Looking at the weekend's live music calendar never gets old. The eclectic makeup of the agenda is more proof that there really is something for your mom, dad, dumb cousins, and yourself. We should all be grateful to have the luxury of disposable income and a creative community that gigs incessantly. Here's the best of what's around for the weekend of August 20-21.
FRI 19
✔CL Bit Brigade w/ Florida Night Heat/Oceans Rise/DJ Eminent Tampa Bay Comic Con may be over, but that doesn’t mean the nerdy ass shenanigans have to end. Athens, Georgia has given the world some great music (read: R.E.M., Casper & the Cookies, Neutral Milk Hotel), but none have epically shredded like Bit Brigade. The guys are ambitious about the way they play songs from video games and Mega Man — a re-worked, vinyl release of their Mega Band LP — is not a joke. Their tour with an on stage gamer, and their live set is is a prog-rock junkie’s wet dream. So gamers, heed the advice of Bit Brigade and put your controllers away for a night, because there aren’t any extra lives in the real world. Tampa instrumental trio emerge from a rolling hiatus for this one. Listen to the shredfest at here. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Danielle DeCosmo w/ Blackbird Morning Danielle DeCosmo is a songwriter who has been in front of a crowd and behind a mic since she was 8-years-old. A new album, Heavy is the Heart, saw release in March and is as polished as you’d expect it to be. See for yourself when you park it for this laid back set at a one of St. Pete’s finest craft brew watering holes. (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg)
DieAlps! w/ End of Daisies It’s been about three years since DieAlps! first thrust their pretty much one-of-a-kind indie pop into the ears of Bay area local music enthusiasts. Frontwoman Connie Calcaterra’s sweet take on the Austrian waltz style was instantly unique and the band took just one session on WMNF’s Grand National Championships recording before being signed to Tampa label New Granada Records who released their 2014 self-titled debut. Fast forward to now, and DieAlps! have gone through a few personnel changes while maintaining a core that is built on the songwriting partnership between Calcaterra and her husband Frank, who plays guitar. The crew have recently adopted a new keyboard player, Sarah Modene into the lineup and have been busy at work on a new album, so their set at this Seminole Heights comfort food eatery should be a nice safe place for them to all get their musical ducks in a row in the live setting. Cello and guitar duo End of Daisies are also on this special two-band bill. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa)
✔CL Black Pussy w/ Ninehorn/Mushmind There’s always time to celebrate terrible band names, and while there’s no word on whether local taco-savant Mic Deluxx will resurrect his Black Pussy Taco Sauce for this show, there is a 100-percent chance of the stoner pop quintet showing up to Ybor City for a show supporting their handful of releases including 2015’s Magic Mustache where the title track goes in on the psychedelia and really hard on the late 70’s rock. You probably don’t remember the late night childhood beer runs you went on with uncle Ronnie when he was babysitting you, but this was probably the band he was playing in the cassette deck of the cigarette smoke-filled Trans Am. Local balls-out rock dudes Ninehorn (led by Alexander & the Grapes guitarist Dr. Chase Swann) open the show. By the way, the band has explicitly said their band name does not “condone or endorse any sexism, racism, ageism, violence or any other douchebaggery,” so don’t send any hate mail. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Henry Fong w/Milo and Otis/Chris Bushness Metal bands get a lot of slack for having off the wall, head-scratching band names. Let’s not forget the EDM producers these days though. Milo and Otis (kids, you should look up the 1989 classic pet-buddy movie about the friendship between cat and a pug) open this one as part of the Riot Tour where the duo — NYMZ & KillaGraham — hit the stage alongside Jupiter, Florida knob twister Henry Fong who is releasing music on labels affiliated with EDM heavyweights like Tiësto and Calvin Harris. Chris Bushnell, an Orlando, Florida DJ signed to Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak imprint kicks things off at Amphitheatre’s new home at the Ritz. (The Ritz, Ybor City)
✔CL Otep w/ Doll Skin/Fire from the Gods/The Cunningham Wake/Dark Summer/Sinister Circle It’s the band moniker, and it’s the first name of frontwoman Otep Shamaya who has led her band through seven full-lengths since debuting in over a decade and a half to go. Their current tour finds the Los Angeles-based band pulling a lot of the setlist from their 2002 LP Sevas Tra as well as their latest, Generation Doom, which dropped in April. Shamaya, 36, says she was in communion with the moon’s chrome light and “kissed the sun in its fiery height” for Doom, and the album’s 63-minutes of agro, double-bass driven heavy metal suggest it was quite the ride. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
