The weekend is nearly over but the music goes on and on. Check out the concert highlights for this Sun., Feb. 21, below.
Steep Canyon Rangers This ain’t your father’s bluegrass, and not many other string-fueled bands compare to this Grammy-winning sensation. The ensemble backs Steve Martin when he does his banjo thing on the road, but by no means do these men play second fiddle. The earnest style of their music and pop-sensible grassiness of 2015 album Radio reaches in and wraps its strings around your heart. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) –Cathy Salustri
Get Faded Barbershop Open Mic Night Clearwater-based R&B-fused and old school-inspired hip hop slinger Blackwell presents a new open mic event, with a rap cypher to follow featuring Shock Da World, The Wave K.A.M*Ovg, Jamez Anthony and Tru’Ladi. (Get Faded Barbershop, Clearwater)–Leilani Polk
Alison Wonderland Alex Sholler, aka Alison Wonderland, is a classically-trained cellist-turned-alternative dance DJ/producer from Sydney who drummed up a buzz last year with a memorable Coachella set and debut on EMI combing together elements of electroclash, trip hop, trap and chillwave into a rather intriguing brew. Title track and first single “Run” features Wayne Coyne and has a distinctive M.I.A. vibe. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)–LP
Patti LaBelle The years keep ticking but the iconic “Lady Marmalade” and Grammy Hall of Famer Patti LaBelle just keeps kicking, belting out R&B, soul, disco and pop cuts from her decades-long catalog in her signature five-octave ranging soprano and bringing on new attitudes one bustling groove at a time. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa)–LP
Protomartyr with Spray Paint, Permanent Makeup Grim, compelling, wry, lyrical and occasionally profound, the third outing from Protomartyr has generated a high-octane buzz; The Agent Intellect landed on numerous year-ending Best of lists in 2015, and now the Detroit post-punk outfit plays their first gig in Tampa Bay. Read more about Protomartyr in Ray’s story here. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)–LP
Loretta Lynn She’s paved the way for "girls with guitars” like Miranda Lambert and Wynonna Judd. At 83, Loretta Lynn’s voice remains clear, strong and sweet, and her forthcoming album (Full Circle, out March 4) marries the class and grace of the coal miner’s daughter (check out her duet with Elvis Costello, “Everything It Takes”) with songs like “Who’s Gonna Miss Me,” overflowing with the key ingredients that make her — and country music overall — endure: fiddles, truth, and emotion. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) –CS
A Tribute to Herbie Hancock Locally-based, internationally-recognized trumpet sensation James Suggs hipped me to this rather special performance during his Tuesday night Jazz Jam (The Amsterdam, ya’ll). He was prompted by my obvious pleasure in hearing a particularly heady version of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.” I imagine it’ll be among the songs included during this tribute to the influential jazz and funk fusion icon. Keysman Richard “STretch” Bruyn leads the impressive assemblage of artists due to perform, including Sugg, sax player Jeremy Carter, drummer John Jenkins, and bassists Billy Pillucere, Al Hurley, and Joe Renda. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)–LP
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2016.
