THURS 13
The New Pornographers Get ready for a night of exhilarating indie-pop, the sort that'll have chicks in sneakers and dresses dancing wildly in the aisles. The New Pornographers surrender themselves to the cathartic and joyful abandon of making big pop music, busting out pitch-perfect boy-girl harmonies, electric power, New Wave flourish, Britpop majesty and more (okay, let's throw in Spaghetti Western and Bond flicks, too). If you haven't heard 'em, their music appears all over TV commercials and in movies, dishing up flavors from bygone eras — The Kinks, The Cars, Queen, E.L.O. and Bay City Rollers. They're the shit in Canada, and they've been at it since 1997. The Vancouver collective hits the Sunshine State with the full lineup, comprising their most high-profile, solo-successful members: Kathryn Calder, A.C. "Carl" Newman, Neko Case and Dan Bejar, playing tunes from their 2010 CD, Together (Matador), an album praised as a return to the band's earlier rock. Michael Benjamin Lerner, aka Seattle-based Merge act Telekinesis, delivers a like-minded uplift with a mix of electronic and guitar-driven pop. (Beacham Theatre, Orlando) —Julie Garisto
Zeds Dead A Toronto duo (DC and Hooks) that took their handle from Pulp Fiction and produce a mix of electronica, dubstep and progressive house with a healthy dose of hip hop-style sampling. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
David Rovics w/Jun Bustamante An activist singer-songwriter who's performed at innumerable protests and demonstrations around the country over the years, David Rovics has made his radical views known about the government's abuses, war, the two-party system, anti-globalization and other relevant topics that are addressed in his topical folk music, which he gives away freely. In his opinion: "Music is the Commons. Ignore the corporate music industry shills who tell you otherwise. Downloading music is not theft, you're not hurting anyone, I promise." Opener Jun Bustamante, St. Pete's own socially aware songstress, described his music as "hard hitting, socially conscious and topical (he has songs about Bradley Manning, the Norway massacre, and Mitt Romney's recent comment that corporations are people)." This show benefits WMNF. For further details, see Do This on p. 6. (Roosevelt 2.0, Ybor City)
The Bastard Suns w/Groove Stain From swaying jams about getting "Wasted" ("And although I know that this lifestyle is bad for my health / Well I never lose sight of what this life is all about / I've worked myself up into knots all damn week, now its high time I sort myself out"), to optimistic reach-for-your-dreams odes like "Onward and Upward" ("Always moving forward, we'll reach the promised land with a little luck"), Atlanta five-piece The Bastard Suns spread positive reggae rock vibes with a little bit of punk, ska and funk-soul added for flavor. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Celtic Thunder An all-male vocal group that delivers an AC folk-infused homage to the musical culture of Ireland, their home. Celtic Thunder is a PBS staple with several specials and is currently promoting the CD/DVD release of their latest one, Heritage. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center, Tampa)
FRI 14
Sheila Kirsten Hughes & the TSP Orchestra/Leigh Humes Band/Steve Vaclavik & The Woeful Ones A big bill of local country-roots singer-songwriters that includes songbird multi-instrumentalist Sheila Kirsten Hughes (guitar, piano, cello), who just released her debut LP with the TSP Orchestra, If These Stones Could Speak, in March. Her band includes husband Chris on bass, and his deep grooves add a pleasant low-end foil to her dulcet vocals. Rounding it out is drummer/percussionist Alex Wolfe Parnes and Jim Parna, who brings instrumental layers on sax, tin whistle and clarinet to the table. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Kenny Rogers I love that country music legend Kenny Rogers hits town a mere day before Ms. Dolly Parton, together responsible for one of my favorite crossover hits by both, the Barry Gibb-produced duet, "Islands in the Stream." Rogers has also served poker players across generations with his counsel in his 1978 hit, "The Gambler" ("You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run"). According to Wiki, he's sold 68 million albums in the U.S. alone. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
FUSION w/D'Visitors/Tribal Style/The Ruckus/ Jinx/Breakdown/The Ruckus/Monica Delgado/Dynasty/Road To The Riches/DJ Blenda/DJ Ran Mecca A huge collaborative showcase featuring musicians, vocalists, emcees, DJs and rap artists who are all members of the local Gwan Massive collective. A range of styles are featured, from the world rock funkadelia of D'Visitors, to Tribal Style's reggae grooves, to the hip-hop bump and drive of The Ruckus. Expect lots of sit-ins. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Tim Reynolds & TR3 w/Smokehouse Rats In the mid-1980s, before two-time Grammy nominee Tim Reynolds became the full-time touring guitarist of Dave Matthews Band, he led a rotating jazz-rock trio dubbed TR3. After touring as a solo acoustic musician for several years, he played a string of shows with bassist Mick Vaughn and drummer Dan Martier in 2007 that convinced him to give TR3 another shot. The threesome has since released two albums, their second and latest, From SPACE and Beyond, a live double LP culled from three shows TR3 performed in 2009. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —Lindsay Collette
