THURSDAY, MARCH 30
PAUL OAKENFOLD One of the most instantly recognizable names in DJ-dom, Oakenfold was instrumental in breaking British house music to a worldwide audience. Then, he did a song with Crazy Town, and if that's not jumping the shark, I've got no idea what is. (Amphitheater, Ybor City)
SKID ROW/QUIET RIOT Dude! Remember, back in '90, when you were trying to get with that girl who was friends with your roommate's girlfriend, and "I Remember You" came on the radio and she started crying and talking about her ex-boyfriend, and then she got sick and you held her hand while she threw up wine coolers, then she wanted to kiss you with wine-cooler-vomit breath? Dude, that was gnarly. Anyway, one of these bands did that song. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
JANIS IAN In 1967, as a 16-year-old, Ian watched her song "Society's Child," about an interracial romance, climb to No. 14 on the pop charts. Eight years later, she reached No. 3 with the ugly-duckling rumination "At Seventeen." Her book of songs has expanded considerably in the years since, but her introspective folk sound has yielded no further hits. Ian also plays Pinellas County's Largo Cultural Center on Fri., March 31 (Flanzer Jewish Community Center, Sarasota) Eric Snider
FRIDAY, MARCH 31
THE GO-GOS Yep, the girls are back together for yet another reunion tour. Don't dwell on the druggy backstage video footage that turned up several years ago, or whether or not that was really Belinda Carlisle's body in Playboy — just show up and pogo to some of the catchiest New Wave/pop tunes ever written. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
JIMBO MATHUS & KNOCKDOWN SOUTH The former member of Squirrel Nut Zippers — who relocated to his boyhood turf of Clarskdale, Miss. a few years ago, opened a studio and started his own label — has concocted a far-reaching, hardscrabble roots sound that includes everything from swamp-pop to gritty R&B to honky-tonk country. The cat is one of a kind. Jimbo will also hit Bradenton's Fogartyville Café on Sun., April 2. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) ES
DAN HICKS & THE HOT LICKS w/IMPROMPTU Former drummer and psychedelic-rock innovator Dan Hicks has been plying eclectic, entertaining, acoustic-driven jazz/folk/cabaret/R&B with some version of The Hot Licks, on and off, since the late '60s. His latest album, Selected Shorts, is a great listen that puts material Hicks has written over the years together with such guest performers as Willie Nelson, Van Dyke Parks, Gibby Haynes and, uh, Jimmy Buffett. For more on Hicks, check out this week's music feature. Guitarist Larry Camp's "gypsy jazz" ensemble, Impromptu, opens up. Oh, and all you Manasota fans can catch him at Sarasota's Players Theatre on Sun., April 2. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DAVE PITTENGER New York City singer-songwriter Dave Pittenger continues to make a name for himself the hard way — by putting out his records on tiny labels and piling his band into the van. The sounds lie somewhere between straight-up rock and jammier fare. (The Junction, Clearwater)
JIGSAW JUGBAND We've seen every other kind of rustic folk revival around these parts, why not jug band? The genre was born out of broke-ass necessity, with an emphasis on making music out of whatever the hell was around. The jug itself? Full of whiskey, of course. This local group of musicians is anchored by folkster Ishmael Katz, but is really an off-the-cuff hoedown rather than a strictly defined band. Just don't bring any of those bottles marked "XXX" on the outside. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) —Cooper Lane Baker
SATURDAY, APRIL 01
TRACY LAWRENCE C&W star Lawrence spent most of the '90s working the slightly more rocking honky-tonk side of the pop-country street. He scored an impressive number of Top 10 hits, including "Can't Break It to My Heart," "If The Good Die Young," "As Any Fool Can See" and "Time Marches On," before a conviction on spousal abuse charges in '98 signaled the beginning of the end of his status as a ubiquitous hitmaker. (The Lakeland Center, Lakeland)
THE CODETALKERS The venerable Col. Bruce Hampton and primary songwriter Bobby Lee Rodgers take turns on lead guitar in music that combines bluegrass, jazz, country-swing and blues, although it'd be wrong to imply that they never change up the pace. A 90-minute set could feature anything from hard Southern rock to spicy Latin grooves to catchy pop numbers, most featuring Rodgers' typically perverse lyrics. The Ga.-based rockers are a mainstay of the Southeast, and tonight's show marks their debut at The Bank Nightclub and Concert Venue; Earth Bombs Mars opens. (The Bank, St. Petersburg) Leilani Polk
WILL HOGE Hoge is a relative newcomer to the national scene, but he's a dogged road warrior — this is his, what, third St. Pete appearance in the last year and a half or so? We're gonna have to put him up there next to Yellowcard, The Reverend Horton Heat and Suicide Machines on the "Played The State The Most Times" board in another year or two. Anyhoo, Hoge plays a straightforward, Americana-tinged brand of everyman rock. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE FIXX w/AUDITORIUM The '80s group that brought you "Red Skies," "One Thing Leads to Another" and "Saved by Zero" makes what seems like an annual Bay area stop. The band's last studio effort, Want That Life, appeared in '03, after a four-year hiatus from the studio during which The Fixx firmly established itself as a viable touring nostalgia outfit. Auditorium, the layered modern-rock combo fronted by the Planet's own Joran Slane Oppelt, provides support. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
MONKEYSHINE MUSIC FESTIVAL Tampa "roots fusion" ensemble Middle Rhythm Session has held a couple of these outdoor campin' 'n' concert parties at its 70-acre "Crooked Tree" property; word has it they're a total blast, provided you're down with sounds regularly tossed under the jam-scene umbrella. For this weekend's overnight fest, MRS is joined by New Orleans' noted Papa Grows Funk, as well as an enigmatic conglomerate known as The Burnin' Smyrnans. The gates open at noon on Saturday, and admission is $15; for directions to Crooked Tree (here's a hint: you're gonna drive for about an hour), check out www.middlerhythmsession.com. (Crooked Tree)
