A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts beginning with Thursday, 'cause that's when the weekend really starts, right? For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Concerts page.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21
An Evening with Gov't Mule [pictured] I interviewed veteran axeman and Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes right around the release of 2006’s High and Mighty. I will always remember his response when I asked him about being one of the hardest working musicians around (he also plays full time with the Allman Brothers Band and in various side projects): “It’s easy to be a workaholic when you love your job, and I love my job. There’s worse things I could be doing in life.” In the nearly four years since we spoke, he’s released three more albums with Gov’t Mule — 2007’s Mighty High, a collection of reggae and dub renditions of Mule covers and originals with guest appearances by Michael Franti, Toots Hibbert, and Willi Williams; a two-disc live recording in 2008, Holy Haunted House; and in 2009, By a Thread, Gov’t Mule’s ninth full-length and their first featuring new bassist Jorgen Carlsson, who replaced Andy Hess in 2008. Their music is first-rate Southern gritty, blues stompin’ jam rock with lots of Haynes’ trademark soloing laid over top of it like sausage gravy, meaty and delicious. 8 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $28.
Coffee Project w/Jason Jackman Coffee Project brightens their acoustic melodies with the bouncy round sound of trombone and the endearing nasally vocals of co-singers Jake Crown and Buddy Schaub. The Gainesville punk pop duo released their first recording, the eight-song Easy Does It, last May. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $6.
[pictured] w/Day Break/The Starlight Getaway/Not Tonight Josephine/Nothing Promised/Before You Say No/No Inside/Shadowself LA rock trio Crash Kings bring sauntering ’70s blues to their West Coast brand of alt rock. In the Zeppelin-inspired single, "Mountain Man," heavy, slow-pounding drumbeats accompany the commanding plunking of piano and powerful wail of frontman Tony Beliveau, who has an appealing way of stringing words together, like "I'm sittin' on top of a mountain / She's rockin' that valley down below …" The band just released their self-titled debut LP last year and are currently touring in support. 6 p.m. doors, Orpheum, Ybor City, $9 (all ages).
Supersuckers w/Nervous Turkey/No Loves/Meet Me OverBoard Seattle country punk foursome Supersuckers offers such thought-provoking lyrics as “Are you ready? (Yes, I’m ready!) / Then grab a drink and chug-a-lug / have some sex and take some drugs.” Lead singer/bassist Eddie Spaghetti has a rusty drawl that goes well with the band’s hard-trudging sound. 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $12.
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2010.