THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4
SECONDHAND SERENADE Taking his cue directly from Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional — lyrical content, song structure, giving himself a band name, everything — this is the acoustic emo project of San Franciscan John Vesely. Secondhand Serenade's debut album Awake came out in February, and its pleasant enough in a heart-on-the-sleeve, whiny vocal, decent hooks kind of way; but the derivative nature of the endeavor is laughable. And the lone hit single, "Vulnerable," which includes such lines as "I was born to love you," is downright annoying. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
TIGER ARMY w/STREET DOGS/THE STATIC AGE Bay area (as in Cali) power trio Tiger Army has evolved over the years from a scrappy psychobilly/punk band into a polished alternative rock outfit offering the occasional nod to punk. Their new disc Music From Regions Beyond is a great, grabby, emotive record, but will likely piss off a segment of the band's longtime fans for its decidedly more commercial sound. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
PALANTINE w/RED ROOM CINEMA/POVERTY BRANCH This show is to celebrate Tampa rock quartet Palantine's new CD: a punchy, adrenaline-charged batch of originals that hark back to the best of mid-'90s alternative rock. The band sells its moving lyrics with assured vocals placed front and center in the mix. The distorted-yet-visceral guitar assaults include short, purposeful fills and solos. Taut melodies hold the listeners from start to finish. Fellow Tampanians Red Room Cinema's brand of detailed, layered, mostly-instrumental-only prog-rock typically isn't what I dig — especially at a bar gig — but the last time RRC played New World, I found their set engaging, thanks to the quintet's combination of chops and prickly enthusiasm. Poverty Branch is another Central Florida band following the twangy indie-rock/alt-country path; they're buoyed by the expressive vocals of guitarist/singer Dave Khaos. This show is Poverty Branch's Tampa debut. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
TODAY IS THE DAY w/TAIPAN/DEFCON-4/CHRISTINE Night of metal headlined by Nashville grindcore unit Today is the Day. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
DAMON FOWLER w/DIVE BAR STALKERS Fowler recently picked up Best of the Bay awards in Tampa for Best Guitarist … And Slide Guitarist … And Lap Steel Player … And Dobro Player. He fronts a potent power trio that caroms from rocking Fowler originals to classic country to blues covers. Dive Bar Stalkers offer greasy roadhouse rock: basically songs strictly designed for a drinking atmosphere. Not that that's a bad thing. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
YELLOWMAN The Jamaican dancehall king returns to St. Pete for this evening of toasting inside the intimate Tamiami Bar. (Tamiami Bar, St. Petersburg)
POTATO GUN w/CAR BOMB DRIVER/DOLL PARTS/HOLIDAY Fort Myers quartet Potato Gun were one of the Gulf Coast's biggest bands in the mid-to-late '90s. Their songs are marked by Pixies-esque stop-and-start bursts and memorable lyrics about such things as the "Flying Squirrel Maneuver." This weekend the band is reuniting for a pair of St. Pete shows starting with this one at The Garage, followed by a gig Saturday at the nearby Emerald Bar. Joining Potato Gun is Car Bomb Driver, which received a Best of the Bay award in Tampa for Best Punk Band on the merits of their manic live performances and their outstanding album Evacuate. (The Garage, St. Petersburg)
TENSPOKE INDIES Local power-poppers with a flair for arena and alternative rock recently released Blinded by the Sun, a four-star CD that is "recommended for anyone who appreciates flashy, well-executed ax excursions, memorable hooks and a lead singer with the vocal chords to take the listener higher." (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SKA MUSIC BENEFIT FOR WSLR w/DEAL'S GONE BAD/MILE 21/TUFF SONS As a pop-culture reference point, ska may have gone the way of wallet chains and skanking, but the genre — born in '60s Jamaica — will probably never go away for good, thanks to its danceable grooves and smile-inducing horns. This weekend, Sarasota's Gallery Billiards — normally the home of metal, metal and, well, metal — plays host to an all-ages ska show raising cash for grassroots radio honchos WSLR 96.5 LPFM. Deal's Gone Bad is in town from Chicago; Mile 21 hails from Boston; and Tuff Sons call Sarasota home, but all three groups facilitate good times. (Gallery Billiards, Sarasota) —Cooper Levey-Baker
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
VELVET REVOLVER w/ALICE IN CHAINS/SPARTA Modern supergroups don't get any bigger than Velvet Revolver, which features Guns N' Roses alums Slash (lead guitar) Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums), plus singer Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots fame. The band is touring in support of its second album Libertad, a strutting hard-rock affair tempered with a tad of alternative rock nuance. (See the cover story for my interview with Slash). Alice in Chains reunited a couple years ago sans deceased (OD'ed) frontman Layne Staley. The current lineup includes original members Jerry Cantrell (guitar/vocals), Mike Inez (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums), plus new frontman William Duvall, of the Atlanta rock band Comes with the Fall. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
