THURSDAY, JUNE 28
Coldplay w/Robyn/Wolf Gang On their first North American tour in nearly three years, emotive alt rock heavyweights Coldplay returns to town supporting their 2011 fifth LP. While it didn’t earn the critical acclaim and award wins of predecessor Viva la Vida, still, Mylo Xyloto was an international platinum-plated chart-topper that hit No. 1 in 30 countries and became the UK's best-selling rock album of that year. Fellow Londoners Wolf Gang kicks off the show with their grandiose style of symphonic alt rock while Swedish electro pop songstress Robyn warms up the crowd before Coldplay hits the stage. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
Three Bad Jacks w/The Dead Popes Three Bad Jacks is a hard-edged Southern-flavored rockabilly three-piece from LA led by a singer-guitarist named Elvis – Elvis Suissa, that is. He has a petite pompadour, nicely-trimmed soul patch and vocals that take on a gruff and sneering tone in tracks like the high-octane rock thrust of "I've Been Around," or are surprisingly clear and tender as revealed in the heartfelt family-themed ode, "Noah & Jacob's Song"; both are off their most recent LP, Pictures & Memories from Home. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Le Blorr w/Dirty Names/The Groves Le Blorr (aka BLORR aka Bastard Lovechild of Rock n’ Roll) has been making waves from Florida’s East Coast for the past few years now. The duo (Chris Hess and Adam Winn) recently returned from spreading their bluesy, funky, psychedelic sounds around Europe, where they took in the sights, met lots of interesting people, and enjoyed plenty of experiences and adventures that’ll likely add color to the songs they write on their forthcoming debut full-length, due to be recorded in NYC with the $6k they raised via a successful Kickstarter.com campaign. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Tampa Area Rockers for Russ Concert Russ Albums is the longtime voice of local rock radio – an on-air personality at 98Rock in its early years and host of two popular shows on the dear departed 95YNF, Wax Museum and Hot Lunch – who spent years educating the public about good music, local bands included. Albums was recently in a bike accident and to help him with his costly recovery, some local musician friends organized a day’s worth of fundraising. A charity golf game takes place in the afternoon, with a benefit concert featuring local rockers – Bobby Friss, members of the Greg Billings Band, Johnny G. Lyon, Sean Chambers, Secret Service and others – occurs later that evening. (Harlie's, Pinellas Park)
FRIDAY, JUNE 29
Boston The legendary “Rock n’ Roll Band” named for the town they’re from ascended in the mid-to-late-1970s with lightly progressive hard rock marked by the high-crying reach of late lead vocalist Brad Delp and wailing multi-voice backing harmonies of his bandmates. Boston issued two multi-platinum albums and a string of tracks that became classic rock radio staples – “Don’t Look Back,” “More Than a Feeling,” "Peace of Mind” and "Foreplay/Long Time" – and experienced a comeback of sorts with their 1986 third LP and its soft rock chart-topping ballad, “Amanda.” Lead vocal duties are currently filled by Tommy DeCarlo, a fan who penned a song dedicated to Delp after his 2007 suicide and was among the vocalists invited to sing at a concert in Delp’s honor. DeCarlo was welcomed into the fold on a more permanent basis after the departure of Michael Sweet, who left his four-year stint singing with Boston to re-focus on his main band, Stryper. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Snatch 10-Year Anniversary Party, Part 2: Dubtribe Sound System For the second part of its 10-year anniversary festivities celebrating Snatch, Hyde Park Café welcomes grassroots San Francisco house outfit Dubtribe Sound System, led by hubby-and-wife vocalists Sunshine and Moonbeam Jones. In a live setting, the ranks are filled out by a rotating cast of musicians, percussionists, poets, painters, and singers. (Hyde Park Café, Tampa)
One Direction w/Olly Murs/Manika The next boy band phenom to cause widespread mania is British-Irish fivesome One Direction, which draws legions of screaming fans to arena-size concerts after establishing themselves only a few years ago and releasing a single full-length record, 2011’s Up All Night. (1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Six Feet Under w/Revocation Counted among Tampa's most successful death metal exports and the fourth best-selling death metal act overall in the U.S., Six Feet Under hits a favored hometown venue supporting 2012’s Undead, their ninth studio album. (Crowbar, Ybor City) Change to Crowbar
