All entries by Scott Harrell except where otherwise noted.
DEFTONES W/DEATH ANGEL Brutal yet atmospheric Sacramento-area pseudo-nu-metal act Deftones hit the national scene around the same time as Korn, and quickly rose to the top of the ranks on the strength of their strikingly original sound. Last year's eponymous full-length (their fourth) found the band caught in a bit of a rut, but they still mix inventive grooves, unsettling imagery and soaring dynamics better than just about anyone. Reunited late '80s/early '90s thrash-scene notables Death Angel ("Bored," "Seemingly Endless Time") make for an intriguing bill. Highly recommended. (Oct. 14, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
GLOFF-FEST 3 Yes, Bay area singer-songwriter Jeremy Gloff is ultra-prolific — his new acoustic album, The Orange Songs, is his 13th in 11 years — but his earnest, melodic tunes aren't his only contribution to the Tampa musical canon. Case in point: this ongoing series of showcases he sets up for himself and his talented peers down at the New World. Gloff, John McNicholas, Anna O, Rebekah Pulley, Summer Virshup, Andrew MacMininn, Jade, Christie Lenee, Michele Ari and The French Cut Pants are the featured performers; Suzy Martian, Jen Shamro, Rhonda K and others will entertain the crowd from a second stage between sets. (Oct. 14, New World Brewery, Ybor City)
AMY GRANT She's the fresh-faced gal who put crossover Christian music on the map with a series of monster hits in the '80s and early '90s. Her voice is smooth, her music peppy, with at times a country lilt (she married Vince Gill in 2000). Amy's long been a poster girl for pious dudes. (Oct. 15, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ERIC SNIDER
JOAN OF ARC/ISOBELLA/AUTO!AUTOMATIC! /HANLON Joan of Arc principal Tim Kinsella and his brother Mike have been at the forefront of the more experimental/skronky/out-jazzy end of Chicago art-punk for some time now — mostly because, after being forever linked to emo's origins through their old band Cap'n Jazz, their subsequent projects were willing to be more arty, experimental, skronky and out-jazzy than anybody else's. The new stuff's pretty tuneful, though, and this tour is featuring a live ensemble of nearly a dozen members, so the potential for a memorable live experience is definitely afoot. (Oct. 15, Orpheum, Ybor City)
NEW MONSOON They're a jam band, natch, and they're fresh off two comparatively high-profile gigs — opening for Particle in California, and thrilling passengers aboard the seafaring mini-festival known as RockBoat. Next up is a spot at the annual MagnoliaFest, but there's plenty of Latin- and jazz-inflected jamitude being reserved for the Skipperdome in the meantime. (Oct. 15, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
DIO/ANTHRAX/FIREBALL MINISTRY I just got the latest disc from Ronnie James and company, Master of the Moon, and I must say it recalls the old days of the devil sign and evil, monolithic slabs of guitar riffage quite nicely. Anthrax just had another original member jump ship (this time it was bassist Frank Bello), but what the hell, "I Am The Law" is still going to sound killer. God, I'm old. Fireball Ministry offer some pretty serviceable sludge that straddles old-school metal and stoner rock. (Oct. 15, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
SPONTANEOUS HABIT/SCIENCE NON-FICTION/TRAFFICKED AMBITION/JOHNNY UTAH/DJ BLENDA/SOLOMAN Sarasota act Spontaneous Habit favors slow jams in the realm of Massive Attack. They remained a three-piece group after their saxophonist left a few months ago, but usually enlist other musicians to fill in at shows. Spontaneous Habit is joined by Science Non-Fiction, another Sarasota group who has been getting attention lately for their politically charged "No CARB" (No Cheney, No Ashcroft, No Rumsfeld, No Bush) shows. The other guys spin records, including WMNF's DJ Blenda. Expect much dope smoking in the parking lot after the show. (Oct. 15, Masquerade, Ybor City) —MARK SANDERS
BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY The band made its bones as the backing unit for then-up-and-coming singer Janis Joplin in the '60s. Now they work the classic rock barnstorm circuit. For this date, the group will be fronted by St. Pete's Wendy Rich, who doesn't exactly reenact Joplin, but sings the repertoire with similar abandon. See the profile on Rich in the Music section. (Oct. 16, Largo Cultural Center, Largo) —ES
SMASH 6: I LOVE THE '80s The Southeast Music Alliance is at it again. This showcase is much more than another bill full of great locals; it's an '80s-themed party chock full o' that decade's guiltiest pleasures, along with a slate of killer performers, most of whom you haven't seen before. There's Select Start, the Gainesville chamber ensemble that only plays music from vintage video games (not the local band of the same name that plays pop-punk). And Hill Valley Preservation Society, the absolutely killer group from Atlanta that specializes in theme songs from dated TV programs, from The Muppet Show to Simon & Simon. No kidding, they're amazing. You also get Faith No More-esque psychotic metal from Orlando's Indorphine, and local action in the form of Auditorium and a solo set from gifted Red Tide frontman BC. (Oct. 16, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
