Lots happening on this fine Fri., June 24, on all sides of Tampa Bay. Breakdown of highlights below, plus a peek at what's coming up this weekend.
SP2 Concert featuring Deborah Cox with Jennifer Real, Karmic Tattoo Canadian songstress Deborah Cox had her come up with a string of R&B hits that started in the mid-1990s and included slow jam, “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” which held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts for 14 weeks; she also delivered a dozen No. 1 Hot Dance singles, won five Juno awards, provided vocals in the 2015 Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney, and has starred in several musicals, including a 2012 revival of Jekyll & Hyde. She headlines Friday night's free St. Pete Pride concert and fundraiser, with support from local belter Jennifer Real and cover rockers Karmic Tattoo. To secure a (paid) pit pass, click here; for more info, visit stpetepride.com. (26th Street and Central Avenue, St. Petersburg)–Leilani Polk
B.o.B. Bobby Ray made headlines this year because he legitimately believes the earth is flat. When astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out why the Atlanta rapper/producer otherwise known as B.o.B. was mistaken, B.o.B. responded with a diss track, “Flatline,” accusing Tyson of being bankrolled by the U.S. government, then referencing other so-called conspiracy theories (mirror lizards, freemasons, the holocaust, human cloning, et. al.) At least he makes decent hip hop even if he has trouble determining fiction from reality; he had his No. 1 break-out with tender, upbeat, Bruno Mars-featured first single, "Nothin' on You" in 2011 and numerous charters have followed. This tour falls behind 2015 fourth album, Psycadelik Thoughtz; support from Scotty ATL and London Jae. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –LP
Buckcherry with Adelitas Way Buckcherry has a few tracks you might know – 1999’s cocaine-loving “Lit Up” is the likelier of the two, but if you listen to AC radio, you might’ve heard the watered-down apology that is “Sorry.” Seventh studio album Rock 'n' Roll spurs the Cali hard rock trio’s current tour. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)–LP
Anthony Raneri with Nick Thomas Bayside is a staple of emo’s last wave, though the solo output of frontman Anthony Raneri has been anything but genre derivative. Jumping between pop and folk, Raneri brings his typical ironic lyrics and smooth vocal range to a whole new host of frontiers. And yeah, there's that one single where it sounds like he's auto-tuned, but it's only one song, folks; it's not the end of the world. I’ve heard Spill Canvas likened to a Southern Matchbox Twenty, and while I don’t necessarily agree, leader Nick Thomas does tend to explore darker themes in his solo material, handling it with enough poise and vocal variety to ensure that elder fans and newcomers alike will remain interested. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) –Brian Roesler
Brit Floyd Talk about a relentless and tenacious tribute to five decades of Pink Floyd material; this traveling, Liverpool-brewed homage clocked 146 dates in 2015 and will be 53 dates deep into its 2016 U.S. tour when it lands in Clearwater. A six-piece band with several back-up singers cull songs off Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall and The Division Bell, as well as delivering full-scale performances of “Echoes” (the signature track from Meddle) and other select Floyd jams with ab extravagant light show and high-def visuals. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)–LP
Electrosonic Atmosphere II Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire (who had “exploratory encounters” with the likes of Paul McCartney, George Martin, Pink Floyd, Brian Jones, Anthony Newley and Harry Nilsson) gets paid her due at this concert billed as “an evening of far out sounds.” No Soul to Sell reworks and remixes well-known works (recorded during her tenure at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop) live, using all-analog Elektron instruments and accompanied by Ella Fredrickson on the Theremin. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg)–LP
Damon Fowler Group with Voo Davis The road warrior blues rocker with slide guitar chops got invited to open some Eastern tour dates for Butch Trucks later this summer July, but first, Damon Fowler headlines a gig at his ostensible home venue in Tampa with support from another axe-grinding talent, Voo Davis, who hails from Chicago and has a soul-burning quality to his sound. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)–LP
Rare Based Trap Party I don’t know much about the local trap scene, but I do know it’s been brewing up a new wave of impressive talents, who concoct sounds that are really more like post-modern hip hop or futuristic rap with indietronic and PBR&B production qualities, unexpected beat-signatures and rhymes layered over top. NewTrapMafia and Rare Mixtapes co-host this shindig, and you can expect Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon playing on the Venture’s wall of TVs, Arlanzo B spinning live jams, and performances by a big ol’ bill of trap-makers – Kush Martin, Charli Funk, IDLE, Benzo Farari, Faydthegod, Tre Southside, Tyrell Golden, Ent Da Mob and Omn Beezy. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)–LP
Candy Hearts with Chase Huglin There’s something quite charming and saccharine about the emo-soaked pop-punk odes of Candy Hearts, a NY/NJ trio powered by the dulcet intones and sharp, personal lyrical turns of badass frontwoman Mariel Loveland. This special “small venue” acoustic tour with Indiana singer-songwriter Chase Huglin is packed with shows of the sort that, according to Loveland, “seem more like hanging out with your best friends than attending a rock concert.” For fans of Paramore. (Epic Problem/Transitions Gallery, Tampa)–LP
ALSO TONIGHT
S.P.O.R.E. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Rumors Fleetwood Mac Tribute (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Ben Jarrell and the Wildwood Weeds (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
Women of Rock! w/Against My Will/Farewell To Goodbye/US Ripley/Dreamaroxy (Brass Mug, Tampa)
RIOT TEN (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Betty Fox Band (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)
Drake vs. Kanye (Tribute Party) (Orpheum, Ybor City)
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Rebelution w/The Green/J Boog/Stick Figure/Through The Roots/DJ Mackle Sat., June 25, Vinoy Waterfront Park, St. Petersburg
Empire Cinema w/Spirit & the Cosmic Heart Sat., June 25, New World Brewery, Ybor City
David Bowie Concert Experience Sat., June 25, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
The Reality CD Release Party Sat., June 25, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Taste Of Chaos Tour w/Dashboard Confessional/Taking Back Sunday/Saosin/Early November Sat., June 25, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa
Thomas Wynn and the Believers w/Savants of Soul Sat., June 25, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Displace Album Release & Outdoors Jam Pre-Party w/Holey Miss Moley Sat., June 25, Crowbar, Ybor City
The Carl Verheyen Band Sat., June 25, Largo Cultural Center, Largo
Murder Junkies Farewell Tour w/Bleeding Money/The Antidon’ts/Abortion Twins/PIG PEN (Fubar); and The Scurvy/210/F/Taped Fist [Local 662] Sat., June 25, Local 662, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Soul Saturday w/Danielle DeCosmo Sat., June 25, Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Lauren Mitchell Band Sat., June 25, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Bath Salt Zombies/Red Blue Shift/Nevertel/ShinraCo Sat., June 25, Brass Mug, Tampa
Falling Axe Fest 5 feat. Kadaver Dolls/Unbrokken/Coldclock Knockout/(De)Absolve/Grasping At The Shadow/Krystal Finger/Otherworld Sat., June 25, State Theatre, St. Petersburg
Letlive. w/Seahaven/Silver Snakes/Night Verses Sun., June 26, Orpheum, Ybor City
Rise Up Sunday Sessions: Nahko & Medicine For The People Sun., June 26, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Borgeous Sun., June 26, Shephards, Clearwater
Randy McAllister Sun., June 26, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
This article appears in Jun 23-30, 2016.