NOTE: Masquerade has closed its doors. Several of the shows in this Menu that were booked there have moved to different venues.
THURSDAY, MARCH 09
GEORGE THOROGOOD The man who provided one of the songs most often used in TV ads, "Bad to the Bone," brings his slide guitar and snarl to Tampa Theatre. Thorogood's out on the road promoting Then & Now, a new disc that's half live favorites and half new studio tracks. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
STEEL PULSE Quasi-legendary British reggae act Steel Pulse makes another of its fairly frequent St. Pete appearances. This is the band's 31st year of existence; the group is probably best known for the late-'70s single "Sound System." (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DIERKS BENTLEY Young pop-country up-and-comer Bentley has been on the cusp of serious big-time success for a couple of years now. He's in town to perform at Lakeland's annual Strawberry Festival. (Strawberry Festival, Lakeland)
DISCO BISCUITS w/BROTHERS PAST The Disco Biscuits, one of the so-called leaders of the jam scene's trance-fusion movement, return to the Bay area for the first time in more than two years with a brand new drummer and something to prove — that they can still bring it on. The dance, that is. Bisco is joined by Brothers Past and after their St. Petersburg show, both bands head south to Sunrise for the weekend to perform at Langerado, a rather large music fest in Markham Park featuring headliners like Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, The Meters and The Black Crowes, and supporting acts that include Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, The Secret Machines and Steel Pulse. (The Bank, St. Petersburg) Leilani Polk
HERMAN'S HERMITS FEAT. PETER NOONE With Noone's over-the-top Cockney brogue and a penchant for combining Mersey beat rock 'n' roll with old English dancehall styles, Herman's Hermits enjoyed a healthy heyday, scoring 11 Top 10 hits (including "Silhouettes," "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and, of course, "I'm Henry VIII, I Am") from 1964-1967. It's been 38 years since the band last charted, so I think I'm safe in saying that this will be an oldies/nostalgia show. The engagement continues March 10-12. (Busch Gardens, Tampa) Eric Snider
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
THE TAKE ACTION! TOUR This annual punk tour nearly single-handedly subsidizes the Kristin Brooks Hope Center's suicide-prevention hotlines. This year's headliner is Epitaph Records' Matchbook Romance, a rising act that ambitiously combines elements of pop-punk with moody, textured modern rock. (By the way, the artwork for the group's new album Voices is absolutely amazing.) Joining MR on tour — though not all bands are appearing at every date — are generic emo-core act Silverstein, pop crew The Early November, technical posthardcore outfit Chiodos, and a host of newer (and lesser known) acts. NOTE: At press time, a venue had not been secured for this show. Please visit www.statemedia.com for venue/cancellation information.
G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE w/HAMELL ON TRIAL Cocky folk-blues strummer G. Love, who has steadily moved away from the hip-hop elements heard in his early sound, continues to thrive years after his 15 minutes in the pop-culture spotlight; it seems the jam scene has taken a shine to the guy. Energetic, thoughtful and funny one-man show Hamell on Trial, whose new album is called Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, provides quality support. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS w/MOJO GURUS The enduring boogie-blues combo, minus co-founder Jimmie Vaughan but still featuring singer/harpist Kim Wilson, rolls on. It's tough to think of a more apt support act than St. Pete's own swamp-boogie stars Mojo Gurus. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE PRODIGALS They're a half Irish, half American pop-rock band with more than a little Celtic folk influence to their sound, and they can usually be counted on for an enjoyably rollicking Four Green Fields set every six months or so. The Prodigals' latest batch of catchy tracks comes in the form of the brand-new Momentum. (Four Green Fields, Tampa)
SKELETONS & THE GIRL FACED BOYS/THE BAND OF THE NAME/SWAYZE/THE LAKE AUDITION Aestheticized Presents brings another weird-ass and wholly worthwhile band to town. This time around it's eclectic, synth-y collective Skeletons & the Girl Faced Boys, along with concept-rock freaks The Band of the Name, Gainesville folk-rock unit Swayze, and Pinellas County art-rock combo The Lake Audition. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
WILD SPLASH 2006 Wild 98.7 FM's yearly Spring Break cavalcade of urban tuneage returns to Coachman Park. This installment seems a little light on really big names; rapper T.I. and Christina Milian are the ostensible headliners, and Bubba Sparxx may be the most widely recognizable performer. Ne-Yo, Elephant Man, Dem Franchize Boyz, Tanto Metro & Devonte, and Tami Chynn are also scheduled to play. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK/OK GO/PLAIN WHITE TS/THE SPILL CANVAS While Minneapolis' Motion City Soundtrack is signed to Epitaph, the band's sound is more about jumpy, catchy rock 'n' roll than it is punk. Good stuff. So is the terminally underrated OK GO's jaunty, somehow sarcastic alt-rock sound. Plain White Ts and The Spill Canvas are comparative newcomers to the all-ages scene; both have been through town several times at the bottom of various punk and emo bills, and should start climbing up from the opening slots any day now. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
JOHN MCCUTCHEON He has a contemporary folk resume to rival just about anyone: 24 recordings, a passel of original tunes, facility on a dozen instruments (most notably the hammer dulcimer), a bevy of outside production credits, and a reputation as a great storyteller and charismatic performer. No wonder he's a WMNF fave. (Friday Morning Musicale, Tampa) ES
