Thursday, August 21
AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE TOUR AI jumped the shark a long time ago with its whitewashed talent contest of dippy, easy-listening arrangements, cringe-worthy product placement and puppet-stringed starmaking. That hasn't stopped folks from worshipping this tripe in droves, though there's hope — ratings were down this past season, the seventh. Making the rounds are top 10 finalists Chikezie, Jason Castro, Sarasota-native Syesha Mercado, the two Davids (runner-up Archuleta and victor Cook) and other karaoke kids destined for a very long road to the middle. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) —Amanda Schurr
THE HANKS w/MOUSE FIRE The Hanks are a six-year-old Los Angeles-based quartet that produces appealing, heartfelt alterna-pop with tight, multi-meter rhythms, New Wave-tinged keys, horn embellishments and the melodic vocals of lead singer/guitarist Josh Grondin, who alternates between soothing croon and beseeching wail. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —Leilani Polk
Friday, August 22
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS w/BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Since troubled frontman Scott Weiland kissed and made up with bass- and guitar-playing brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo, ditching Velvet Revolver earlier this year, STP has mounted a 65-date North American tour and announced plans for a new record, the first since 2001's Shangri-La Dee Da. Check out my feature on BRMC on p. 39. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa) —AS
THE LOST TRAILERS Two high school friends from Alexandria, Va., with good country-music names — Stokes Neilson and Ryder Lee — formed Nashville-based The Lost Trailers, a commercial country quintet with a pop-crossover flavor. (Dallas Bull, Tampa) —Eric Snider
TINSLEY ELLIS w/3rd STONE BAD Atlanta-based bluesman Ellis has made Florida, and certainly Tampa Bay, part of his regular stomping grounds since establishing himself as a solo artist in the late 1980s. His sound ranges from screaming post-SRV blues-rock to swaying country-soul. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
GERI X w/HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/JORAN SLANE With her delicate, plucky acoustic chops and melancholy post-folk sensibilities, Bulgarian-born Geri X merits the local hype given her in these and other pages. Rounding out the don't-miss bill are equally stellar alt-Americana gents Have Gun Will Travel and Joran Slane, Auditorium frontman and CL staffer. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —AS
Saturday, August 23
BOSTON Sure, Boston is a pillar of dinosaur rock, but the band actually has some proto-DIY cred. Leader/guitarist Tom Scholz earned a masters degree from M.I.T., then built a 12-track recording studio in his home, which he used to record the bulk of the group's self-titled 1976 debut LP. That's where the DIY ended, though; Boston, released on a major label (Epic), was a smash — the best-selling pop debut in history until being eclipsed by Whitney Houston a decade later. Scholz and company will trot out such hits as "More than a Feeling," "Don't Look Back" and "Amanda." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES
WMNF PRESENTS LISTENERS' CHOICE w/ NERVOUS TURKEY/HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/TALK TO MARK/KATHERINE KELLY/ACHO BROTHER WMNF has invited a handful of standout local artists who performed at Tropical Heatwave and various station benefit concerts for the latest installment of its Listener's Choice concert series. A range of musical styles are represented: hard-stomping, harmonica-infused barroom blues by Nervous Turkey; earnest Americana by nationally recognized Have Gun, Will Travel; Radiohead-inspired alterna-rock by Talk to Mark; electronic-acoustic folk-rock by sweet-voiced Katherine Kelly and experimental Latin folk-rock by Acho Brother. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —LP
WESZT/MR. BELLA/THE SECRET STATE/SOUTHSIDE SERENADE This bill of local and regional acts features Orlando's Weszt, a four-piece "thinking person's rock band" from Orlando that produces moody alternative music with vocal emoting courtesy of songwriter/band namesake Weszt; The Secret State, from Jacksonville Beach, an insipid alt-rock outfit; and Tampa's entrants: Mr. Bella, a soft metal band fronted by bleach-blonde lady howler Erin Mare, and the acoustic-guitar-driven, radio-friendly Southside Serenade. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP
BLESSID UNION OF SOULS The Cincinnati band enjoyed middling, post-Hootie success in the latter half of the 1990s with a brand of inoffensive pop-rock marked by the Top 10 ballad "I Believe" and the uptempo name-dropper "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)." (Jannus Landing, St. Pete) —ES
Sunday, August 24
FGFC82O An industrial dance project by New York DJs Rexx Arkana and Dräcos, FGFC820 sets harsh vocals against generic untz-untz-untz beats, the sort that give electronic music a bad rep. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP
DAVE MATTHEWS TRIBUTE BAND Phew, almost panicked. When I started to write this blurb, I looked quick and thought it said the Dave Matthews Cover Band. Thank heavens it's the Dave Matthews Tribute Band. (Jannus Landing) —ES
BILL SHEFFIELD On his ninth album, Got a Gig, Gotta Go, Atlanta roots-bluesman Sheffield continues in the finger-picking vein of Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake. He's a rich and rare traditionalist, one who touches country, gospel and soul. (Ace's Lounge, Bradenton) —AS
Monday, August 25
TOM SHED The Sarasota Folk Club's monthly concert features the guitar, banjo and mandolin stylings of this Gainesville troubadour. (Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Sarasota) —AS
Wednesday, August 27
BERES HAMMOND One of the more underrated reggae artists of his generation, Hammond, 52, possesses warm, soulful pipes and favors live instrumentation. He's oriented toward the "lovers' rock" subgenre, but has also dabbled in dancehall, hip-hop and R&B. (Jannus Landing, St. Pete) —ES
MATT PRYOR w/KEVIN DEVINE Pryor is a recovering emo artist — formerly of the Get Up Kids — who has turned toward Americana. His new solo album, Confidence Man, is all acoustic guitars and lightly plucked banjos underpinning Pryor's effete voice. Devine is a similarly styled artist out of Brooklyn. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —ES
KILLING THE DREAM w/END IT California metal-core act Killing the Dream is equal parts screamo, prog-rock and punk, all head-pummeling black noise. Somebody digs it: The guys are presently on tour in support of their latest, Fractures, that finds KTD toying with something called a melody. (Transitions Art Gallery at Skatepark of Tampa) —AS
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2008.