Live music happening this Sat., June 6 – minus Garth Brooks. Sorry country fans.
Curren$y For all his inherent talent, Curren$y’s career has been nothing short of a stoned and slow roller coaster ride since his breakout in the early '00s. First signing to Master P’s monolithic No Limit Records for some early one-offs in 2002, then teaming with Cash Money for a several tracks alongside Lil Wayne & Co. — including his debut “Where Da Cash At?" — Curren$y was rapping on the door of superstardom by the middle of the decade. Then, everything came to an underwhelming halt after a few middling mixtapes, lack of label enthusiasm, and album delays set Curren$y back. Off the map, and on his own, he underwent a stylistic sea change, shifting gears to lazier, jazzed-out beats paired with a complex and densely-packed rhyme style that shined on releases like 2009’s How Fly with the little-known Wiz Khalifa and his third album, 2010’s Pilot Talk. He’s remained persistent ever since, gaining a steady clip of commercial and critical acclaim as the gangsta-turned-stoner rapper for the discerning crowd. His Orpheum date last year was proof his perseverance paid off in real time. The near sell-out crowd was hit with a bombastic flow of rhymes and motions on a Snoop Dogg-ian level of smoothness, and this date behind April’s Pilot Talk III should be another study in live hip hop excellence. (Orpheum, Ybor City) –Andrew Silverstein
Train with The Fray, Matt Nathanson Every time I see the name, I want to belt out Aerosmith: “Train kept a’rollin’, all night long!” Mostly because Train – the pop rock trio from San Francisco – just keeps chugging along, churning out chart-topping hits every so often to maintain some momentum and remain in the public consciousness (from 1998 break-out hit “Meet Virginia,” to 2001’s Grammy-winning “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” and 2003’s “Calling All Angels”), and coming back strong after a brief hiatus with the uke-driven (good god it’s everywhere) hit, “Hey, Soul Sister.” Now, they’re playing arenas and have a seventh studio album out, Bulletproof Picasso. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa)
IPA Festival 7 with Roxy Roca, Fresh Hops Dunedin Brewery’s seventh annual IPA (India Pale Ale) Festival brings together hoppy beer, a few outstanding groove-rooted bands and a delicious menu of Indian street food. More than 35 varieties of IPAs will be available on tap, including some of the brewery’s own exclusive pale ales – American Classic, Prickly Pear Smoked Poblano and Chocolate Orange among them. Two bands entertain the brews-sipping denizen: Roxy Roca, an Austin septet with an energetic, funky-soulful sound heated up by a three-piece horn section of two saxophones and a trombone; and the aptly named Fresh Hops, a four-piece from Indiana that infuses their own grooves with furious fiddle play. The fest takes place from 7 to 11 p.m., admission is $45 (which includes a commemorative tasting glass, food, and sips of all those IPAs), and admission is limited to 350 people, so secure yours now. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) –Sarah Conner and Leilani Polk
Suncoast Blues Society 18th Anniversary Party with Shawn Holt and the Teardrops The band that used to back Magic Slim and is currently led by his prodigal son, Shawn Holt – who also played in the Teardrops briefly with his dad before Slim’s passing in 2013 – prove more than worthy headliners of the SBS anniversary party. Read how the organization has kept the blues alive and thriving in the Bay area for the past 18 years in this week's story. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Gemini II Birthday Party with Atnarko, Mike Mosgaard, Brian Jackson If you are a chatty, naturally charming, life-of-the-party sort with boundless curiosity, wit and a light-hearted if sometime scatterbrained and flighty manner, you might be a Gemini. Or, you know, just fun. Either way, this second edition of the Gemini Birthday dance party’s for you as led by Canadian-bred, Florida-based deep house and techno DJ/producer Atnarko. (Hyde Park Café, Tampa)
ALSO TONIGHT
First Saturday Jazz w/Acme Jazz Garage The Independent Bar And Café, Tampa
Ate One Tree Productions Music and Art Show w/Horizon Productions/UndaGround On TOP/Mike Bonavito/Superfly Crew/DropD/Sucio Negro/Glasshouse feat. Lucas Odparlik/Herbert YBless D Person/Phillip Clark/Lundy Crowbar, Ybor City
Hussar/DEA + Saint/Samurai Shotgun Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg
Shane Meade and the Sound w/ Garrick Aden-Buie Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Didges Christ Super Drum/Ten Cent Toys/Le Morte/Post Decent Brass Mug, Tampa
Borgeous w/Basomatik Amphitheatre, Ybor City
Falling Axe Fest 4: Kadaver Dolls/Dark Disciple/Moral Decline/Mad Splatter/Pigpen/Unchecked Aggression/Traitors Gate/Grasping At The Shadows State Theatre, St. Petersburg
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2015.