AVANT-QUIRKY
The eccentric Chadbourne has long been an EMIT favorite. The guitarist, banjoist, noisemaker and alleged singer brings a welcome sense of levity and silliness to the stage. Chadbourne is a formidable guitarist when he wants to be, but seems intent on subverting his more straight-faced playing. He also likes to croak out standards like "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Love For Sale." Fact is, you never know what you'll get when Chadbourne grabs his seat on stage, surrounded by various quasi-musical paraphernalia.
For this show, he'll be joined by seasoned drummer Han Bennink, a stalwart figure in European free jazz whose open-ended style complements Chadbourne's loopy muse. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might cover your ears a couple of times, but a Chadbourne set never fails to be entertaining.
Eugene Chadbourne & Han Bennink, Tues., Feb. 22, Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, $10, $8 for students and seniors.
-ERIC SNIDER
THURSDAY, FEB. 17
COUNTRY GOLD SALUTES GRAND OLE OPRY By now, the Florida State Fair is in full swing, which means it's time to trot out some entertainment more in keeping with the old-school 4-H end of things. The Grand Ole Opry has become something of a State Fair tradition. This year's installment features these headliners: country/gospel singer-songwriter Barbara Fairchild (who gave us "A Girl Who'll Satisfy Her Man" in '70) and Johnny Cash's younger brother Tommy, who backed Hank Williams, Jr. before seeing some chart success himself in the late '60s and early '70s. Other performers scheduled to appear include Jim Ed Brown, Leroy Van Dyke, and Rex Allen, Jr. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE WIYOS w/JUSTIN BECKLER Young New York-based trio The Wiyos works an old-time vaudeville/jug-band aesthetic – instrumentation includes washboard, kazoo, guitar and upright bass – that's reportedly been a hit with both hip young fans looking for something different, and older roots aficionados who appreciate a little authenticity. Could be a blast. St. Pete native Beckler's got an engaging jam-pop style, and his presence is equal parts humor and heart. (Jimmy Mac's, Tampa)<
FRIDAY, FEB. 18
MOTLEY CRUE Tommy, Nikki, Vince and that guy with the bad hip reconvene to celebrate a greatest hits collection, a forthcoming new album, and incipient bills. I'm not saying they haven't completely buried the hatchet, but I am saying I'm glad Tampa is one of the first stops of the tour – who knows what'll happen two weeks from now? Expect hits, hits and more hits, but don't expect the unexpected; most of these former Sunset Strip-scene pacesetters are clean and sober nowadays. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa)
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Sorry, kids. This semi-surprise performance by middling Goth/emo Warped Tour alumnus My Chemical Romance is sold out. Man, that's gotta be a harsh journal entry. Main show sponsor 97X is still giving away tickets at press time, however, so eject that Used CD and glue yourself to the radio if overwhelmingly generic Hot Topic-style post-millennial angst is your thing. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
LOVEDRUG/ARTHUR WOODALE/TIGERS/NORMANDY Lovedrug is a stylishly brooding indie-pop band that makes better use of some Old Wave influences than you might expect, given its members' youth. Lakeland's Arthur Woodale is a band, not a man, that rocks some dreamy, swirling shoegaze. As for the other two bands on this Christian post-punk bill, there are about a million groups with both of those names, but we're expecting more melancholy and/or dynamic pop-grounded after-the-emo catharsis. The Porch is located at 3920 S. Kings Ave. in Brandon. (The Porch, Brandon)
SISTER KILL CYCLE VIDEO SHOOT Tampa cyber-Goth spectacle/metal band/obvious Marilyn Manson fan-club Sister Kill Cycle is taping a video for its song "Nightmare Life," the first single from the forthcoming album United Slaves of Amerika. If you really want to stand out, be the guy who just comes in jeans and a T-shirt. Support comes courtesy of My Own Sin, A Broken Machine, KY Deity and Society's End. (Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
DALEK w/CYNE/THE V.O.I.D. There's a lot of innovation going on in indie hip-hop, but Newark's Dälek is still ahead of the game, crafting huge slabs of moody rhythm and topping them off with intelligent, culturally conscious poetry. It's huge and moving and scary, and you can still rock to it. Check out the Music Feature for more. Miami's Cyne is another rising underground hip-hop act fusing traditional elements of the genre to new perspectives, and Bay area audiences should be familiar with frequent live performers The V.O.I.D. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SUPERCHICK w/THE PAUL WRIGHT BAND/THIS DAY ON Eclectic Christian modern-rock act Superchick bucks scene trends by largely ignoring the currently hot emo/screamo/indie-pop sounds of the scene in favor of an unfortunately uneven mélange of ska, hard-pop and electro styles. The Paul Wright Band is similarly diverse, but more organic, jammy and easy on the ears. Tampa's own This Day On is completely in line with the contemporary underground/all-ages posi-core scene – catchy, edgy, heartfelt and slightly emo-ed out. (First Baptist Church of Pinellas Park, Pinellas Park)
