THURSDAY, FEB. 09
THE DETROIT COBRAS w/REIGNING SOUND Why write tunes when there is a perfectly good treasure trove of obscure R&B and rock 'n' roll classics to pull from, rough up and revamp? That seems to be the central philosophy of The Detroit Cobras, a Motor City band that puts a guitar-heavy, garage-rock spin on a bevy of not-so-classic tunes, rendering them essentially new. I'm amped for this show, folks, especially after interviewing the band's talented, candid and randy frontwoman Rachel Nagy for last week's Music Feature. Memphis-based Reigning Sound should prove an apt, likeminded opener, if perusing the band's online bio is any indication. (Orpheum, Ybor City) Eric Snider
THE STEVE MILLER BAND He began as a sort of pseudo Texas bluesman, then during the '70s made the transition to pop star with such rock lite hits as "Take the Money and Run," "The Joker," "Rock 'n Me" and "Jet Airliner." These songs had a catchy, radio-ready patina, but have not stood the test of time as legitimate rock classics. In the '80s and '90s, Miller tried to broaden his scope into the blues and more jam-oriented stuff, but the guess here is that tonight's show will be heavy on the old hits. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) ES
HEADLINERS @ THE FLORIDA STATE FAIR Every year, the Florida State Fair offers up a variety of family-friendly sounds (over the course of its run. This week contains the meat of the Fair's assortment:
THURSDAY: Lee Greenwood (country, jingoism); 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.; free with Fair admission
FRIDAY: Fiesta Gigante feat. Banda El Recodo, Los Razos, Jenny Rivera (Mexican/Latin); 6:00 p.m.; $85/$55/$46
MONDAY: Felix Cavaliere & The Rascals (rock/oldies); 7:30 p.m.; free with Fair admission.
TUESDAY: Boots Randolph (instrumental country, honking sax); 7:30 p.m.; free with Fair admission
WEDNESDAY: The Supremes feat. Mary Wilson (doo-wop/oldies); 7:30 p.m.; free with Fair admission
FRIDAY, FEB. 10
AVERAGE WHITE BAND If a time machine dropped you back onto college campuses in upstate New York in the mid '70s, it wouldn't take long before you heard AWB's "Pick up the Pieces" or "Cut the Cake" blasting from a dorm kegger (well, not blasting, exactly; our stereos sucked). The Scottish band was probably the first Caucasian unit to bring the funk with any cred. And they were a staple of keggers well beyond upstate New York colleges. As time-machine shows go, this one should be considerable fun. (State Theater, St. Petersburg) ES
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS w/BINKY GRIPTITE & THE DEE-KAYS "Queen of Funk" Sharon Jones cut her teeth singing in church and recording singles for retro-R&B label Desco before rising to prominence as a versatile soul/funk/R&B/Afro-beat vocalist with a little help from Daptone Records and its house band, the eminently able Dap-Kings. For more on Jones, check out this week's Music Feature. Opener Binky Griptite is a practicing Dap-King; we're guessing The Dee-Kays are the rest of the guys gone incognito and shit. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
GORDON LIGHTFOOT Raise your hand if you know anything about Lightfoot other than "Sundown" and "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Really? I didn't. I had to do some research to find out that the Canadian singer-songwriter once had his tunes recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary and Marty Robbins, and continued to record after his early-'70s heyday, showcasing an ever-evolving sound but never eclipsing the success of the AM Gold era. See? Anyone can be a music critic. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
OTIS TAYLOR BAND Celebrated socially conscious blues artist Taylor must've seen something he liked about Tampa's Springs Theater several months back, because WMNF is bringing the legend around again. It's gutbucket blues with brains and a conscience. Former Bay area resident and current acoustic-blues phenom Veronika Jackson adds some gospel flavor to the proceedings. (Springs Theater, Tampa)
RYAN COHAN QUARTET Cohan, a jazz pianist, has got some rep both for his composing and his playing, and his shows down here — one tonight, one tomorrow — are an inspired opportunity to visit Saxes. Sarasota needs a consistently jazz-oriented concert space and the recently founded venue hopefully can step into that role. Cohan keeps it fairly traditional, and may even be able to snag some pop acclaim without going down the narrow and dangerous cliff-side route that is smooth jazz. (Saxes, Sarasota) Cooper Lane Baker
GIL MANTERA'S PARTY DREAM w/WORLDWIDE ZOO We don't know a lot about GMPD. We know the Party Dream includes guitarist Ultimate Donny, and that the electro combo incorporates everything from brainless metal to brainy synth-pop to the punk scene's inimitable combination of humor and fury, and is affiliated with Fat Possum Records. But beyond that, we're stumped. Worldwide Zoo is local and weird and kind of electro, but really kind of raw, and super-nice, and did we mention weird? (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, FEB. 11
NILE/SOILENT GREEN The tech and the fury. Egypt-obsessed East Coast death metal act Nile mixes atmosphere and jaw-dropping instrumental dexterity with ease, while Louisiana's Soilent Green (whose members are in a million other bands) adds that raw, swampy ugly-core edge. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET w/MEL MELTON & THE WICKED MOJOS Beausoleil has been the most award-winning, knowledgeable and lauded band in Cajun music for damn near 30 years now; don't be surprised when the R&B, zydeco and Crescent City jazz get up and dance with everything from Southwestern roadhouse boogie to earnest American roots music. Singer-songwriter/world-class harp player/chef/Sonny Landreth associate Mel Melton and his funky blues crew provide support. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE SKA BRAWL TOUR "Ska is dead," they said. But ska seems to be making a comeback, and it looks less like an undead zombie bent on eating your brain than a living, healthy organism you just turned your back on for a while, and forgot existed. The latest all-ages revival tour features the unimpeachably real Toasters and unarguably punk-influenced Mustard Plug, as well as Go Jimmy Go (best ska-punk band name EVER!) and Westbound Train. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DETROIT WOMEN This award-winning blues conglomerate's 2005 show was scrapped with respect to Mother Nature's fury last hurricane season. Expect gritty blues and R&B, and to fall in love with at least one of the many talented ladies that claim membership. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