✔CL Seal In other non Google-able band name news, Seal is coming to Clearwater in support of his seventh full-length, cleverly titled 7, which finds him reunited with producer Trevor Horn (Yes, Pet Shop Boys, Tina Turner, Barry Manilow) who helped the 53-year-old singer rekindle an old sound while he was also processing the aftermath of a divorce from Heidi Klum. A lot of the songs cover run-of-the-mill topics like love, love, and love, but they feel particularly relevant on the album considering the context. Seal is lumped in with Sade and Shirley Bassey as one of the original British Nigerians who helped highlight the value immigrants from Africa brought to the UK, so his stop here feels extra special considering all the Brexit-related nonsense happening over there right now. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
✔CL Dixie Chicks It’s been over a decade since lead vocalist Natalie Maines told a London audience that they were “ashamed George W. Bush is from Texas,” and last check finds the Dixie Chicks still leaning hard to the left. The girls have been predictably performing their 1999 hit “Goodbye Earl” at shows on their DCZ MMXVI World Tour, but they’ve been doing it with a background of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump adorned with devil horns. Maines even took to Ted Cruz earlier this year when she posted a Twitter message saying she was “ashamed Ted Cruz claims to be American.” Don’t expect the politics to take a back seat at the show, but do expect the Chicks to go the distance in what have been two-hour sets spanning the entire breadth of their outstanding country music catalog. The girls have been taking on covers from the likes of Prince and even Bob Dylan on this one, so don’t be too surprised to hear something unexpected. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
✔CL Lauris Vidal w/ Beartoe A lot of times, you can tell how good a night was by how much your hair smells like cigarettes in the morning. Friday night at The Hub is a good time and place to test that theory. The iconic downtown Tampa dive asks one of the Sunshine State’s smiliest, most unique acts — Lauris Vidal’s One-Man Show — to fill the place with (literal) foot-stomping Florida folk right before DeLand’s Beartoe has a goe with his own brand of swampy Americana, which shines especially bright on songs like “Sea of Fear,” “Cassadaga,” and “Mando.” (The Hub, Tampa)
L.A. Guns feat. Steve Riley & Phil Lewis This one’s iffy. A show originally supposed to happen at a venue on St. Pete Beach (RockHouse Live) has now been moved to New Port Richey where 80’s glam gurus L.A. Guns are slated to work though cuts off a robust discography that dates back almost 30 years. This is the Phil Lewis version of L.A. Guns (meaning no Tracii Guns, who’s been gone for about a decade now) and Lewis, 59, has been in hot water lately over comments from an April show where he attempted to paid tribute to Prince by applauding the his album Purple Rain and then following the tribute with this gem: “The problem is, right now — and I’m not gonna be racist about it — but black people are all one-dimensional. We need more Princes, man. We need less fucking rappers and more people like Prince.” Okay, Phil, okay. (Venom Custom Choppers, New Port Richey)
Ajeva Powerful, pulsating progressive funk and reggae being piped into a room where Florida’s oldest brewery pours out pints that pack an equally potent punch. No cover and friendly faces. What could go wrong? (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
✔CL David Vassalotti w/ Reality Asylum/Naga/Styrofoam Fans of Tampa’s Merchandise have plenty to be happy about these days. The band’s 4AD Records debut, After the End, received a warm reception, and a sophomore effort is due next month. What’s more is that frontman Carson Cox released a spot of material with side project Death Index, while David Vassalotti, Merchandise’s guitarist, stayed busy this year, too. In January, Vassalotti — who headlines this show at Seminole Heights clothing boutique Frolic Exchange — introduced us to the follow up to 2011’s Book of Ghosts, by releasing the strangely optimistic “Ines De Castro,” a lo-fi cut pushed along by some drum sequencing and big feedback. Another track from the Broken Rope LP, “Lady Day Redux,” is another gentle reminder that one of the best guitarists in the country is making a quiet life for himself right here in our neck of the woods. This is show is less of a chance of for Vassalotti to show off or even a call for attention, but more of an opportunity to watch someone exercise his innate need to create in welcoming space full of open minds. Listen to selections from the album here. (Frolic Exchange, Tampa)
SAT 20
✔CL (SOLD OUT) Have Gun, Will Travel w/ Mercy McCoy/Josh Reilly The little listening room/sanctuary on St. Pete’s Central Avenue continues rolling through an always robust calendar with a perennial favorite — Americana gun-slingers Have Gun, Will Travel — still riding high on the heels of a riveting 2015 concept album (Science From an Easy Chair, which chronicles the well-documented 1914 Antarctic struggles and triumphs of Sir Ernest Shackleton). Safety Harbor five-piece Mercy McCoy, who actually recorded a sweet acoustic version of “Brighter in the Dark” at Hideaway open the evening along with Dunedin songsmith Josh Reilly. (Hideaway Cafe, St. Petersburg)