CONFLICT W/TOTAL CHAOS Mohawks and cultural disaffection are mandatory. Virulently political British act Conflict has been voicing dissent through punk since the early '80s, and is often cited as the genre's most genuinely and consistently dedicated group of aural activists. Tour opener Total Chaos, by contrast, is often cited as the crusty-punk band most likely to have its T-shirt worn by a kid who's never actually heard one of its songs. Nothing against them, mind you; it's just that the name appeals readily as a general statement as well. I mean, how much more punk can one be? (Oct. 16, Masquerade, Ybor City)
LILLETTE JENKINS-WISNER Eclectic, world-traveling pianist Jenkins-Wisner originally hails from NYC. I could tell you all about how she can play anything from jazz to classical with equal facility, or that she's won all kinds of awards, scholarships and residencies. But really, all you need to know is that she played jazz piano for All My Children. (Oct. 16, Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
ELYSIAN SEX DRIVE DeLaran Winters has fronted funkified rock outfit ESD for 10 years now, and despite frequent lineup changes, she's held together pretty well. Alternately tough and sweet, her voice is a goddamned powerhouse that is near shiver-worthy. She recently reunited with the band's three original members, a feat that — considering their time apart — she herself can scarcely believe. Call the show a "reunion" gig if you like, but don't let the sound of that word allow images of haggard old frogs hobbling across the stage enter your preconceptions — when ESD is on, every song sounds as fresh as the day it was written. (Oct. 16, Silver Cricket, Sarasota) —MS
SENSES FAIL W/NAME TAKEN/MADISON Senses Fail is positioned to be the all-ages emo scene's next big Taking Back Sunday-style breakthrough to mainstream radio play and FM-festival featured-player status. The band has all the components: melodic passages that sound like New Found Glory dicking around with riffs from Jimmy Eat World's Clarity; cathartic screamalong lite-metal parts; and incredibly deep, inspired, thoughtful lyrics about how the pain is your friend, because it lets you know you're alive and stuff. Wow. Call them psychic fellators, because they just blew my mind. (Oct. 17, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
METALFEST 2K4 Eight bucks gets you 20 bands playing on all of the club's stages. I might be wrong, but don't you think an event of this magnitude deserves more promotion than the date, time (8 p.m.) and price? All I could find out about the lineup is that End of the Rope and Undividual are playing. (Oct. 17, Masquerade, Ybor City)
HURRICANE RELIEF BENEFIT Robby Osenton of local band Strange Brew and his family deserve a lot of credit for getting the ball rolling on this shindig to help some of the folks who felt the full fury of Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. So do the too many helpers, hosts, corporate sponsors and donors to name here. But the party runs from noon until 6 p.m., and both the Salvation Army and Florida Blood Services will be on hand to accept your stuff, your money and your life force on behalf of those currently seriously low on those things. Naturally, there will be drawings, food and drink specials, and live-rock action from Crisis, Initial Doubt (the young rock act who recently won the Monster Band competition held by 98Rock jock team Monsters in the Morning), Gladstone, Live's Page and Strange Brew. Quaker Steak & Lube is located at 10400 49th St., up where Pinellas Park gives way to Clearwater. (Oct. 17, Quaker Steak & Lube, Clearwater)
CAPLETON & COCO TEA These two dancehall veterans (brought to town courtesy of Righteous Productions) have both enjoyed long careers because they each brought their own style to the genre. Along with Buju Banton, Capleton helped drop a reverence for traditional roots-reggae back into the mix, while Coco Tea's smooth vocals provide a still-fresh alternative to many dancehall artists' harsh, militant-sounding deliveries. Support is provided by Farina, Lyrical Don and The Specialist. NOTE: This show has been moved from Club Fuel to Club Empire. (Oct. 17, Club Empire, Ybor City)
