A breakdown of live music taking place in the Tampa Bay area beginning tonight through Sunday, with featured highlights at the top and the rest of the week’s schedule at the bottom. For a complete list of concerts, click here to visit our Upcoming Concerts page.
Friday, March 25
[pictured right] w/Casiokids/BLORR/Easybreezy Two synth pop groups repped by Polyvinyl Records team up for a U.S. tour. Portland-based Starfucker (Strfkr) dishes out moments of sticky bliss and electro-melancholy, the breathy-sighing vocals occasionally interspersed with samples of Alan Watts waxing intelligent on one topic or another; this tour supports their second full-length, Reptilians. (You probably know them for the track off their 2008 album that played on all those Target commercials, "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second.") Roving party band Casiokids hail from Norway and their New Wave Afro-beat sound is marked by analog keyboard melodies, out-there samples, lyrics sung their native language, and the unexpected aural textures of cello, melodica, cassette-recorder and congas. High-spirited live shows incorporate video projections and shadow puppetry. 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $10.
Young the Giant w/Kitten “My body tells me no, but I won’t quit, ‘cause I want more!” howls singer Sameer Gadhia jubilantly in the second track off Young the Giant’s 2010 eponymous debut. Gadhia told Spinner in July that “My Body" reflects the quintet’s mix of youthful energy and naive but optimistic determination. “It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process over the past two years.” Their anthemic rock is brightened up with summery melodic tendencies as inspired by their Newport Beach hometown. 7 p.m. doors, Orpheum, Ybor City, $10.50 (all ages).
[pictured left] w/The Pauses/Poetry n' Lotion What started out as the solo bedroom recordings of Modern Skirts lead singer Jay Gulley became the framework for the band’s 2011 self-released third LP, Gramahawk. The Athens, Ga. musicians deviated from their piano-driven sound into darker-tinged, lo-fi pop territory, the album marked by kooky vocal harmonies, fuzzed-out synthesizers and irreverent lyrics touching on DUIs, first date plans, “Jane Child” – an ode loosely dedicated to the 1980s one-hit wonder – and various other topics. Orlando’s electro rock threesome, The Pauses supports along with PNL, which is filling in for the now-cancelled Morningbell slot. 9 p.m. doors, New World Brewery, Ybor City, $8.
Peter Murphy His ominous baritone was the gothic touchstone of the Dark Wave post-punk movement during his tenure as the frontman of the Bauhaus, though aside from a brief reunion and lone release with the band in 2008, British musician Peter Murphy has been rolling solo since 1986, when he released his first full-length, Should the World Fail to Fall Apart. On this tour, he’s promoting album No. 9, aptly titled Ninth. 8 p.m. doors, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $25.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2011.