THURSDAY, MAY 2
A Day To Remember w/Of Mice & Men/Issues No confirmed release date as yet for A Day to Remember’s fifth full-length, Common Courtesy, though recent tweets from frontman Jeremy McKinnon confirm that it was tracked and ready for mixing by the time the Florida-bred metalcore fivesome hit the road on their current “Right Back at It Again Tour.” And, even better, ADTR issued a first single, the heavy-crushing, rage-driven “Violence (Enough is Enough),” which has McKinnon roaring lines like “I’ve been feeling like everything’s for nothing, in fact, I’ve never felt so god damn small” over the chugging and grinding instrumental breakdowns. Expect a particularly vigorous performance, as the band is currently enjoying freedom from label supervision, joined by original guitarist Tom Denney, and hitting their home state at the tail end of their tour. This show is *sold out. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Leilani Polk
Gideon’s Rifle This Kentucky ensemble formed last spring and plies a blend of Americana, newgrass and folk music that is bouncing, mournful or stealthy, depending on the number. Gideon’s Rifle is led by co-songwriting team Alexander Coltharp (banjo) and Shannon Vetter (acoustic guitar), their lower-register vocal timbres complementing the clear soaring soprano of mandolin gal Kimberly McDaniel, and their strums and picks supported by the low-end foundation of upright bassist Jake Siener and wailing melodies of cellist Byron Farrar. Gideon’s Rifle also stops at Ale and the Witch in St. Pete on Friday. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) —LP
Rock the Park: tbt* Ultimate Band Guide Edition For this installment of the monthly outdoor music series, THX Mgmt shares the reins with local publication tbt*, which presents three artists featured in the 2013 edition of their Ultimate Band Guide. Uke-driven jam outfit Applebutter Express (who repped Tampa Bay at Bonnaroo in 2012) lead a bill that also includes the self-produced, genre-bending hip-hop of Philip Carre (aka Heights NS) and the infinitely entertaining Wolf-Face, a costumed Teen Wolf-inspired band crafting irresistible punk-pop. (Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa) —Ray Roa
Hurt w/Smile Empty Soul/Nine Mile Drive/Virginia Rose/G2P/Drive 31 On the “Rock 4 Revival Tour,” several alt-rock bands team up to play for disaster relief in America. The first leg is headlined by St. Louis, Mo.-based foursome Hurt, which hit the Billboard Hot Mainstream charts in 2007 with “Ten Ton Brick”; their sound is marked by distorted guitar riffs and chunky basslines borne on hard-pounding rhythms. Sole original member J. Loren Wince delivers lead vocals that can be creeping sing-song chants or rocket-roaring calls. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
FRIDAY, MAY 3
Mingo Fishtrap w/Nervous Turkey Stop, for a moment, and forget about how terrible the band name is. Instead, take a quick listen to their music: funky, hip-shaking rock ’n’ roll served with a healthy dose of soul, blues and R&B, augmented by a three-member horn section (saxes, trumpet, flugelhorn), strong and steady rhythmic backing with added percussive texture and groove-laden organ all rounded out by the resonant lead vocals of guitarist/frontman Roger Blevins, Jr., who channels his Stax, Motown and Muscle Shoals influences (passed on by dad, bassist Roger Blevins Sr.) into his songwriting and performances. Mingo Fishtrap hails from Austin and is currently eight members strong. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)—LP
Cliff Eberhardt Folk artist Cliff Eberhardt has a smoky soulful singing tone and a full repertoire that recently swelled with the addition of Shrew Songs. The all-acoustic LP is made up of music he wrote for (and ending up performing in) a production of Taming of the Shrew set in the 1880s Wild West and staged at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Shakespeare Theatre. The show starts at 6 p.m. (Craftsman House Gallery, St. Petersburg)—LP
James Brown Tribute The Godfather of Soul left a deep-rooted and long-lasting musical legacy in his 73 years on earth, his tight and vigorous execution of soul, funk, R&B, rock ’n’ roll, and gospel-blues paired with outrageous showmanship complete with dramatic entrances and exits, and an unmatched wardrobe (glittering capes, bedazzled silk shirts, sequined costumes that even Elvis seemed to envy). The Gwan Massive crew pays their dues with sets featuring select cuts from the James Brown songbook as led by d’Visitors, the sextet’s colorful sonic stew undoubtedly influenced by Brown with more Latin, hip hop, and ska-reggae flavor. Other Gwan-spawned acts — Touch the Sky, DJ Blenda and rappers Jinx and Breakdown (the latter responsible for a soul/hip hop remix album, James Brown Ain’t Dead, in 2011) — also perform. Expect cuts like “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (a given), “Sex Machine,” (not sure which version), and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (since the bill features a few leading ladies capable of belting this one out). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)—LP
Boz Scaggs w/Pablo Cruise You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t danced half naked in his or her bedroom or backyard while Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown” blared over the airwaves. The 68-year-old Steve Miller Band alum is also responsible for slow burners like “Look What You’ve Done To Me” and “We’re All Alone,” but he’ll devote a meaty portion of this tour stop to a brand new Steve Jordan-produced album — Memphis. Joining him will be ’70s stud muffins Pablo Cruise, their hit-making power balanced out by a muscular mastery of the guitar that is still borderline genius. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —RR
