There's some rather appealing concert offerings on thsi Thurs., June 9. Breakdown below…
Frank Turner & Gogol Bordello Frank Turner is a favorite around these parts; something about his British-soulful take on folk-punk and mix of raw introspection with vigorous barn-burning performances has spurred sell-outs the past few times he came to town — and he hasn’t been back in more than three years. He upgrades to a bigger venue on his return behind robust and rollicking sixth LP, 2015’s Positive Songs for Negative People, but he’s also co-headlining with wildly vibrant, gypsy-kicking NYC ensemble Gogol Bordello, which means tickets to this show will likely move pretty fast, if there are any left by the time of this writing… (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)–Leilani Polk
Reel Deal Film Series: The Harder They Come / Tribal Style A series of unfortunate events paired with supremely bad luck and poor decision-making plague the protagonist of The Harder They Come. The 1972 Jamaican crime drama starring ska-reggae luminary Jimmy Cliff is credited with introducing reggae to U.S. audiences (and the world at large) via its soundtrack, which included cuts by Cliff as well as The Melodians, The Slickers, DJ Scotty, Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals. Reel Deal screens the film for its latest presentation, then local island groovers Tribal Style perform music from it afterwards. (Crowbar, Ybor City)–LP
Tiny Moving Parts with Prawn, Free Throw From shot-gunning beers on stage to crowd interaction that is damn near unparalleled, Tiny Moving Parts throws a live show that shouldn’t be missed. Oh, and the Midwestern trio’s mathy emo – a blend of clean vocals, twinkly guitar work and dynamic time signatures – is too good not to hear. Prawn hails from New Jersey; their own emo-rooted sound is shaped and sculpted by the boundless nature of the sea itself, nautical concepts fused into darkly textured and utterly morose tunes. Bring napkins. Seriously. Nashville emo natives Free Throw combine shockingly sincere call-and-response choruses with sometimes weepy, sometimes brutally loud and nimble guitar work, all packed into taught two-minute packages of pure goodness. Check out my full Q&A with Tiny Moving Parts here, and a review of their new Celebrate LP here. (Epic Problem, Tampa) –Brian Roesler
Love Cop with Funeral Gold, Reality Asylum, The Girlfriend Experience From start to finish, the 2015 LP from Portland-based Love Cop, Dark Ones, is studded with cosmos-hued themes of passion, ardor and lust, its mix of carnal daydreams, tender imaginings and ironic commentary on the culture of sex delivered in deep and breathy spoken-sung vocals that are set over ominous-toned lo-fi electro-pop with high noise values and moments of weirdo psych-ooze. (From “2 Bummed 2 Cum”: “I often wonder, is a fuck buddy really a buddy / or just a piece of meat, that you can eat between the sheets?” The Lolipop/Burger Records three-piece is supported by fellow Portland band Funeral Gold, their jangly garage and surf-washed sound far warmer and more rock-oriented than that of their tourmates. (The Bends, St. Petersburg)–LP
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2016.