KNOWING STU w/SOULFOUND/TRACE OF DAY/CROOKED EDGE Another local rock act celebrating a strong new CD (Reflector), Knowing Stu has hooks to spare and a frontwoman (Tina Louise) who knows how to sing with passion while stalking the stage like she owns it. (Boomer's Boiler Room, Seminole)
CHRIS DUARTE This Austin-based Stevie Ray Vaughan acolyte has built a strong local following thanks to a run of well-received shows at the Skipperdome. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MATT WHITE w/DEREK JAMES/CHANNING DEREN With a warm, flexible but rather bland voice and songs that brim with soft hooks, singer/songwriter/pianist Matt White has all the markings of an adult contemporary star. His CD Best Days came out in late August on Geffen, but despite a slew of tracks that are unquestionably catchy, the album has yet to produce a single. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
LIZA MINNELLI If you need a fix of high-steppin', gushy, over-the-top entertainment, then Liza's a pretty good bet. Her train-wreck life has been played out in public. She's 61 but seems older, and you can't shake the feeling that over the years she's squandered a lot of her talent. Still, Liza has her adoring fans, and by simply showing up, she'll light up their lives for an hour or so. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa) —Eric Snider
BATTLEFIELD BAND This quartet from Glasgow, Scotland, has been performing its modern take on traditional Scottish folk music and bringing it to an international audience since 1976. The lineup has changed numerous times — the sole remaining founding member is guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter Alan Reid — and as a result, their music encompasses many different genres and aural textures. Their concert will feature lively songs augmented by diverse instruments that include (but aren't limited to) bagpipes, accordions, fiddles, synthesizers and whistles. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) —Leilani Polk
TRIBAL STYLE Tampa CL's Best of the Bay critics award winner for Best Reggae Band kicks off Green Iguana's Saturday live music series. Tribal Style is scheduled+ to perform from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. under the sprawling North Tampa bar's 6,000-square-foot "Tiki Hut." (Green Iguana Anderson Road, Tampa)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7
RAINBOW RESPONSE BENEFIT CONCERT w/COPE/THE FUNKY SEEDS/CONSCIOUS SOUND SYSTEM Three local jam bands with different styles of rock get together to raise money for American Rainbow Rapid Response, a grassroots network that provides early-response relief kitchens, medical assistance, safe drinking water and child-safe play areas to disaster-struck communities immediately after a disaster has occurred. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —Leilani Polk
NEW ATLANTIC w/LIAM AND ME/BETWEEN THE TREES/HOLIDAY PARADE Not to be mistaken for the 1990s UK rave band of the same name, New Atlantic is a Jersey trio offering melodic yet rather generic alternative rock with a pop bent. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
AMBROSIA Los Angeles prog-rockers took their cue from the Moody Blues, fusing symphonic strings with bombastic pop. Ambrosia's most successful release was 1978's Life Beyond L.A., which reached No. 19 on Billboard's pop albums chart and featured the No. 3 single "How Much I Feel." (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 8
DAUGHTRY The American Idol rocker disgusts me. Really, it's bad enough that Live still has a following. Do we really need this dude who sounds like the dude from Live — and went from bar-band schmuck to star because of one of the most pitiful reality shows on television? (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9
ROCKY VOTOLATO w/PORTUGAL. THE MAN/THE GREAT Singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato's has a husky, reflective voice that's well suited for his sincere, often poetic tales of life in these crazy modern times. His new album, The Brag & Cuss, is fleshed out nicely with an assortment of well-placed guitars, harmonica, mandolin and banjo. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FLAVOR OF JAZZ 2007 Smooth jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair headlines this fundraising gala for the Clearwater Jazz Holiday and Ruth Eckerd Hall Educational Programs. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10
BOYS LIKE GIRLS w/ALL TIME LOW/THE AUDTION/WE THE KINGS Boys Like Girls, a decent emo band with a U2 jones from Boston, is the headliner, but we're most excited about opener We The Kings, a power-pop group from Bradenton celebrating the release of their debut CD This Is Our Town, which came out this week on S-Curve Records (see Spins). The disc rocks and then closes with an old-school power ballad that name-checks "Bradentown," the city's original name. Having lived in sleepy, old Bradenton for several years, I gotta say that's pretty cool. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
DA CYPHER The place to see local emcees engage in rap battles, Da Cypher, a popular and always exciting weekly open-mic night hosted by Aych, has moved from Full Moon Saloon to Empire but will still be held every Wednesday. The verbal smackdown regularly features appearances by members of Aych's Umbrella Corporation. Doors open at 10 p.m., $5 cover, free for the ladies. Expect emcees to start battling right at midnight. (Empire Nightclub, Ybor City)
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2007.