THURSDAY, FEB. 03
STEEL PULSE This harmony-heavy reggae outfit from England was spawned from the same cultural spasm that birthed The Clash, The Strangers and the Police. After concentrating on pop crossover for the better part of two decades, Steel Pulse returned to the socially conscious roots orientation of Jamaican reggae in the last few years. Their latest disc, last year's African Holocaust, is a case in point. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -Eric Snider
THE TOASTERS w/THE SUPERVILLAINS/RUDESQUAD/THE COHORTS The Toasters are America's longest running ska act; they were a major influence on the '90s Third Wave ska-punk trend, but are much, much better than all of those bands, mostly eschewing a youth-marketing edge in favor of a blend of roots-reverent rhythms and funky, jazzy eclectica. Finally, Jagermeister is sponsoring non-metal bands. A trio of Florida acts provides support: Orlando's Supervillains, long-running Pinellas favorites RudeSquad, and new arrivals The Cohorts, who count nutty-ass Fang Shooey bassist Mitchy B. among their ranks. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BARRY & HOLLY TASHIAN w/MIKE O'NEILL The Tashians are a pair of songwriters in the old-school mode, collaborating to create a timeless blend of country, folk and roots music. Pre-hookup, Barry Tashian fronted the legendary Barry & The Remains; post-hookup, the duo's '90 album Harmony was nominated for a Nashville Music Awards Bluegrass Album of the Year prize. Unrequited Loves frontman Mike O'Neill, whose jangly poetic style manages to sound simultaneously collegiate and heartfelt, opens. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
FRIDAY, FEB. 04
HARRY DASH CD RELEASE PARTY Pasco County's hardest working pop-rock foursome has yet another accomplishment to add to its lengthy collective resume: the video for their song "Sugar High" was selected for inclusion on this year's Can't Dance DVD compilation, an industry marketing sampler that gets handed out at big-time events like The Sundance Film Festival. But the band's not resting on its laurels. Tonight marks the release of its latest CD, Momentum. The addition of DC North, Annie on Distortion, and one of my favorites, The Human Echo, make this a damn fine local rock bill. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
ACOUSTIC SYNDICATE This North Carolina-based jam/jazz/bluegrass family affair brings its tight harmonies and instrumental prowess to town in support of last October's Long Way Round. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
LIL SCRAPPY Lil' Scrappy hails from Atlanta, where some enterprising label types first scoped the young MC holding a monster crowd of his high-school peers in thrall. A deal with the BME label and a record steeped in the bouncy Southern sound soon followed. (USF Special Events Center, Tampa)
DEBUSSY STRING QUARTET Lyon, France's finest (and the winner of a battle of the bands you probably didn't know existed, the Evian International String Quartet Competition) deliver a highbrow program of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
TSUNAMI RELIEF BENEFIT This is just the first of a fusillade of upcoming shows aimed at raising some relief cash for the stricken Indian Ocean Basin. Represent, people. This is a particularly good local show in any case, spanning the spectrum from hardcore to indie hip-hop; it's not like you gotta listen to crap in the name of doing your part. The lineup: Tribal Style, this week's cover boys The Beauvilles, Red Tide, This Day On, Surreal & DJ Balance (of Double Helix fame), Clenchfist, Science-Non-Fiction, Johnny Utah, gleeful rock troublemakers The Standing Shadows, and DJ Blenda. I can't recommend it enough. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS/BLUES PIG/TIM DORSEY BOOK SIGNING Call it a harmonic convergence. Thanks, Skipper's and Suncoast Blues Society. Not only do you get some smokin' blues, but come early enough, and you also get a chance to render your copy of Floridian author Tim Dorsey's Torpedo Juice instantly eBay-worthy, courtesy of the man himself. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MASON JENNINGS w/THE HUMAN CONDITION/THE CUBAN SANDWICH CRISIS Rootsy singer-songwriter Jennings started playing originals live as a youngster, and has since built a loyal following the old-fashioned way – one show at a time. It's starting to pay off; the insurgent-country bible No Depression praised his latest, Use Your Voice, and the album inspired a new tour documentary titled Use Your Van. Supporting Jennings on this particular date are a couple of earthy, strummy pop ensembles from the area, The Human Condition and The Cuban Sandwich Crisis, the latter of which is slowly but encouragingly recovering from a bout of cover gig-itis. (Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
SATURDAY, FEB. 05
SCREW MUSIC FOREVER PRESENTS COME THE FREAK ON Ten years ago, some local musicians decided to turn the logo they'd been stamping on art-pop act Home's cassette releases into a true record label, and released a split 7-inch featuring Home and the brilliantly experimental Bay area trio Ima. Since then, the Screw Music Forever imprint has appeared on its fair share of records, but more than anything, it serves as a force to both unify a cadre of philosophically kindred (and mostly Tampa-bred) artists, and cross-promote their various works. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of that first SMF offering, the co-op is bringing its biannual festival of fringe music (traditionally held in Brooklyn), er, home. Says Brian Repetto, SMF co-founder and singer for long-running Tampa iconoclasts Dumbwaiters, "it's a mixture of the old-school bands everybody remembers, and all of the new projects." The lineup, so far: Home, The Unrequited Loves, Baby Robots, Leels, Dumbwaiters, Errant Strike, Shittalker, Nut Tank, Jarvic 7, and Bound. Things kick off at 6 p.m. Expect excellence. For more on Dumbwatiers, check out this issue's Music feature; for more on Screw Music Forever, hit 'em up at www.screwmusicforever.com. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
