THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Loudon Wainwright III w/Emily Cook Loudon Wainwright III collabed with Judd Apatow to create the soundtrack for the director’s 2007 hit comedy, Knocked Up; composed music for the British theatrical adaptation of Carl Hiaasen’s novel, Lucky You, and topical tunes for NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition; and acted in a range of films and TV shows, including but not limited to M.A.S.H., The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Parks and Recreation. In addition to all this, Wainwright is a prolific folk rock singer-songwriter who has released 22 studio albums, the most recent his 2012 mortality-themed Older Than My Old Man Now. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) —LP
Florida Strawberry Festival Concert Series: Chubby Checker/Foreigner The Plant City fest kicks off its headline concert series with a dose of nostalgia; 1960 “Twist” hitmaker Chubby Checker opens with an afternoon set while the 1970s/80s-light prog rock of Foreigner (“Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Urgent,” “Double Vision,” “Jukebox Hero”) closes the evening. More info at flstrawberryfestival.com. (Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City)—LP
Hard Rock Rising A global Battle of the Bands competition that takes place at 95 Hard Rocks around the world. Locally, this is the second of three Thursday night qualifying rounds. Scilter won the Feb. 21 round; Malaya, Fight Another Day and Hang ‘Em High contend on this night, and the last round takes place March 7. Each of the three bands that claim victory at the qualifying rounds compete in the March 14 finale. One winner advances to rep our city in the regional battle. (Hard Rock Café, Tampa)—LP
FRIDAY, MARCH 1
The Mantras CD Release Party Serving up a rich, tight marriage of prog rock, jazz, metal, blues and electronic music is North Carolina quintet The Mantras. First single “Kinetic Bump” off new album Jam Bands Ruined My Life! is an instrumental number marked by passages of keyboard zipping and sonic-scaping, grooving percussive-infused rhythms, and guitar textures ranging from waka-waka riffs and muffle-plucked note runs to point and shred solos. With a sound clearly influenced by Umphrey’s McGee, it comes as no surprise that the album was engineered and produced by Um guitar whiz Jake Cinninger at his Boondock Studios. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)—LP
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk w/Roosevelt Colier Trio You’d think that nothing could outshine his pedigree, but Ivan Neville’s achievements are just about as impressive as his family tree. The 53-year-old son of Aaron Neville has played on records by Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, The Rolling Stones, and even went on tour with Keith Richards’ solo band, The X-pensive Winos. He brings his own hard funk-blues outfit Dumpstaphunk to the friendly confines of the Skipperdome, where SoFla-based pedal steel wizard Roosevelt Collier — who can normally be heard providing scorching guitar lines for The Lee Boys — supports. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —Ray Roa
WMNF Presents: Rocking the Ranch w/He’s My Brother She’s My Sister/Suenalo/Black Taxi/Dash Rip Rock/Damon Fowler Group/Mercy Brothers/many others An inaugural camping-style festival hosted by Tampa’s community radio station a little ways outside of town. The three-day bill features pretty much all bands that have played WMNF events in the past, most notably He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, the LA-based alt-folk rock quintet with a tap-dancing drummer; and No Depression favorites Dash Rip Rock. The Latter, a country-soulful roots rock trio from New Orleans plays two sets, one on Saturday night and the other on Sunday afternoon. Primitive campsites are included with three-day $60 admission; single-day tickets are also available (it’s about an hour drive each way). (Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brookesville)—LP
Bon Jovi Nearly three decades after 1986 breakthrough album Slippery When Wet gave the world karaoke staples like “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” John Francis Bongiovi Jr. & Co. land in Tampa, not necessarily to revive the classics, but to promote their 12th studio LP, What About Now. The band’s “Because We Can Tour” takes its name from the album’s lead single, which is anchored by an anthemic chorus ripe for shout-alongs from devoted fans and their kids. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa) —RR
