FIRST-RATE SECOND FIDDLE
Yeah, yeah, I pimped the Alkaline Trio show last week – a week early in fact, so you wouldn't get the paper Thursday night and freak out 'cause you forgot. But I'd be remiss not to highly and heartily recommend the middle band on the bill, Chicago melodic-hardcore act Rise Against. Granted, Siren Song of the Counter Culture, the group's '04 major label debut, may be a bit too polished (and contain a few too many bids for mainstream FM airplay) for punk-scene purists. The quartet absolutely rips it up on stage, however – Rise Against was far and away the best thing to hit any of the Warped Tour's multiple stages in Vinoy Park two years ago, and has been steadily building a huge underground following on the strength of its live show ever since. Melodic and catchy, but still sweaty, committed and boasting plenty of balls-out speed, this foursome puts it all on the line every time. Do not show up to Jannus late.
Rise Against supports Alkaline Trio at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg. Thursday, July 7. 7 p.m.; $16.50 adv./$19 d.o.s.
-SCOTT HARRELL
THURSDAY, JULY 07
THE FIXX w/ACOUSTIC ROCK Look, Sarasota gets the short end of the cultural stick all too often when it comes to rock bands. Sure, I dig .38 Special and Ted Nugent as much as the next mullet-rocker, but damn, can't we get some acts that are just a tad more progressive? Enter The Fixx, a band remembered for their 1983 hit "One Thing Leads to Another," as well as… well, that's it. You can bet on hearing that one, plus some other synth-heavy tunes at this gig, which also features local duo Acoustic Rock (a.k.a. Lenny and Tony from Dyersburg). (Khrome, Sarasota) -MARK SANDERS
FRIDAY, JULY 08
THE ROCK NEVER STOPS TOUR FEAT. CINDERELLA/RATT/QUIET RIOT/FIREHOUSE A cavalcade of classic, clichéd cock-rock, and I mean that in the best way possible – this should be a helluva lot of fun for anybody who came of age during the Sunset Strip era. Cinderella is bluesier (and better) than most of the big-hair pack, and had that whole weird rock-slut-through-the-looking-glass motif to their videos. Ratt is minus original singer Stephen Pearcy; I believe former Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl is handling vocal duties, but I don't know who's backing up Quiet Riot mouthpiece Kevin DuBrow these days. As for Firehouse, well, Firehouse always kind of sucked, in a comparatively mellow, "screw the dudes, we want all our fans to be chicks" kind of way, but you'll probably be in a really long line for beer while this band plays anyway. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
DRAMARAMA/THE ENGLISH BEAT/THE COHORTS I never understood why Dramarama didn't get huge in the late '80s/early '90s. They had great hooks, college-rock edge and a cool punky attitude, not to mention great lyrics – and apparently, their last near-hit, "Anything Anything (I'll Give You)," held the honor of being the most requested song in the history of influential Los Angeles rock station KROQ for quite a while. Fellow VH-1 Bands Reunited graduate The English Beat helped usher in England's second-wave ska frenzy in the late '70s and early '80s, before splintering into General Public and Fine Young Cannibals. An interesting bill, to be sure. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
KEITH SWEAT'S SUMMER SWEAT TOUR New York R&B singer-songwriter Sweat presided over the '80s New Jack sound's evolution into contemporary urban; he was seen less often near the top of the charts during the second half of the '90s, but has continued to record, and has a new album, The Velvet Room, due this summer. With him on this turn through Florida are K-Ci & JoJo, the fraternal pair of former Jodeci members whose smash ballad "All My Life" went to No. 1 in '98, and rising new pop-soca group Elvis White. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
THE ITALS Soulful, eclectic reggae group The Itals have seen various ups, downs and membership changes over the last two decades, but the one constant has always been leader/singer Keith Richards – no, not that one, the other one, with the dreads and the voice. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SATURDAY, JULY 09
