THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3
The Tiger Lillies This long-running London trio with a knack for the perverse and bizarre purveys a mix of gypsy, cabaret and neo-opera, against it weaving tales about prostitution, murder, drug addiction, hell and other twisted topics. (Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center, Tampa)
Between the Buried and Me w/Animal As Leaders/Tesseract The prog-metal pacesetters known for their pulverizing math rock and death metal soundscapes are set to burn through Tampa in support of their latest effort The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues; this is their first release since departing Victory for Metal Blade Records. Guitar virtuoso Tosin Abasi leads Washington, D.C.-based opener Animals As Leaders. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) —Christopher Spata
Rock the Park w/Guiltmaker/Michael Christmas/J'nelle The November installment of THX Management's outdoor music series features three disparate acts: propulsive post-rock foursome Guiltmaker, which is currently one of 10 bands competing in the 97X-hosted Local Band Search to play at the station's December concert fest, Next Big Thing; Michael Christmas, a fuzzy lo-fi surf garage outfit with a sort of Surfer Blood appeal; and R&B neo soul songstress J'nelle, a Blake grad with a sultry croon. (Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Yellow Nostalgia w/Acho Brother Dubbed "Salsa for Sustainability," this two-band bill of Latin fusion features Yellow Nostalgia (aka Nostalgia Amarilla), an ensemble that puts a modern spin on their percussive-driven Afro-Puerto Rican roots music or "bomba"; and Acho Brother, a duo that features guitarist/vocalist Hector Mayoral and drummer Zak "Canaray" Byrd experimenting with electronics, folk and Latin rock. (The Roosevelt 2.0, Ybor City)
Don Schlitz A country music artist best known for his clever, thoughtful and poignant lyrical capabilities, Don Schlitz has written a few dozen No. 1 singles, including his signature song, "The Gambler" (made famous by Kenny Rogers) and "Forever and Ever, Amen" (a collab with Paul Lester Overstreet performed by Randy Travis). He's also penned tunes for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba McEntire, Allison Krauss, and George Strait, among many others. He has plenty of his own solo-produced material as well; 2010 saw the release of his LP Allergic to Crazy, along with a greatest hits compilation. This "Nashville insider concert" kicks off the Palladium's Songwriter Series. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
AIDS Wolf w/Unicorn Hard-On/Yip-Yip/Skeleton Warrior/Diamond Man If Montreal trio AIDS Wolf are using their awful name as a sort of sonic description, it works; they definitely produce the sort of sounds you might hear from a wolf slowly dying from an incurable disease — loud, abrasive, sometimes confusing and overall discordant noise rock with No Wave and Beefheart influences, and a female lead who prefers choking squeals to singing. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
MarchFourth Marching Band w/Beeb$ and Her Money Maker$ Fire-eaters, stiltwalkers, burlesque dancers — yes, it's a kaleidoscopic vaudevillian-style performance of theatrics and musical prowess as presented by the high-spirited, energy-pumping MarchFourth Marching Band (M4 to fans) and its 20-odd members. Funky electric bass grooves and guitar riffs, many-voice choruses, a five-piece percussion corps holding down the stomping rhythms, and a seven-piece brass section all brew up a mix of swampy Louisiana funk and jazz, eastern European gypsy music, Brazilian style Afro-beat, and good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll. A must see. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Fishbone Exploding onto the L.A. underground music scene in the 1980s, Fishbone helped pioneer the fusion of punk, funk, ska and soul, and did it with a furious gusto that inspired artists ranging from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Les Claypool to No Doubt. They never recorded a hit album, but they've gained massive cult fame over a three-decade career of wild ups and downs that served as the subject for the new documentary, Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, which explores their music and its relationship to black culture. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Christopher Spata
