THURSDAY, APRIL 7
RODNEY CARRINGTON The half-country musician/half-comedian carved his own niche at the tail end of the '90s by working traditional outlets on both sides of the street, appearing on morning radio shows and at comedy clubs as well as music venues. Cruel time has told us that a comedian with a guitar in his hand can be a frightening, extremely unfunny thing, but Carrington's managed to build up a loyal cult following over the last six years or so. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
MC CHRIS w/TRES BIEN/YIP YIP/INTERNET DRAMA Though he's been recording rap, comedy, and rap-comedy material for a while now, MC Chris is best known for his contributions to well-loved Adult Swim series like Aqua Teen Hunger Force (he was the psychotic diaper-wearing spider MC Pee Pants) and Sealab 2021 (he voices hip-hop-loving underdog underling Hesh). Yes, he really raps in that high, annoying voice. This is either going to be genius, or absolutely infuriating. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DIVAHN They're the only all-female ensemble in America to play eclectic, multi-instrumental music heavily inspired by the Jewish Mizrakhi style born in Africa and the Middle East. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT w/ALSTON Guitarist Marcos Curiel left wildly overrated Christian rap-rock outfit P.O.D. at the height of that band's success, ostensibly in search of a project capable of putting out something less embarrassing than 2001's breakthrough Satellite. The Accident Experiment is his new group, and while it's not exactly the sound of revolution – it's more the sound of Rage Against The Machine tuned down and fronted by the ghost of Alice in Chains' Layne Staley – its groovy, effects-laden riffs are a vast improvement on latter-day P.O.D.'s simpleminded plodding. Opener Alston works a similar groove sound, albeit one with both more pop hooks and less impressive influences. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
MALCOLM HOLCOMBE North Carolina's greatest unknown singer-songwriter may be Malcolm Holcombe, an alt-country artist who's been both praised by, and shared stages with, great known songwriters such as Merle Haggard, Shelby Lynne and Lucinda Williams. His world-weary lyrics and crisp guitar work are evident on the trio of albums Holcombe began releasing in the mid-'90s, highlighted by 1999's A Hundred Lies. For fans of folk and Southern-fried country rock, it doesn't get much better than this. (Fogartyville Cafe, Bradenton)
-Mark Sanders
STRINGBREAK Brooksville's Sertoma Youth Ranch is fast becoming Central Florida's happening roots/jam fest-spot; in addition to the annual Riverhawk shindig, you've got any number of smaller weekend camp-out events, as well as this, its second-biggest shindig. The three-day StringBreak is a little heavier on the roots action, and features acts like Delta Moon, Paul Cebar & The Miluakeeans, Snake Oil Medicine Show and Tarbox Ramblers. Pitch a tent and enjoy. For directions to Sertoma Youth Ranch and other info, check out www.lindentertainment.com. (Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville)
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES Hanging around their native Caracas, Venezuela, in the early '90s, a group of amigos put a band together as a reaction to the nascent Rock en Espanol movement and the typical salsa/merengue sound of the Latin world. What resulted was LAI, a group strongly indebted to funk and disco. David Byrne ran across their import CD in a New York record store, sought out the band and signed it to his Luaka Bop label. The six-piece have become very visible road-dogs, and will entertain at WMNF's Arte 2005 celebration. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
-Eric Snider
PETER FRAMPTON By now, St. Petersburg's annual Festival of States is in full swing, but tonight it brings out the classic-rock big guns. Arena-rock guitar hero Frampton came alive in '76 to redefine the kind of impact a musician could have on the pop-cultural consciousness. He's continued to make records since, but his relevance as anything other than a nostalgia touchstone is basically nil. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
TSOL w/THE A.K.A.S/PSEUDO HEROES True Sounds of Liberty stood out from the loud-fast crowd of L.A.'s late '70s/early '80s hardcore scene by dint of an unabashed love for melody and a fairly Goth look. By the late '80s, they were chasing the quickly receding glam-metal train, and it cost them a lot of old-school fans, but the band never really did get the credit it deserved for inspiring darker, edgier New Wave fare like The Cure, Fields of the Nephilim, and Souxsie & The Banshees. NYC's The A.K.A.s are sinewy revivalist punkers who record for Tampa label Fueled by Ramen, while locals Pseudo Heroes do melodic, energetic punk in a singularly compelling way. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
HOWARD LYONS Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lyons brings an audience-interactive show to Clearwater's Octagon Arts Center. In addition to performing his own stories and songs, Lyons explains various Native-American instruments, and invites audience members to sit in with him. (Octagon Arts Center, Clearwater)