The Dags CD Release Party w/Al Torchia & The Tattered Saints/Greymarket Tampa’s own driving indie rock three-piece The Dags unveil the fruits of their labors, sophomore LP Modern Art, at this release party with high-powered heartland-flavored rockers Al Torchia & The Tattered Saints and experimental-psych two-piece Greymarket. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)—LP
Keb’ Mo’ & Los Lobos Singer, songwriter and guitarist Keb Mo, aka Kevin Moore, lays down a foundation of nice, easy-grooving contemporary blues and builds upon it with light pop, soul and funk-jazz textures. Los Lobos brings Tex Mex appeal to this co-bill, their own fusion of rock, traditional Spanish and Mexican music, blues, folk and R&B most memorably featured in the Richie Havens bio-drama, La Bamba and the Robert Rodriguez flick, Desperado. Both artists have three Grammys to their name and plenty of chops to their instrumental games. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)—LP
Tone Loc Anthony Terrell Smith — aka Tone Loc — has been doing the “Wild Thing” since the late 1980s when his Delicious Vinyl Records debut LP, Loc-ed After Dark, made him a household name. While he only released one other record after that (1991’s Cool Hand Loc), the Los Angeles-based rapper has been able to parlay the success of songs like “Funky Cold Medina” into a career that finds him performing at the March installment of Jannus Live’s First Friday concert series alongside Miami-based DJ Erik Velez and DJ Sandman, arguably Tampa’s hardest working DJ and hip-hop ambassador. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —RR
Zoogma A fast-rising Southeastern jamtronic foursome that builds dance and groove-driven odes using a combination of live instrumentation (bass, guitars, drums), synths and laptop sequencing. The result is a sound that jumps between house music, electro-rock and hip hop. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
SATURDAY, MARCH 2
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall w/Michael Franks You might know singer, trumpeter, composer and all-around mega-talent Herb Alpert from his tenure as part of Tijuana Brass. Or perhaps you’re more familiar with his easy-riding instrumentals, like his 1979 chart-topping Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Rise,” used to score various TV and films, and unforgettably sampled by the late Biggie Smalls in his own hit single “Hypnotize.” Alpert’s aesthetic draws on jazz, Latin, pop and R&B with light funk tendencies. For this date, he’s joined by eminent vocalist and wife Lani Hall (of Sergio Mendes’ Brasil 66 band) in a program of selections from the Great American Songbook and cuts off Alpert/Hall’s latest release, I Feel For You. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)—LP
Rock for MS w/The Demo Rats/Pig Pen/Slade and the Wasters/SINGOD/Insubordinint/Crash Mitchell/Artificial Heartbeat/Photobomb/Rebel 5/Kevin K/Shitcan Dirtbag A local MS fighter has organized this multiple sclerosis benefit, which starts with acoustic performances by Crash Mitchell and other lower-volume acts in the afternoon (beginning at 1 p.m.), and segues into hardcore punk rock raging as the light fades to black. The suggested $5 donation at the door helps Friends of Hope support group as they raise funds for the Mid-Florida Walk MS event in Lakewood Ranch March 9. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)—LP
The Whiskey Gentry w/Have Gun, Will Travel/Josh Roberts & The Hinges Lauren Stayley has the voice of an angel, but instead of singing heavenly tunes á la Caroline Herring or even Alison Krauss, the Atlanta-based songstress belts out Southern-fried, foot-stomping, harmony-laden, ripe-for-a-bender bluegrass with her eight-piece band, The Whiskey Gentry. They’ve supported 2011’s Please Make Welcome with an exhaustive tour itinerary that always seems to find its way back into our neck of the woods. The band once again rewards a loyal Bay area fanbase (and tries to earn enough scratch to finish production of a new record) by headlining a wet dream of an alt-country bill that also features Sarasota’s Have Gun, Will Travel and Columbia, S.C.’s Josh Roberts & The Hinges. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —RR
The Nighthawks w/LedFoot DC blues rock staples The Nighthawks have seen several high-class axemen in the ranks since the group was originally formed in 1972 by harmonica-slinging vocalist Mark Wenner, starting with Jimmy Thackery and encompassing Warren Haynes; these days, Paul Bell wails on six-string duty in a post he’s held since 2004. The Nighthawks continue to tour regularly and albums like 2010’s Last Train to Bluesville — which won ‘Acoustic Album of the Year’ at the 32nd Blues Music Awards — and last year’s Damn Good Time reveal their continued relevance. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)—LP
