris Cornell/The Bravery/Ashes Divide/Atreyu Ford Amphitheatre

8 Amos Lee State Theatre

9 Hippiefest: Jack Bruce of Cream/The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie/ Melanie Ruth Eckerd Hall

9 Seven Mary Three w/Days of the New Bourbon St. Nightclub

15 Candlebox Jannus Landing

16 Rascal Flatts w/Taylor Swift Ford Amphitheatre

17 King's X Jannus Landing