Have Gun Will Travel Tour Kick-Off w/The Rosewoods/The Sh-Booms/Macrame Owls A Bradenton-based indie folk rock and Americana favorite, Have Gun Will Travel has enjoyed a pinnacle few years, first landing a distribution deal with Suburban Home in 2010 after issuing Postcards from a Friendly City, then actually signing to the label for the release of their third full-length, 2011’s Mergers & Acquisitions, which peaked at No. 78 on the CMJ Top 200 radio charts. Have Gun has been on a few national tours to promote the record, and this show kicks off a few-week foray around the Southeast backing the vinyl release of Mergers. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Los Campesinos! w/Yellow Ostrich Welsh indie pop septet Los Campesinos! issued their fourth studio LP last year, Hello Darkness, which, according to Evan Tokarz’s review, finds the band experimenting with gloominess. “Album opener ‘By Your Hand’ sets the tone of things to come,” he wrote, “a complicated mix of variegated instrumentation and sentiment that retains a sneering-punk attitude amid multiple solos and a wall-of-sound backdrop.” (The Social, Orlando)
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
Def Leppard / Poison w/Lita Ford The big metal tours always seem to make their way down to Tampa arenas, and hard-hitting British metal vets Def Leppard has consistently served as ringleader for three editions, joined by Heart last year and Poison and Cheap Trick in 2009. For this “Rock of Ages” go-round, the fivesome reunites with formerly lipstick-loving purveyors of muscular glam, Poison. All four original members are intact, C.C. DeVille included, and Brett Michaels will likely squeeze in a number from his new solo record, Get Your Rock On. Finally, guitar-slinging metal mistress Lita Ford (who you remember from her charting duet with Ozzy Osbourne, "Close My Eyes Forever") warms up the show with a set drawing heavily from her just-released punk-inspired album, Living Like a Runaway. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
Lyrical Lounge feat. Chiddy Bang/Jon Connor/Joe Budden Wild 94.1-FM presents a triple-header of hip hop. Philly alternative duo Chiddy Bang mixes hip hop beats with spliced and diced samples of popular and hipster-indie music. “Ray Charles” pays tribute to an icon with a flash of Tinie Tempah’s "Pass Out" while “Mind Your Manners” calls on Icona Pop’s “Manners”; both are cuts off their 2012 full-length, Breakfast, which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Flint, Mich. emcee Jon Connor comes with street cred and backs a well-regarded 2012 mixtape, The Peoples Rapper, his lyrics laid over instrumentals from Eminem’s catalog, flowing through and flipping around commentary on subject matter ranging from beloved but now dead rappers Biggie, 2Pac and hometown hero MC Breed in “Stan,” to a lack of support from those you love most in “Cleaning Out My Closet.” Jersey City’s Joe Budden got a Grammy nom for 2003 hit “Pump It Up” and is working on a third LP due out later this year. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
La Lucha Tampa Bay-based piano-bass-drums trio La Lucha celebrates the release of their second album, La Lucha Presents Jazz Standards, in a program that includes said standards as re-imagined using La Lucha’s trademark Latin rhythmic flair and filled out with the special guest artists who also appear on the LP – singer-songwriter Jun Bustamante on vocals and sax player Austin Vickrey. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Action Bronson w/Mutt Carter/Hard Target Upscale NYC chef-turned-smoked out underground rapper Action Bronson absolutely slays on his 2011 debut LP, Dr. Lecter. The production is littered with smoky jazz club samples and upbeat rhythms harking back to the brighter production values of mid-90's hip hop. Bronson never takes himself too seriously, gets pretty absurd, and raps about food a lot, which kinda rules: "Damn I'm living reckless / Smoking all day just like the brisket / Every day I'm thinking I should risk it / Add another number to statistics / Or use the breast milk to eat my Crispix.” (Local 662, St. Petersburg) –Andrew Silverstein