THE HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG Yeah, we know the incessant noise and pall of grease-smoke descended upon our beloved city on the 31st. But the real entertainment kicks in today, when Mr. E Street Sopranos himself, Little Steven Van Zandt, brings a live version of his lauded Underground Garage radio show to the Prix's Seminole Hard Rock Stage. Five killer bands — The Romantics, The Fleshtones, The Forty-Fives (hell yeah!), The Charms (hell yeah also!) and The Shazams — will perform. Oh, and Hoobastank plays the closing ceremony tomorrow night, but who cares? Hoobastank is, um, not very good. Remember, you've gotta get tickets to the Grand Prix proper to avail yourself of its entertainment possibilities. Check out www.gpstpete.com for the full skinny. (Honda Grand Prix, Downtown St. Petersburg)
ASTRONAUTALIS/SCIENCE-NON-FICTION Part of the Model Citizens collective from over in Orlando, Astro has developed quite a local rep for his incredible freestyle abilities. He eagerly asks the crowd for a topic to rap about it. Requests range from "bitches 'n' hos" to "Chinese food," and Astro has a peerless ability to take on anything, no matter how bizarre or obscure. It is truly something to behold. Spend some time brainstorming some topics to flummox him with. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) CLB
SUNDAY, APRIL 02
ERIC LINDELL CD RELEASE PARTY It's OK if you haven't heard of Eric Lindell, but know this: He's played the main stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival a few times. They don't put you up there if you suck. A former skate punk who was raised in Northern California, Lindell did a quick stopover in New York before heading to the Crescent City in '99 to hone his sound. He possesses a passionate, blue-eyed soul voice, and is accomplished on guitar, harmonica and keyboards. Lindell and his band celebrate their Alligator Records debut, Change in the Weather, at a CD release party in Tampa. Here's a chance to get in on the ground floor with an act that might well become a Tampa Bay favorite in the months and years to come. Show starts at 5 p.m. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) ES
VINCE HERMAN/HACKENSAW BOYS/LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE Herman's best known as the vocalist, guitarist and washboard player for Colorado jam-grass forerunner Leftover Salmon. That band's website hasn't been updated since April of last year — can you say hiatus? — but Herman has kept busy blending his love of Cajun and bluegrass into acoustic Americana and roots music. As this is the only Florida date for this lineup (Herman's on his way back from Jamaica), expect it to be packed. Hackensaw Boys are young Virginia guys who sing and play old Virginia mountain music, while Larry Keel mixes up all manner of hill, country and hill-country styles. (The Bank, St. Petersburg)
USF RESIDENT ARTIST SERIES FEAT. TOM BRANTLEY & COREY HOLT-MERENDA USF continues its series that showcases faculty members, this time pairing trombonist Brantley with pianist Holt-Merenda. Material cuts a broad swath, from Leopold Mozart to Hoagie Carmichael to local composer Paul Reller (late of Clang, as is Holt-Merenda) (FAH 101, USF Tampa Campus) ES
NOTHING PROMISE CD RELEASE PARTY Long-running Tampa doom/sludge-core act Nothing Promise has a new EP, Volume Four, coming out, which is weird, 'cause I think it's the band's third record. Volume Four is a jagged, brutal exercise in wanting to hurt people, and it's pretty awesome. Helping Nothing Promise usher it into the world of the living are Of Angels, Gravediggers and Fall to Prey. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MONDAY, APRIL 03
A CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES The Florida Orchestra brings back this show that pairs members of the Broadway cast of Beatlemania with a symphonic backdrop. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa) ES
TUESDAY, APRIL 04
KING'S X W/MARDO As the '80s became the '90s, anthemic, vaguely proggy trio King's X owned one of the freshest sounds to enjoy regular rotation on radio and MTV. The group's star has faded considerably since then, but they're still nice, talented guys making music on their own terms. Mardo is the latest unit to hang on to the coattails of the receding garage/retro-rock trend; the band plays serviceable tunes, and conceal power-pop swagger under the rock 'n' roll sneer. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
EMIT PRESENTS GUSTAVO MATMOROS & CHARLES RECHER Sometimes Emit shows are jazz, sometimes they're world, sometimes they're a combination of a lot of stuff. And then sometimes they're just flat-out experimental — like this event featuring Matamoros, an avant-garde composer and sound installation artist (and Bonk regular), and Recher, an expert in multi-media installations who has created more than a hundred films and videos. Wish I could tell you how this performance will play out, but I don't know. Then again, not knowing is part of the fun. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg) ES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 05
THE SOUNDS w/MORNINGWOOD/ACTION ACTION Female-fronted Swedish disco/New Wave act The Sounds' 2003 debut Living in America was a sugary little gumdrop of pop goodness, but the band never really caught on like so many of its retro-synthy contemporaries did. The group's got a brand new, harder and more danceable, sophomore disc out; it's called Dying to Say This to You. Its cover subtly suggests teenage lesbianism, and if marketed correctly, it might put 'em up there with She Wants Revenge on the buzz-o-meter. New York's Morningwood is even more tooth-decayingly sweet, but still impossibly listenable, while Long Island's Action Action rocks a harder, more self-consciously hipster-friendly sound. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2006.