Thursday, Feb. 1

DARK FUNERAL/ENSLAVED/ABIGAIL WILLIAMS A self-described "war machine," Dark Funeral is about as violent, brutal and ugly as it gets. The Swedish combo sounds like nothing so much as a gang of godless killing machines let loose in a nursery. I think I'm too terrified to stop by the band's MySpace page ever again. (The Garage, St. Petersburg) —Cooper Levey-Baker

YO LA TENGO/TODD BARRY Yo La Tengo plays The State Theatre tonight, just a slight contrast with the death metal happenings nearby, although the trio raises its own sort of racket at times. YLT is simply one of the best bands around. If you want to know more, see the music feature on p. 47. Todd Barry, far from some obscure indie rock opener, is in fact a New York comedian with a credit in the film Pootie Tang. Wadata. (The State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —CLB

THE INK SPOTS You know a band has a long history when all of the original members are dead. So it is with The Ink Spots, a singing group born in 1932 and known for its suave classic pop and lush vocal harmonies. (Largo Cultural Center) —Eric Snider

JACK JONES w/THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA The dapper crooner cut in the Sinatra mold performs three shows with the Florida Orchestra and pianist/conductor Tom Garvin. Other dates: Fri. Feb. 2 at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa; Sat., Feb. 3 at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES

FRIDAY, Feb. 2

THE BOTTLE ROCKETS We could call them The Pride of Festus, Mo., but we won't, because singer-guitarist Brian Henneman says that the band was never appreciated in its hometown. The group's raucous roots sound is always a crowd-pleaser. For more, check out the feature on p. XX. (Skipper's Smokehouse) —ES

DEAN'S SINGER-SONGWRITER NIGHT w/CHANNING DEREN/CAT CHESHIRE/DEAN JOHANESEN/JOHN ALLISON I clicked on Channing Deren's MySpace page to sample her "Sophie's Song." Ended up listening to it all, and then listening to it again. It's very good — an acoustic ballad oozing passion and pain. John Allison takes a rootsier approach and demonstrates a nice facility with acoustic slide guitar. Cat Cheshire brings a hint of jazz and trip-hop flava to her sensitive tunes. Dean Johanesen is the principal singer and songwriter for Bradenton's Human Condition, an acoustic-rock act with a passel of catchy and affecting songs. (Globe Coffee House, St. Petersburg) —ES

HELIX/JETEYE More than 30 years since forming, Helix has hardly changed, still fixated on rockin' your socks off, loading up its hard-rock sound with plenty of monster riffs and exclamations like, "You don't need a reason to party/ So get up, get up/ You don't need a reason to rock 'n' roll/ So get up and party tonight." If you ever wondered exactly who Tenacious D is making fun of, check this show out. The band plays a second date Feb. 3 as well. (Bourbon Street Night Club, New Port Richey) —CLB

AN AMERICAN SALUTE: JEFFREY SIEGEL Renowned NYC-based classical pianist Siegel has performed with The Florida Orchestra several times. This free solo performance is presented in a concert-plus-commentary format, during which Mr. Siegel discusses each work before playing it in its entirety. The program includes George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue as well as beloved classics and "musical discoveries" by Leonard Bernstein, Scott Joplin, Samuel Barber and others. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg). —Leilani Polk

SATURDAY, Feb. 3

ONE FOR THE ROAD 2 The Bay Area Arts and Music Organization presents its second annual send-off for bands traveling to Austin to perform at the Florida Bandango during South by Southwest. An ace lineup includes:

• Acoustic rock/progressive roots band Human Condition.

• The Beauvilles, an eclectic rock band.

• Geri X, a Bulgarian-born singer-songwriter who's created quite a buzz in the last year or so.

• Hangtown, a spirited country-rock band.

• Greezy swamp-rockers The Mojo Gurus.

• Nessie, fronted by former Loaf music critic Scott Harrell, which blends garage, roots and tight hooks.

