THURSDAY, MARCH 02
THE VERONICAS w/OCTOBER FALL Those crazy young girls in The Veronicas, who look all punk but are really all pop, return to town. Chicago's buzzy October Fall — an unabashedly pandering outfit that's equal parts Simple Plan, Backstreet Boys and sub-par Koufax — provides support. This is what happens when two 15-year-olds bump into each other at the mall, and one gets sixth-generation emo all over the other's teen-pop. Somebody's gonna be rich. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS Cool little story: When I was a kid in the '60s, my mom informed me that my second or third cousin was a member of Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Forget that Gary Lewis & the Playboys churned out treacly pop confections like "This Diamond Ring" and "Count Me In," it was just neat having kin in a national "rock" band. Now the not-so-cool part: My cousin played the accordion (at a time when the instrument was associated with Lawrence Welk, not Los Lobos). This engagement runs through Fri., March 5. (Busch Gardens, Tampa) Eric Snider
PHIX Tribute bands are becoming all the rage, and Phix is no exception, especially considering that its members draw from the huge, dedicated group of followers otherwise known as Phish-heads. Since Phish is no longer touring (or even together for that matter), Phix may be the next best thing. The Boulder, Colo., band can play Phish compositions perfectly, note for note, but don't go expecting to see face-melting jams like those produced by Phish — you'll surely leave disappointed. (The Bank, St. Petersburg) Leilani Polk
FRIDAY, MARCH 03
THE STARTING LINE/COPELAND/CARTEL/GATSBY'S AMERICAN DREAM/THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS Every color of the punk-pop/emo/emo-pop/screamo-lite rainbow is represented at this, the all-ages show of the week. The highlight is Copeland, a band that puts a slightly more complex and original spin on catchy, punk-infused indie-rock than most. The lowlights are veteran act The Starting Line — one of the first bands to serve as evidence that the pop-punk bandwagon was officially crowded beyond capacity — and new Virgin Records signing The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, a Hot Topic casualty from Jacksonville that apparently can't be bothered to pull a single new idea out from under its wonderfully timely haircuts. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
MELISSA FERRICK w/GLEN PHILLIPS You should already know all about gifted, compelling post-folk singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick by now, so let's move on to the special guest. If Glen Phillips' name sounds familiar, it's probably because he was the lead singer for Toad The Wet Sprocket before going on to release a string of critically acclaimed solo albums, of which the eminently listenable Mr. Lemons will become the latest when it's released in May. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
PETE & WAYNE While billed as a comedy/music act, this Key West-based duo is basically a pair of musicians who have taken in a little too much Howard Stern and Girls Gone Wild videos. Jokes on the pair's website revolve around a handful of truly groundbreaking subjects: penises, beer and tits. Yes, Pete and Wayne are just like those overgrown frat boys everyone knows, the kind of people who think they're edgy and an affront to political correctness, when in fact their shtick is the most tame, conformist and flat-out boring thing around. In a nutshell, these guys have absolutely fucking nothing to say. Second show on Sat., March 4. (Beach Club, Sarasota) Cooper Lane Baker
ANNE FEENEY w/JIM GLOVER Woody Guthrie may be the archetype of the artist and activist entwined in one person. The man recorded children's songs, love songs and all the rest, but he was never above telling stories that needed to be told, about mine workers and fascists and all kinds of people. Feeney pays homage to Guthrie's history as both a songwriter and activist, shining a spotlight on issues such as unions and labor. OK, you're skeptical: How good can a jam about deregulation sound? I found out that a song about Reagan gutting OSHA could sound a hell of a lot better than you'd think. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) CLB
SATURDAY, MARCH 04
LEON REDBONE Probably this guy's biggest accomplishment is keeping his real identity hidden for so many years — then again, no one has really cared much since the '70s. Redbone sits on a stool, clad in a Panama hat, and frog-sings his way through old blues, jazz and Tin Pan Alley numbers. His shtick wore thin decades ago. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa) ES
STEPHEN PEARCY/BULLETBOYS/BANG TANGO Frontman Pearcy presided over the '80s heyday of iconic hair-metal act Ratt. Some of the other guys are currently using that name, but don't worry, you'll get plenty of the familiar old-school stuff from Pearcy's band tonight. Along for the ride are BulletBoys, a band that briefly made a career out of aping the shit out of early Van Halen, and Bang Tango, a band that even more briefly made a career out of aping the shit out of The Cult. I own albums by all three of these bands, by the way. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
USF RESIDENT ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS JAMES WILSON The school up on Fowler is showcasing the talent in its classical-music faculty with this resident series. This edition features Wilson on "horn" (I presume there is a classical instrument just called "horn"), and there was no information on whether he would have accompaniment or not. Wilson will play music by Robert Schumann, Klement Slavicky and Gordon Jacob. (FAH 1, USF Tampa Campus) ES
