THURSDAY, APRIL 28
BILLY IDOL The Sneer is back, but don't expect the spiky-haired icon's brand new, metallicious Devil's Playground to get the kind of MTV ubiquity that made Billy such an '80s icon. While he still maintains something of a pop-culture presence, 1993's disastrous Cyberpunk pretty much obliterated any chance for enduring musical credibility. But there'll be plenty of old-school hits, attitude and guitarist/right-hand man Steve Stevens' colorful sonic personality. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
WBUL 16TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FEAT. AUTHORITY ZERO USF's radio station (1620 on the AM dial) marks a birthday by throwing a free outdoor show on the lawn behind the Beta building on campus. Eclectic, overly melodramatic Arizona sort-of-ska-punk act Authority Zero makes its umpteenth Bay area appearance, with local support courtesy of The Pros & Cons, Stalling Dawn, and rising punk-funk outfit Weaksauce, a band that tore it up when I saw them at Masquerade's Infinity Room a few weeks back. (University of South Florida, Tampa)
THE SOUND OF MORE TOUR The label that nu-punk built, Drive-Thru Records, has some of its lesser-known bands hitting smaller venues across the country with some friends, and giving local acts a chance to open up. This particular leg features Adelphi, Self Against City and Houston Calls; energetic, poppy Tampa punk outfit Select Start kicks off the show. The Sound of More Tour next heads to Pinellas, where they'll play Tarpon Springs' Neptune Lounge on Saturday the 30th. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
RUPEE & THE .COM BAND Heavily buzzed young soca performer Rupee first made a name for himself at Caribbean carnivals, and released several self-produced records on his way to becoming a staple at Island-music festivals worldwide. Now Rupee has mainstream American success in his sights via the single "Tempted to Touch." (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
ELEMENTS The weekly jungle/drum 'n' bass/IDM/hip-hop club night celebrates the 50th birthday (?!) of world-renowned DJ/producer CLRH2O, who'll do an extended set with his project Pattern Recognition. Other music-makers include Bamboo, Epidemic 404, SICC:16, Trendsetters and DJ Blenda. (Flirt, Ybor City)
GLOFF-FEST 4: A BENEFIT FOR ANNA O Fourteen local musicians join singer-songwriter/really nice guy Jeremy Gloff for an acoustic gig to raise a little money for peer Colleen "Anna O" Beckman, who's going through a tough time just now. The lineup: Jeremy; Ronny Elliott; Mike O'Neill, Rebekah Pulley; Ken Spivey; Kai Devani; Michele Ari; Nessie; Kamran Mir; Brenda Shawver; Pseudo Pharmacy; J-Glo & Sassy; Michelle Agius; Billy Summer; Geri X. (Pegasus Lounge, Tampa)
FRIDAY, APRIL 29
JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS When I first met Joan Jett, which was the only time I met Joan Jett, she came darting around a corner in Tampa's now-defunct Victory Club, late for a pre-show interview, smoke coming off her black Chuck Taylors. She nearly ran me over. That was in the mid '80s, but the guess here is that she's still a bundle of coiled energy on stage. Now 44, the woman who most successfully slugged it out in the male-dominated world of punk-rock can still bring it. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) -Eric Snider
THE CRYSTAL METHOD The Grammy-nominated Las Vegas electronica duo is on tour promoting their new album Community Service 2. They'll be spinning a DJ set rather than actually performing. So will more than 20 other turntablists – including British breakbeat sensation Evil Nine – scattered throughout The Underground's many rooms. (The Underground, Tampa)
A BENEFIT FOR THE FRANK VAGNOZZI MUSIC FOUNDATION Following the death of fun-punk act Reckless Deerhunters' founder/guitarist Frank Vagnozzi, his family and friends set up a foundation for the promotion of music as a positive endeavor for all. Tonight's fundraiser features the Deerhunters along with friends and contemporaries Serfs Up, Poser Disposer, The No Loves, Headvice, and Felix & The Half Krauts. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
JESSE & NOAH BELLAMY This second generation of Bellamy Brothers (their father is David Bellamy of the original pair) used to call the Bay area home, and gigged around town – and most of the Southeast – with their twang-rock band Elston Gunnn before relocating to Nashville. They're back to road-test new material before heading overseas for a European tour; expect solid, well-crafted tunes made up of equal parts country, alt-country and pop-rock. (Skipper's Smokehouse)
A BENEFIT FOR DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS Bad Eating Habits, Small Talk Death and surely some others rock out in the name of the humanitarian health organization at the Skatepark of Tampa's Transitions Art Gallery. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)
SATURDAY, APRIL 30
STRAPPING YOUNG LAD w/AGONY SCENE/MISERY SIGNALS/REFLUX/LEFT IN ASHES I wholeheartedly recommend a set by Canadian extreme-metal spectacle Strapping Young Lad to anyone interested in any kind of visceral music. This gleefully over-the-top act goes to 11 and stays there for an hour, blowing your hair back the whole time (maybe that's why bandleader Devin Townsend doesn't have any up front). Plus, drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, Testament) is just an absolute monster. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