Opeth w/Katatonia Swedish prog-metal quintet Opeth hits North America on the next round of dates backing a more jazz fusion-oriented studio LP, 2011’s Heritage, which garnered praise far and wide for its fresh sonic approach. Rolling Stone wrote, “add flutes, Middle Eastern percussion and Celtic- and flamenco-specked guitar beauty, and you have a career record that re-imagines prog as actual rock ‘n’ roll, even while portentously insisting, ‘God is dead.’” Fellow Stockholm act Katatonia supports with a more foreboding, doomful take on progressive rock. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
Slightly Stoopid w/Tribal Seeds The late Bradley Nowell and his SoCal-based Sublime paved a veritable superhighway for a myriad of ska and punk bands, but none have fully utilized that throughway better than San Diego-based octet Slightly Stoopid, which has spent the last 17 years delivering cannabis-flavored tunes about everything from surfing (“Ese loco”), to smoking herb (“Fat Spliffs,” “This Joint”), to the afterlife (“Devil’s Door”). As of this writing, this show is sold out. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —RR
The Mother Machine/Yogurt Smoothness/Sonic Grafitti Three excellent indie rock acts from Central Florida perform together on one night, for free, as part of First Friday festivities. New Port Richey-based Mother Machine continues to impress with their dark psychedelic blues-tinged rock, which I most recently enjoyed from afar while working the door during CL’s Warehouse Arts District Block Party last month. Orlando twosome Yogurt Smoothness came to the party way late (added to WAD at the very last minute) and closed Dan’s Place with a loud, offbeat post-punk sound vaguely reminiscent of Owls and not, in any way, smooth. Finally, St. Pete trio Sonic Grafitti adds a mix of raucous garage rock, funky soulful blues, and harmonica-strewn twang to the lineup. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)—LP
Eliot Lipp w/Redstar/Spies On Bikes If you could be guilty by association, then consider Eliot Lipp one of the least innocent men in modern electronic music. The Brooklynite has been linked to Warp Records darling Prefuse 73, and he can safely call himself a member of Derek Smith’s Pretty Lights Music camp. What separates Lipp — and most of the Pretty Lights family — from the rest of today’s EDM is his commitment to crafting instantly likeable dance music rooted in basic rhythmic ideas that are colored with surprisingly textural electronic flourishes. Lipp’s music isn’t simple; it’s just rooted in something so very human and soulful that you can’t help but buy in and let go of yourself within the first few bars. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —RR
SATURDAY, MAY 4
Ben Taylor w/Emily Kopp Because the 8 p.m. concert featuring Ben “Breezy” Taylor — prodigal musician son of renowned singer-songwriters James Taylor and Carly Simon — sold out so quickly and unexpectedly, a second 10 p.m. presentation was added. He has his father’s golden tuneful tone, with a little less smooth and more modern swag, pristine acoustic guitar playing and a straightforward lyrical bent; his last album was 2008’s The Legend of Kung Folk, Part 1. (Murray Studio Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)—LP
Ramones Tribute 9 Ten diverse acts pay tribute to the broad influence of punk vets The Ramones, from funky soulful South Florida rockers El Groundscoro to the local folk pop and bluegrass players of Between Bluffs and Ramblegrass, to more traditional purveyors of loud and raucous sounds, like Doll Parts, Car Bomb Driver and Boney Fiend. Also performing: Lazarus, Saginaki Bomb Squad, Twisty Chris & the Puddin’ Packs and The Scurvy. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)—LP
Soulfound Reunion Show w/Weaksauce/Elevated/The Gita/Pete Berwick The two-guitar prog quintet with punk grunginess and power pop hookiness originally formed as a college band in Gainesville that eventually re-located to Tampa to make a more serious go at it, and issuing several well-regarded EPs and two full-lengths before playing their last show a decade later, in 2009. Soulfound returns for a one-night-only reunion show “to complete some unfinished business,” the temporarily reincarnated lineup encompassing singer/bassist Ivan Peña, drummer Dan “Disqo” Cano and guitarist Sam Register along with sit-ins by a few of Soulfound’s original axemen, Pick and G2, in what Peña has described as a “round robin” of guitarists throughout the 90-minute 20-plus-song set, with up to three shredders playing at one time and a setlist encompassing cuts from the entire catalog. Reggae rock outfits WeakSauce (absent for the past five years) and Elevated (MIA for three) also put on their reunion shoes, and The Gita gives it another go-round. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
Donna the Buffalo Whether Donna the Buffalo is playing their jammy, buoyant reggae-splashed roots, Zydeco and country-folk rock at the Skipperdome, or across the Bay at Jannus, you can bet the herd will be gathering to dance and sway along to the accordion- and fiddle-laced melodies. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —LP