ROY BOOK BINDER Book Binder came of age as a musician in Greenwich Village after Bob Dylan split, with tunesmith idols like Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Dave Van Ronk. Roy has always skewed more blues, though, with a specialty in Carolina style, which sounds more like acoustic folk than the 12-bar stuff. Book Binder accompanies himself on acoustic guitar, with his voice relaxed but strong. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) CLB
SENSORY OVERLOAD It's an assaultive, Planet-backed multimedia art blitzkrieg. There's too much going to mention here, so we'll just highlight the quality local and regional music in attendance: Soulfound, Summerbirds in the Cellar, Tribal Style, Trans-Mission and The Same perform, along with a slew of great local DJs. For more info, check out this week's Planet Picks or log onto our website. (Cuban Club, Ybor City)
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: BULLSTOCK '06 While the Tampa campus gets all jazzy, USF's St. Pete campus hosts what's sure to be a fairly rock, pop and/or jam-centric battle of the bands. Unfortunately, the 12 high school and college-age participants hadn't been selected by press time, but stroll on down to the campus' Harborside Lawn this afternoon, and you're sure to get an earful of local color. For more info, log on to www.stpt.usf.edu/studentlife. (University of South Florida, St. Petersburg)
14TH ANNUAL HARBOR SOUNDS SEAFOOD & MUSIC FESTIVAL Safety Harbor's yearly two-day food 'n' tunes shindig kicks off today with a tribute-heavy slate (Live & Let Die, The Shaguars, The Wholigans, Satisfaction and Pocket Change), and continues tomorrow with a classic pop and rock bill — Dukes of Juke, The Mod Squad and The Big Z Band warm up — headlined by the R&B-influenced early-'60s bubblegum act Joey Dee & The Starliters. (Safety Harbor Marina, Safety Harbor)
SUNDAY, MARCH 05
SNOCORE TOUR 2006 The once-innovative but lately disappointing heavy-music tour known as SnoCore (it originally had something to do with snowboarding and/or gum that made the inside of your mouth cold, or something) hits a new low. This year's headliners are Seether and Shinedown, a couple of generic, plodding outfits still flogging the mundane post-grunge, classic-rock style that connects Creed to Nickelback. Texas' heavy female-fronted Flyleaf sounds positively fresh by comparison, and edges out another new co-ed unit, the sludgy, soulful Halestorm, to achieve the dubious honor of Practically the Only Reason to Be Interested. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
MONDAY, MARCH 06
JAMES TAYLOR For high school guys in the early '70s, Taylor's Sweet Baby James was seduction music of the first order. That syrupy voice; oh, that vulnerability. Taylor's always been at his best in the folk/soft-rock milieu; his forays into blues and attempts to rock out have sounded forced, even fake. I saw the man once, and he turned the Ice Palace into a living room, with exquisite sound, merciful volume and a relaxed, charming stage demeanor. And he played enough songs from Sweet Baby James to make me happy. Ruth Eckerd is a far better venue for Taylor, and the show should be all the more intimate. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) ES
REGGIE & THE FULL EFFECT/FLUXUATIN/COMMON DENOMINATOR What started as a tongue-in-cheek Get Up Kids side project has become an ironic hit — Reggie & The Full Effect's amalgam of cheesy synth-pop and hilarious metal just keeps on keepin' on. Main Reggie James Dewees apparently also DJs under the alter-ego-of-an-alter-ego Fluxuation, and, while we hate to ruin the surprise, Common Denominator is not really a Finnish death metal band but rather R&TFE's evil, chunking twin. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
TUESDAY, MARCH 07
DROPKICK MURPHYS/SICK OF IT ALL/THE HORRORPOPS/THE TOSSERS Boston's Celt-tinged punk legends move up from the State to Jannus, and deservedly so. The Murphys are heading up one of the most disparate but uniformly excellent touring punk shows in recent memory; in addition to their unifying all-for-one stomp, you also get iconic proto-metalcore outfit Sick of It All, an act celebrating its 20th year (and the few songs I've heard from the band's upcoming LP Death to Tyrants hint strongly at a return to top form). Throw in awesome Danish pop-psychobilly combo The Horrorpops and simply incomparable Chicago Celt-rockers The Tossers (for more on them, check out this week's Music Feature), and we're looking at a top-to-bottom treat. The only problem is figuring out when to run for a beer or a tinkle. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
PAUL GEREMIA w/TOBY BONAR Talented, agile fingerpicking and slide man Geremia shows off again in the Bay area. In addition to the accolades he's garnered as a songwriter, Geremia is also considered something of a living exhibition of American blues styles. Roy Book Binder acolyte Toby Bonar opens. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
LINCOLN CONSPIRACY It's been years since this keyboard-driven brainy-pop unit was based in the Bay area, but its members manage to grace us with a tour stop every year or so. The Conspiracy's latest effort, a single called "Our Blue Sky is Not Falling Down," showcases a group ever more at ease with spinning out sophisticated, evocative pop. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 08
THROWDOWN/THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER/THE RED CHORD/THE AGONY SCENE
Uuuurrrrrrgggggghhhhhhaaaarrrrrrgggggghhh! More death/metal/core/deathmetalcore, this time from some of the best known, and just plain best, in the business. Long-running California mosh-core act Throwdown is the headliner, and The Red Chord is the hip crossover up-and-comer, but for my money, it's The Black Dahlia Murder's nearly perfect version of technical, brutal old-school death metal that puts this show over the top. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2006.