Barely Pink/The Beauvilles/Leroy Driver Yes, I'm quite aware that I blurbed Barely Pink just recently, thank you. Get over it. The real news here is a reinvigorated effort on the part of Frankie's to offer locals another outlet. Like so many other Ybor venues, they've repeatedly taken a stab at it, off and on, over the last five years or so. Enthusiasm for original fare being what it is these days, however, there's no telling how long this latest offensive will last. BP continues to inspire revision regarding one's opinion of their live set; they've never sounded so into it. (Aug. 3, Frankie's Patio)
Gilbert Hancock/Carla Ulbrich Banjo player Hancock and guitarist Ulbrich are as widely known for their wit as they are for their musical talents. That both are recipients of awards and honors too numerous to mention may lead one to believe they're probably a bit funnier than your drunk uncle Mike, the one your father is always telling he should be on TV. Expect an evening of peerless folk, bluegrass and humor. (Aug. 3, Universalist Unitarian Church of Tampa)
Blink-182 w/New Found Glory/Midtown Punk rock sends in the clowns. The Blink-182/children's-party demon analogy is so apt it's creepy. Think about it: Both appeal to youngsters with serious attention-deficit concerns. Both serve as a distraction from weightier realities by dressing simple, tried-and-true entertainment devices in the aura of spectacle. Both become tiresome after about six minutes. And, with the hindsight maturity brings, both are doomed to be remembered as sad and vaguely creepy. They're not bad, they're just not much. Around here, South Florida pop-punk stars New Found Glory are even more popular than WWF's Smackdown, and about as predictable — tight, fast, insanely catchy major-key songs about girls, self-doubt, and, uh, girls. By contrast, Midtown offers a laudably individual take on hooks, lyrics and the post-Green Day aesthetic. (Aug. 3, Ice Palace)
Jennifer and the Venturas Jennifer and the Venturas split the difference between big-band swing and your more rocking, stripped-down 'billy combo. Great tunes to twirl your baby to while you make fun of those friends who've elected to let their bangs grow out (Aug. 3, Centro Asturiano)
Pagan Saints/Thinking Day Rally Remember when going to see Will Quinlan & Co. was a lot like attending a drag race or hockey game? Sure, you were there to see talented people do their thing, but you'd be a liar to claim that the very real possibility of a crash or fight wasn't a big part of the attraction. This Year's Model of the Pagan Saints might be the most solid and focused to date, but any lack of erstwhile volatility is more than compensated for by providing the tunes with a long-overdue starring role. Thinking Day Rally launched their marvelous disc Into the Blue Room under the radar, but have been steadily building a buzz ever since; they ply moody, evocative piano-driven indie-pop. Recommended. (Aug. 3, Orpheum)
Sparky's Nightmare Another local outfit to reap the benefits of a finally-solidified lineup (not to mention God only knows how many live sets), Sparky's Nightmare purveys unpretentious, Athens-tinged rock that knows neither trend nor image. If there's a wall-socket, they'll play. (Aug. 4, Dave's Bar & Grill)
Tim McGraw w/Kenny Chesney Insert Mister Faith Hill joke here. Two of pop-country's most popular and strapping hunks team up to prove that they can fill arenas without George Strait. To be fair, both men have actually written some of their respective hits, and Chesney did do a song called She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. (Aug. 4, Ice Palace)
Down Deep in the Dirt Local moova-and-shaka TrueFiends Entertainment steps up, putting together a showcase of local underground hip-hop talent, and, in a plot twist rivaling The Twilight Zone, Clearwater's Club More answers the call. Which is not to say that Club More isn't cool. It's just that their regular crowd seems to prefer its music made on instruments hacked out of extremely hard trees with blunt instruments, or at least emanating from a tubular sound-chamber covered at one end with the skin of some dead animal or other. Circumstances alone declare this one a must-see; wish we could give you a lineup, but on the other hand, you probably wouldn't be familiar with any of the names, anyway — and that alone should make the show worth seeing. (Aug. 4, Club More)
Mickie Mashburn Benefit w/Halcyon/Those Two Girls This gig has been booked for a couple of months now, but in the wake of Tampa Bay law enforcement officer Lois Marrero's murder, everyone opted to make the show a benefit for Marrero's life partner, Mickie Mashburn. In accordance with current police-force policy, Mashburn is ineligible to receive benefits from Marrero's employer, as the two were unmarried. Say it with me now — what the hell difference should that make?! There will be a silent auction and call for donations as well, and hopefully the concert will serve to raise some awareness regarding the plight of all dependents of police officers, regardless of gender or marital status. (Aug. 4, Skipper's Smokehouse)
The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash w/Ronny Elliott & The Nationals/Elston Gunnn Relatively rookie alt-country upstarts The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash have been riding a fairly tangible buzz of late — the band did the South By Southwest thing after Merle Haggard himself tapped 'em to open his 1999 tour. Rumor has it The Man in Black himself personally approved the use of his name after getting an earful. Local boy Ronny Elliott's been twanging worldwide since the '60s (you should put that on a sticker, Ronny), and has the wry, poignant, and often hilarious tunes to prove it. Between himself and the Nationals, they've got more stories than JD's got Salinger (in the immortal words of one Michael Diamond). Elston Gunnn, featuring the spawn of the Bellamy Brothers, takes a somewhat poppier, less iconoclastic approach to y'allternative. (Aug. 5, Skipper's Smokehouse)
ZAO w/Not Waving But Drowning/Darkest Hour/Chainlink Disaster So is emo catchy, melodic and starry-eyed, or is it screaming, thrashing and discordant? Make up your minds, people. Those who prefer the latter end of the spectrum don't need to be told about his show — they heard about it six weeks ago in some Tooth & Nail chatroom. Jagged, dynamic posthardcore that remains compelling only because these guys are so obviously feeling it. (Aug. 5, State Theatre)
—All entries by Scott Harrell
This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2001.