THURSDAY, MAY 31
John Brown’s Body Progressive New England-based eight-piece John Brown’s Body purveys self-styled “Future Roots Music,” their sound rooted in reggae but jumping off into outer space with thick elastic bass grooves, funkadelic organ and melodica, wet wah wah guitar along with more rhythmic riffs and textural note layering, tight reggae riddims, crisp blasts of urgent or drunken brass by a three-piece horn section (trombone, sax, trumpet) tying it together, and a sound engineer who adds a heady dose of dubbed-out effects. Elliott Martin leads the group with his lyrical, lightly accented vocal melodies. The band’s 2009 full-length,Amplify, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Reggae Charts. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, JUNE 1
Barely Pink w/The Human Condition/The Semis Since their David Bowie-spurred reunion a few months back for WMNF’s birthday tribute show, Barely Pink (singer Brian Merrill, guitarist Mark Warren, bassist Michael Hoag, drummer Aaron Kant and recently added guitarist Dan LaJoy) has gently re-emerged onto the Bay area scene with their driving power-pop, reprising Bowie at Heatwave and playing the odd headlining gig, like this bill with Southern alt-country rockers The Human Condition and surf-indie rock outfit, The Semis. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
God Module w/Twitch The Ripper/Mordacious/DJ Bryant Griffin Seattle-by-way-of-Orlando threesome God Module brings their horror-themed sample-ridden blend of electro industrial music, darkwave, goth and aggro-techno to town in support of 2011’s Séance. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Yacht w/Onuinu/Pop Glow Claire L. Evans has a sort of snotty sing-song quality to her vocals that pairs well with the cheeky dance-pop tracks written and co-sung by multi-instrumentalist partner Jona Bechtolt (guitar, drums, bass, percs, synths, keys, programming, effects). The Portland-based twosome is the creative might behind Yacht, infusing their neon yellow sound with shades of disco, New Wave and indie rock. Live, the lineup expands to a four-piece with musicians Rob “Bobby Birdman” Kieswetter and Jeffrey Jerusalem. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Rebel w/Zulu Wave/Boxwood Fuzzed out guitar riffs, pulsating drums, and the sneering vocals of frontman/guitarist Micke Fedez propel the dark-tinged alt rock of Miami trio Rebel, which hits town on a small tour supporting a brand new EP, Locations. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
No Milk “May Flowers” Tour 2012 Homecoming Show w/Diamond Hymen/Spikes on Bikes Brigid Ochshorn, the Bay area musician and songstress behind one-woman experimental drone-pop pop project No Milk, makes a triumphant return from a huge month-long national tour and marks the conclusion of her time on the road with this hometown performance. (Mojo Books & Music, Tampa)
Rick Ross South Florida slow-rhyme slinger Rick Ross has focused on running his well-regarded Warner Bros.-distributed Maybach Music Label after the release of 2010’s Teflon Don, signing such high-profile up-and-coming hip hop artists as Wale and Meek Mills. He also penciled in plenty of guest sit-ins and appeared on albums by the likes of Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Estelle and Monica, and started work on his forthcoming fifth studio LP. God Forgives, I Don’t is due out later this summer and was co-produced by Dr. Dre. (Stadium Green Iguana – Hawaiian Village, Tampa)
SATURDAY, JUNE 2
Downtown Digital w/Ladytron/Mustard Pimp/BoomBox/many more With 12 hours of nonstop music spanning all the EDM genres, Downtown Digital promises to be a block party of epic dance-inducing proportions. Summer Funk Festivals has booked more than 25 producers and DJs repping house, breakbeat, dubstep, glitch-hop and more at the inaugural event. Highlights include a DJ set by Reuben Wu of British electro outfit Ladytron, and a straightforward party-starter live performance by Mustard Pimp, made up of French sound sculptors Baron and eKa, who mix the filthier textures of dubstep, glitch and hip-hop with heavy duty house and big beat electro on their full-length debut, No Title of Purpose, released via Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records last year. Visit digi-fest.com for the complete lineup and additional info. (Jannus Live, Vintage Ultra Lounge, Bar Milo, St. Petersburg)
Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw w/Grace Potter and the Nocturnals/Jake Owen A country music superstar double-header by two showmen who are on the road together for the first time in more than a decade as part of the 18-date “Brothers of the Sun” stadium tour. Both pimp 2012 albums; Chesney’s Welcome to the Fishbowl is his 15th and drops in a few weeks, while McGraw’s 11th, Emotional Traffic, was issued in January. (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa)
Ruth Eckerd Hall on the Road: LL Cool J The post-Rays game/REH-hosted concert series kicks off with a show by LL Cool J, who’s made a career of uniting his harder aggressive and softer sexy-romantic sides in such hip hop classic hits as “Going Back to Cali,” “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “I Need Love.” (Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg)
