Organ-ic Battle

Competition among instrumentalists has a long and storied place in jazz and blues. Over time, these "cutting contests" fell out of fashion when players began to take the more cerebral road and decided that it was unbecoming for musicians to engage in out-and-out showdowns. But these mano-a-mano battles always spark crowd-pleasing performances, which is surely the aim of Battle of the B-3s. The Suncoast Blues Society staged a previous Battle, and it was a hoot. This time, SBS has joined forces with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association to bring yet another twist to the proceedings: two blues organists (Dean Germain and Michael Johnn) squaring off with two jazz organists (Stan Hunter and Ricky Lyons). Forget that the stylistic differences between blues and jazz on the Hammond B-3 can be hard to discern; this is about seeing who can play the most dazzling, emotion-charged licks and lines, and pull the biggest cheers from the crowd. All subtlety is discarded, which in this context is just fine. The organists will be backed by guitarists Vincent Sims and Beautiful Bobby Blackmon, bassist T-Bone Hamilton and drummer Ron Gregg.

Battle of the B-3s w/Dean Germain/Michael Johnn/Stan Hunter/Ricky Lyons, Sat. Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m., The Palladium (253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Pete). $12 for members, $15 for non-members. —Eric Snider

Back in black

Hardcore rapper Black Reign is one of the most recognizable figures in the Umbrella Corporation. The Tampa crew features eight individual emcees and is helping to put the 813 on the map while making Full Moon Saloon in Ybor City the place for local hip-hop on Wednesdays. This week's gig is to celebrate the release of Reign's second mixtape, The Calm Before the Storm, which features WILD 98.7 DJ H-Vidal. The disc contains the after-hours anthem "Party Outside" (featuring Mina on guest vocals). The single shows the fun-loving side of the Tampa Heights native whose signature song is "Gun Shine State," a little ditty that dares prospective rivals to enter "Trigger City." Prior to Reigns' set, attendees will be treated to the weekly edition of "Da Cypher," the lively open mic competition (yes, emcee and performance battles) hosted by the Umbrella Corp's Aych. Judging by past shows, there will be plenty of other UC members on hand to lend their distinct voices to the proceedings.

Black Reign Mixtape Release Party hosted by DJ H-Vidal, Wed., Aug. 15, 10 p.m. (doors). $5/free for women. —Wade Tatangelo

Ben There, Done That

Ben Kweller has been the object of a major-label bidding war, watched the debut CD by his band Radish tank, been summarily dropped by the record company, moved from his native Texas to New York, signed with Dave Matthews' ATO Records and has released three well-received solo records. And Ben Kweller turned 26 in June. His music is built around grabby pop melodies — kind of like power-pop without a lot of the power. There's a weariness to his earnest songs that's quite engaging. Kweller will be joined by fellow Brooklyn denizen Tim Fite, who defies all genre description and seems equally at home with swaggering rap, alt-country and indie rock — often in the same song.

Ben Kweller w/Tim Fite, Fri. Aug. 10, 7 p.m., Crowbar, 1812 N. 17th St., Ybor City. $15, all ages. —ES

This article appears in Aug 8-14, 2007.