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway Concert A weekend of ukulele appreciation that culminates with a Saturday concert showcase featuring an array of ukulele talent. Among the performers are Gerald Ross, known for his polished skills on both uke and Hawaiian lap steel guitar, and his regular guest appearances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion; songwriter, guitarist and uke man Manitoba Hal, who offers a unique take on blues standards; The Barnkickers, a vintage-meets-modern two-piece made up of upright bass player Steve Boisen and his youthful uke-playing daughter Amanda; and husband-and-wife harmonizing team Marv and Kathy Reitz, both on uke, he on guitar, saxophone and clarinet, she on bass. (Lake Tarpon Resort, Tarpon Springs)
Martina McBride Nashville's multi-platinum country music star and so-called "Celine Dion of Country Music" performs at the second annual Dollars for Doorways charity event, which raises funds for Mayor's Mentors & More and its college/technical scholarships for low-income youths. (Demens Landing, St. Petersburg)
Bubba Sparxxx / Nappy Roots In the early '00s when rappers from the lower half of the country were riding the "dirty south" tidal wave for all it was worth, few were dirtier or southier than tractor-wheeling, pig-wrassling Georgia boy, Bubba Sparxxx, who blew up in 2001 with "Ugly" off of Dark Days, Bright Nights. Known for their positive, feel good vibe, six-man group Nappy Roots hit platinum in 2002 with Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz. Their new album, Nappy Dot Org, came out this month. This show should be a nice throwback to a crunkier era (when people said "crunk"). (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Christopher Spata
Todd Rundgren's Utopia The prog-rock group fronted by Rundgren and known for its drawn-out, intricate compositions was originally active from 1973 to '86. Original members Kevin Ellman, Moody Lingman, Ralph Schuckett, Josh Siegler and Kasim Sulton join Rundgren for a short 12-date run. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Sarasota Blues Fest w/Los Lobos/Ryan Shaw/Shaun Murphy/Lightnin' Malcom/more The long-running Sarasota fest was recently acquired by 30-year-old Texas-based ticketing, marketing and talent booking behemoth ExtremeTix, which won't be changing much in the near future, but could offer the potential of an expanded budget for bigger name talent in the future. Either way, this year's 21st annual event looks pretty solid, with Latin rockers Los Lobos heading things up and Ryan Shaw bringing a soulful pop-blues appeal to the day-long bill. (Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota)
Wednesday 13 w/Vampires Everywhere/Polkadot Cadaver/Soulidium Funeral Dazies/Crash Fist Fight Wednesday 13 is the performing moniker of singer-musician Joseph Poole, who's best known as the frontman of Murderdolls but has released four LPs as Wednesday 13 that mix horror punk and heavy metal in morbidly droll songs like "I Wanna Be Cremated," "Ghoul Of My Dreams" and "Candle For The Devil," all tracks off his 2011 LP, Calling All Corpses. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Titans of the Throne Drum Festival A performance-based drum fest that spotlights prominent heavy music skin-pounders, among them, Donald Tardy (Obituary, Andrew W.K.), Tony Laureano (Nile, Black Dahlia, All That Remains) and Steve Asheim (Deicide, Order of Ennead). (Brass Mug, Tampa)
Archnemesis w/J2K/Sounduo With their self-coined "intelligent electro-crunk," Archnemesis aims to make you dance — and I'm talking full-body bump and grind. The two-person project of Curt Heiny and Justin Aubuchon (Telepath, MO Theory) draws on elements of dubstep, trip hop and break-beat, and throws in samples ranging from early 1920s jazz to current soul and hip-hop to keep things interesting. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg)
An Acoustic Evening with Chris Cornell Confession: back in my high school days, I had a major crush on rock icon Chris Cornell. Yes, I was a fan of Soundgarden, but it was his dark intensity and piercing wails kept me coming back for more. By the time Audioslave came around, my ardor had faded, but I still appreciate his skills (and sex appeal), and this sort of intimate show — just Cornell, an acoustic guitar and microphone — has me intrigued. I expect he'll draw from his solo catalog as well as music he's written with both of the aforementioned bands. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
Music Fest for ALS w/Damon Fowler Group/Gregg Billings Band/Amanda Drake and the Barn Burners/Josh Lamkin and Automatic Heat/Adam Nicholas/Matt Winter Singer-guitarist Fowler headlines this day-long awareness and fund-raising fest of blues and roots rock that's organized by all-volunteer organization Winning the Fight, with all profits committed to its mission of finding treatment options and making a difference for the more than 30,000 people suffering from the incurable degenerative motor neuron disease known as ALS (or Lou Gehrig's Disease). Get tickets at MusicFestForALS.com. (Town Square Plaza Park, Pinellas Park)