Hank & Cupcakes These days, popular male-female duos range from kitschy and cute (Matt & Kim) to downright strange (Die Antwoord). Hank & Cupcakes fall somewhere in between. Husband-and-wife team Sagit Shir and Ariel Scherbacovsky immigrated to Brooklyn from Tel Aviv in the hopes of spreading their music — an energetic blend of electronica and modern rock — to a larger audience. They got their wish, landing spots on the CMJ Music Marathon and Roots Picnic before booking extensive U.S. tours. Their last Bay area appearance came in the form of a pre-Antiwarpt Music Festival show outside of the Morean Arts Center in downtown St. Pete, so it’ll be nice to see their wild live set return to Ybor’s hippest dance club. (Czar, Ybor City) —RR
Waka Flocka Flame The controversial Atlanta rapper is known for getting audiences hyped at shows while going “Hard in da Paint.” He brings his Brick Squad back to Tampa in support of his second album, 2012’s Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family, and to hype-up his third LP, Flockaveli 2. Though it’s finished, no official release date has been announced. He did drop a new mixtape in February, DuFlocka Rant Part 2, that featured guest spots by Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne and Quez (Travis Porter). Dirty South-repping Wooh Da Kid also lent his rhymes to the comp, and he opens Waka’s Tampa set. (Club Underground, downtown Tampa) —Shannon Kelly
SUNDAY, MARCH 3
Bronze Radio Return/The Dunwells w/ The Groves The strong, sweetly enchanting lead vocals, three-part harmonies and rising choruses of UK fivesome The Dunwells climb over a waltzing and driving mix of folk-pop and British-informed Americana in their full-length debut, Blind Sighted Faith, which saw a U.S. re-release last year. Co-headlining on this date is the uplifting, clapping and stomping indie roots rock sextet Bronze Radio Return, from Connecticut, their single “Shake Shake Shake” used in multiple car commercials (Volvo/NFFTY, Lincoln MKZ, Nissan Leaf) and TV Shows (American Idol and Anthony Bourdain: The Layover among others), while “Further On,” (a new track off an LP that drops later this year) was featured in a PGA Tour season preview spot. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—LP
Bands, Brews & BBQ: Goo Goo Dolls Buffalo, N.Y. gave our stomachs legendary wings and our ears the Goo Goo Dolls. This Sunday, the latter hits Tampa’s premier amusement park for a concert (ticket price included with Busch Gardens admission) that will surely not just encompass AAA radio hits like “Slide,” “Iris,” and “Name,” but also deep cuts like the raucous “Sunshine of Your Love” from 1987 self-titled debut and “Somethin’ Bad” off 1995 breakout, A Boy Named Goo. (Busch Gardens, Tampa) —RR
Dropkick Murphys w/Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun/Old Man Markley Pimping a brand new eighth album, this year’s Signed and Sealed, Boston-brewed Irish punk rockers Dropkick Murphys are on their “Road to St. Patty’s Day Tour.” The seven-piece band puts on an energetic show mixing an array of folk instruments — banjo, tin whistle, mandolin, bagpipes — with heavy punk guitars and bass. Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun, a British folk-punk act, and Old Man Markley, a bluegrass inspired octet, open. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —SK
Mod Sun w/Cisco Adler/Tayyib Ali/Choo Jackson/Pat Brown A few absurd forces in alt hip-hop make their way to St. Pete with some friends for a night of cheeky-ass fun as part of their “Road Trippin’ Tour.” Mod Sun is Minnesota’s goofy, posi-vibing “hippy-hop” emcee Dylan Smith, who has a reggae-toaster quality to his measured or whiplash fast rhyme style as evidenced in new single “My Hippy” (“If you see me in your city, say ‘What’s up my hippy?’). Molestache-and-fedora-sporting Cisco Adler dishes out sung or talk-sung R&B-saturated verses over his funk-hopping instrumentals. On-the-rise rappers Tayyib Ali (who teamed up with Adler to produce The One Way EP), Choo Jackson (who just issued his Beer Flavored Pizza mixtape in January), and frequent Mod Sun collaborator/producer/singer Pat Brown round out the tour. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg)—LP