HOT ACOUSTIC NIGHTS V This is the fifth installment of the ongoing singer-songwriter showcase series that makes great use of the marvelous and previously underutilized Catherine Hickman Theatre down there by the Gulfport Public Library. Tonight's performers are well-traveled Christian singer-songwriter and keyboardist Tracee Lee, rootsy musicians' advocate Jeff O'Kelley, and young pop songstress Lisa Nicole. (Catherine A. Hickman Theatre, Gulfport)
VONN NEW – A SOLO CONCERT FOR PEACE Activist co-op the Musicians' Alliance for Peace is staging "concerts for peace" all over the world this weekend, as part of its ongoing Music for Peace project. The Bay area's contribution comes courtesy of Vonn New, an activist and musician best known for his World Beat-influenced. semi-improvisational music-and-dance ensemble Loud Zoo. The Friends Meeting House is located at 130 19th Ave. S.E. in St. Petersburg. (Friends Meeting House, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
GIVING HUNGER THE BLUES No, you're not having a flashback – this year's Giving Hunger the Blues lineup is similar to last year's, and the previous year's, and ? you get the idea. But it's a charity, dammit, meaning that you should go no matter how many times you've seen these bands before. Funky Octahedra, which is by now a Sarasota institution, plays the hits you love to karaoke to and/or sing after you've knocked back a few. Same with Strangeways, a reggae/ska group that's gone through so many personnel changes that even you (yes, you, dear readers) may've played with them at one time or another. Schascle "Twinkle" Yochim is another local favorite, showcasing her formidable vocal talents. Life on Mars, Fogt's All-Stars, Larry Crane, and Dyersburg round out the main-stage bill, while the Magic Tree Conspiracy, the Hobbits, the Swing Cats of Rhythm and the Drum Studio All-Stars hold down the fort on the kids' stage. Proceeds benefit the All Faiths Food Bank and the Child Protection Center. (Southside Village, Sarasota)
-MS
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS w/THE ALASKAN PIRATE & HIS SALTY SEAMEN As much as I love SCOTS, there's not a whole lot that hasn't been said about their smart, funny, ass-shaking and wholly entertaining twang-rock revue. Just go, that's all. And as far as the openers, yes, they actually do dress up like pirates while delivering their swashbuckling roots-rock party. Highly recommended. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
RHYTHM & RHYME SPRING FESTIVAL The Safety Harbor Library celebrates that one week of balmy weather before we all start feeling like insects under some childish deity's unimaginable magnifying glass. In addition to poetry, face painting and a generally wonderful community atmosphere, you also get Rick "Honeyboy" Hart and Earl the Pearl, of the Suncoast Blues Musicians. The Festival runs from 2 to 4 p.m., and will be moved inside if the weather goes bad. The Safety Harbor Library is located at 101 Second St. N. (Safety Harbor Library, Safety Harbor)
EEK-A-MOUSE The veteran reggae toaster/DJ still puts on a party. He bounced around the Jamaican scene until his breakout year, 1982, which yielded a spate of Island hits: "Wild Like a Tiger," "For Hire and Removal," "Do You Remember," and "Ganja Smuggling" from the essential Wa Do Dem LP. About the name: Ripton Hilton got tagged Eek-A-Mouse from his friends; it was the name of a losing racehorse that he kept betting on. In '79, he gave in and took it as his stage name. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
-ES
FRANCO DA VITA Acclaimed Venezuelan singer-songwriter Da Vita's talent has been heard by many more Americans than just those folks who are obsessive aficionados of Latin and World pop styles – he wrote "Vuelve," the title track from a 1998 Ricky Martin album that enjoyed a later sales boost from his mainstream breakthrough. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa)
HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS The band whose 1983 album Sports spawned more hit singles than just about any other record in living memory headlines another evening of Festival of States revelry. Methinks the group's soulful and playful pop-rock will go better out in the air than it has at the medium-sized reserved-seating venues the act sometimes plays in town. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
MONDAY, APRIL 11
SLOAN WAINWRIGHT Sister to Loudon and aunt to Rufus, Sloan Wainwright is a veteran independent artist whose multifaceted style has always been defined more by her compelling voice and interesting arrangements than any particular genre. The Unity Church of Clearwater is located at 2465 Nursery Road. (Unity Church of Clearwater, Clearwater)
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
TIGER ARMY w/THE UNSEEN/LOST CITY ANGELS One of the highlights of last year's Warped Tour, Cali trio Tiger Army excels at the oddly natural combination of proto-rock, street-punk and Gothic imagery known as psychobilly. Expect all the twangy hollow-body guitar, upright bass, eyeliner and lyrical references to the moon you can handle, and more. Boston's The Unseen are affiliated with Anti-Flag's A-F Records, so you just know they've got a classically pissed-at-the-world sound, while fellow Nor'easters The Lost City Angels work a poppier sound that draws from every punk generation and iteration. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2005.