FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25
Burning Tree Welcome Home Party w/?knowledge/Paint The Town Red/poundSalt/Unmotivated The self-described "tall, dark and handsome" St. Pete reggae rock band is barking up the same musical ladder as genre companions Sublime and 311. Their 2011 EP, Oppressive Heat, was self-released by on their own Treehouse Records imprint. The quartet embarked on their first-ever national headlining tour to promote OH and this show marks their triumphant return to their hometown. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) —Lindsay Collette
St. Pete Shuffle Presents: Flexxehawk/The Peabodies/Dead Sound Three local groups converge on the courts for an evening of live music: hard-driving Southern-tinged rockers Flexxehawk; Peabodies, a guitar-pop two-piece made up of former Tampa Tribune music critic/current free agent Curtis Ross and former St. Pete Times writer/current USF adjunct professor Gina Vivinetto, who re-settled in the Bay area this summer after spending more than four years in D.C.; and punk rock trio Dead Sound. (St. Pete Shuffleboard Club, St. Petersburg)
Black Friday 3 w/Geri X/Sheep/Travis Hunter-Brown She took home this year's BOTB Reader's Choice award for Best Singer-Songwriter, was named "Best of Indie 2011" by Rolling Stone Bulgaria (her home country), and just returned from her first-ever European tour in support of her 2011 self-produced, self-released full-length, Whiskey and Cigarettes. Her music is folk evocative and alt-roots dusky, the title track carried on gently-picked acoustic guitar, piano melodies, and the layered heartache of Geri X's burry-sweet vocals delivering verses like "I don't want to be a picture in your wallet you'll forget / I want to be a gold slide, warm whiskey and your favorite pack of cigarettes." Also on the bill: indie alt/post rock quintet Sheep, formerly Calla Terrace, and R&B soulful singer-songwriter Travis Hunter-Brown. Bring non-perishable food donations for a "Cans for Cans" food drive in support of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank., and get a free PBR for every 10 items you give; the most philanthropic get a super swag PBR package. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)
Joe Bonamassa You'd be hard pressed to find any of Joe Bonamassa's tracks infiltrating the airwaves, but that doesn't mean the guy hasn't found immense success on both the American and British blues circuits. At the ripe age of 12 he opened for B.B. King and has since sold out numerous venues — including Royal Albert Hall and two recent nights at New York's Beacon Theater — throughout his 11-year solo carer. Bonamassa's brand of rip roaring electric blues will likely appeal to fans of genre legends like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Steve Winwood, all of whom he's played alongside. In addition to a fruitful solo career, Bonamassa is also a member of British rock supergroup Black Country Communion alongside Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, and Derek Sherinian. Bonamassa is touring in support of his 11th full length album, Dust Bowl. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Andrew Silverstein
Rocksteady@8 w/The Jim Morey Band Enjoy a post-Turkey Day show with the swinging New Orleans gypsy-jazz rock stumble of Jim Morey Band followed by a headlining set of booty-bumpin' reggae, dancehall and ska and by Rocksteady@8, which features the strong rhythmic backing of keyboardist John Richardson and drummer Adam Volpe of Infinite Groove Orchestra, a three-piece horn section that includes trumpeter Kenny Pullin (Poetry n' Lotion, D'Visitors, Magadog) and Jeremy Powell (IGO, Swamp Logic), and singer-toaster Jason Nwabacharocha rounding it out with his intoxicating enthusiasm. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Signals From Satellites Local indie rock trio Signals From Satellites has a wistful post rock touch, and a knack for crafting long melodic breakdowns. Their uniqueness comes from their singer's slightly off-kilter but endearing vocals. (Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa) —Christopher Spata
Tur-Drunken Day 2 w/ Easybreezy/The Pauses/Fowler's Bluff/Goodnight Neverland/Grand Manor/@theSRRs Have a few drinks, toast a big thanks to the holiday (and Thx Management and AES Presents) for making this bill of local music possible, and party down with some noteworthy local and regional talent, among them, Orlando prog-jazz-electro rock outfit The Pauses, and Easybreezy, a trio still fresh from releasing a new LP, Blowing Up, that, according to Julie G., "echoes of '70s rock-opera grandeur and sparkly touches that are a world totally unto themselves." (Crowbar, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26
Chimaira/Unearth w/Skeletonwitch/Molotov Solution From the rustbelt pit of Cleveland comes brutal heavy metal courtesy of Chimaira. Before they even began working on their sixth album and debut on eOne Music, Chimaira lost half their band — drummer, keyboardist and bassist — due to creative differences and general discord. Residual singer Mark Hunter and guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt Devries called on frequent collaborator Ben Schigel of Spider Studios to fill in on drums and took on the missing roles themselves for The Age of Hell, a violently soaring and crushing LP that dropped in August. Co-headlining this tour is Boston area metalcore quintet Unearth, which issued their fifth full-length, Darkness in the Light, this summer. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
The Ditchflowers CD Release Eric Snider wrote that, while The Ditchflowers' Bird's Eye is a worthy successor to their 2007 first, their 2011 sophomore LP "doesn't achieve the kind of sublime transcendence that rendered the debut a part of my lifelong essentials collection." He's quick to offer credit where it's due, however, praising the songwriting capabilities of frontmen Ed Woltil and Brian Merrill, and pointing out album highlights — among them, the title track ("which could be an outtake from Pet Sounds"), "If You Can Dream It" ("a just-about-perfect slice of uplifting power-pop") and "I Feel Sorry" (an altogether charming piece of Mersey Beat pop"). Read Snider's full review HERE. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
