THURSDAY, OCT. 06
DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ Straight outa the ATL — westside, y'all — comes this surging rap act discovered by Jermaine Dupri. Dem Franchize Boyz specialize in car-shakin' beats and celebrations of urban life. Their infectious single "I Think They Like Me (Remix)" has burned up the Southeast, and is on the verge of entering national Top 10 airplay. Da Boyz stop by Tampa as part of a promotional tour through the Southeast, giving local fans a chance to get a taste early. (Club Fuel, Ybor City) ERIC SNIDER
FRIDAY, OCT. 07
THE SUBDUDES The soulful Subdudes threw many of the influences of their native New Orleans together, and spent a large chunk of the late '80s and early '90s as unusually eclectic and R&B-influenced members of the college-rock fringe. The band's albums display both the mature talents of seasoned players and an immaculate taste in covers; expect a new one this coming spring. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
PUNK TURNS 30: AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOS BY THERESA KEREAKES Storied photographer Kereakes captured the emergence of New York City's embryonic punk, New Wave and No Waves scenes; you may not know her name, but stop by this after-hours (10 p.m.) exhibition and meet-and-greet, and you'll recognize iconic images from the likes of Creem, Rolling Stone and various album jackets. (Vinyl Fever, Tampa)
THE HEARTLESS BASTARDS Attention, blues punks: Dayton's Heartless Bastards are signed to raw, muddy Fat Possum Records, and if that's not enough to entice you, they know The Black Keys, too. Singer-guitarist Erika Wennerstrom leads her combo through some seriously high-volume, low-maintenance rock 'n' roll. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
PANAMA RED This guy's got an excellent voice for the folk-rock he plays: smooth but with a touch of gravel. The songs are stripped down and straightforward, filled out with the occasional saxophone wail. Lyrically, he doesn't have much to say, but when you've got a way with tunes, listeners can forgive you pretty easily. (Stir the Soul, Venice) COOPER LANE BAKER
STONE SOUP With everybody in the band back in town for the first time in months, Stone Soup makes its reentry to the scene. There's no word on whether the time away has changed the musical approach of the group, but, generally speaking, Stone Soup blends folk and rock, doused with an earth-mama vibe. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) CLB
SATURDAY, OCT. 08
LIZ PHAIR w/MATT POND PA I don't recall Liz Phair playing this market, and if she did, I missed it. So I'm excited. The former indie-pop artist took a shot at stardom with 2003's Liz Phair CD, and she suffered the expected backlash. (For the record, I kind of liked the disc, but then again I'm not a disaffected indie kid.) Her just-released Somebody's Miracle mixes honesty and maturity into an infectiously hooky set. Phair played acoustic sets in small venues this summer. She'll perform with a band here. For more on Phair, check out the Music Feature. Rolling Stone this year named Matt Pond PA one of its "Ten Artists to Watch." The Times of London weighed in with "Pond's wonderful Robert Smith meets Peter Gabriel meets Conor Oberst voice is shot through with wistfulness." (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) ES
ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD: A TRIBUTE TO NEIL YOUNG It's time for another Flee-orchestrated tribute outing at the Skipperdome. This one benefits both WMNF and BAAMO (that crew that sends Bay area bands to Austin to party every year), but the important thing is these shows create one of the coolest and most communal vibes in local music. Plus, there's a huge amount of talent on display, albeit manifested in Neil Young covers. See the Music Column for more background and a full rundown of the bands. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
HOT APPLE PIE Big, slick and straight out of Nashville, this band has a massive hit on country radio titled "Hillbillies." The song has every building block of other modern country crossover hits: cheeky lyrics, bombastic production and music that borrows more heavily from Celine Dion than from Hank Williams. Lead singer Brady Seals comes complete with country music DNA: He's related to no less than four successful songwriters, most notably Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts. Success is seemingly in the bag, although there's really no earthly excuse for HAP's butchering of The Band's "The Shape I'm In." (Joyland, Sarasota) CLB
JAZZ MASTERWORKS SERIES PRESENTS DAVID BAKER The USF Center for Jazz Composition kicks off its Jazz Masterworks Series with an appearance by Pulitzer prize-nominated composer David Baker. Jazz educator Chuck Owen and Jazz Surge, the school's highly regarded big band, will act as resident ensemble. Baker will lead the 17-piece outfit in classic compositions as well as new work. Word of mouth on Jazz Surge is that it's a first-class unit with some splendid individual talents. (USF Theatre 1, USF Campus, Tampa) ES
ZOO FEST '05 Indefinable Tampa electro-weird two-piece Worldwide Zoo gets its fest on with an all-day shindig at The Bank. Come one, come all. This sucker runs from 3 p.m. until whenever, and features DJ and singer-songwriter action in addition to the full-band thing (if two people can be considered a full band, and I think they can). Performing: Worldwide Zoo, Gainesville's P.S.A., The Right Side of Tuesday, Johnny Utah & The Funk Bastards, Pigpen, A Daylight Away, Trans-Mission, Modern Explorer, The Satsukos, Incredible Crisis, Forgiving Silence, None Hit Wonder, and Nathalia. (The Bank Nightclub & Concert Venue, St. Petersburg)
UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA WIND ENSEMBLE Director Jeffrey L. Traster leads the UT classical crew through a program that includes "Sousa style" pops, a set of traditional klezmer music and dance, and a medley from the hit musical Wicked. This event kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and will take place on the East Veranda of UT's Plant Hall. (University of Tampa, Tampa)
SUNDAY, OCT. 09
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE w/ALKALINE TRIO/REGGIE & THE FULL EFFECT The pudgy Goth-punks of My Chemical Romance might be hopelessly derivative and irritating as all get out, but boy, the kids sure do love 'em … because, let's face it, some kids are dumb. Middle-of-the-bill pop-punk attraction Alkaline Trio is far superior, despite the fact that its latest album, Crimson, has its fair share of clunkers on it. Come early for the synth-pop side-project semi-comedy of former Coalesce drummer and Get Up Kid James DeWees' Reggie & The Full Effect. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
MOMMY AND DADDY w/ISOBELLA/GLITTER GUNS Super-hip NYC electro-punk duo Mommy And Daddy brings its snotty, fashionable post-Le Tigre noise to the Orpheum, which means it's basically gonna sound like Retro Red Square Recall. The pair's new album, Duel at Dawn, is pretty good, and dropped a couple of weeks ago. Dreamy Tampa twosome Isobella and fellow locals Glitter Guns provide apt support. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MUSICIANS 4 HURRICANE RELIEF The outpouring of music-scene support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina continues. Thank the musicians for the love, and return it in kind by attending, if you please. This nine-hour (1-10 p.m.) soiree features music from classic-rock outfit Dogtrax (rumor has it they'll perform Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety), well-known Bay area fusion/shred guitarist Todd Grubbs' project Green Windows, young jazz prodigy Billy Norris' outfit, Bradenton bluesmen Mitch Clark & The Houserockers, and jam/groove favorites Elliott Cohn & The Cosmic Sweat Society. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
JERRY JOSEPH Emotive, subversive singer-songwriter Joseph set the Uptown to dancing barefoot the last time he was in town; there's little doubt the veteran, who's toured with the Dead and fronted notable underground bands like Little Women and Stockholm Syndrome, will be even more in his element at the folk- and jam-scene ground zero Java Junction. (Java Junction, Clearwater)
MONDAY, OCT. 10
SAXON SHORE A really smart band with a really dumb name (how can anybody that came up with the insanely cool EP title Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing call their band "Saxon Shore?"), this East Coast instrumental-rock combo gets fancy and dynamic without ever becoming pretentious or tedious. The group's new album, produced by highly regarded indie-rock knob-twiddler Dave Fridmann, is called The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore, and it's great. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
MARDI GRAS ON THE BEACH Well, it's not like they're gonna be holding it in Crescent City anytime soon. Or maybe they will, with all the support Katrina victims have been getting from creative folks via benefits like this one. Here, proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity, one of the best (read: your money actually gets to the people who need it) charities around. Tonight's soundtrack is provided by The On Que Players, Motel Funk, and Jimmy James — the one who played with Tommy Tutone, not the one who owned WNYX on Newsradio. (Palm Pavilion, Clearwater Beach)
TUESDAY, OCT. 11
GREG GREENWAY Coffeehouse and festival-circuit mainstay singer-songwriter Greenway has played Carnegie Hall, and been profiled on NPR's All Things Considered. His energy as a performer is as acclaimed as his poetic writing style. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
FAMILY FORCE 5 This rising Atlanta group is being called an organic mix of funk, hip-hop, and straight-up rock 'n' roll. We all know such a fusion is notoriously difficult to execute without sounding like a fake chump or a living, breathing gimmick, but Family Force 5 is riding a fairly strong regional buzz. I haven't heard 'em, so let's just say you should be curious, but also forewarned that this could easily culminate in a letdown. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12
LARRY KEEL & NATURAL BRIDGE Following in the traditional-bluegrass footsteps of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, singer-guitarist Larry Keel and his band Natural Bridge are doing whatever the Appalachian-music term is for "keeping it real." The group just finished a rigorous summer festival tour that saw it perform at 17 roots and bluegrass get-togethers, and one of Keel's tunes, "Mountain Song," is a highlight of the latest album by the legendary Del McCoury Band. Earth Bombs Mars, formerly known as the Rich Whiteley Band, opens. (Java Junction, Clearwater)
DOOBIE BROTHERS The mind reels when trying to keep track of all the lineup changes this band has gone through. The current installment (Michael McDonald-less) contains some of the early members (Tom Johnston, Keith Knudson, Michael Hossack) and some who began as touring musicians and are now full-fledged Brothers. This will no doubt be a "greatest hits" run-through, interspersed with beer runs — oh, I'm sorry, I mean "new material." (Van Wezel, Sarasota) CLB
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2005.