THURSDAY, APRIL 10
TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET w/THE COPYRIGHTS/ELYSIUM/BIG CITY BOMBERS/THE LONG JOHNS Laramie, Wyoming, quartet Teenage Bottlerocket are unabashed Ramones fans who excel at recreating the pop-informed punk sounds of Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee that transformed the music world in the mid-1970s. Not sure, though, if the Ramones ever took the anti-establishment/anarchy message as far as Teenage Bottlerocket do on "Blood Bath at Burger King," a gleefully sung ditty about shooting up your fast-food place of employment. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
GIOVANNI HIDALGO w/RIE AKAGI/LANNIE BATTISTINI Green Iguana, which typically books local and cover bands, will bring acclaimed Puerto Rico-born jazz percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo to its Veterans Expressway/Anderson Road location in Tampa for the bar's weekly Latin Fever Thursday night. A world—renowned conga player, or conguero, Hidalgo's resume includes playing with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard and Paul Simon. In 1997, Hidalgo collaborated with pianist Michel Camilo on Hands of Rhythm, which was nominated for a Grammy as Best Latin Jazz Album. (Green Iguana on Anderson Road, Tampa)
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
TAMPA BAY BLUES FESTIVAL w/THE ROBERT CRAY BAND/JAMES HUNTER/LUCKY PETERSON/LOS LONELY BOYS/WALTER TROUT/TAB BENOIT/ROBBEN FORD/ROD PIAZZA/JANIVA MAGNESS/NICK MOSS & THE FLIP TOPS/BILLY GIBSON/TUTU JONES/TROMBONE SHORTY/CHRIS CAIN/TAD ROBINSON One of the Bay area's most beloved music events broadens its blues appeal this year with popular Tex-Mex rockers Los Lonely Boys, New Orleans horn and hip-hop sensation Trombone Shorty and British blue-eyed-soul singer James Hunter. The event takes place today through Sunday, April 13. For an interview with James Hunter, detailed schedule and write-ups on each act, see the music story. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
WANEE FESTIVAL: BOB WEIR & RAT DOG/GOV'T MULE/LEVON HELM/DEREK TRUCKS & SUSAN TEDESCHI SOUL STEW REVIVAL/MOE./OTEIL & THE PEACEMAKERS/JJ GREY & MOFRO/LARRY MCCRAY BAND/SCRAPOMATIC/LITTLE BROWN PEACH/THE FREQUENCY/INCA MAYA This fest in North Florida is the Allman Brothers Band's baby, one they headline every year but were forced to bow out of recently when singer Gregg Allman underwent treatment for hepatitis C. Longtime ABB pal and Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir and his Rat Dog crew will take the top spot, with support from ABB guitarist-singer Warren Haynes' sideband Gov't Mule and an appearance by ABB slide guitar star Derek Trucks, who will be accompanied by his wife, singer Susan Tedeschi. The act not to miss here, though, is Levon Helm. The singer-drummer of The Band was silenced by cancer of the vocal cords around 2000 and then reemerged sounding as sweet as ever on his outstanding comeback album from last year, Dirt Farmer. Wanee Fest takes place today and tomorrow, April 12, at the same venue. (Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak)
IRON & WINE w/CALIFONE South Florida's Samuel Beam, who with his lumberjack beard looks like he's from anywhere but South Florida, has distinguished himself under the stage name Iron & Wine as a luminary of the indie-folk scene with a trio of clever, soulful albums for the Sub Pop label, which issued his latest, The Shepherd's Dog, last September. (Plaza Theatre, Orlando)
JASK w/CORO Local DJ Jask made his name in the early '90s by helping to introduce the acid-jazz sound to the rave-loving club kids of Tampa. (Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg)
LOST BAYOU RAMBLERS This Lafayette, La., quintet trades in the authentic, fiddle-and-accordion-fueled Cajun music that has been making folks forget their troubles for generations. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
CRAIG MORGAN The Nashville native became a star in his hometown and beyond with 2002's "Almost Home," which cracked the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks survey. Over the past six years, Morgan has maintained his star status with hits like "Redneck Yacht Club," "That's What I Like About Sundays" and "International Harvester." (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
THE INDEPENDENTS w/THE DEAD POPES/THE REDLINERS/HOW DARE YOU South Carolina's Independents have been shredding with their schizo brand of macabre rock for some 15 years now. At one time managed/produced by Joey Ramone, Demonic Duo (as they dub themselves) Evil Presly and Willy B combine punk, ska and surf with their penchant for old horror movies ("Succubus," "Buried Alive," "Left for Dead"). The result is Misfits-styled mayhem. Their live shows are ridiculous, scenery-chewing fun, and if the crowd's lucky, they'll throw in a killer cover of the other E.P.'s "Suspicious Minds." The Independents perform with Faceplant and Nady & The Hangovers Sat., April 12, Pastimes Pub, Sarasota. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Amanda Schurr
THE VERA VIOLETS w/MORNINGBELL/TRIANGLE SHIRT FACTORY Tampa's Vera Violets meld spooky psychedelic rock and shoegaze to create one of the more distinctive sounds in the Bay area. Gainesville's Morningbell makes compelling, richly textured pop songs steeped in ambient washes that should appeal to Flaming Lips fans and most anyone who has ever lost himself in an early Pink Floyd epic. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
