Dashboard Confessional w/Cadillac Blindside The Boca Raton alt-rock band, fronted by singer/songwriter Chris Carraba, has been called reflective, passionate and intimate by All Music Guide. The band's most recent full-length, this year's The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, was released on Vagrant. (April 19, The Orpheum)

Hot Soup The Maryland trio of Christina Muir, Jennifer Agner and Sue Trainor bring more eclecticism than usual to their folk-based sound. Instead of just acoustic guitar backing, the threesome incorporate dulcimer, banjo, mandolin, bass, accordion and percussion. Some of the material even grooves pretty stronger. Hot Soup's style ranges from campfire songs to ballads to swing and novelty tunes. Much of their music has a whimsical, humorous bent. The group is also scheduled to appear on WMNF's Live Music Showcase at 10 a.m. (April 19, UU Dome)

DJ Craze w/Funklab/DJ Dazee/Stateside Collective He's a champ, this DJ Craze, winner of the 2000 DMC World Championship title, his third victory in the vaunted spin-off. His wild blend of hip-hop, breaks, drum 'n' bass and turntable wizardry keep the floor throbbing. He'll be joined by several of Tampa Bay's elite DJs. (April 20, Masquerade)

Halcyon The Tampa-based female folk-pop duo has expanded its touring sphere to the Southeast and beyond. They don't play in Tampa all that often, so a Halcyon show is an event. (April 20, Skipper's Smokehouse)

Tammerlin The husband-and-wife duo (Lee Hunter and Arvid Smith), both classically trained musicians, present a varied program featuring an array of string instruments (guitar, banjo, lap steel) and percussion. (April 20, Tarpon Springs Cultural Center)

Battle of the Media Bands Always a fun, but take-no-prisoners event, this fourth annual musical bloodbath pits journalists and other media personalities in ruthless cutting contests to establish musical supremacy over their peers. Channels 8, 10 and 28 will field ensembles, as will the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune. Where's the Planet, you ask? Drum circles were discouraged. Media luminaries slated to perform are Eric Thundergroove Deggans, Steve Soulman Jerve, Reginald You Can Call Me Reggie Roundtree, Brendan is God McLaughlin, Bob His Hair is Perfect Kendrick, Jeff Goodfoot Klinkenberg and others. (April 20, Frankie's Patio)

The Joey Gilmore Band The quintet records for the hallmark indie blues label, Ichiban. (April 21, Skipper's Smokehouse)

Leftover Salmon In the early '90s, two Colorado acts — The Left Hand String Band and Salmonheads — merged to form Leftover Salmon, a self-described polyethnic Cajun slamgrass aggregation. The group's good-timey, earthy sound has earned them an ardent following, especially for their live shows. There will be no opening act. (April 21, Jannus Landing)

Doc Severinson and the Florida Orchestra The flamboyant trumpeter and former Tonight Show musical director leads the Orchestra in a program that's part of the Super Pops Concert Series, and features works by Gershwin, Ellington and more. (April 21, Mahaffey Theater)

Underwater w/Ashes of Grisum/Isabella Formerly the Bay area band Rosewater Elizabeth, Atlanta's Underwater has maintained a solid indie run with their contemplative, at times atmospheric, sound. The band's new CD is titled This is Not a Film, out on the Sub:Marine label. They're joined by two Bay area groups with a somewhat similar skew. (April 21, Orpheum)

Phil Vassar The up-and-coming Nashville singer/songwriter has penned such hits as Alan Jackson's Right on the Money, Collin Raye's Little Red Rodeo, Tim McGraw's For a Little While and Jo Dee Messina's I'm Alright and Bye Bye. As a solo act, Vassar is a piano-playing storyteller in the mold of Billy Joel. (April 21, Largo Central Park)

Al Downing Tribute This reunion of the Al Downing All-Stars celebrates the life and contributions of pianist Downing, longtime educator and St. Petersburg's standard-bearer of jazz. Taking the stage will be Belinda Womack, Paulette Pepper & Fine Thyme, Buster Cooper, John Lamb, Katt Hefner and more. The show is produced by the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, which Downing founded. (April 22, The Coliseum, St. Petersburg)

Matchbox Twenty w/Everclear/Lifehouse Once a little ol' band from Orlando called Tabitha's Secret, which played dives and haunts and rock clubs throughout Central Florida, MB20 hit paydirt after changing its name and some personnel. The group is basically a stylistic extension of the smooth Southeastern sound made popular by Hootie & the Blowfish — melodic, slightly angst-ridden, rhythmically tame, with solid vocal harmonies. The bill's rock quotient gets a jolt with Everclear, once a Northwestern post-punk concern, now a more pop-oriented act. Lifehouse has become a staple on modern rock radio and their 20-year-old frontman, Jason Wade, appears to be on his way to stardom. (April 22, Ice Palace)

Midtown w/Hot Rod Circuit/The Rocking Horse Winner Formed in '98 by three Rutgers University students, Midtown quickly expanded to a quartet and built a name for itself on the New Jersey punk scene. The band has factored emo and pop elements into its sound. (April 22, Orpheum)

Bruce Hornsby After his impressive commercial run in the latter half of the '80s, including the No. 1 hit The Way It Is, Hornsby has settled into a solid career hinged on his expansive live shows that feature his formidable piano work and an always-tight backing ensemble. (April 25, Ruth Eckerd Hall)

This article appears in Apr 19-26, 2001.

Eric Snider is the dean of Bay area music critics. He started in the early 1980s as one of the founding members of Music magazine, a free bi-monthly. He was the pop music critic for the then-St. Petersburg...