CHARLIE DANIELS BAND Charlie Daniels, forever irrepressible with his violin (you can call it a "fiddle" if that makes you feel tougher), recently wrote an open letter to the "Hollywood Bunch" saying, in part, "you bunch of pitiful, hypocritical, idiotic, spoiled mugwumps. Get your head out of the sand and smell the [World] Trade [Center] towers burning." So, you know, I guess he's stopped smoking dope and supporting Jimmy Carter. Whatever the case, his right-wing carnival will probably feature (a) some conspicuously placed American flags on stage; (b) Katherine Harris in the audience; or (c) an assload of beer-guzzling rednecks in tow. Or maybe he'll have all three, who knows. (Oct. 17, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —MS
BEASTIE BOYS What's there to say? I grew up on this snotty, forward-thinking rap trio; I wouldn't say I never would've gotten into hip-hop without them, but they certainly made a suburban white kid's foray into post-Michael Jackson urban music a lot more comfortable. To the 5 Boroughs is their first album in nearly six years, and though it's unfair to expect it to affect listeners the same way Paul's Boutique did when fans finally embraced it a couple of years after its release, a trip through the new disc elicits a decidedly mixed reaction. While the boys' forever-underrated vocal and lyric-writing abilities remain intact, it seems as if there may be no new worlds for the wayward threesome to conquer. The show, however, will undoubtedly still be a hell-raising affair. (Oct. 19, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
DRESDEN DOLLS/COUNT ZERO/DEAD HORSE DETECTIVE AGENCY Buzzy, eccentric Boston "punk cabaret" duo Dresden Dolls has garnered comparison to the likes of PJ Harvey and Violent Femmes; we're thinking it's gonna be more like a stripped-down, dangerous-edge kind of thing, like a couple of members of Scissor Sisters writing Goth-pop tunes after everyone else leaves practice. Still, that sounds pretty enticing. Tourmates Count Zero are known for applying a bit of Brit theatricality to electro-pop. (Oct. 19, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DAN FOGELBERG He was loosely affiliated with California's "mellow mafia" of the '70s, a singer-songwriter with a light, sensitive-guy sound. Fogelberg's hey-day came in the late '70s/early '80s with a string of hits that included "Longer," "Same Old Lang Syne," "Hard to Say" and "Leader of the Band." (Oct. 19, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES
BAD RELIGION/RISE AGAINST/FROM FIRST TO LAST Something for everyone, so long as "everyone" is universally understood to mean "everyone who likes punk rock, no matter when they began liking it." Bad Religion are The AC/DC of Punk Rock, and God Bless them — they'll be plying good, blistering, melodic songs that sound just like their other good, blistering, melodic songs until you get sick of 'em, which will be never. Rise Against brings an old-school socially rebellious vibe to new-school punk; their new major-label album might contain some obvious commercial pandering, but live, they're certainly capable of peeling off some skin. And then there's Next Big Thing contender From First to Last, a band that might be a little more original than the aforementioned Senses Fail, but that ends up leaving an equally mediocre screamo-trend-surfer impression. (Oct. 19, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
EL VEZ/MACHETRES He's the self-proclaimed Mexican Elvis (real name Robert Lopez), who's been knocking around the L.A. underground for more than two decades. From what little 'net info was available, Machetres appears to be a D.C.-based Latin rock band. (Oct. 19, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —ES
LAMB OF GOD/FEAR FACTORY/THROWDOWN/CHILDREN OF BODOM Sate your inner headbanger with a justifiably hyped monster-riff machine (Lamb of God); a reformed industrial-metal pioneer (Fear Factory); a West Coast metalcore outfit that's been representing for that style since before that style had its name (Throwdown); and a decade-old Finnish black-metal combo named for Scandinavia's most notorious mass murderer (Children of Bodom). Then, have a Tums. (Oct. 20, Masquerade, Ybor City)
CHEVELLE Three brothers. Two hits ("The Red," "Send The Pain Below"). And a new album, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In), which continues to follow the blueprint set by the two hits. Chevelle's groovy, moody, often minimalist metal doesn't achieve the heights of Tool-ness to which it aspires, but its emphasis on atmosphere and melody puts it head and shoulders above most of its generic hard-but-not-too-hard contemporaries. Oct. 20, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
SAM BUSH/DONNA THE BUFFALO Bush's mandolin playing (file under "progressive bluegrass") has garnered acclaim from such far-flung corners of the musical spectrum as Conan O'Brien, Lyle Lovett, Bela Fleck and (ugghhhh…) uber-star Garth Brooks. Joining him is Donna the Buffalo, a folksy rock group featuring neither a Donna nor a buffalo. (Oct. 20, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —MS
This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2004.