THURSDAY, JAN. 05
ROD MACDONALD Balladeer and ace musician MacDonald has helped usher in contemporary folk music over the course of his 30-plus-year career, without ever losing sight of the music's traditions. He currently teaches a workshop titled "Folk Singing in Modern Times" at Florida Atlantic University; this evening's concert will also include a discussion of folk's place in the modern music landscape. The Brandon Regional Library is located at 619 Vonderburg Drive. (Brandon Regional Library, Brandon)
GUTTERMOUTH w/VALIENT THORR/ASG Remember when the punk-pop toilet humorists in Guttermouth were at the very pinnacle of the California fastrawk scene? Nah, me neither, but I remember when they were among the fan favorites and could fill the State Theatre with relative ease. But time marches on, and jokes grow stale; the band is still probably a hell of a lot of fun, just don't expect anything beyond the sort of set you've been seeing from this band for nearly a decade. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, JAN. 06
THE KENNEDYS/LORNA BRACEWELL The Kennedys are the married duo of Pete and Maura and their specialty is unplugged folk-rock with Byrds-like harmonies and an energetic vibe. While their music thankfully avoids the dour seriousness of a lot of folk bands, the tunes have got a time-capsule quality about them, meaning that there's little here that couldn't have been here 30 — or even 40 — years ago. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) COOPER LANE BAKER
SATURDAY, JAN. 07
TRISHA YEARWOOD Pop-country vocalist Yearwood set the stage for the likes of Faith Hill by being the dominating female performer in the genre for most of the '90s. She enjoyed a long string of hits, many of them penned by and/or featuring the vocals of one Garth Brooks, before scoring her first solo Grammy toward the end of the decade. Her reservoir of smash singles has dried up a bit since the turn of the millennium, but she continues to release albums to the delight of loyal C&W fans. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO If he's not the most popular player in zydeco, then he's certainly the one with the most widespread name recognition. Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural started off as a blues and R&B sideman in the '50s, but has played the accordion around the globe since the early '70s, infusing the vaguely Cajun musical gumbo known as zydeco with healthy amounts of funk and rhythm 'n' blues all the while. Two labels, Shout! Factory and Blues Unlimited, recently re-released a handful of the master's best albums. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
EDGAR WINTER Winter's in town as part of the ass-kickin', leather-wearin' event that is the Thunder By the Bay Motorcycle Festival, and boy has he got the mullet to prove it. Winter is famous primarily for a pair of hits from his 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night: "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride," the latter reaching its height of fame as the soundtrack to the scene in Dazed and Confused when the dope-dealing Kevin Pickford gets busted for ordering a keg. Remember how he tried to get the guy delivering the keg to pretend that it was all a big mistake? That shit was funny. Uh, where was I again? (Robart's Arena, Sarasota) CLB
UNDERDOG/100 DEMONS/SEVENTH STAR/DREAMS YOU DIE IN/NOW SOLDIERS Yup, Clearwater's 688 Skatepark. Yup, that means plenty of screamy, metallic hardcore for the kids. What makes this gig different, however, is the presence of the semi-legendary Underdog, a reunited New York hardcore outfit that had a lot to do with originating that brutal scene back in the mid-'80s before its members went on to play in several other bands, most notably Youth of Today and Murphy's Law. Also on tap is rising metalcore unit 100 Demons; they're pretty heavily hyped, but in my opinion, don't add a whole lot to the crossover mix. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
LAUREN LAPOINTE Lapointe is a Savannah, Ga.-based singer-songwriter with an eclectic, deceptively light style; her latest disc, Beautiful Shadow, was produced by fellow songwriter Kyle Shiver, who's collaborated in the past with Shawn Mullins. (Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, Tampa)
THE RENAISSANCE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Thirteen-piece string ensemble the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra is composed entirely of players accomplished as soloists in their own right — the group's innovative structure consists of rotating leadership, giving each member a chance to periodically shape the orchestra's fluid sonic personality. Tonight's program will include pieces by Bach, Mozart and Duke Ellington, as well as several more contemporary composers. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
NORTH/REASON TO BURN North is a blistering punk rock act from 'round here that's more on the hardcore side than the pogo-and-shout-along set. This writer is grateful that the band avoids idiotic frat-punk, but he nevertheless wishes there was a little bit more fun about the whole thing. Reason to Burn mines similar hard-rock territory and is in town from Orlando. This is a pretty intense night for Sarasota's Main Street. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) CLB
SUNDAY, JAN. 08
TONY BENNETT Why are you reading this? You know who Tony Bennett is. And, depending on your point of view, he's either a great upholder of the Sinatra tradition or so cool he's comatose. Really, both are valid appraisals, but you can't deny Bennett's voice, which is perfectly suited for the mellow pillow talk he performs. Ladies, keep your hotel keys and panties to yourselves. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) CLB
JO ANN CASTLE Pianist Castle is said to have been discovered by Lawrence Welk, and mixes up fluid instrumental prowess with emotion and panache; she's been called one of the greatest ragtime keyboard-pounders who's ever lived. The First United Methodist Church — well, this one, anyway — is located at 303 N. Evers St. in Plant City. Call 813-754-3519 for more information. (First United Methodist Church, Plant City)
ELLIS PAUL/DAVID LAMOTTE This is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa's 10th year of running its "Concerts in the UU Dome" series. The 2006 slate kicks off with a 3 p.m. matinee performance from a couple of relatively lesser known, but supremely talented folk strummers. Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Paul holds true to the pointed storytelling tradition of Woody Guthrie and is reportedly possessed of a wholly engrossing stage presence, while ceaselessly traveling troubadour LaMotte is a multiple songwriting award-winner who's taken to writing children's books in his scant spare time. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
ELVIS PRESLEY TRIBUTE BIRTHDAY BASH Why settle for one Elvis impersonator when you can have, like, several of them? Come celebrate Presley's birthday with a bevy of caped-and-suited obsessives. The show starts at 2 p.m., but stay for the after-party and an evening of mingling with the King, uh … Kings. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2006.