Cinco de Mayo Pre-Party w/Death Starsky/Indigenous Ways/Samurai Shotgun/Heights NS/Bangarang Bay area hip-hop outfits have pretty much supported each other from the get-go. What’s even more refreshing, however, is how a select few in that scene have started to bend the boundaries of the genre to fit their expanding musical tastes and creative inclinations. Death Starsky (featuring two emcees/songwriters who’ve continually raised the bar of Tampa hip-hop, previously under the Basiqs moniker) headline a bill that also includes Bangarang as well as Samurai Shotgun, the latter utilizing a barebones song structure to tell an epic tale of defeating sloth and self-doubt on “999 Miles.” (Crowbar, Ybor City) —RR
SUNDAY, MAY 5
The Joy Formidable w/IO Echo “This Ladder is Ours” — the first track off The Joy Formidable’s sophomore album Wolf’s Law — opens with a graceful sweep of strings, then segues into the fuzzy, shoe-gazey drive of bass and guitar, Ritzy Bryan’s girlish-high lead vocals stretching over a climbing, swirling climax of instrumentals that come to an abrupt conclusion. Much of Wolf’s Law was written and recorded in a cabin in Maine; the Welsh alt rock trio ultimately came out of seclusion to record the drums, choral and orchestral sections in London. About its title, Bryan has commented, "It refers to Julius Wolff’s scientific theory that bone can change and strengthen to cope with stress or breakage. It’s a fitting motif, because the record chronicles a period of healing and self-discovery … this theme of relationships on the mend and feeling reinvigorated is a re-occurring thread." Warming up the stage is IO Echo, an ambient gothic/experimental rock outfit with exotic Far East textures delivered by frontwoman Ioanna Gika on Japanese koto harp and Chinese violins; just-released album Ministry of Love is their full-length debut. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)—LP
Jackie Bristow Austin-by-way-of-New Zealand singer-songwriter Bristow takes the intimate Side Door stage for an evening of her twangy, lightly bluesy acoustic guitar-driven folk tunes, which earned her a week-long slot opening for Bonnie Raitt in April. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)—LP
MONDAY, MAY 6
Lori McKenna The Straz Center’s Club Jaeb series concludes its eighth season with a performance by Lori McKenna. The Boston-based, Nashville-influenced artist colors her songwriting with her experiences as a wife and mother of five, and was introduced to a wider audience after country star Faith Hill recorded four of her songs in 2005 (three appeared on Fireflies). Her major label debut, 2007’s Unglamorous, was generally well-received but she’s returned to indie mode and self-released a few albums since; sixth full-length Massachusetts dropped in April. (Jaeb Theatre at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa)—LP
Orgone w/Jahguar/Samurai Shotgun/Breakdown An eight-piece from LA that conjures a horn-blasted ’60s and ‘70s-vibing mix of surf-space rock, Afrobeat, funk and soul, some of the ass-shaking tracks instrumental, others featuring the retro-purring serenades of a female vocalist. Currently, Orgone is joined by old school frontwoman Franny Franklin, who returns to the fold for a run of dates in place of her replacement, Niki J. Crawford. No word on how temporary this will be … (Orpheum, Ybor City)—LP
TUESDAY, MAY 7
Crosby, Stills & Nash At the time of this writing, tickets to this performance by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash were close to selling out, not surprising as the vet folk trio’s three-part harmonies and striking serenades have been warming hearts on repeat for more than four decades. The gentlemen are currently backed by a full five-piece band, though acoustic song readings are a guarantee. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —LP
The Three Brained Robot w/Blast and the Detergents/Vasectomy Party/sarascrotum/Kid Aids The names on the support portion of this bill should be enough to scare Greensboro, N.C.’s Three Brained Robot away, but the band is not going away — and for good reason. Their latest release, Magic (out now via DIY tape label TYP), is equally imposing and plays like a feverish, almost paranoid acid trip. Diminishing echoes, schizoid vocals, and sometimes spastic drum programming all congeal into a potent sonic cocktail that oddly leaves you begging for more. Throw in the fact that a quartet of the area’s best punk bands are also playing the ‘Burg’s most interesting alternative venue, and you’ve got a no-brainer on your hands. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg) —RR
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
Olly Murs w/Before You Exit British pop artist Olly Murs took full advantage of his moment in the spotlight on the UK’s X Factor four years ago. Despite finishing just shy of the win, his smokin’ fresh good looks and sweetly R&B-smooth vocals earned him a record deal (split between Syco and Epic), and a self-titled first album with a chart-topping hit, the lightly reggae-tinged “Please Don’t Let Me Go,” proved the dude knew how to write a hook. His two LPs since went double-platinum in the UK, including third and latest, Right Place Right Time, which marks his debut in America and on the Billboard charts with its first two singles. Groovin’ pop anthem “Troublemaker” features Flo-Rida while the funkier, electro-fizzy hip hop bump of “Heart Skips a Beat” calls on the talents of Chiddy Bang. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) —LP
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
This article appears in May 2-8, 2013.