THURSDAY, AUGUST 29
MC Chris w/Jesse Dangerously/Dr. Awkward/Tribe One Maybe you remember his nasally juvenile-high intones and sing-song rhyming style from Adult Swim programs like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, where he voiced reincarnated diaper-wearing rapper MC Pee Pants. Or perhaps you know his viral hit “Hoodie Ninja” off 2008’s MC Chris Is Dead, also tapped in a Honda commercial a few years back. Writer, rapper, animator, producer and all-around brainy humor slinger Christopher Brendan Ward aka MC Chris (who hits town on his “Revenge of the Nerd Tour 2”) self-releases all his material, and though he hasn’t issued a proper full-length since 2011’s Race Wars, he’s released the odd chuckling odes, like “Clue,” dedicated to the game-inspired film, as well as finally completing an eighth album, MC Chris Foreverrr, that’s due out this Halloween. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Truth or Consequence w/Stages And Stereos/Paper States/Camille Dupree and Broken Fetters Tallahassee musicians Jeremy Lenzo and Brooks Betts veer far away from the punk-pop-emo of Mayday Parade in Truth or Consequence, their blues-tinged folk-rock side project with vocalist/songstress Alexandra Kees, who adds feminine appeal to the dusty rambling odes. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Flagship w/The Dog Apollo/Friends of Giants An emerging five-piece from Charlotte, Flagship purveys shadow-speckled indie rock imbued with the sort of urgent anthemic drive you find in bands like Muse and U2, replete with sprawling ribbons of echoing guitar solos and rhythmic delay effects. This tour hypes their forthcoming eponymous debut due out Oct. 8 via Bright Antenna Records. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30
Big Country w/WD-Han The New Wave Scottish rock band didn’t gain traction in the U.S. after delivering their sole Mainstream Rock charter, “In a Big Country,” which stood out from other ’80s-era hits for distinctive guitar soloing mimicking the sound of bagpipes and full-bodied percussive-bright rhythms. They enjoyed a successful reign overseas, however, and released eight albums before dissolving in 2000. In the dozen years since, frontman Stuart Adamson committed suicide, the remaining members reconvened in 2007 for a 25-year reunion show, and made a more permanent go of it in 2010. Original drummer Mark Brzezicki and guitarist Bruce Watson are joined by Watson’s son Jamie on guitars, vocalist Mike Peters of The Alarm, and more recently, bassist Derek Forbes (Simple Minds). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Travi$ Scott After the Big Country crowd clears out, State Theatre ushers in another group of fans to enjoy a performance by Travi$ Scott. The rising hip-hop star juggles double-duty talents, signed to both Kanye West’s Very G.O.O.D. Beats as a producer (he had a few production credits on Yeezus), and to T.I.’s Grand Hustle/Epic imprint as a rapper. His first mixtape, Owl Pharaoh, dropped a few months ago and includes cuts like the bombastic “Upper Echelon” (with guest spots by T.I. and 2 Chainz) and the indietronic “Chaz Interlude,” featuring Toro y Moi. Doors at 11 p.m. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Feed Me #Fridays at the Amp has been driving bodies to the dancefloor by consistently flying in international talent to spin with its strong group of resident DJs (Nerd Rage, Mr. Saturn, WiNTA). This edition features another bright name in EDM: London-bred producer/DJ Jon Gooch aka Feed Me, who synthesizes the pulsing sounds of electro house, dubstep and drum and bass. (Amphitheatre Event Facility, Ybor City)
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk Nobody hits harder with the New Orleans R&B-steamed funkiness than Dumpstaphunk, led by B3 and clav-jamming namesake Ivan Neville, spawn of NOLA’s royal funk family (his dad is the infamous Aaron, his uncle Art), and joined by a groove-chugging band that brings a pounding low-end assault from dual bassists Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III, greasy guitar licks from cousin Ian on guitar, and brawny beats held down by newest member, femme drummer and singer Nikki Glaspie. Second studio LP Dirty Word dropped in July. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Mike Dillon Band Tough night for the jam scene kids. On one side of the Bay, you’ve got the funk. On the other, experimental jazz-fusion as led by an incredible drummer, percussionist and vibraphonist capable of playing both vibes and beats at once in a non-novelty way (i.e., he’s got real fucking chops), and infusing his original avant songwriting with a healthy dose of punk cheekiness and absurdist humor. You might’ve seen him playing in any number of projects — Les Claypool’s Fancy Band, Garage A Trois, the Dead Kenny G’s with Skerik. In this assemblage, Dillon is joined by Carly Meyers on trombone, drummer Adam Gertner and bass player Patrick McDevitt. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Beres Hammond Sway to authentic Jamaican tender-lovin’ reggae tunes when soulful singing and toasting old hand Beres Hammond, aka the “Otis Redding of Reggae,” hits Jannus behind a 2012 double album, One Love, One Life. Among the elder crooner’s fans are hip-hop stars Rihanna and Drake; the former quoted a verse by Hammond while vacationing in Hawaii, the latter posted his wish to have Hammond sing at his wedding. (Hammond agreed to try and pencil it in when that future date was set.) (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
The Dangerous Summer w/Breaking Laces/Tommy & The High Pilots/Rare Monk/others The Dangerous Summer brings their punk pop-hued alt rock to town on the heels of issuing a third studio effort, Golden Record, out this month on Hopeless Records. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31
