THE MOSCOW BOYS CHOIR The wide range of the boys and young men's ages provides a rich, deep sound not normally associated with boys' choirs. Expect a wide array of holiday songs from various countries and continents, and in more than one language, as well. (Dec. 9, Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
CHRISTINE KANE Asheville, N.C.-based singer-songwriter Kane has garnered plenty of fans and critical praise during her long tenure near the surface of the contemporary folk/roots-rock underground — she's opened for Nanci Griffith and The Beach Boys, and shared compilation space with Vonda Shepherd and Janice Ian. Yep, it's a WMNF gig. (Nov. 10, Catherine A. Hickman Theater, Gulfport)
CRASH MITCHELL'S HOMECOMING SHOW Crash shined Atlanta to come back to where some people actually pay to see him play. Helping celebrate the return of his provocative, roots-punking self are The Dukes of Hillsborough, eminently entertaining eccentric Harry Hayward, Jen Shamro, and abrasive DoH friends and tourmates Officer Scott Anger. This one's got it all. (Nov. 10, New World Brewery, Ybor City)
ISIS/THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES Arty dirge-metal scientists Isis have a new disc, Panopticon, out on Mike Patton's visionary/weird-ass label Ipecac; methinks it's a little more slow-burning, dynamic and accessible than their previous work, but just as worthwhile. And speaking of worthwhile, their creative, schizoid tourmates from the Pacific Northwest, These Arms Are Snakes, also have a killer new record out. It's called Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home, and it manages to evoke both the cathartic invention of At The Drive-In and the righteous fury of Dead Kennedys. Highly recommended. (Dec. 10, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
STRANGE AGENTS The live-performance accompaniment to Covivant's retrospective exhibition comes courtesy of none other than enigmatic, long-running provocative Tampa band/musical-espionage troupe Strange Agents. The group will be performing its new DVD A Strange Agent Xmas in its entirety, so expect plenty of bizarrely reworded holiday themeage. (Dec. 10, Covivant Gallery, Tampa)
T&A FOR THE P.A. Get your mind out of the gutter — "T&A" stands for "Talk & Acoustic," perv. Four-and-a-half hours' worth of local musicians, songwriters and spoken-word artists are donating three or four numbers apiece (sets are between 10 and 15 minutes long) in the hope of raising enough money to furnish Sacred Grounds with a permanent P.A. Yeah, there's a lot of that going around just lately. But while some scenesters and musicians wonder why these little venues can't cough up a sound system on their own, most local performers figure having a place to play at all is worth the time. (Plus, shit, most of us play for almost nothing a lot of the time anyway.) Come. Give. Thank Jeremy Gloff for hooking it up. The lineup: Jen Shamro; Suzy Martian; Jason Perry; Suzanne Willett; John McNicholas; Allison Lee; Nessie (which is, for the sake of disclosure, me, Scott Harrell — if that rankles you, go outside and have a cigarette during my set or something); Anna O (in one of her final hometown appearances); French Cut Pants; Susie Ulrey (who is, even in the context of this impressive lineup, extra-amazing); Kamran Mir (of Urbane Cowboys); Bob Anthony; Peabodies (featuring the Bay area's other two newspaper music critics, Gina Vivinetto and Curtis Ross); Summer Virshup; Jeremy Gloff; Rama; Pirate Prude; Kai Devani; Jackson Davis and Wookus; Chris Wolman. (Dec. 10, Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, Tampa)
TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA/STEVE FORBERT Multiple award-winning folk-rock duo Trout Fishing in America is a true independent-music success story. These two talented multi-instrumentalists have sold a ton of records, set up their own distribution, and become hard-touring roots-circuit favorites without ever selling out to The Man, and their "side career" recording and performing music for children now rivals their success as a general singer-songwriter act. The latest TFiA release, Merry Fishes to All, should please fans of all ages. They'll be doing two Skipper's shows, a 2 p.m. matinee gig for the kids, and an 8 p.m. evening concert with venerable, quasi-legendary singer-songwriter Steve Forbert. (Dec. 11, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SCOTT HOLT Guitarist Holt played with blues icon Buddy Guy for a decade before splitting in 1999 to put together his own band. Since then, he's released four well-received albums of roots-reverent blues. (Dec. 11, Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
RITA COOLIDGE She's written and performed some of the most familiar pop songs to ever make you go, "oh shit, I know this one, it's … it's … damn it, who did that song?" Her list of hits includes "(Your Love has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," and that schmaltzy old Bond-theme chestnut "All-Time High," and while tonight's program is vaguely associated with the holiday season, we're sure you're gonna hear 'em all. (Dec. 11, Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
CHARLIE-PALOOZA The annual all-day country-music festival formerly known as The Charlie Daniels Angelus Country Concert has found itself both a new venue, and a shorter but infinitely dorkier title. This year's installment features — in addition, obviously, to its host and his band — Lee Ann Womack, Tracy Lawrence, Trick Pony, Jamie O'Neal, Blue Country, Chad Brock, Jeff Bates, Confederate Railroad, the Marshall Tucker Band and, oh God yes, Molly Hatchet. (Dec. 11, Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