Toby Keith w/Eric Church Far from a traditional country act, mega-star entertainer Toby Keith has plenty of rock 'n' roll tendencies. That doesn't stop him from indulging in annoying country music tropes that include a love of trucks and a desire to share this love with the world. On his last stop in town more than a year ago, Keith treated fans to a whole lot of ad spots from corporate sponsor Ford — which included a mega set with a big shiny pickup right on stage as a both a prop and place for Keith to sing atop. His current "Locked & Loaded Tour 2011" with Eric Church (also sponsored by Ford) supports last year's Bullets in the Gun while simultaneously promoting his forthcoming 15th album, Clancy's Tavern. (1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheater, Tampa)
Avast Album Release Show w/Nothing in the Dark/Ink & Sweat/Awkward Age Tampa hardcore punk-garage threesome Avast celebrates the release of their new raucous five-song scorcher, The Heights EP, at this show with like local acts. (Fubar, Ybor City)
Green Sunshine CD Release Party w/The Funky Seeds/3rd Stone/Legacy and the Heard Jam-rock ensemble Green Sunshine doses their sound heavily with elements of hip-hop, reggae, funk and jazz, pairing the soulful vocals of singer Motown Tea with the distinctive rapping and flowing of emcees Reason and Rhyme, their interplay delivered over organ grooves, funky guitar riffs, bumpin' beats and punchy horns. This show celebrates the completion of their first full-length record, From a Planet With a Green Sun. Several equally spirited bands warm up the crowd. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Wanda Jackson This year saw a brand new release from the Queen of Rockabilly herself, the always feisty and raucous Wanda Jackson. With the help of Jack White, The Party Ain't Over is a mixed bag of covers and some new originals. Dipping into the catalogs of Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse and Eddie Cochran, the singer proves she's as vital as ever. Her trademark high-pitched growl hasn't lost an iota of spunk and the clever arrangements and crunchy guitars that White has doused the disc with make it sound as contemporary as it does classic. Often referred to as the "female Elvis," Jackson proves that her place in rock 'n' roll history is well deserved and that she can still rock even at 73. (Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center, Tampa) —Gabe Echazabal
SAT 15
Paul Oakenfold Another mega player in electronic music hits The Venue — this one UK progressive trance and Balearic beat producer/DJ Paul Oakenfold, who's worked with a wide range of artists, from Madonna to U2, remixed a load of others, and has even scored some blockbuster films — The Bourne Identity and Matrix Reloaded among them. His third original LP, Pop Killer, drops in early 2012. (The Venue, Clearwater)
Weddingapalooza w/Charlie Pickett/The Semis/Grassy Knoll/Gunman/Travis Crippled Masters/Car Bomb Driver Does your favorite so-called Americana band rock as hard as Charlie Pickett? If not (and they don't), then why are you listening to them and not to him? Pickett plays the raw, riff-based rock you want to hear. He's kind of garage-y and kind of bluesy, like the early Stones. Sadly, I had temporarily forgotten about him until a friend slipped me Bar Band Americanus: The Best of Charlie Pickett And… recently, and it made my morning shine. Charlie Pickett is so awesome, he's not even in Wikipedia! And, he's from Miami. His collection of his greats is on Bloodshot Records. Start catching up with Charlie on this night. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Steve Seachrist
Bess Rogers Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Bess Rogers serves as back up singer and guitarist in Ingrid Michaelson's band. Her solo work is upbeat, folk-tinged pop. On her just-released fourth record, Out of the Ocean, she explores her longtime fascination with evolution as inspired by Neil Shubin's book on the subject, Your Inner Fish. On an interesting side note, Rogers raised funds to record via Kickstarter.com and met the initial $10,000 goal in two days; by the campaign's end, she'd raised $26,000 and had more than 500 backers. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
The Pine Box Boys w/Loving Thorns A San Francisco alt-bluegrass ("bloodgrass")/horrorbilly outfit led by twangy gritty singer-guitarist Lester Raww, Pine Box Boys started out in 2003 performing new renditions of old murder ballad classic until Raww began writing his own frightful ditties. The band's latest LP, Tales From the Emancipated Head, includes tracks with names like "I Was A Teenage Necro" and "A.M. Radio Floating in Blood." (Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg)
Dolly Parton The woman needs no introduction — she's a legend and major inspiration to all female country stars who've followed, a tooth-achingly sweet Southern belle with a voice and personality to match. She's managed to stay relevant over the course of her nearly five decade career, and has released 58 studio albums; the most recent is Better Day, her first album of entirely original material since 1998's Hungry Again. The LP also includes Parton's versions of four songs she wrote for the Broadway adaptation of her 1980 movie, 9 to 5. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Still Crazy After All These Years: The Paul Simon 70th Birthday Tribute w/Gumbo Boogie/Tribal Style/Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso/Florida Mountain Boys/Rebekah Pulley/Crescendo: The Tampa Bay Women's Chorus/Blind Buddy Moody/The Irish Buskers/Ted Lukas and the Misled/Burke Brothers/The Ditchflowers/many more WMNF has invited upward of 100 musicians to honor the 70th birthday of iconic singer-songwriter Paul Simon with a career-spanning homage to his repertoire. The concert features performances by, among many others, The Garbage Men, a group of Sarasota high school kids whose instruments are created entirely from recycled materials; the Burke Brothers, an Americana outfit featuring Matt Burke from Have Gun Will Travel with musician brother Danny; and pop rockers The Ditchflowers, who close the evening with a performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water in its entirety. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUN 16