RiFF RaFF Neon Icon Tour w/Big Makk You’ve probably caught wind of the back-and-forth between Houston rapper Riff Raff (whose initial claim to fame was as a reality contestant on MTV’s From G’s to Gents) and the creators of 2012’s Spring Breakers. Riff Raff has filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging the character portrayed by James Franco (a drawling tatted rapper/criminal named Alien) was modeled after his own life right down to the character’s gold grill and cornrows, and created without his permission or a proper production credit. (Franco and director Harmony Korine insist Alien’s character was inspired by underground Florida rapper Dangeruss.) Check the trailer and you’ll reach your own conclusions pretty quickly. Controversy aside, the cheeky freestylin’ slacker rapper has some street cred, both as a member of comedy rap group Three Loco (with Andy Milonakis and Dirt Nasty aka Simon Rex), and as a solo artist now signed to Diplo’s Mad Decent label. A Diplo-supervised album is due sometime later this year. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Robby Krieger w/Dean Johanesen Singer, songwriter and iconic guitarist of The Doors Robby Krieger hits Palladium Theater with his band Jam Kitchen, which includes multi-instrumentalist Arthur Barrow and keysman Tommy Mars (both one-time players with Frank Zappa), sax player Larry Klimas (Neil Diamond, WAR, Chicago) and drummer Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea, Al Di Meola). The program will include Krieger’s original solo material along with select songs he helped write from the Doors catalog — “Love Me Two Times,” “Touch Me,” “Light My Fire” and “Love Her Madly” among them. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Fowler’s Bluff This St. Pete alt-rock quartet with light Southern and prog-fusion tendencies has been performing as Fowler’s Bluff since 2011, but only really started ramping up their presence in the local scene over the past year as they’ve continued building their original repertoire and adding polish to their live show. This date celebrates the completion of their first five-song EP, recorded at various sites around the area, and ranging from the moody measured melodies and psych-ambient atmospherics of “Swell,” to the more urgent expansive drive of “Monte Carlo.” The first 50 guests get a copy of the EP with their $5 admission. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
Not Tonight Josephine w/Malaya/Amare/Civil Action “We live and die with, a sense of pride, it’s our only common gold,” sings multi-layered vocals that open the title tracked off Not Tonight Josephine’s brand new Common Gold EP, produced by James Paul Wisner (UnderØath, Paramore). Though inactive for a period while undergoing personnel changes, the current lineup — original drummer Randy Ayers and bassist/guitarist Evan Foley joined by higher-toned vocalist Danny Garry and guitarist Scott Vallina — has hit the ground running and headline this Saturday night bill in St. Pete. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Groovefest 2013 w/The Heavy Pets/Come Back Alice/Serotonic/Rich Whiteley Band/Ted Lukas & The Misled/Roundhouse Social/more The fourth annual edition of WMNF’s groove and jam-driven showcase, which features two stages: one for stripped down acoustic performances by Rich Whiteley, Dean Johanesen, Jerrod Simpson, Shane & Fil and the Applebutter Duo; the other for bands rocking and rolling during the plugged-in main event sets. Genre-hopping is a given, most sonicscapes are represented in some way even if only in passing — from Southern rock, folk and prog fusion to jazz, funk, reggae and the blues — and sit-ins are a likely possibility, as is improvisation. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Wait for Green Venice Beach, Calif.-by-way-of Tallahassee quartet Wait for Green — which purveys breezy sun-soaked reggae rock heavily seasoned with grooving funk hop, psychedelic dub and shuffling vintage surf rock — was originally formed by FSU students/musicians Drew Dockerill (vocals, guitar) and AJ Larson (bass), who re-located to the West Coast in 2009 and cemented the current lineup with drummer Danny Morledge and guitarist James Kirby the following year. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 01
Jamaican Queens w/Levels/Oxford Noland/Godsnack Detroit “trap pop” duo Jamaican Queens (Prussia former Ryan Spencer and producer Adam Pressley) take their influences from Southern hip-hop, electro, dub, downbeat and alt-folk music, churn and filter them through tinted Detroit-scuzzy lenses, and serve up the results on full-length debut, Wormfood. The short but delectable nine tracks range from the Berlin/Top Gun reminiscent synth melodies and chugging dance beat of opener “Water” to the expansive sample-strewn love and suicide contemplations of closing track “Caitlin,” head-bobbing beat maintained until its dissolution into the ambient electronics and warped scattered vocal samples that close the album. ’Course, as these things go, I won’t actually be in town to see the band that has produced one of my favorite albums this year — but please, do show up in my place so I can live vicariously through all of you. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
813area Labor Day Luau w/Temp/Infinite Skillz/Jinx/Acoupstix/Heights NS If you’re wondering just how to spend your Labor Day Sunday, local events site 813area.com stages a free rooftop Luau Party at Prana that touches on some first-class locally brewed underground hip-hop talent, including three artists featured in this summer’s CL Music Issue: scene champion Infinite Skillz, who has a playfully animated flow and a style informed by classic hip-hop and soul; another scene vet, Jinx, who’s been known to draw from obscure sources; and fresh spitting up-and-comer, Temp. Get a drink on the house for RSVP’ing in advance at 813area.com/guestlist. (Prana, Ybor City)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 04
Return of Da Cypher Hansel “Aych” Wilson brings his open mic and showcase of local hip-hop flavor back to the Crowbar stage with some slight alterations. Aych continues as Da Cypher’s spearheading founder, but he has some help from sidekicks/co-hosts Ms. Rich and J. Roc Jones. Eight acts will be chosen to perform, and one TBA artist headlines, with the usual room left for freestylin’ and between-set jams. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Wintersun w/Fleshgod Apocalypse/Arsis/Starkill The name calls to mind stark light, fickle warmth, austere snow-crusted cityscapes of an indeterminate era … or maybe I see these visuals because I know that Wintersun hails from Finland and their shred-infested metal evokes the epic, heavily orchestrated atmosphere envisioned by vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jari Mäenpää. Last year saw the release of sophomore full-length, Time 12. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks
This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2013.