Thursday, April 12

RESCUE 22 w/TEN SPOKE INDIES/MALAYNE/FARWELL TO FINLAY Tampa's Rescue 22 is a poppy alt-rock four-piece fronted by former American Idol finalist Heather Piccinini. The band's website streams two tracks, a decent rocker ("Let Go") and a mediocre power ballad ("Million Pieces.") But there is a bit of gruff sincerity in Piccinini's voice that leads one to believe with the right production she could pull off the Kelly Clarkson thing. It will be interesting to find out if Piccinini can bring it in concert — and, y'know, see what the blonde hottie wears on stage. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

BIG 10-4 The Orlando quartet plays the kind of brooding, piano-kissed rock that lands bands deals with Universal Records, which signed Big 10-4 two years ago. Their subsequent debut LP Testing the Atmosphere proved a rather pedestrian affair thanks to a generic, highly processed sound. It failed to chart. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

Friday, April 13

WANEE FESTIVAL w/ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND/GOV'T MULE/ROBERT RANDOLPH/THE RADIATORS/DEREK TRUCKS BAND & SUSAN TEDESCHI This two-day ABB bash takes place 200 miles away or else it would have outranked the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Hank Williams Jr. show going down the same day. I dig Skynyrd and Bocephus (see music week pick), but the current ABB lineup is amazing — the most vital veteran rock act making the rounds. Gregg Allman plays churchy organ and sings like the sweet, old blues man that he is, while the twin guitar attack of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, who just wrapped an Asian tour with Eric Clapton, is the best in rock. For more info, go to waneefestival.com. The fest continues on April 14. (Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak)

THE DRAFT w/FAKE PROBLEMS/GUILTMAKER/ELYSIUM Gainesville's The Draft, which includes three members of Hot Water Music, plays an engaging brand of punk revival that teems with romance without coming close to sounding sappy. Whereas Hot Water Music kept things angular and dissonant, The Draft isn't afraid to pull listeners in with melody. Their latest LP, the well-received In a Million Pieces, came out last year on Epitaph. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

ROCKSTEADY@8 This eight-piece reggae outfit blends ska, roots, dub and rocksteady into a melting pot of groove-heavy, beat-iful jams. Rocksteady@8 only performs when vocalist/composer Jason Nwagbaraocha's tour schedule with The Toasters allows, so the shows — usually on Friday nights, usually at Yeoman's — draw a respectable crowd of locals who know it's a guaranteed good time. Band co-founder/drummer Jonathan Priest is moving to North Carolina over the summer, and this show could be his last. Don't miss it. (Yeoman's Road Pub, Tampa) —Leilani Polk

JACOB GROTEN/HAGUS MAGAGUS/THIRD SOCIETY Lately, it seems like every time I stop by VH1 looking for I Love New York, there's a video by some piano-driven nerd-hunk singer/songwriter carousing in the surf or whatever. Jacob Groten fits the bill, backing up his adult-contempo ivory-tinkling with a sturdy rock attack. Hagus MaGagus gets you up offa that thing, with a stretchy bass sound and rock flourishes. Third Society is a gang of locals well worth an early arrival. (The Clubhouse Tavern, Sarasota) —Cooper Levey-Baker

KENNY LOGGINS Is it really worth shelling out $55-$65 for this gig when you can set up a Netflix queue to compile your own package of Loggins hits: "I'm Alright" (Caddyshack), "Footloose" (from the film of the same name), "Danger Zone" (Top Gun) and "Nobody's Fool," the theme to the little-referenced Caddyshack sequel that features top-notch work from Jonathan Silverman and Robert Stack. Loggins also plays Sun., April 15 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —CLB

PIEBALD w/MC CHRIS/HOUSE OF FOOLS Boston power pop quartet Piebald deliver lyrics that are often humorous observations about post-adolescent living; they're strewn across a catchy guitar charge that is occasionally spiced by keyboard runs. (The Orpheum, Ybor City)

HOT TOPIC PRESENTS: HASTE THE DAY/FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES/MAYLENE/THE SONS OF DISASTER/THE SLEEPING/ALESANA Headliner Haste the Day is another one of those obnoxious Christian metal bands from the Midwest (Indianapolis) that growl unintelligible lyrics supposedly embracing the Son of God but sound like they're being sung by Satan. If a show is presented by the mall-rat clothing store Hot Topic, there is a very good chance it will be well attended by teens and thoroughly suck. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

REBEKAH PULLEY w/THE HUMAN CONDITION/WOODALE Rebekah Pulley is the striking redhead with the soft Texas drawl, The Human Condition is the folk-rock band of gifted singer/songwriter Dean Johanesen and Woodale's a pop-rock quartet from Lakeland. (Rasher Tierneys Backroom, Bradenton)

DAMON FOWLER GROUP Fowler is one of Tampa Bay's best-known ax men, having opened for a who's-who of classic rock greats including Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Gregg Allman, Johnny and Edgar Winter. The Brandon resident made his name as a blues guitar wunderkind in his teens and early 20s, but in recent years has expanded beyond the Strat pyrotechnics to become an accomplished lap steel and Dobro player — perhaps it's all the old country music he says he's been listening to lately. Anyway, he fronts a lean, mean power trio that always brings their A-game when they play Skipper's, the venue where they recorded a choice live album. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

