Michelle Malone, who plays The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing in Ybor City, Florida on January 5, 2019. Credit: Carie Thompson

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✔️= Critic's Pick

✔️ Michelle Malone The Attic has been steadily booking songwriters of every stripe, and now all of those weird and crazy connections are starting to cross paths. Georgia songwriter Michelle Malone has a new, politically charged new album out, and one of its standout tracks is a cover of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” which she performs as a duet with Shawn Mullins (who is no stranger to the Ybor City venue). We’ll see how Slings & Arrows plays out for the crowd, but don’t expect Malone to pull any punches. “We all know that there’s been a huge divide since the election. A lot of people on both sides are worried and unhappy. The polarization even exists within families,” she recently told American Songwriter. “So with this album, and my upcoming shows, I think it’s my job to try and bring us back together. To try and heal the wounds. At least make everyone feel better.” (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City) INFO

✔️ Emo Night Tampa w/DieAlps!/Crate Brothers It’s nice to have bands you can count on, and there’s a real sense of satisfaction that arrives with DieAlps!’s first show of the new year. The gig not only comes as part of the Emo Night festivities, but signals that the hard-working, ultra-talented Tampa indie-rock favorite is still busting ass as it works towards a follow-up to its excellent 2017 album, Our City. The fact that there are so many no-cover shows these days does not mean that those with door charges aren’t worth attending, but we do appreciate Emo Night creating another layer of value for its faithful partygoers. (The Bricks, Ybor City) INFO

✔️ Victor Wainwright and The Train w/Bob Seeley Life could completely change for Victor Wainwright next month, but we suspect that even a Grammy win (his Piana From Savannah is nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album”) won’t change the way the 37-year-old virtuoso tailors the special brand of foot-stomping boogie-woogie blues and storytelling he’s making with a new band, The Train. (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO

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Venus Bleu/w/Jinx/Tribal Style/Aych/Luna Love/DJ Blenda/J-Roc Jones A no cover concert and art show hosted by none other than J-Roc Jones. Get down to some reggae, hip-hop, RYB and soul at this Cass Street hotspot. (Hooch and Hive, Tampa) INFO

Twist In The Dark: 00tz 00tz w/Sleeping Pills/Astari Nite/DJ Maus/DJ Mark Paradise Some of the overnight programming on community radio station WMNF 88.5 FM is built around the out-of-the-gbox sounds of darkwave, and this show is a chance to see and hear what that programming is like in a live setting. Phil Taylor’s Sleeping Pills project is the anchor on this concert that also features industrial and EBM sounds from 00tz 00tz plus songs from Miami darkwave darling Astari Nite, which recently debut a melodic and morose synth-pop track, “Unfulfilled Promise.” (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO

✔️ Shevonne You will not be forgiven for sleeping on Shevonne Philidor in 2019. The fiery Bay area songwriter deserves your attention, and this gig within the welcoming (and pristinely tuned) walls of St. Petersburg’s finest listening room is the best place to soak it all in. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO

The Sagas w/Yardij/Phantom Phunk Did you miss The Sagas at Rock the Park Tampa? Here’s a chance to catch the hybrid sounds of the Atlanta-based outfit while chillaxing in the Green Bench beer garden. SoFla alt-rock band Yardij plays support while Gorillaz and Linkin Park-influenced indie-rock band Phantom Phunk rounds out the bill. This show is free to attend, and kid-friendly, too. Just don’t let the 5-year-old hold your Sunshine City IPA while you use the bathroom, Dad. (Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg) INFO

✔️ La Lucha The new year is for starting traditions, and an occasional visit to Independent Bar & Café’s first Saturday jazz concerts is a good ritual to adopt. This one finds old CL favorite La Lucha (still, hopefully, playing songs from a funky 2018 album, Pa’Lante) giving Seminole Heights another free show. (Independent Bar and Café, Tampa) INFO

The Easy Button w/Atomic Treehouse/Fast Talkers Virtually next door to Independent is Red Star Rock Bar, where another free concert happens at the hands of this trio of guitar-driven melodic rock bands who’ll play on the back patio starting at 8 p.m. You could totally bounce between this one and the jazz show happening a few blocks away. (Red Star Rock Bar, Tampa) INFO

Acoustic Grateful Dead Cage Brewing’s Grateful Dead tribute series quiets down by going acoustic on Saturday when Uncle John’s Band guitarist Rich Whiteley teams up with Dead Set Florida bassist and singer Christian Walker and percussionist Christopher Kelley. Expect to hear unique takes on both Dead classics and Jerry Garcia rarities at this free and dog-friendly show. (Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO

ALSO PLAYING
*See a list of venues hosting residencies and tribute or cover bands at the bottom of this post.

Death to January (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO

Tom Gribbin & The Saltwater Cowboys (Ka'Tiki, Treasure Island) INFO

The SET (First Chance Last Chance Bar, Ybor City) INFO

Trio Sol Caliente (Marchand’s at The Vinoy, St. Petersburg) INFO

The Florida Orchestra: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO

Doo Dah Beasties (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO

Mountain Holler (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO

Live At the Fillmore (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO

DOCO (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO

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Below is a list of clubs and restaurants that either regularly book both original music acts as well as tribute and cover bands or feature a concert calendar stocked with higher-quality residents. Follow the links to see more.

Residencies

c. 1949 Florida Beer Garden 6905 N Orleans Ave., Tampa
Hideaway Café 1756 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Jazz House Supper Club 9331 East Adamo Dr., Tampa
The Landing at Jannus 200 First Ave N., St. Petersburg
The Living Room 487 Main St., Dunedin
The Mandarin Hide 231 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Ringside Café 16 2nd St N., St. Petersburg
Ruby's Elixir 15 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg
Seminole Hard Rock Café 5223 Orient Rd, Tampa
Tampa Armature Works 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa
The Vinoy Renaissance 501 5th Ave NE, St. Petersburg

Tribute/Cover/Open Mics

3 Daughters Brewing 222 22nd St., St. Petersburg
Barefoot Billy's Friendly Tavern 3120 W. Gandy Blvd, Tampa
Buckets Grill & Tap 4535 Gunn Hwy., Tampa
Captain Jack’s On The Water 21 Oscar Hill Rd., Tarpon Springs
Caddy's On The Beach 9000 W Gulf Blvd, Treasure Island
Café Hey 1540 N Franklin St., Tampa
Gator's 12754 Kingfish Dr., Treasure Island
Green Iguana 4029 S. Westshore Blvd., Tampa
Ferg's Live 490 Channelside Dr., Tampa
JD's Restaurant & Lounge 125 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach
Hula Bay Club 5210 W Tyson Ave., Tampa
O'Briens Irish Pub Multiple Locations, Tampa
Rick's On The River 2305 N Willow Ave., Tampa
Smokin' 19 3080-3090 34th St N., St. Petersburg
Two Buks 1915 N. Hercules Ave., Clearwater
Yeoman Cask & Lion (two locations: 202 N. Morgan St., Tampa; 200 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg)

There’s more to the Tampa Bay concert calendar, and we’ve got it waiting for you on local.cltampa.com. Visit cltampa.com/music every day to get daily concert roundups plus all the latest concert announcements and local music. Follow us on Twitter (@cl_music) and subscribe to the newsletter, too.

This article appears in Jan 3-10, 2019.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...