• Veteran country-folk singer-songwriter Ronny Elliott will host and perform between sets. (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg) —ES

STACY EARLE & MARK STUART The wife/husband duo — they met in 1991 at a songwriter's night in Nashville — is a favorite on the folk circuit, with a sound that nods to country and old-time music. Stacy got a heavy taste of touring as a rhythm guitarist in her brother Steve's band. Stuart learned from his father's fiddle-playing and uncle's guitar prowess, performing in his dad's Nashville band at age 15. (Craftsmen House, St. Petersburg) —ES

THE BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES This energetic, almost violent blues-punk band plays its music with a religious fervor that is basically terrifying. The duo consists of John Wesley Myers on bass, keys, Fender Rhodes, organ and knife (according to his bio), and Van Campbell — who holds a degree in Mandarin Chinese, oddly enough — on vocals and drums. Check out the devil music — and I say that in the best sense of the word — of these Nashville natives this Saturday. If you like them enough, see them perform again at Vinyl Fever on Sun., Feb. 4. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —Tristan Wheelock

THE LOVELL SISTERS BAND The Calhoun, Ga., trio of sisters — ages 21, 17 and 16 — won NPR's Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor National Teen Talent Competition in 2005 and released their debut album later that year. The girls' honey-sweet harmonies are set against a sound that fuses folk, bluegrass, country and contemporary acoustic music. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpons Springs) —LP

GANDALF MURPHY AND THE SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS Not really sure how Slambovia, New York's quirky quartet hooked up with the St. Pete Times Forum, but they did, and in addition to singing the national anthem prior to the Lightning-Rangers game, the Slambovian Circus perform their zesty blend of pop-rockin' hillbilly-folk psychedelic music afterwards in the courtyard. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) —LP

SUNDAY, Feb. 4

BERES HAMMOND & MARCIA GRIFFITHS These two Jamaican reggae greats have toured together on and off since 2004. Hammond has enjoyed a 30-year career of singing, songwriting and producing soulful reggae music of the lovers rock variety. Griffiths is Jamaica's longest-running and possibly most influential female vocalist ever, though she's probably best known here for her song "Electric Boogie," which made the Electric Slide an international dance craze. The pair hit town on their "For the Love of It Tour" with support by Leon & The Peoples. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) —LP

AHMAD JAMAL A long-underrated jazz pianist, Jamal has been performing standards and his own compositions since forming his first group in 1950. He's noted for a clean, economical style that incorporates elements of classical technique. He may be most famous for influencing both Miles Davis and Gil Evans. High praise indeed, but Jamal's own work ain't too shabby either. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —CLB

TUESDAY, Feb. 6

BOSTON POPS Under the direction of Keith Lockhart, the venerated orchestra will perform "A Gershwin Celebration." The program includes music for Porgy and Bess, Crazy For You, An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue. Michael Chertok is the featured pianist. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES

PIPER ROAD SPRING BAND With backgrounds classical, cowboy, folk, blues and Dixieland, the Wisconsin-based members of Piper Road Spring Band have managed to develop a unique acoustic bluegrass style that incorporates all the strings found in the genre — fiddle, mandolin, guitar, bass and washboard — into music that marries Irish fiddle tunes with American country, big band and spaced-out jams a lá the Grateful Dead. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —LP

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7

LESLIE/NESSIE/FLAT STANLEY Loud and gritty, Leslie's got a pretty awesome sound, incorporating rollicking blues guitar into its alterna-indie framework without ever sounding like some kind of lame blues tribute band. As fringe-rock acts become more and more distanced from pre-rock forms, Leslie is awfully refreshing. And Nessie? Well, you probably remember that name because every time it was mentioned in this paper before, we had to include a disclaimer. Now that Harrell has left the Loaf for greener pastures, we can officially salute the band disclaimer-free. (New World Brewery, Tampa) —CLB

SWORN ENEMY/KATAKLYSM/TOO PURE TO DIE/AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK Oh, the horror-film band names, the demonic imagery, the guttural grunting, the exquisite subtlety … must be another punishing metal showcase. (Brass Mug, Tampa) —CLB

For venue addresses and phone numbers, see Soundboard, p. XX.

February

8 Chicago Ruth Eckerd Hall

9 & 10 Less Than Jake State Theatre

10 Gipsy Kings Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

11 Winger State Theatre

14 Joe Bonamassa Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

14 Huey Lewis & The News Ruth Eckerd Hall

14 Blues is Alright Tour St. Pete Times Forum

16 Dark Star Orchestra Jannus Landing

17 Julio Iglesias Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

18 CeCe Winans Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center