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus The name is more than a mouthful but fits with the band’s sound — electro-prog-psychedelic rock as crafted by a five-piece from Michigan with pronounced improvisational tendencies. For fans of Umphrey’s McGee. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Scion Rock Fest 2012 w/Down/Sleep/ Exodus/Repulsion/Saint Vitus/Merzbow/Church of Misery/many more A huge day-long (4 p.m.-midnight) metal fest as presented by Toyota’s in-house indie music label and artistic marketing division, Scion Audio/Visual. Four Ybor City venues host 26 acts covering the full spectrum of metallic sounds, from the heavy crush of New Orleans supergroup Down, which includes gut-roaring vocalist Phil Anselmo (Pantera), and guitarists Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow); to doom-stoner trio Sleep, from San Jose, Calif.; to the West Coast thrash of Exodus. This is a free but RSVP-required event; go to scionav.com/rock for more info. (The Ritz Ybor, Crowbar, Orpheum, Czar, Ybor City)
Suncoast Blues Society Anniversary Party: Billy Seward & Soulphonic/Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones with Dennis Gruenling SBS celebrates 15 years of bringing blues to the Bay area with two headliners for the price of one. South Florida-based Billy Seward & Soulphonic deliver a Memphis-soulful sound with big horns, B3 grooves, wailing guitar and the raspy emotive vocals of Seward. Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones offer up throwback swing-jump fare as joined by harmonica whiz Dennis Gruenling. Each plays a 90-minute set before all the musicians come together in an epic show-ending jam. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUNDAY, JUNE 3
April Verch Band w/Mo’ Gravy Hailing from Ottawa Valley, April Verch is a singer-songwriter whose sound draws on the melting pot of traditional European folk music found in her Canadian hometown and is imbued with light American country twang. Verch has a high, honeyed soprano and fine fiddling and step-dancing skills that she sometimes shows off simultaneously with instrumental back-up from guitarist Hayes Griffin, and upright electric bass and banjo player Cody Walters. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Neil Diamond The AC arena rocker and crooner needs little or no introduction. But if you’re not familiar with Neil Diamond’s many hits (“Cracklin Rosie,” “America,” “Sweet Caroline”), you’ll likely recognized the ones that were covered so famously by others (UB40’s version of “Red Red Wine,” “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” as performed by Urge Overkill, and The Monkees, “I’m a Believer” among them). (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
Styx They may not be generating anything too fresh, but a four-decade career paired with four consecutive multi-platinum albums from 1977 to 1981 have earned Styx a high ranking spot in classic rock annals and enough radio airplay for a respectable pop culture standing as well. (Freaks and Geeks, anyone?) The progressive rock band with the soft power ballad center celebrates the 40th anniversary of their self-titled 1972 debut and backs two recent releases, a 2012 concert DVD, Styx: The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live, and 2011’s Regeneration, Vol. I & II, which features fresh re-imaginings of 13 Styx classics (including “Come Sail Away” and “Blue Collar Man”) and a brand new track, “Difference In The World.” (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/Rich Medina/DJ Marvel The weekly hip-hop dance party plays host to a range of guests and this Sunday around, DJs Casper and Lesage welcome Rich Medina, a B-boy-turned-DJ, producer and poet from Philly who’s been manning decks for more than a decade with a sweet mix of hip-hop, house, Afrobeat, funk and soul. He’s spearheaded some of the nation’s hottest dance parties, including 10-years-and-running Fela Kuti-inspired Jump N’ Funk. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
TUESDAY, JUNE 5
City and Colour with Dan Romano/David Bazan City and Colour is the indie folk-rock project of Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green. His third and latest record, 2011’s Little Hell, features a poignant, heartfelt suite of songs that explore the heavenly and hellish moments that make up any relationship, and as Green explains, “the things you do to get through them both.” Recorded with producer Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, At The Drive-In), the record’s gorgeous arrangements are marked by Green’s exquisitely delicate high-toned vocals and guest spots by some of Green’s most frequent collaborators, including Daniel Romano (who plays with him on this tour). Also on the bill: Seattle indie rocker David Bazan, formerly the creative force behind Pedro the Lion. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6
Two Door Cinema Club w/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah The youthful electro pop-dance rock three-piece from Northern Ireland is repped by the same label as Phoenix (Glassnote Records) and issued their well-regarded award-winning debut full-length, Tourist History, in 2010. “Their show is worthy of any headlining slot,” CL Writer Ray Roa commented in his review of Two Door Cinema Club’s performance opening for Tokyo Police Club last year at Crowbar. And thus, they’ve returned to play said slot, in bigger digs, and with support from Philly indie rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Love & Light w/RedStar/3rc/Slut life Reno-area production team Matt Madonna and Ryan Anderson are the duo behind instrumental glitch-bass dance project Love & Light, their 2011 debut LP, Galactic Booty Activation, built on fat farting synthesizers, midtempo funked-out basslines, and bangin’ beats elevated from the tedious unz-unz-unz of mediocre electronic music. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2012.
