THURSDAY, MAY 24
Timothy B. Schmit Vocalist, songwriter and bassist Timothy B. Schmit played in post-Buffalo Springfield outfit Poco, and also served time with The Eagles after their Hotel California tour, co-writing and singing lead on "I Can't Tell You Why" off 1979’s The Long Run, and returning to the fold on their 1994 reunion album and tour. He's done all manner of session work and sit-ins since then for artists ranging from Ringo Starr to Crosby, Stills and Nash, though he's always written and released solo records on the side. He draws on Americana, folk, country, rock and blues influences, his repertoire encompassing originals and re-imagined covers by artists like Blind Boys of Alabama, Kid Rock, and Dwight Yoakam. He performs tracks from his fifth and latest solo album, 2009’s Expando, in addition to select Eagles and Poco cuts on his current round of live dates. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)—Leilani Polk
FRIDAY, MAY 25
Escape Tonight / After The Fact / Wolf Face / Holiday A four-band Florida music showcase headed up by propulsive punk-edged Clearwater alt rock three-piece Escape Tonight, made up of powerful shouter-singer/guitarist Russell Fama, bassist Rick Herbert and drummer Paul James, who issued a 10-song name-your-price LP online last year. After the Fact, from Ft. Myers, doles out up-tempo ska-punk pop with high-toned vocal harmonies and distorted guitars; St. Pete's Wolf Face delivers fast and hard rock; and Holiday rounds it out with his one man aggro-retro-eletro show. (Fubar, downtown St. Petersburg)—LP
Casanova's Blast Friday w/Edgar Winter Band Not to be confused with his older electric and Texas blues-leaning brother Johnny – who played Capitol Theatre last February – Edgar Winter is the more boogie-soul inclined, and is responsible for such classic hard rock hits as "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride." And where Johnny is a consummate axeman, Edgar is a multi-instrumentalist known for his talent on all types of keys as well as sax, marimba, timbales and guitar. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater)—LP
Antiwarpt III Announcement Party w/Toy Bombs/The Happiness Machine/Lauris Vidal/Lonly Monster Brokenmold and No Clubs reveal the master lineup of the fast-approaching third annual Antiwarpt, the local and indie music alternative to the corporate Vans-sponsored Warped. The musical festivities are led by the jangly guitar and lightly vintage flavor of LA's experimental-psychedelic two-piece, Toy Bombs. Live, songwriters/producers Cole Barnson (vox, guitar, bass, percs, harmonica) and Brandon McBride (guitar, keys, vox, bass, percs, drums, harmonica, effects) switch and trade-off instruments and vocals, and are backed by masked players "Sasha the Cat" on bass and drummer "Rocko the Bear." A solid bill of local indie acts support. (St. Pete Shuffleboard Club, St. Petersburg) —LP
Steve Kimock & Friends w/funkUs I've jokingly referred to Steve Kimock as the "great stone face of guitar" because he’s one of few axemen I've seen who can wail on fiery solos with little or no expression, like he totally doesn't feel the universal vibrations he's channeling through his very own fingertips. (I bet the dude is a great poker player.) Kimock started his career playing in various Grateful Dead-related gigs — Keith and Donna Godchaux's Heart of Gold Band, then Phil Lesh and Friends and The Other Ones — as well as the lesser-known Zero, and he's been leading various solo projects for the past dozen or so years. In addition to electric guitar, Kimock is also well-versed on lap steel and mandolin, though I'm not sure how many different string tones he'll be trotting out with his current solo project and first large-scale tour in a few years. Kimock is joined by an esteemed lineup of players – keys wizard Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic, Talking Heads), drummer Wally Ingram (Sheryl Crow), and bassists Andy Hess (Gov't Mule, Black Crowes) and Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green). Orlando jazz-groove staple funkUs supports. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)—LP
Kip Moore Up-and-coming MCA Nashville country artist Kip Moore is the perpetrator of such recent hit singles as "Mary Was the Marrying Kind" and "Somethin' 'bout a Truck" off his April 2012 debut, Up All Night; the latter peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Country Songs charts. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)—LP
