THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
Tampa Bay Tech Jam Tampa Bay Technology Forum Foundation — a nonprofit membership association committed to connecting and growing the local tech community — presents its 11th annual summer party and fundraiser, “Tech Jam 2012: Behind the Music.” Hundreds of community leaders, business professionals and techies gather to enjoy food, cocktails, a silent auction with upward of 50 unique items, and live music by Chris McCarty and the Underground Movement, Woody and the Nutcrackers, and Christie Lenée. Proceeds support the foundation’s programs and scholarships for at-risk youths. (Pepin Hospitality Centre, Tampa)
Rebelution w/The Expendables/Passafire Reggae stoner band Rebelution must be really proud of their third studio album, 2012’s Peace of Mind. They wrote and recorded a dozen songs, then recorded a disc of acoustic versions of the songs, then put together another disc of dub remixes of those same 12 songs, likely catering to whatever funky high you happen to be on that day. Peace of Mind was released in January as a three-disc set and seems to follow a formula of off-beat guitars, ultra-catchy vocal hooks and grooving backbeats. “Just soak in music and relaxation,” lead singer Eric Rachmany croons on 2007 hit “Feeling Alright,” and fans at Jannus will be surely be doing a lot of it. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Miles Parks
Brian Culbertson and David Sanborn: The Dream Tour Brian Culbertson is a contemporary R&B-fused jazz instrumentalist with a light funk edge who plays piano and trombone, and is currently supporting his 13th album, 2012’s Dreams, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. His inspiration was a series of vivid dreams he had last summer that prompted him to write songs “that made me feel like those dreams.” Tampa native David Sanborn is a much called-upon commercially successful alto sax player whose aesthetic is similar to his tourmate’s but leans more to pop; he’s got six Grammys under his belt, has done session work or sat in with a wide range of artists, from David Bowie to Paul Shaffer to Todd Rundgren. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)
School Boy Humor w/The Drive/Voted Most Random Phil and Anthony Evans are twin brothers who serve as the foxy muscleheaded frontmen of School Boy Humor, a heavy-on-the-electronics Top 40-ready pop music outfit that produces tracks with titles like “7 Minutes in Heaven” and “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes.” Likely both will be on setlist tap for their current “Hoes Before Bros Tour.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Steve Vai w/Beverly McClellan Frank Zappa helped shape many a formative young musicians and he had a hand in virtuoso Steve Vai’s early professional guitar-playing career — after Vai had already taken lessons with Joe Satriani, played gigs in a few local bands, and clocked student hours at Berklee College of Music. Vai went from transcribing and overdubbing guitar for Zappa to actually touring with him in the early ’80s. Probably means he picked up some good tricks that he honed over the years in stints with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and Joe Jackson. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
Dave LaRue Band w/Acme Jazz Garage LaRue played bass for the Dixie Dregs and the Steve Morse Band, and has done session work and touring with a huge roster of others — Joe Satriani, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and Planet X among them. He’s generally kept a low profile all the while, and only recorded a single solo record, Hub City Kid in 2007. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18
Chris Duarte w/Sandy Atkinson Seminal Texas axeman Chris Duarte has been slinging rock and jazz-infused blues since the mid-1980s. His most recent outing, 2011’s Blues In The Afterburner, show off Duarte’s fret prowess and sonic reach, from the standard progressions of “Bottle Blues,” to the swinging dance appeal of “Make Me Feel So Right” to the acrobatic Hendrixian feats and rapid fire runs of “Prairie Jelly.” (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Amy Winehouse Tribute Show with Gwan Massive One thing you can always count on from Gwan Massive is a raging good time. The rotating ensemble is made up of DJs and instrumentalists who build brass-fused grooves and jams, and a hodge-podge of emcees and singers who flow, croon, spit and howl over them. Expect a throwdown at The Hub for this redux tribute to Amy Winehouse — a songstress who died too young but made a huge mark in her short soulful time on earth — and a setlist of cuts like “You Know I’m No Good” (now a regular part of the Gwan repertoire) and “Back to Black.” (The Hub, Tampa)
PBR&R: Florida Kilos/Bambery/Tidal Wave/Archaic Interest It’s a PBR&R “Summer Classic” Party! THX Management invites locals to come out and celebrate to the sounds of high quality local surf rock by Florida Kilos, a throwback band that plays vintage Fender guitars through tube reverb amps and is currently gearing up for a fall tour with the Growlers while working on releasing a four-song 7” EP recorded and mixed by Drew Vandeberg (Toro Y Moi, Deerhunter, Camper Van Beethoven); Bambery, a melodic pop rock outfit with boy-girl harmonies and slight retro tendencies; Tidal Wave, a straightforward instrumental surf rock trio; and Archaic Interest, which purveys a spooky-dreamy sort of garage rock. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Ultimate Band Series Finale Concert The Ritz Ybor’s third annual Ultimate Band Series competition comes to an epic conclusion when the four bands that advanced from July’s semi-final rounds — The Northwest, Khora, Jack Jasper and Rising Down — perform two original songs and a Springsteen cover of their choice. The winners gets a $5k-valued prize package (including the opportunity to open for a national touring act stopping at The Ritz, studio time, paid gigs at three upcoming Bay area events and $500 cash), and is chosen solely from audience applause.Fans need to come out and show your support. (The RITZ Ybor, Ybor City)