Saturday, April 14

THE FLAMING LIPS When I saw the $35.50 ticket price for The Flaming Lips' Bay area debut (at least, I don't remember the band playing here) I wondered if the good folks who book Jannus Landing might be taking an inordinate risk. Cult band, a new market, no significant radio play — I thought there was a chance the show could stiff. Boy, was I off. The date's an advance sell-out. The Lips, an Oklahoma City art-pop band, really puts on a spectacle in concert — props, lights, video, costumes and more — and Jannus should be an excellent place to soak it all in. For more on the group, check out the music feature. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) —Eric Snider

FESTIVAL OF STATES w/FOREIGNER/EDDIE MONEY Foreigner soldiers on minus original singer Lou Gramm and with John Bonham offspring Jason now bashing the skins. To the best of our knowledge, Eddie Money is still Eddie Money, the man in possession of "Two Tickets to Paradise." (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)

ANTI-FLAG W/ALEXISONFIRE The Pittsburgh quartet Anti-Flag, which formed in the mid-'90s, splits the difference between hardcore and pop-punk, with songs devoted to rattling the cage of the establishment. That's fine and admirable and all, but when I saw them play Warped Tour a couple years back, they wasted half their set screaming enlightened statements like "Fuck Bush!" Made them look like complete morons. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

HAL KETCHUM The country crooner notched a couple big hits in the early '90s, including "Small Town Saturday Night" and "Past the Point of Rescue." (Largo Cultural Center)

THE 5 BROWNS This quintet of piano-playing siblings is one of the more popular acts on the contemporary classical music scene. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center)

ALAN RHODY Rhody was born and raised in Louisville, but didn't make a name for himself on the folk scene until he split for Vancouver in 1971, eventually settling in Nashville eight years later. His tunes are straight-up folk gems, sad and lonely, and have been picked up for covers by names bigger than his. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) —CLB

Sunday, April 15

STEVE FORBERT w/ TOBY BONAR One of many poor souls dubbed "the new Dylan" in the '70s, Forbert scored a hit in 1980 with "Romeo's Tune" and maintains a sizeable cult following. Bonar is a local who plays Mississippi-style country blues on acoustic guitar and Dobro. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)

TOTAL CHAOS w/COMPLETE CONTROL/ THE GHOULS Headliner Total Chaos is a veteran L.A. hardcore band that put out a couple acclaimed albums on Epitaph in the mid-1990s, including Patriotic Shock. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

MONDAY, April 16

BRAND NEW/KEVIN DEVINE/MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA Long Island's Brand New plays emotive alt-rock, the music equal parts serene and heavy, and marked by pleasantly melodic harmonies. Brooklynite Kevin Devine is a singer/songwriter with a lovely soprano and affecting lyrics. And Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra are newbie indie rockers who are riding the waves of good buzz from Spin and Rolling Stone. The show is sold out. (Jannus Landing, Ybor City) —LP

WEDNESDAY, April 18

STATIC X w/OTEP/2 CENTS Static X came along in the late 1990s with the rest of the bands trying to reproduce the heavy alt-rock sound made mainstream by Ozzfest. Static X has continued to carry the torch, with Wayne Static leading the way, his super-deep scratch of a voice set against heavy, prog-metal-influenced industrial rock. Otep is fronted by vocalist Otep Shamaya, who maintains her sexy with equal parts song and scream. And 2 Cents rounds out the bill with forgettable metal. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) —LP

RED HURLEY This crooner of standards has been huge in his native Ireland for the past quarter century and is a part-time Clearwater resident, making this somewhat of a homecoming appearance. PBS aired one of his concerts last month during a fundraiser. (Largo Cultural Center)

April

19 Dear + Glorious w/Physician/Summerbirds in the Cellar Crowbar

19 My Chemical Romance w/Muse St. Pete Times Forum

20 Radio Moscow w/Poetry n' Lotion New World Brewery

20 Fall Out Boy w/+44/Paul Wall/Cobra Starship Ford Amphitheatre

21 WMNF 88.5 Celebrates Ronny Elliott's 60th Birthday Skipper's Smokehouse

21 Captured by Robots w/Yip-Yip Crowbar

21 Ellis Paul Ruth Eckerd Hall

26 Diana Ross Ruth Eckerd Hall

29 98Rockfest w/Hinder/Three Days Grace/Buckcherry/Puddle of Mudd/Chevelle/Daughtry/Papa Roach/Flyleaf/Bullet For My Valentine/Dropping Daylight Raymond James Stadium grounds

May

2 Heart w/Todd Rundgren Ruth Eckerd Hall

2 Melt Banana Crowbar

3 Patrizio Buanne w/Matt Dusk Ruth Eckerd Hall

4 Tampa Bay Blues Festival w/Jerry Lee Lewis/George Thorogood/Percy Sledge Vinoy Park

4 Delbert McClinton Tampa Theatre

4 Christina Aguilera w/Dannity Kane/Pussycat Dolls St. Pete Time sForum

8 Gwen Stefani w/Lady Sovereign Ford Amphitheatre

11 The Charlie Daniels Band Volunteer Jam w/The Outlaws/Marshall Tucker Band Ford Amphitheatre

12 WMNF Tropical Heatwave Cuban Club

13 Saves the Day Jannus Landing

14-15 Steely Dan Ruth Eckerd Hall