Car Bomb Driver w/The Wankers/The Ruckus A raucous rock concert benefit in honor of late Wankers bassist Tracy Cooley, who passed away in July and left behind a one-year-old daughter. All proceeds will be donated directly to the family. (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Half Man, Half Wit-Stock: Benefit for Harry Hayward w/Ronny Elliott & The Nationals/Dirty Spoons & Trash Revue/Chroma/Florida Mountain Boys/The Crash Mitchell Five/The Roger Sullins Band A local music scene vet, Harry Hayward is the long-running drummer for Ronny Elliott and the Nationals; he's is also a current player with Judy Tampa and Bunko Squad, and local supergroup of sorts, Dirty Spoons and Trash with Tampa and Natty Moss Bond. Hayward is confronting some serious medical issues (and the rising costs that go with them), and this concert has been organized to help him out. For more info or to donate, visit helphayward.com. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Jinx Album Release Party As a special addition to Ol' Dirty Sundays, Tampa native hip-hop artist Jinx celebrates the release of his freshly-pressed album, New Growth; the rapper and singer has a sort of drawn-out rhyming style, and reflects on topics ranging from personal experiences to social and political issues. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Tommy Castro Delivering a searing mix of soulful R&B, Chicago blues and Southern rock is Tommy Castro, who's been awarded multiple honors from The Blues Foundation, including two wins as the "B.B. King Entertainer of the Year." His latest Alligator Records release, Tommy Castro presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Live!, was issued earlier this year. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Saves the Day / Bayside w/I Am the Avalanche/Transit With the September release of Daybreak, Saves The Day reaches the conclusion of a discographic trilogy and the end of a personal journey for frontman Chris Conley (2006's Sound the Alarm marked the beginning of Conley's therapeutic revelation while 2007's Underneath the Boards is about reflection and remorse). The band is co-headlining their current tour with Bayside, whose lead vocalist Anthony Raneri, had his own trials to pen. "Mona Lisa" and "Sick, Sick, Sick," from their latest album, Killing Time, are inspired by Raneri's divorce; Gil Norton (Dashboard Confessional, Foo Fighters) produced. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Lindsay Collette
OK Sweetheart The rich vocal stylings of Erin Austin are reminiscent of Billie Holiday with a lighter and sweeter appeal, her music in OK Sweetheart charming piano-driven indie folk pop with a little vintage '60s flavor and '70s AM warmth that pervades through songs like the pretty heartbreak of "You Let Me Down" and "All We Have." She self-released her debut full-length, Home, earlier this year and is currently touring as a three-piece with Bradley Waller (drums, guitar, vocals) and Alán De León Uribe (bass, piano, vocals). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Melt Banana w/Devout Sometimes there's just too much noise on a record. That may be someone's first thought when he or she initially presses play on any one of Melt Banana's LPs, but hearts, minds and eardrums get converted after spending a little more time with the sonic offerings of this Japanese punk outfit, which has opened up for Tool, The Melvins and Jim O' Rourke over the course of their nearly 20-year existence. It's 2005's Charlie, however, that has me reeling. With 14 tracks clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the album is a pleasurably manic blend of electro, thrash, punk, and cacophony that is off-kilter, unnerving, and irresistible at the same time. If you thought that Peelander Z's WMNF Heatwave set was insane, then get ready to have your face melted. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Ray Roa
Kaki King An Atlanta artist highly regarded for her ax mastery, Kaki King has a percussive and jazz-influenced style that includes picking, fret-tapping and slap-bass techniques. She uses multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar as well as looping and layering to get to her textured indie rock sound, which also delves into roots rock, post rock, shoegaze and even punk, as evidenced on her fifth and latest album, 2010's Junior. The current tour finds King returning to her solo acoustic roots. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.