Second Annual Blessing and a Curse Folk Music Festival w/Have Gun Will Travel/Applebutter Express/Dean Johansen Familiar names in the Bay area folk music scene fill up the bill for the second edition of the Carrollwood music fest. Multiple Best of the Bay-winning group Have Gun Will Travel headline, with ukulele-toting Applebutter Express (who have the recent honor of performing at Bonnaroo) warming up the fest along with rootsy singer-songwriter Dean Johansen of The Human Condition. HGWT is a blast for the contrasts they bring to the table. Snare-driven beats match the shifting bass lines, but click uniquely with the brassy vocals of frontman Matt Burke. Distinctly Americana instrumentals dabble in country and rock as well. These guys are seasoned live musicians fresh off a July east coast tour. Make sure to get out and see them in an intimate laid-back venue while you still have the chance. (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa) —MP
Poetry n’ Lotion w/Geri X/Mountain Holler & Jacqlyn Troubador/Aloha Model Fusion band Poetry n’ Lotion has experienced an intriguing sonic progression over the past few years, starting as a post-jazz and folk project with mandolin melodies and evolving to a more aggressive metal-flecked electro-prog outfit with mild jazz tendencies as led by the piercing trumpet of Kenny Pullen (Magadog, d’Visitors). Matt E. Lee has added keyboard effects to his guitar-playing resume and paired with the solid lowend and rhythmic backbeat of Thomas Murray and John Nowicki, you have yourself one tasty brew of instrumentals. PNL kicks off the bill at 10 p.m. with newest permanent fifth member Alex Fedele (of Auto!Automatic!!), who joins on trombone and percussion. Also on the bill: a set by RedFeather principals Mountain Holler (Mark Etherington on vocals, acoustic guitar) and songstress Jaqlyn Troubadour (vocals, keys), along with Geri X and The Aloha Model. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19
Groovefest 3 w/Bobby Lee Rodgers/Rich Whiteley/Applebutter Express/Funky Seeds/Christie Lenee/Human Condition/Between Bluffs/more The Bay area’s jam-and-groove leaning groups bring their talents to the Skipperdome for an afternoon-into-evening showcase headed up by wailing guitarist Bobby Lee Rodgers, with plugged-in entertainment featured on the main stage and in-between acoustic sets delivered on a smaller make-shift performance area. (Skippers Smokehouse, Tampa)
Stan Hunter & Patrick Bettison — Jazz St. Pete resident jazz legend Stan Hunter treats locals to his refined keywork on piano and B3 every few months or so. For this afternoon Side Door set, his quartet is joined by bass and chromatic harmonica great Patrick Bettison. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Juicy J w/Smoke DZA/Chip Tha Ripper/Chevy Woods/Fat Trel/Joey Bada$$/Cashius Green/Short Stop/Corner Boy P Tennessee rapper, songwriter and producer Juicy J (best known as one-half of Three 6 Mafia) has a few things on his mind in “A Zip & A Double Cup” (“I’m getting high as fuck”) — weed (a zipper bag of Kush), white gin (Bombay Sapphire), and women (“…and if she ain’t trying to fuck, I’m looking for that runner up”). The rest of his dirty south crunk is just as blunt and wry, if song titles are any indication (“You Can Get Murked,” “Let’s Get High,” “We Stay Trippy,” et. al.). (Orpheum, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22
Lionize Mixing ’70s-influenced hard rock with funky grinding dub into a rather intoxicating brew, DC outfit Lionize offers a surprisingly strong departure from the usual reggae rock aesthetic; guitar textures trade between fuzzy distorted riffs, wet drops of wah wah notes and piercing fret-jumping solos, thick bass and heavy organ create a robust bed of dub-laced grooves, and the tuneful sandpaper-chafed vocals of Nate Bergman wheels over top of it all. Lionize has earned much street cred in their eight-year tenure, serving as touring band for Lee “Scratch” Perry, warming up the stage for such diverse and respected acts as Bad Brains and Galactic, playing both Bonnaroo and Warped Tour in the same year (2011), and issuing albums all throughout. This six-date Florida tour (presented by Gulfster and Sailor Jerry Spice Rum) supports a fifth full-length, Superczar and the Vulture, produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, The Dismemberment Plan). (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series: Bootleggers & Baptists The dark, heavy rocking Southern groove of “Spitting Verbs” opens Bootleggers & Baptists’ three-song A Recurring Dream EP with a stealthy roiling rhythm, deep sinister groans of cello, and a guitar that progresses from lightly melodic to propulsive to dissonant, the vocals of singer-axeman Josh Harrell a nasally-brassy wail over top. He and cousin Aaron Buckingham (drums, keys) are the sole members of the band, but manage to build big rootsy textured washes of sound. Fascinating indeed, especially when offered for free and paired with New World’s finger-licking eats. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2012.