Lucero w/The Soul Rebels Rusty-voiced Lucero frontman Ben Nichols has a knack for writing straightforward blue-collar rock songs as evidenced on the Memphis band's seventh studio record, Women & Work. Both topics are treated to his booze-soaked observations, whether he's waxing barroom poetic ("Come on down for just one drink / when you're around, I'm more the man I should be / come on baby, can’t you see that you're good for me?"), or offering wry metaphors ("Now it's one shot of women, one shot of work / One shot's sweeter but both can hurt"). The soulful, honky tonk feel they introduced into their crusty cowpunk sound on 2009's 1372 Overton Park is still intact, as is the heartland-flavored brass; Nichols has called it "one part barrelhouse rock n' roll and one part lonesome nights." (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
Paul Thorn Buried within Paul Thorn's 15-year-old discography is an intimate, hour-long live set recorded at a farmhouse in Tennessee in front of just 60 people. Live at Short Street finds the 47-year-old prize fighter-turned-songwriter spinning tales about Viagra use, Jehovah's Witness strippers, and a bout with Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Duran. And while the 12-track set is gratuitously littered with Thorn's subtly raunchy humor ("Butter My Biscuit," "Ain't Love Strange"), it also showcases his unique ability to connect with his audiences from the second he takes the stage. It's that charm that will be on display during a Friday solo acoustic set when the Mississippi-native kicks off a two-night, WMNF-sponsored stand at Skipper's. The already-friendly confines of the Skipperdome are sure to become even more warm and fuzzy during the session, but the venue will be set ablaze the following Saturday night when Thorn and his band plug in and deliver scorching blues-kissed Southern rockers like "Pimps & Preachers" and "Hammer and Nail." (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) –Ray Roa
John Prine Perhaps the name rings a bell, but likely you only know country-folk revivalist John Prine via the artists he’s influenced or inspired since he became active in the early 1970s, which vary from Johnny Cash to Roger Waters to Drive-By Truckers to Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. He never scored any big charters though he did co-write "You Never Even Called Me By My Name," which became David Allan Coe’s first Top 10 Billboard Country Songs hit. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)—LP
The Gladezmen Floridian music undoubtedly comes in all shapes and sizes. Claiming to hail from "Badluck Woods, Fla.," The Gladezmen put their own country-fried swampgrass stamp on the Sunshine State’s aural landscape with songs about chasing gators, giant swamp hogs, and even a mythical hero named Izzy Righteous. With a live set that features fiery harmonica, upright bass, and fierce slide work by frontman "Gator Nate," the energy of this free show is will have a hard time staying contained within the walls of the equally unique and quintessentially Floridian confines of one of Seminole Heights' best places to hang out. (Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa) –RR
SATURDAY, MAY 26
97X Backyard BBQ w/The Used/Civil Twilight/Middle Class Rut/Falling In Reverse/Foxy Shazam/Imagine Dragons/more The free Memorial Weekend mini-fest hosted by 97X is fast becoming a holiday tradition, luring in locals with a day full of radio rock, cold beer and all the smoked, slow-cooked meats any carnivore could ask for. The Used – which led the mainstream wave of emo/post-hardcore acts that cropped up in the early '00s – assume headlining duties at the 2012 edition of Backyard BBQ. Also of note: Civil Twilight, from South Africa, which has a U2-anthemic arena rock sound. Admission to BBQ is free, but interested attendees should pick up tickets in advance at participating outlets; visit 97x.com for more info. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)—LP
Tallhart w/Andy Matchett and The Minks/Fistful/After July Bay area band and multi-Best of the Bay award-winners Tallhart (formerly Marksmen, formerly Glasgow) are enjoying a high that started when they toured with Eisley, continued when they landed a deal with Rory Records (the new label run by Say Anything’s Max Bemis under the Equal Vision imprint), and recorded a well-produced 2012 EP, Bloodlines. This is the foursome's St. Pete CD release party. Click here to read this week's feature about the band. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)—LP
Bands on the Sand 4 Cope/Steve Arvey Horn Band/Funky Seeds/Have Gun Will Travel/The Human Condition/Sunza Beaches/Sarah Mac Band/Hubb Tones/Sound Parlor/Jubal's Kin/The Exchange/Shoeless Soul What's better than watching a dozen high-quality musical acts perform across two days with the Gulf only steps away, sand between your toes and a piña colada in hand? I don’t know, you tell me. Bands in the Sand 4 featurs a bigger and better bill than ever, bringing folk, jam rock, funk jazz, alt country, blues, Americana and rock n' roll to the wide scenic swatch of Pinellas beach behind Bilmar Resort. The Memorial Weekend party lasts from noon to 9 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, with a fireworks show at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. (104th and Gulf Boulevard, Treasure Island Beach)—LP