SLIGHTLY STOOPID w/BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH/THE EXPENDABLES Sublime and Long Beach Dub All-Stars peer Slightly Stoopid has amassed a huge, loyal following for its more poppy but still reggae-tinged sound with virtually no help from radio or the mainstream music press. Good for them. The similar (but probably more reggae-centric) Bedouin Soundclash is making waves in the bro' scene, too; Bad Brains member Darryl Jennifer produced the group's sophomore album. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
OWEN/VEDERA/MACHINE ELVES Mike Kinsella has been a staple of Chicago's indie/art-rock scene for years, playing in bands like Cap N' Jazz, Joan of Arc, American Football and Owls. Owen is his own, singer-songwriter baby. Kansas City, Mo.'s Vedera was formerly known as Veda, and has a big, anthemic indie-rock sound, while the trio Machine Elves hails from Owen's hometown. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
CUBAN SANDWICH CRISIS CD RELEASE PARTY Strum-pop act Cuban Sandwich Crisis, one of the most popular groups on St. Pete's bar circuit, celebrates the release of its second CD, Sunday Best, at one of the 'burg's better little watering holes. Joining the group in various capacities will be friends and colleagues Joran Oppelt (Auditorium), Rebekah Pulley and some of her Reluctant Prophets, and The Human Condition. (Abbey's Road Pub, St. Petersburg)
THE IN-CROWD/42 CHILDREN/BTH Direct from Bradenton, The In-Crowd is a hardcore punk band that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a double bill with Black Flag in some SoCal teenage hellhole back in '81. The drums are lightning-fast, the lyrics are hollered and there isn't a guitar solo to be heard. 42 Children hails from Orlando and brings a similar sound, although it's coated with more metal than punk's normal sleekness. BTH — also from Orlando — rounds out the bill with punk stylings of its own, mixing the hardest of the 'core with vocals and melodies not far removed from Blink-182, which aren't far removed from Green Day, which aren't far removed from … well, you get the idea. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) Cooper Lane Baker
SUNDAY, MARCH 12
LUCERO w/THE DIVINERS You screamed and drank and then screamed and drank some more, and finally, somebody noticed you were trying to ask when top-notch punk-country quartet Lucero was coming back to town. Well, it's tonight. Get your tickets early, kids, 'cause this excellent live act gets more popular with every passing moon phase. Will Quinlan's newly revamped Diviners provide support. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE GSL PACKAGE TOUR GSL is the underground art-rock label co-owned by former At The Drive-In and current Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who hand-picked the two headliners for this showcase tour. Now, if you know how fucked up The Mars Volta is, then you're probably suspecting that Gogogo Airheart and The Jai Alai Savant are a couple of strange acts indeed, and you would be right. The former caroms from vintage garage-rock sounds to broken cabaret gospel, and the latter has a rocking sort of Madness-meets-Oingo Boingo-meets-Dischord Records style, and song titles like "Scarlett Johanssen, Why Don't You Love Me?" L.A.'s experimental electro/hip-hop project Lab Waste and Tampa's own Funkghost are also on hand. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
BLACK 47 Bronx-born Celt-rock act Black 47 had only a brief flirtation with mainstream exposure back in the early '90s, but the group has remained a favorite with fans of both Irish-inflected music and obscure American rock bands. This year marks the release of Bittersweet Sixteen, a career-spanning collection of material both familiar and rare. (Four Green Fields, Tampa)
TUESDAY, MARCH 14
NICKELBACK w/TRAPT/CHEVELLE Two of the worst bands to saturate FM modern-rock radio in recent years, Canadian post-grunge mistake Nickelback and regrettable Papa Roach wannabe Trapt, team up to fill the Forum with yahoos willing to like whatever the airwaves tell them to. If you like either of these bands, you're just too lazy to search out something better, and that's that. At least Chevelle brings a somewhat individualized sound, and had a couple of songs compelling enough to border on creepy. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
30 SECONDS TO MARS w/AIDEN/EMANUEL Gifted actor Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars is on the road working its second album, which is better than the first but still not really any great shakes. Aiden, the latest punk/metal/emo band to don eyeliner and fingernail polish in the name of attracting a few of My Chemical Romance's fans, is horrible, while Louisville's Emanuel inject enough rock 'n' roll attitude into their all-ages sound to qualify as interesting, which makes the band better than about 80 percent of its contemporaries. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
BUCKETHEAD God, what a doof. The guitar shred-head performs with a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head, and plays his ax so fast and chaotic that it comes off like so much chattering. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) ES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
COMEBACK KID/IGNITE/FIRST BLOOD/SINKING SHIPS Canada's Comeback Kid plies taut, heavy hardcore that bridges the gap between old-school speed and new-school groovaliciousness. Orange County, Cal.'s damn near legendary Ignite leans more toward the old-school California sound, fast and melodic. First Blood is a brutal, frightening New York hardcore-style act featuring former and current members of Terror. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Mar 8-14, 2006.