VICTOR WOOTEN He's one of those instrumen-talists who inspires fetishistic adoration from fans and fellow players of his instrument, the electric bass. Wooten is a busy fellow: a member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, a solo artist, a teacher, a martial artist, a husband and father, and more. He's also a damn fine showman. His far-reaching sound is generally funky as shit. (Jannus Landing) -ERIC SNIDER
DAMIAN LAZARUS Globetrotting British DJ/producer Lazarus made a big American splash at the last Winter Music Conference in Miami with his eclectic blend of house and techno styles. He's currently pimping the forthcoming album Suck My Deck, and tonight stops by one of DJ Three's "Snatch" parties at Hyde Park Café. (Hyde Park Café, Tampa)
COMBICHRIST Hard, dark-edged industrial/techno outfit Combichrist is yet another side project from Icon of Coil/Panzer AG principal Andy LaPlegua. Also on the bill tonight is special guest act GLIS, which features Negative Format DJ Brian Matson. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
SOULMACHINE/CAN'T DO IT/BURNING TREE Soulmachine hails from Venezuela, but the group has been spending a lot of time in Florida lately, grabbing shows whenever and wherever they can. Tonight's gig is in the middle of a three-night St. Pete stand – the band was at Uptown on Friday, and will join The Sophomore Effort and Din Per Diem at the Emerald on Monday. Soulmachine's sound is an interesting mix of aggressive pop-punk and Korn-influenced groovecore, so this show with ska pranksters Can't Do It and the organic rhythms of Burning Tree (formerly SurfStyle) is definitely an eclectic one. (Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg)
MONDAY, JULY 11
STATIC X/AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE/BLOODSIMPLE Known to former nü-metal fans everywhere as That Band With The Dude With The Upside-Down Hair, industrial/groovecore combo Static X made some big-time noise with their debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, even though the largely ignored follow-up Machine is a far superior album. The group is currently flogging its sixth (!) Warner Bros. release, Start A War. Providing support are American Head Charge – a bizarre, overstaffed heavy-music group rallying from the tragic death of guitarist Bryan Ottoson last April – and Bloodsimple, a mediocre act featuring former members of the much better Vision of Disorder. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13
STEVIE NICKS w/VANESSA CARLTON Love-her-or-hate-her witchy woman Stevie Nicks has long enjoyed an almost legendary classic-rock career, first as a member of Fleetwood Mac, then as a solo artist. I happen to dig her gravelly voice more than the music it's ground over since her days in the Mac, but hey, different strokes and all that. Fresh-faced piano-pop songstress Vanessa Carlton ("A Thousand Miles"), whose often-tepid, radio-formulated tunes rarely do her instrumental talent justice, is on hand to gush between songs about how in awe of Stevie Nicks she is. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE! It says Pop Tarts Presents, and I can't tell if that's the incredibly self-aware name of the production company, or if the breakfast pastry is actually sponsoring this tour. Either way, nothing could be more fitting. All 10 finalists from the hit show's most recent season are billed, but if you really get all of them at this gig, you can tie me down and make me watch an episode. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
HIMSA/THE AGONY SCENE/ESOTERIC/FULL BLOWN CHAOS This slate runs the metalcore gamut, from above-average, technically intricate dynamics (Himsa) to plodding, Pantera-derivative sound and fury that signifies nothing (Full Blown Chaos). Enjoy. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)<
CRUISERWEIGHT/THE LETTERS ORGANIZE/MY EPIPHANY/BLACKOUT I enjoyed quite a bit of the slightly idiosyncratic pop-punk on the female-fronted Austin act Cruiserweight's 2005 album, Sweet Weaponry – like a lot of stuff Doghouse Records puts out, there's a discernible Get Up Kids influence, but there's also a lot of cool, anthemic changes, sweet harmonies and straight-up alt-rock. Atlanta's The Letters Organize plays aggressive, sinewy, herky-jerky post-punk (think of a less technical, less ambitious At The Drive-In). Chicago's Blackout is a much more straightforward modern/alternative rock outfit, and wasn't My Epiphany in town, like, two days ago? (Masquerade Infinity Room, Ybor City)
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2005.