BAM! It's a fine exhibit of local art, music and fashion. In addition to DJs Dwayne Booth and Bob Skies, you get (largely jam-centric) live bandage from Spies & Parsons, Shaved Cactus, Fullerton and Boon. The location is 1935 First Ave. S. in downtown St. Pete; it is, I believe, a warehouse. The time is 6:30 p.m. The cover is a suggested donation of $2. (Dec. 11, downtown St. Petersburg)
THE NEW LEFT W/SOULFOUND/TRIP2GO/R5-0 The New Left is Matchbox Twenty guitarist Kyle Cook's other band, one that dates back to well before his association with Orlando's favorite sons, and that group's massive success. Cook and friends kept writing and rehearsing throughout MB20's rise to fame, and are finally getting a little time to bring the project to the masses. Supporting the group tonight are three familiar Bay area modern-rock acts: Soulfound (who've got a new guitarist and an energetic, catchy new EP that's about as ready for national recognition as anything that's already got it); Manasota's Trip2Go (celebrating the release of their own full-length bid for FM hard-music supremacy); and R5-0 (who, rumor has it, are getting heavier and less power-poppy with every passing nanosecond). (Dec. 12, Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
FOLK FOR A DAY AT THE UU DOME One day, two shows: At 3 p.m., Karen Mal & Laurie McClain, two multi-instrumental singer-songwriters who became known individually as solo performers before meeting and deciding to team up for the occasional duo gig, will combine their award-winning voices and talents (17-year-old Tampa resident Kate Hays will open with a set of piano- and guitar-driven tunes). Then, at 7:30, violinist, guitarist, songwriter and avowed Canadian Lowry Olafson will present a set in which his originals share space with an eclectic assortment of holiday songs. Remember, folks — these are two separate shows, with two separate covers. If you try to hide in the UU Dome after one to avoid paying for the other, you will be found and scolded. (Dec. 12, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa)
THE PUNK ROCK SWAP-MEET It's the first of what the West Pasco Art Guild hopes will become a bi-weekly carnival of music, skateboarding and alt-lifestyle marketeering. Table space is free to any artists and/or activists interested in hawking their work or causes, though it's on a first-come, first-served basis; I imagine it's the same with the free pizza. At press time, a list of bands performing was unavailable, but you can call 727-842-8026 for more information. This thing goes down at 6427 U.S. 19 N. in New Port Richey; just look for the commotion. (Dec. 12, New Port Richey)
LEFTOVER CRACK W/DIVIDING FACTOR Frighteningly frenetic, schizophrenic New York act Leftover Crack came out of a vehemently D.I.Y. scene that staged its own shows out of a beloved, decrepit condemned building/squat; ostensibly, the veteran group plays a particularly crusty brand of ska-punk, but its sound is tinged with every under-the-radar punk style, from noisecore to ominous Goth-a-billy twang. (Dec. 12, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BURY YOUIR DEAD/SCARS OF TOMORROW/THE ACACIA STRAIN/REACHING WITHOUT ARMS/ BEAUTY IN CHAOS Yup, it's pretty much another one of them there disturbingly screamy and chaotic metalcore shows. This one deserves notice, however, both because rising West Coast outfit Scars of Tomorrow's got an interestingly machine-like execution, and because East Coast supergroup-of-sorts Bury Your Dead (former members of Hamartia, Blood Has Been Shed, Groundzero) seems to harbor a bizarre obsession with Tom Cruise — their debut was titled You Had Me At Hello, and every song on the new Victory Records release Cover Your Tracks is named after one of the smiley Scientologist's movies. Seriously. Every one. (Dec. 12, Orpheum, Ybor City)
GUISANDO CALIENTE This exciting Latin jazz quartet is pretty much jammed with notable members. Drummer John Jenkins is a recent New York transplant who's played with the likes of Dave Valentine, Sonny Fortune and Papo Pepin; Frank Peneiro, conga player for Tito Puente, Herbie Mann and others; bassist Maurisio Rodriguez, late of Cuba's Fervet Opus Latin Jazz Band; and amazing pianist Kenny Drew Jr., who's long been a favorite of jazz aficionados both locally and worldwide. The Al Downing Theater is located on the campus of Perkins Elementary School, at 2205 18th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg. (Dec. 12, Al Downing Theater, St. Petersburg)
BOB LIND After scoring a Top Ten hit in 1966 with "Elusive Butterfly," and although his voice and rapport with live-music audiences were quickly becoming legend, Lind walked away from the music-business spotlight; he never completely abandoned songwriting, but generally remained known only through the accolades and cover versions of others. It seems the itch to perform has returned to him, however, and this chance to see a reclusive icon of the singer-songwriter milieu is one of a handful heralding Lind's return to the stage. (Dec. 14, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
CLAY AIKEN If you think this admittedly vocally gifted, fresh-faced American Idol runner-up is cute in his big-boy suit, wait till you see him in the oversized elf costume. (Dec. 15, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
scott.harrell@weeklyplanet.com
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2004.