Flat Stanley + Crash Mitchell + Dukes of Hillsborough A local punk rock showcase featuring the driving momentum of Flat Stanley; the cheeky twang of Crash Mitchell, and the aggressive metal flavor of Dukes of Hillsborough, which is fronted by bark-shouting guitarist Jeff Brawer. (The Hub, downtown Tampa)
Damon Fowler w/Tom Cat Blake & Dan Electro The premier roots-blues rocker with gritty soulful vocals has earned plenty of street cred for his fret skills and is well-versed on lap steel and dobro guitars in addition to his "regular" slide-drenched axeman mastery. Fowler — who released his second outing on Blind Pig Records, Devil Got His Way, in January — peppers his repertoire of original material with covers by the likes of Merle Haggard ("Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down") and Leon Russell ("Tight Rope"), among others. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Welcome in the Holidays w/Gary Puckett and The Union Gap Band/Tommy Mara and the Crests/Amanda Nikka A holiday-themed charity concert by two easy-going oldies acts to benefit Toys For Tots. Headlining is soft rock hitmaker Gary Puckett ("Young Girl," "Woman, Woman") with doo-wop back-up by Tommy Mara and The Crests ("Sixteen Candles"). Vocalist Amanda Nikka opens with a salute to the Armed Forces. New toy donations welcome. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27
Denise Moore & Her Trio The jazz songstress is joined by musicians Billy Marcus (keys), Rodney Rojas (sax) and Jon Shea (upright bass) for an early evening two-set show. (The Independent, Tampa)
Second Annual Family Matters Concert w/Kontrolled Kaos/Serotonic A charity show in support of Metropolitan Ministries and presented by Family of Christ Church and Paul Mitchell – The School. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Monday Night Jazz: USF Jazz Ensemble I w/John Lamb and Buster Cooper Now in its 15th year, the monthly Monday Night Jazz at USF series pairs acclaimed artists of the genre with musicians from the Jazz Studies department. This performance features two old school players — acoustic bassist John Lamb and trombone legend Buster Cooper; both have the distinction of recording and touring with Duke Ellington Orchestra in the 1960s. (USF-MUS Concert Hall, USF-Tampa)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Duke Ellington Orchestra Though the jazz icon has been dead more than three decades, his star lives on via the still-active Duke Ellington Orchestra. Led by only son Mercer until his passing in 1996, the big band is now under the musical direction of third generation Ellington, Paul, Mercer's youngest son. Expect to hear such Duke classics as "Take the A Train" and "Caravan" among other songs that are now considered standards. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
George Thorogood and the Destroyers George Thorogood became part of the rock music pantheon with "Bad to the Bone," the theme song for every badass mutha since its release in 1982 and an overplayed blues rock staple. Thorogood has been spreading his brand of music for more than three decades, and this tour comes on the heels of his band's 16th studio LP, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, which includes covers of cuts by Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and others. Drummer Jeff Simon, bassist Billy Blough, guitarist Jim Suhler and sax player Buddy Leach complete the Destroyers lineup. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
The Airborne Toxic Event w/Mona/The Drowning Men With a name inspired by Don DeLillo's postmodern novel, White Noise, The Airborne Toxic Event offers up an ambitious, intellectual brand of symphonic rock, frontman Mikel Jollett a wordsmith with a background in fiction and freelance writing (NPR, Los Angeles Times, Filter). This alt-rock outfit separates themselves from the rest with harmonic arrangements and the lush instrumentation of classical viola and upright bass added to the standard band format. Quintessential ATE anthem "Sometime Around Midnight" peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Alternative charts in 2008 and their self-titled debut nabbed the No. 1 spot on the Heatseekers charts overall. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) —Lindsay Collette
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30
David Bazan w/Marksmen/Alexander & the Grapes David Bazan, formerly of indie rock outfit Pedro The Lion, is touring in support of his newest release, Strange Negotiations. Lyrically, it's a departure from 2009's intensely personal Curse Your Branches, dealing less with issues of faith, and more with his disappointments in an increasingly fragmented society. Sounds like a bummer, but it's really not at all. Bazan's soothing voice carries an underlining weariness, without seeming sad; and the music has just enough energy to always feel fun(ish), without overshadowing the reflective tone in his writing. Extra bonus: Bazan announced on his site that anyone who comes to a show in November can enter to win a pass to all of his concerts for the rest of their lives. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Christopher Spata
Judas Priest w/Thin Lizzy/Black Label Society Highly influential British heavy metal band Judas Priest isn't calling it quits, but is saying farewell to the international road on their current aptly named "Epitaph Tour." CL Writer Joel Weiss discusses the matter with frontman Rob Halford, among other topics, in his Q&A. (1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheater, Tampa)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Nov 24-30, 2011.