The Pangaea Project No.22 w/Tim Kaiser/Trotsky's Watercooler/Nequam Sonitus/ The experimental music series continues in St. Petersburg with featured performer Tim Kaiser, a sound artist who hails from Minnesota and performs on instruments he designed and constructed himself. Apparently, each one is as much a work of art as they are a way of creating and controlling sounds. (Ramblin' Rose's Upcycle, St. Petersburg)
Pink Bra Hoopla w/Belinda Womack & Triple Shot and a Splash A concert of jazz, funk and soul to help Team Gracious Ones raise funds for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at St. Pete Times Forum Oct. 22. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MON 17
New Found Glory w/This Time Next Year New Found Glory's "Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour" launches their new album Radiosurgery into the ears of fans and converts alike. The Florida band has reunited with producer Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, Lincoln Park) for their seventh studio LP, which showcases their renewed vitality while maintaining NFG's signature sing-along choruses and air-guitarable riffs. According to guitarist Steve Klein, "we feel like a new band when we're playing these songs because they're so energized and they affirm the fact we're going to be a band for a long time." NFG has pioneered the pop-punk scene since 1997 when they formed in Coral Springs. Since then, four of their albums have charted on the Billboard 200 and Radiosurgery is primed to be the next. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —LC
TUES 18
Daniela Brooker The 17-year-old rising pop talent from the UK is enjoying some MTV buzz, and is currently on a tour held in partnership with Hard Rock International to supports its breast cancer charity, Pinktober. (Hard Rock Café, Tampa)
WED 19
Lucinda Williams She didn't perform the version of "Passionate Kisses" that got mainstream airplay but cult-beloved alt-country songstress Lucinda Williams earned a 1993 "Country Song of the Year" Grammy award for writing it, and numerous nominations as well as two more wins eventually followed: "Best Contemporary Folk Album" in 1999 for Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, hailed by some as a watermark of modern Americana and her breakout album, and "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" in 2002 for her bouncing, stomping country road and gospel blues number, "Get Right With God." Her 10th studio LP, 2011's Blessed (Lost Highway), reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and sets her rich, throaty, world-weary drawl against a mix of hard-edged barroom roots, wailing blues and driving heartland rock. She doesn't stray entirely from her favored themes of love and passion — "Buttercup" is a dirty blues kiss-off while the melodic string-textured ode "Kiss Like Your Kiss" (used in HBO's True Blood) is a tender waltzing expression of romantic appreciation — but she does ponder suicide with a guest guitar spot by Elvis Costello ("Seeing Black"), offer a touching requiem to a good friend ("Copenhagen"), and looks at war and American politics from the eyes of a soldier ("Soldiers Song"). (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
The Mighty Diamonds w/Impulse The Mighty Diamonds are a roots reggae vocal trio from Jamaica who rose to prominence in the 1970s with gorgeously soulful harmonies and catchy songwriting. Their music reflects their Rastafarian beliefs, but they've managed to balance their spiritual and political tunes with more romantic fare. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Big D and the Kids Table w/Have Nots Bostonian ska-punksters Big D and the Kids Table have gone "balls to the wall" with their 2011 LP The Damned, The Dumb and the Delirious (Side One Dummy Records), which entices fans with a whirlwind of horns, drums and exclaimed vocals from frontman David McWane. They've come a long way since their self-produced and released album Shot By Lammi (1997), and even after several line-up changes, the band has secured quite a grassroots following and have played Warped Tour several times over the years. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —LC
ALSO THIS WEEK
Crow's Nest Music & Art Showcase w/Troy Youngblood/Chris Brown/Dean Johanesen/Juanjamon/Applebutter Express/Dennis Stadelman/many more Thurs., Oct. 13, Crowbar, Ybor City
Leigh Humes / Papos / Philip Jay Gee Thurs., Oct. 13, Tre Amici @ The Bunker, Ybor City
SAHE w/Diamond Dust/The Funky Pandas/Were Not Dead Fri., Oct. 14, Market on 7th, Ybor City
The Wholetones Fri., Oct. 14, Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Battlefield Band Fri., Oct. 14, Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs
Anew w/The August Name/Calling You Out/A Few Days Wasted/Glendale Lights Fri., Oct. 14, The Local 662, St. Petersburg
A Simon & Garfunkel Retrospective: A. J. Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle Fri., Oct. 14, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
VHS or Beta w/Ladytron Fri., Oct. 14, Will's Pub, Orlando
Mike Posner Fri., Oct. 14, Hard Rock Café, Tampa
Big Jammalamma: Art Cram and Hops Slam w/COPE/3rd Stone/The Human Condition/funkUs/Leaf/Bride of Chaotica/more Sat.-Sun., Oct. 15-16, Maddox Ranch, Lakeland
"GOT SKILLS?" MC Battle Sat., Oct. 15, Crowbar, Ybor City
Her Name Is Victory Sat., Oct. 15, Collage, Ybor City
This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2011.