DUBCONSCIOUS Athens, Ga., has long produced an eclectic crop of bands, including this peace-and-ganja-loving reggae outfit. The six-piece has mastered the "one drop" rhythms, but the white-boy singer's affected Jamaican accent grates, at least to these ears. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
EIGHT FINGERED LARRY w/KNOWING STU/IN VIOLENT SLEEP/NATURALEZA MUERTA/GREX Tampa's Eight Fingered Larry gets its freak on with sludgy, slightly funky metal spiked with the operatic vocals of lead singer Allison Wonderland. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, APRIL 13
JULIAN MARLEY By this point, it seems Bob Marley's numerous offspring are poised to take over the music world. Ziggy, Damian, Stephen and Ky-Mani have all found success on the reggae and/or hip-hop charts in recent years. Julian Marley, age 32 and born in London, has yet to achieve the same status as his brothers but will likely have no problem delighting concertgoers — especially if he offers a heavy dose of his dad's classics. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO w/ZOX/DAN POTTEST New Jersey seven-piece Streetlight Manifesto has more chops than most ska-punk outfits, which too often feature half-ass horn players. Last year, the band's third album, Somewhere in Between, peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
JIM "KIMO" WEST He grew up in Tampa, moved to Los Angeles and logged time playing lead guitar next to "Weird Al" Yankovic. West's personal passion, though, is Hawaiian slack-key guitar, on which he's proficient. It's a traditional, acoustic instrument played in the fingerpicking style of country and bluegrass players. (Palladium, St. Petersburg)
WILL HOGE w/HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL/WILL QUINLAN & THE DIVINERS WMNF brings to town Nashville-based heartland rocker Will Hoge, a husky-voiced singer-songwriter-bandleader who, for better or worse, has endured countless Springsteen and Mellencamp comparisons. Hoge released a pair of albums on Atlantic in the early part of the decade that failed to meet major-label sales expectations despite critical acclaim. The soul vocalist's latest album, 2007's Draw the Curtains, came out on Rykodisc and was met with another round of favorable reviews. Bradenton's Have Gun, Will Travel, the best new alt-country ensemble in Tampa Bay, just received the first copies of its brilliant, highly anticipated debut full-length, Standing in Shadows Tall as Giants. Look for a profile of the Matt Burke-led outfit in next week's CL. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
TUESDAY, APRIL 15
THE STARTING LINE w/BAYSIDE/STEEL TRAIN/FOUR YEAR STRONG Philly pop-punk quartet The Starting Line was all over modern rock radio last year with the more-cloying-than-catchy hit "Island (Float Away)." (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
DORO w/FATAL SMILE Former Warlock frontwoman and German heavy metal hottie Doro Pesch will transport a bunch of sex-starved, headbanging dudes (just taking an educated guess, here) back a decade or two with titles like "Hellraiser" and "Homicide Rocker." (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BATTLE OF THE BANDS w/NOUS RAPPORT/GLOBAL DECAY/THE D.O.O.D./COVET Since kicking off in January, Gallery Billiards' and Roadkill Promotions' Battle of the Bands inches closer to the finals with this week's competition. Among the talent making it to Round Two are Nous Rapport, the local, crunchy garage rockers led by fierce singer/guitarist Katherine Kelly. Others vying for bragging rights: Clearwater alt act Global Decay, metal-minded The D.O.O.D. and the hardcore screamo of Venice's Covet. (Gallery Billiards, Sarasota) —AS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
MURDER BY DEATH w/KISS KISS Indiana quartet Murder by Death's new album, Red of Tooth and Claw, which came out last month on Vagrant, is a career best for the indie Americana-Goth rockers. The themes are almost pitch black, but sharp songwriting overcomes the bleak subject matter. And then there's Adam Turla's voice, a deep, powerful instrument akin to Johnny Cash and Nick Cave's that's at its most effective on pleading numbers like the goodbye burner "Fuego!" (Orpheum, Ybor City)
BAMBOOZLE ROAD SHOW: SAVES THE DAY w/ARMOR FOR SLEEP/SET YOUR GOALS/METRO STATION/LYDIA Emo faves Saves the Day, of New Jersey, has managed to routinely land its albums on the pop charts for the past decade despite not having a legitimate hit song or a sound that differs from the hordes of other pop-punk and emo acts coming through town — guess Saves the Day has just been doing it longer than most of the competition. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
PAT DINIZIO Lead singer of The Smithereens — an underrated pop/rock band responsible for late-1980s/early-'90s hits like "Only a Memory," "A Girl Like You" and "Too Much Passion" — stops by for a solo performance at this unlikely venue, a fairly new Tampa bar on N. Dale Mabry that used to be Bilmar Station. (Tank's Tap Room, Tampa)
VOODOO ORGANIST w/WORLDWIDE ZOO/SUPER SECRET BEST FRIENDS All the way from the West Coast, Voodoo Organist's croon recalls that of Dr. John, and his playing is all about them "devil made me do it" blues. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2008.