DELBERT MCCLINTON The 64-year-old native of Lubbock, Texas, has earned semi-legendary status in the field of roadhouse R&B. Before he emerged as a frontman in the '70s, he played harmonica behind such blues legends as Howlin' Wolf, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Jimmy Reed. As a resume-builder, that'll do. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa) -Eric Snider
PAT GREEN This country artist comes from the Texas Troubadour tradition of Robert Earl Keen and Jerry Jeff Walker. The big difference is that he sells: Green's 2003 album Wave on Wave entered the Billboard Country chart at No. 2. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -ES
SATURDAY, FEB. 19
THE SECOND ANNUAL ROCKABILLY RUCKUS One of the newer annual Skipper's/WMNF traditions rolls around again to fill the Skipperdome with thumping upright bass and reverbed twang. This year's players include The Dempsys, Cigar Store Indians, Hot Rod Walt and The Psycho Devilles, The Slip and Spinouts, The Downshifters, and Midnight Bowlers. I've got some nice Aveda pomade at home, if anyone needs it. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUNDAY, FEB. 20
THE SIXTH ANNUAL BREWERS' BALL FEAT. THE LEE BOYS Another yearly Skipper's to-do, this one adding to great music the chance to sample Florida's best micro-brewed beverages and some great food to boot. This Ball's entertainment is particularly good stuff – The Lee Boys ply a compelling spiritual mix of singalong gospel and "sacred steel" musicianship in the tradition of Robert Randolph and The Family Band. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
TALES FROM FLORIDA FOLK The parade of quality folk and singer-songwriter shows in the vein of the "Keeping Company with Donna Klein" series continues at a great venue that's once again seeing the regular use it deserves. Donna Klein will indeed be keeping company – Hickman regular Lorna Bracewell, Kelly Green, and Mike Jurgensen, specifically. (Catherine A. Hickman Theatre, Gulfport)
WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE TROUPE BENEFIT Lauded south-of-the-Skyway arts and entertainment group the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe celebrates Black History Month while raising a little operating capital to boot. Tonight's program is a mixed bag featuring music, dance and theater; the musical headliner is jazz pianist and vocalist Lillette Jenkins-Wisener. Reservations are required; the Glenridge Performing Arts Center is located in Sarasota's Palmer Ranch, at 7333 Scotland Way. For more information, call 941-552-5298. (Glenridge Performing Arts Center, Sarasota)
SNMNMNM Chapel Hill's SNMNMNM uses classical training, unusual instrumentation and a hefty dose of smart, funny irreverence to produce a truly singular musical experience. (That probably sounds like a line lifted from the bio, but it isn't, I swear.) Tubas, trombones, and accordions join a guitar-and-drums fray that both incorporates and deconstructs traditional pop-songwriting hallmarks. (The Tamiami @ Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
MONDAY, FEB. 21
NEWSBOYS Long-running pop-rock act Newsboys earned some crossover status in the late '90s, when bands like DC Talk broke through, but they've always been one of the top acts on the Christian Contemporary scene. The band has scored numerous Number Ones on Christian music charts, and sold more than 5 million records over the course of the last decade or so. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
TUESDAY, FEB. 22
STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO/VOODOO GLOW SKULLS/MU330 Two years ago, we would've said that these ska-punk outfits deserved praise for continuing to service the hardcore fans after the genre all but disappeared from the scene. But it's just not true anymore, as ska-inflected styles seem to be making one hell of a comeback. In the cases of VGS and MU330, though, don't call it that – they've been here for years. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23
JUANES Rock en Espanol superstar/multiple Latin Grammy winner/heartthrob Juanes has moved noticeably away from the seminal sounds of his native Colombia, but still manages to keep the sexy rhythms around; his latest album, Mi Sangre, deftly imbues some fairly innocuous Adult Alternative songwriting and production with just enough sweaty syncopation to rise above. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
EXIES This L.A. quartet has been dismissed as yet another in a seemingly endless string of Nirvana knockoffs. To these ears, there's a pretty strong Stone Temple Pilots feel to The Exies' sound, which, come to think of it, just might bolster the Nirvana rip-off angle. (Orpheum, Ybor City) -ES
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2005.