SUNDAY, FEB. 12
FOREIGNER/GREG BILLINGS/TUCCI GROUP Foreigner's last album of new material hit the shelves in 1995. Their releases since that time? The list includes such gems as Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology; The Platinum Collection; Complete Greatest Hits; Definitive; Hot Blooded and Other Hits; and The Essentials. Add in a couple of earlier compilations, and you have eight greatest hits albums for a band that pumped out just eight albums of original music. The plus side of this? No snooze-inducing new cuts. The minus? Snooze-inducing old cuts. (PAL Sailor Circus Arena, Sarasota) CLB
PBS Three members of legendary pre-jam scene New Orleans groove machine The Funky Meters — George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste and Brian Stoltz — step out, and bring a more contemporary edge to Crescent City funk. (The Bank, St. Petersburg)
KEN WALDMAN Succinctly dubbed "Alaska's fiddling poet," former college professor Waldman is, well, a poet from Alaska who fiddles. Tonight's show, and this tour in general, serve as a release party for two new Waldman CDs, and two new collections of poems. Think eccentric, entertaining old-school troubadour, and you're kind of getting it. Tonight he'll be joined by award-winning Gainesville banjoist Chuck Levy. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
PATRICK BETTISON SEXTET He's one of the most highly regarded bassists to call the Bay area home. Bettison plays in a variety of styles, but in keeping with Tampa Jazz Club tradition, he'll perform an acoustic post-bop set with five other improvising aces at the Gorilla, a sublimely intimate room that delivers perfect acoustics sans amplifiers. As always, it's a 3 p.m. matinee. (Gorilla Theater, Tampa) ES
JOHN CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT & FAMILY Knight and six of his kids swap instruments like a pawn shop while firing up the traditional country and bluegrass wayback machine. There are some updates in the form of some rock drums and song structures, but for the most part, Knight keeps the original sound intact. (Flanzer Jewish Community Center, Sarasota) CLB
MONDAY, Feb. 13
GURU Old-school hip-hop legend Guru is perhaps best known as the mouthpiece half of iconic East Coast duo Gang Starr (the other half, DJ Premier, has become a sought-after producer in his own right), but he should be equally lauded for the Jazzmatazz discs, his uneven but ambitious attempts to further unite rap and jazz. Guru's last solo album, Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures, wasn't exactly a classic, but found his trademark insinuating vocal sound and clean lyrical bent intact. (State Theatre, St. Pete)
HALL & OATES w/GEOFF BYRD H&O no longer top the charts but continue to release albums independently to a loyal fan base, and tour regularly. Last time I saw them, at Eckerd Hall, they put on a spirited, hit-filled show that was more than worth the while. Geoff Byrd is a Portland, Ore.-based pop singer/songwriter who's developed most of his popularity via the Internet. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) ES
KARRIN ALLYSON Two-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Allyson got so used to delivering the covers requested by members of the audiences at her shows that she finally recorded a bunch of 'em, and released the compilation as her ninth CD. USF brings the versatile vocalist to town tonight as part of its Jazz Masterworks Series. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
ORTHRELM/LOSA/EYES OF FIRE/SHED FOR YOU Orthrelm is an experimental duo signed to Mike Patton's Ipecac Records label; God, they're irritating. 45-minute songs that are nothing but repetitive drum rhythms and trebly guitar skronk? Oh, boy. How … arty. It's impressive to know two people can play the same part so many times so quickly without screwing up, but why the hell did they have to record it? Dallas' ominous metalcore combo LOSA and Orange County, Cal.'s atmospheric Eyes of Fire are far more interesting. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)
TUESDAY, FEB. 14
KENNY ROGERS Visit Rogers' website and click on "Merchandise." In addition to the normal CDs and T-shirts, you can — no shit — buy Kenny Rogers Christmas ornaments, baseballs signed by Rogers, a magnet and key chain featuring his Ken-ness, a Rogers logo-ed bracelet and back issues of Rogers' 1980s fan club newsletter. No Kenny Rogers Roasters gear, though. What's up with that? (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) CLB
THE WIYOS This young Brooklyn threesome hits Fogartyville with its take on ragtime blues, swing, jug-band and country, making a lovely — if old-fashioned — Valentine's Day evening on which to entertain your honey. Luckily, the Wiyos don't come off like the ironic joke they could be. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) CLB
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15
EMIT PRESENTS BRISA DO BRASIL EMIT head man (and trombonist/composer) David Manson co-leads this unit with his Brazilian-born wife, Andrea Moraes Manson. Should be an evening of easy, breezy grooves and South American exotica. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg) ES
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2006.