Black Molly w/Big Engine/Tailspin/Full Flight/Autumns Pain/Sugar Phix Jacksonville’s Black Molly includes original members of Molly Hatchet (drummer Shawn Beamer, bassist J.J. Strickland and vocalist Jim Strickland) and Blackfoot (guitarist Charlie Hargrett), which should give you a feel for their style of music: dirty, hard-driving Southern rock. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Eric Johnson If you’ve never heard of Austin guitar rock icon Eric Johnson, you may have been exposed to his session work via one of the multitude of recordings he played on over his more than four-decade career for artists like Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Christopher Cross. He hit town three months back as one of several featured axemen on the multi-date tribute tour, “Experience Hendrix,” and returns to Clearwater to give a solo headlining performance of his instrumental progressive-tinged rock with two jazz-informed Austin-based musicians – bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Wayne Salzmann. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Rays Concert Series: Earth Wind & Fire Whether it’s the up-tempo disco dance urgency of “Boogie Wonderland,” the fatty vocoder-fied electro-funk of “Let’s Groove,” or the soulfully rousing R&B grooves of “You’re a Shining Star,” Earth Wind and Fire are guaranteed to bring a festive brass-fused party vibe to the latest post-Rays concert, which follows the 7:15 p.m. game against Detroit. Access is included with game admission (tickets start at $17), and field wristbands are available for an additional $25. (Tropicana Field, St. Peterburg)
Roadkill Ghost Choir w/The Ditchflowers/Mountain Holler/Casey Lee A four-course serving of roots-fused songwriting: young Orlando sextet Roadkill Ghost Choir, responsible for lush and sweetly despondent folk-Americana; The Ditchflowers, their melodic guitar-driven pop rock crafted by a team of esteemed local players; Mountain Holler, a bluegrass five-piece from Colorado; and an acoustic solo set from Casey Lee, of Fake Problems. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, JULY 1
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band The iconic Beatles drummer and vocalist has been shepherding his All Starr Band since 1989, its ever-rotating lineup of reputable musicians joining Starr in performances of his solo material (which includes a recent 16th studio album, Ringo 2012) along with select Beatles tracks. Backing him up on this tour, and all delivering some sort of vocal contributions, are guitarist/vocalist Steve Lukather (Toto), keys master Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey), guitar whiz Todd Rundgren, bassist/guitarist Richard Page (Mr. Mister), sax and percs man Mark Rivera (Bill Joel, Peter Gabriel) and drummer Gregg Bissonette (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai). (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Helios Jazz Orchestra: License to Thrill The 18-piece orchestra stages another program of spy-themed music from films and TV, as aided by guest vocalists Denise Moore, Bryan Hughes and Andrea Manson. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, JULY 3
Hot Dog Party 6 w/Guantanamo Baywatch/Guiltmaker/Alias Punch The sixth annual pre-Fourth of July music and ‘dogs party brings a diverse mix of rock to the Crowbar stage. Guantanamo Baywatch produces grubby lo-fi garage driven by twangy, reverb-echoed surf guitar melodies that speed through urgently-plucked solos, or wail wet and warped and mildly B-movie sinister, bolstered by deep thrumming basslines, a skuzzy backbeat, and some wildly erratic yodel-murky vocals. Alias Punch does their eclectic avant-psych thing and Guiltmaker brings the tight propulsive clout. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4
Flow Tribe After the fireworks are finished, get ready to shake your patriotic ass to the New Orleans party music of Flow Tribe, a six-piece that dishes out a grooving, double brass-dosed mix of funk, blues and rock. (The Hub, downtown Tampa)
Potluck w/DGAF/Kung Fu Vampire/The DRP On the other side of Tampa Bay, underground duo and self-styled hip hop hippies Potluck lands at the Local, their bumpin’, hedonistic odes to women, alcohol and marijuana informed by the area they were born, raised and currently live in: Humboldt County, the so-called heartland of high-grade ganja farming in California. Suburban Noize issued Potluck’s sixth record, Rhymes & Resin, last year, and the guest check-ins include Glasses Malone, Murs and Ill Bill. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2012.