Excision: The Execution Tour The last huge name in dubstep to visit The Ritz Ybor was Skrillex, who sold-out the space back in December of 2011. Expect a more-than-healthy crowd for the arrival of one of Canada’s finest modern EDM exports — Jeff Abel, better known as Excision, who had the pleasure of releasing his X-Rated LP via Deadmau5-imprint Mau5trap Recordings in 2011. He brings his massive stage set to The Ritz; dubbed “The Executioner,” it uses 100,000 watts of sound (the average stereo uses just 100 watts) and features a world-class 3D video-mapping rig, taking the term “sensory overload” to a whole new level. Mad Decent’s Paper Diamonds as well as Vaski play support on this loaded bill. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) —RR
Florida Strawberry Festival Concert Series: Randy Houser/Alan Jackson Randy Houser launches the Nashville-twangy Sunday edition of the Strawberry Fest concert series with hits like “Boots On” and “How Country Feels,” the latter off his 2013 album of the same name. Evening headlining star Alan Jackson shuts the grounds down with his big eight-piece band and honky tonk-swinging brand of country music, which has earned him 26 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country charts. (Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City)—LP
d’Visitors CD Release Show The Gwan Massive collective’s instrumental heart, d’Visitors, brew up a vibrant dance-inducing distillation of ska, funk, soul, reggae and the Latin-seasoned sounds of samba, calypso and jazz. This afternoon Ella’s performance celebrates the release of the sextet’s new Late Night Sessions LP, and features guest spots by familiar Gwan faces, among them, rhyme slingers Ryan “Breakdown” McGown, The Rukus and Dynasty. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)—LP
MONDAY, MARCH 4
Florida Strawberry Festival Concert Series: Lorrie Morgan/Pam Tillis/Dwight Yoakam Aside from being a celebration of the world’s second most famous red, juicy fruit, the Florida Strawberry Festival also serves as one of Central Florida’s best outdoor country concert series. A limited number of free grandstand seats are available on a first-come-first serve basis, but relatively low price reserved seating is available when Lorrie Morgan teams up with Plant City native Pam Tills for the afternoon show before Grammy award-winning honky tonk badboy Dwight Yoakam takes the evening stage in support of his new album, last year’s 3 Pears. (Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City) —RR
TUESDAY, MARCH 05
Current Swell w/Will Erickson & the Wreckage/Freelow “This day feels long / It feels brief when the light is gone / When I look to my youth I never really thought about the time / The thought of my day to come was the last thing upon my mind,” reminiscences husky-voiced lyricist/singer Scott Stanton longingly in the title track off Current Swell’s Long Time Ago LP. The fourth and latest from the Canadian quartet is a rambling, sunshine-touched blend of roots-pop, blues and rock, and it finally saw a U.S. release this January. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)—LP
The Black Roses w/Breakout 65 If The Black Roses are St. Pete’s rowdy, blues-infused answer to The White Stripes, then go ahead and pile Breakout 65 into that category, too. While this project — spearheaded by Chris Cardon — never really pushes the threshold of how much joyous noise an eardrum can actually take, Breakout 65’s homage to 1970’s rock ’n’ roll is just as pleasurable and takes listeners back to a time when names like Jimi, John, Eric, and Keith dominated music lovers’ lexicons. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —RR
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06
Daryl Hall & John Oates Hall and Oates brought the notion of “rock and soul” to countless living rooms and steamy backseat make-out sessions during the 1970s and ’80s, and they’ve influenced scores of big names in music; John Mayer, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, and even Gym Glass Heroes have cited H&O as inspiration. While they haven’t released on album of original material since 2003’s Do It For Love, the auspice of getting to see “Rich Girl,” “Private Eyes,” “Kiss On My List,” “You Make My Dreams,” and “Maneater” performed live should be irresistible for fans and curious souls alike. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —RR
Coheed and Cambria w/Between the Buried and Me/Russian Circles Progressive rock foursome Coheed and Cambria is explosively pushing their way back into the spotlight, first with last year’s Aftermath: The Ascension, and again last month with the 2013 second part to their double album series, The Aftermath: Descension. Claudio Sanchez’s high-pitched vocals soar over the band’s classic rock sound, fluctuating between heavier post-hardcore odes and more upbeat, bouncy tunes. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Kelsey Sunderland
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2013.