Maps & Atlases w/The Big Sleep Chicago experimental outfit Maps & Atlases hits town on the heels of the release of their sophomore full-length, Beware and Be Grateful. The record is more focused, catchy and slickly produced than their debut; the quirky math-art rock shimmers with greater folk and pop tendencies and hooky vocal melodies, though the band’s heavy reliance on both intricate note-layering guitar work and more noisy cacophonous assaults hasn't changed. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—LP
Al Stewart A British soft folk rocker whose best-known single in the U.S. is likely 1976's "Year of the Cat," as was his album of the same name. Al Stewart plays guitar and keys, and his voice has a higher-register Bowie-esque quality but with a gentler inflection. Alan Parsons produced Stewart's three best-selling albums – the aforementioned Cat, 1975's Modern Times, and 1978's Time Passages. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)—LP
Sunset Music Festival w/Paul Van Dyke/Pretty Lights/Nervo/many more Casual electronic music fans are usually converted to diehards when the subtly complex arrangements they consume through headphones and home stereo systems come to life in packed clubs, but the live experience gets taken to another level at outdoor festivals. Sunset Music Festival certainly looks to continue that tradition with a Memorial Day weekend party featuring over 30 artists spread across three stages. They’ve landed some of the biggest names in EDM including legendary producer Paul Van Dyk, Swedish house extraordinaire Alesso, Excision dubstep protégé Dastik, and Colorado’s Pretty Lights whose prolific, sample heavy production has gained himself notoriety through his blend a myriad of styles including glitch, hip hop, soul, funk, and dubstep. (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa) –RR
Circus w/Beardsley/The Black Roses "Dirt" – a highlight from Circus' Kickstarter-funded The Sun and the Moon and the Planets Collide – is a slow-crawling, ominous cut featuring the band’s blend of blues, folk, and pop, but the Orlando-based quintet are joined by equally talented regional bands on this Saturday night bill. Tampa's own Beardsley were named "Best Pop Refreshment" in CL's 2010 Best of The Bay Awards, and St. Pete-based duo The Black Roses are in possession of some of the most raucous, ear-splitting electrified blues-rock this side of the Gulf of Mexico. If Robert Johnson and Jack White had a bastard love child with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, then it might be The Black Roses. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) –RR
SUNDAY, MAY 27
Rod Picott and Amanda Shires She plays fiddle and ukulele, sings in a clear and dulcet drawl, and does some sporadic whistling. He plays acoustic guitar and complements her with his rugged lower-register croon. Frequent performers on the Studio@620 stage, folk-Americana husband-and-wife duo Rod Picott and Amanda Shires have both come here separately over the last year pimping 2011 solo releases, his Welding Burns, hers Carrying Lightning, and both featuring sit-ins by the other. Before that, they actually collaborated on an album of duets, Sew Your Heart With Wires. Expect to hear material from all three records along with select cover tunes during show presented as part of the 2012 Independent Music Concert Series. (The Studio@620, St. Petersburg)—LP
Ol' Dirty Sundays One-Year Anniversary Party Click here for more info. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—LP
TUESDAY, MAY 29
Jubal's Kin w/Trinity River String-playing vocally harmonizing siblings Roger and Gailanne Amundsen lead Jubal's Kin, an Orlando area outfit with a spare folk sound rooted in Appalachian Americana traditions. Their 2010 eponymous debut was recorded in Nashville and co-produced by Erick Jaskowiak (Crooked Still, The Chieftains). (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)—LP
Municipal Waste w/3 Inches Of Blood/Black Tusk I know shit-all about hardcore/crossover thrash, but based on the longevity and relative popularity of Municipal Waste, I'm going to hazard a guess that if you like any artists on the Nuclear Blast or Earache Records label, and/or are a fan of Suicidal Tendencies or Anthrax (the foursome's biggest cited influences), you might be keen on this band, too. Whether it's worth a drive to Orlando is up for debate. (The Social, Orlando) —LP
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in May 24-30, 2012.