STRIKE ANYWHERE w/THE UNSEEN/THE LOVED ONES/NEGLECTED SUPERHERO Richmond, Va.'s finest purveyors of socially conscious hardcore just keep on coming; the latest Strike Anywhere salvo is a collection of old and rare material called To Live in Discontent, out on Jade Tree. The Unseen is a hardcore act from Boston, and on Anti-Flag's AF Records imprint; that should tell you everything you need to know about how simple, fast and pissed off those guys can be. Philly's The Loved Ones features guys from the awesome Kid Dynamite, as well as Trial by Fire and Paint It Black, and Neglected Superhero holds it down for the hometown. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
HAMMELL ON TRIAL w/HARRY HAYWARD/CRASH MITCHELL Singer-songwriter Ed Hammell is a rare find in the genre – somebody who's clever and talented, but would rather sweat gallons and get off some great one-liners in the name of putting on a good show than take himself too seriously. Not that he's not serious, mind you; he's just funny as hell, too. Harry Hayward, who plays drums for Ronny Elliott & The Nationals when not confusing acoustic-show crowds, is just plain crazy, and I mean that in the best way possible. Then there's Crash, who's not crazy so much as he's just a nice guy who likes to beat on his guitar and yell about crazy stuff. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
TSUNAMI BENEFIT FEAT. FIASCO/THE HUMAN CONDITION/STONE SOUP A veritable ass-ton of local entertainment is on hand for this truly worthwhile benefit show. Local ska band Fiasco is joined by New College neo-hippie folk act Stone Soup, Latin group Dulce, Led Zeppelin-influenced band The Human Condition (highly recommended), shit-stirring acoustic rocker Rayzor, and a selection of folk, punk and metal acts. The acoustic-flavored bands perform behind Big E's Coffeehouse at 2805 N. Tamiami Trail, while the rough stuff takes place behind S&M Tattoos (where there's also rumored to be barbecue), at 1805 N. Tamiami Trial. (S&M Tattoos/Big E's, Sarasota) -Mark Sanders
BILL DEASY Before he penned and performed the well-recognized theme music to Good Morning America, Bill Deasy was a struggling singer-songwriter with roots-rockers The Gathering Field. That band's brush with stardom came when they signed with Atlantic back in the mid-'90s, only to fizzle out when Deasy began composing material for a solo release. He started writing songs with better-known adult contemporary artists Bijou Phillips and Kim Richey, and has since released a couple albums under his own name. This performance is a benefit show of sorts – third year students from the venerable FSU/Asolo Conservatory are saving up money to go to New York, and proceeds of this show will help them get there. (Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, Sarasota) -MS
HERMAN'S HERMITS Back in the mid-'60s, when young America was stricken with a wave of Anglophilia because of the Beatles, Herman's Hermits scored a number of huge hits built around the Mersey Beat sound. Whereas most Brit-rockers concealed their accents, head Hermit Peter Noone played it up, especially on the novelty number "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." The band made some good records as well, most notably Silhouettes and There's a Kind of Hush. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) -ES
SUNDAY, FEB. 06
RELIENT K w/MAE/NAME TAKEN Expect to see more and more highly touted Christian punk/indie/post-pop artists hitting town as Orlando's annual Cornerstone Festival draws nigh. Relient K is one of those, a fast 'n' catchy pop-punk act from Ohio whose latest record was produced by Mark Townsend of once-huge Contemporary Christian rockers DC Talk. Mae throws more shoegaze and sophisti-pop influences into the mix, while Name Taken bridges the gap – that means they're, you know, emo. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
MONDAY, FEB. 07
ALLISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION She came along in the '90s and proved that bluegrass wasn't just for shitkickers, hayseeds and graying hippies. Not only did she have serious fiddle chops, but also an angelic voice that could wrap around a ballad as effectively as something out of the Orange Blossom Special handbook. Without even trying, she became a true crossover artist. The shy teenager that burst on the scene is now a sophisticated woman with her own sense of glamour. Her band showcases soloist Jerry Douglas, a dobro master. Check out a feature on him on page 51. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) -ES
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 09
STILL ON THE HILL/MAGGIE PIERCE & EJ Husband-and-wife team Donna Henschell and Kelly Mulholland are Arkansas' Still on the Hill, a multi-instrumental acoustic roots act that specializes in a folky hybrid of seminal Ozark and Appalachian styles. You should be familiar with Skipper's, WMNF and TAFFEE favorites Maggie Pierce & EJ by now – this entertaining act frequently graces the Bay area with its presence, and blends everything from folk to electrified '70s rock. (Jimmy Mac's, Tampa)
YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND w/THE DEL MCCOURY BAND Exactly which way is yonder? And I know you can go down yonder, but can you also go up yonder? OK, I digress. In the case of YMSB, yonder is Colorado, where the neo-bluegrass group formed in 1998. Del McCoury has the more authentic pedigree, having been a member of Bill Monroe's band in the '60s. He and his group scored critical kudos for their collaborations with Steve Earle. For you fans of a-pickin'-and-a-grinnin', you can't do much better than this, outside of one of those electricity-hating bluegrass festivals held in the sticks. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -ES
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2005.