Monday Monday You’re not going to get to see the Mamas and the Papas, so might as well get the next best thing. Based on the 60’s group, this cover troupe takes nostalgia seekers on a trip by recreating songs like “California Dreamin’” and, yes, “Monday Monday.” Their repertoire does not stop there, and includes material by the Beates, Byrds, Fifth Dimension, and even Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The venue says this show normally sells out, so it’s best to call (727)-822-3590 or email palladium@spcollege.edu if you’re heading out without advance tickets. (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
✔CL Nelly w/ Kongos Thought Bud Heavy’s “America” labeling or the Seth Rogen/Amy Schumer Bud Light commercials were head scratchers? How about trying on the live music versions of those campaigns? A strange cocktail of artists like Dashboard Confessional, Lil Wayne, Young The Giant and even Chino Y Nacho are taking to 13 different American cities this summer, and while Tampa Bay isn’t getting Wale or Dillon Francis, we are welcoming Missouri rapper and sometimes actor Nelly (“E.I.,” “Pimp Juice,” “Air Force Ones”) as well as South African alt-rock good ol’ boys Kongos to St. Pete for a free show at Jannus Live. The rub? For starters, you have to be 21-years-old to get in (sorry kids, some of y’as are old enough to actually vote, but not ancient enough to get drunk at this one!). You’ll also have to somehow get an RSVP code for a voucher that represents a pair of GA tickets, which still doesn't guarantee you’ll get in the gates. A few bars are giving away vouchers along with 95.7 FM The Beat and 98 Rock, and a full smattering of details and rules are available at budlightpartyconvention.com. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Transmissions From Da Underground w/ Kyle Smith/DMT/Lo Life Clique/Jaymoney, Like garage bands popping up in neighborhoods and storage units all over the Tampa Bay area, there are also aspiring rappers and lyricists holing themselves up, working on beats and figuring their way around words. St. Petersburg’s Venture Compound is a good place for many of them to get out on stage, and that’s exactly what’s happening at Transmissions from the Underground where a handful of Pinellas rappers join forces with DMT from North Carolina (the moniker is “not correlated to any drug use, medicinal or otherwise,” just to cover the bases) and a Rhode Island based act, Jay Money. (Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
SUN 21
✔CL Kidz Bop Kids Children are already prone to dancing when they hear Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Flo Rida’s “My House,” “Bad Blood,” by Taylor Swift, or Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches.” The chances are even greater when it’s not a famous face delivering the songs, but a group of fellow (albeit more musically oriented) kids on the mic. If your wee little ones can make it through nine-innings of high octane Rays baseball on Sunday, then they will be handsomely rewarded with a postgame concert from what’s probably the most important troupe of pint-sized pop stars in the country. Kidz Bop has sold millions of albums and their “Life of the Party” tour has over four dozen stops across the country. The concert is free with a game ticket and on-field postgame access can be unlocked by paying a little extra for a wristband. (Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg)
✔CL Pleasures Homecoming/Album Release Show w/ Cave of Swimmers/Black Pussy Just like that, Pleasure is back. After a five-week tour that took the greater Bay area psych-rockers through the Sunshine State, up through the midwest and right through the butthole of Texas, frontwoman Katherine Kelly & co. return to the ‘Burg (who cares what the cool kids call it) for a homecoming show that also serves to celebrate the release of their 2016 LP, Fucked Up Dreams Come True, which plays like a variety hour where the devil gets a hold of an MPC while every demented soul he’s been left with in hell fills the figurative studio with strange howling noises all running through a pedal board only an octopod could navigate. The effort is a pure dance party, and it takes all kinds of cajones to go on the road the way Pleasures does, so buy them a shot or three at this rager. Experience that m-fer below.(Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Also Playing
Elysian Feel, Thurs. Aug. 18, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Matthew Bistok, Thurs. Aug. 18, The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg
Classic Albums Live, Fri. Aug. 19, Lakeland Center, Lakeland
American Fix w/ Murder the Crow/Sunshine & Bullets, Fri. Aug. 19, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Betty Fox Band w/ Koko Ray and the Keepers, Fri. Aug. 19, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Stephanie Callahan w/ Lindsey Hinkle, Fri. Aug. 19, Hideaway Cafe, St. Petersburg
I Set My Friends On Fire, Sat. Aug. 20, Local 662, St, Petersburg
Monolord w/ Beastmaker/Sweat Lodge, Sat. Aug. 20, Orpheum, Ybor City
Moon Flag, Sat. Aug. 20, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Bangarang, Sat. Aug. 20, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Jimkata w/ Future Vintage Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Tears in the Sahara Reunion Show, Sat. Aug. 20, Brass Mug, Tampa
Johnny Shelton Band w/ Brian Caudill Trio, Sun. Aug. 21, Skipper’s Smokehouse Tampa
Radio Birds w/ The Georgia Flood, Sun. Aug. 21, New World Brewery, Ybor City
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.