98ROCK PRESENTS THE B.F.D. It's the kinder, gentler, shorter alternative to the station's annual LiveStock weekend festival, which we guess has gone the way of the dodo and the 50 cent cup of coffee. This one-day shindig is headlined by 3 Doors Down, the Mississippi band everybody thought would be a one-hit wonder but has managed to perfect the art of churning out modern-rock tunes that sound exactly like classic-rock tunes; also on the bill are Papa Roach, the ex-Creed outfit Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, The Exies, hot new Tallahassee export No Address, and Dark New Day, another new modern-rock act made up of members of former third-tier modern-rock acts like Virgos Merlot, Doubledrive, Stuck Mojo, Skrape, and Stereomud. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE HEADLIGHTS The beloved '90s Bay area jangle-rock band reunites to solicit funds for ailing fan Craig Gilbert. A couple of post-Headlights projects, Steve Connelly and Scott Dempster's Too Many Subplots and Steve Robinson's solo singer-songwriter incarnation, will open. For more, check out the Music Feature. (Catherine Hickman Theatre, Gulfport)
POOG/VONN NEW & LOUD ZOO The EMIT experimental/avant music series continues, this time with a decidedly spiritual bent. Vonn New, Loud Zoo and Poog will perform their improvisational World Beat-influenced compositions (on all sorts of strange and exotic instruments) at St. Pete's Sacred Lands Indian Mound and Botanical Garden, presumably taking inspiration from the area's spiritual history. There's a "Sound Walk" and "Deep Listening Workshop" in the afternoon before the concert, which will be immediately preceded by a tour of the grounds. Sacred Lands is located at Park Street and 17th Avenue N. (Sacred Lands Indian Mound and Botanical Garden, St. Petersburg)
BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASS Do you even have to ask? This jammy, heavily Aquarium Rescue Unit-influenced "newgrass" ensemble has been thrilling roots and neo-hippie scenesters since the mid-'90s. (Skipper's Smokehouse)
SUNBURST MUSIC FESTIVAL The City of Safety Harbor dives into the community-festival fray, instituting what it hopes will become a yearly event including food, arts and crafts, games, a petting zoo, and, of course, music. The entertainment lineup is both admirably heavy on local talent and nicely diverse, running the gamut from Celtic to rock. Scheduled acts include Mountain Memories, Justin Chimino, Nectar, Davis Walker Duo, Empty Hats, The Freed, The Human Condition and Urban Gypsies. Things kick off around noon. (Safety Harbor Marina, Safety Harbor)
NEW GRANADA PRESENTS ISOBELLA/DUMBWAITERS/ZILLIONAIRE Cool, culty Tampa post-rock outfit Isobella is using the New World's regular New Granada Records showcase night as its CD release party, which makes sense, because New Granada's putting the thing out. The seven-buck cover gets you a spanking new copy of it. Also in attendance are Dumbwaiters, who may have now appeared in the Music Menu more than any other local artist besides Will Quinlan, and new act Zillionaire, which features former members of The Washdown and The Maccabees. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
JO DEE MESSINA The country singer, who rose to fame in the late '90s as contemporaries like Shania Twain and Faith Evans were making pop crossover a regular occurrence, is touring on the brand-new Delicious Surprise, her first album in nearly four years. Messina's doing two shows at Busch Gardens, one tonight and one tomorrow night. (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
SUNDAY, MAY 1
THIRD WORLD Maybe my mind is going due to advanced age, but I'm sure I wrote one of these blurbs on Third World not all that long ago. So be it. The band is one of the more soulful and enduring units in the annals of reggae. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -ES
LINK WRAY The father of the power chord plays the Skipperdome the day before his 76th birthday. Wray's legacy was cemented with the gritty, atmospheric 1958 instrumental "Rumble"; that tune, and most of his work spanning the next decade, are the primordial ooze from which all of rock 'n' roll's dirty, heavy, attitude-driven black sheep, from cow-punk to metal, emerged. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE WEARY BOYS If any of these guys are late for their own show, I guarantee it's because they went up to Skipper's to catch some of Link Wray's set. They last called Austin home, but it seems like this rollicking, beery roots/bluegrass gang spends more time on the road than anywhere else. The guys really seem to dig on the New World, and the New World crowd digs 'em right back. Highly recommended. (New World Brewery)
GUYANA FLOOD RELIEF CONCERT The Caribbean Cultural Association presents an evening of Island, Indian and African Music. This event kicks off at 4 p.m., so get there early. The featured players: Tradewinds; Slingshot Drepaul; Creig & Chesley; Reggie; Jimmy Ray; Ken Corsbie; Winston Duggin; Ronnie M; The Phase 11 Band; and Big Daddy Fire. (USF Special Events Center, Tampa)
MONDAY, MAY 2
SUM 41 w/UNWRITTEN LAW Snotty, Iron Maiden- and Beastie Boys-loving commercial punks Sum 41 have provided a stark contrast to the mainstream all-ages scene's increasingly angsty vibe since the millennium turned by actually admitting that they've got a sense of humor. Basically, the difference is funny videos, and smiling while they break stuff instead of crying. The band's latest full-length salvo, Chuck, was released last October. SoCal outfit Unwritten Law has undergone about a million lineup changes, and one massive stylistic shift, since forming in 1990; the 2002 hit single "Seein' Red" heralded the onset of FM success and the tepid, formulaic sound the band has maintained since. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
DEKE DICKERSON & THE ECCO-PHONICS Roots-rock veteran Dickerson built a culty core fanbase by adding elements of nearly every American style from western swing to straight-up rock to his rockabilly-ish foundation. Though it's not due out until halfway through the month, copies of his new, more overtly pop-inflected disc The Melody will be available at the show. (New World Brewery)
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2005.