97X Next Big Thing w/The 1975/Phantogram/Kongos/Capital Cities/Bishop Briggs/the Naked and Famous/Judah and the Lion/Lewis Del Mar/Weathers/Coin/888 Yes, you can still grab a ticket to 97X’s Next Big Thing, and while the lineup is ripe with some of the most promising names in alternative rock radio, we can’t help but feel pretty proud of Phantogram. The Greenwich, New York-based outfit built around Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel first caught our attention opening for Glitch Mob at the old Czar in 2013 before graduating to a sold-out headlining set at The Ritz across the street in 2014. Fast forward to this weekend, and the band is playing that big ol’ shed on the shoulder of Interstate 4. See what can happen when you’re talented (and nice to people), kids? (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa) INFO
GMF Presents Streetcar Live w/Mike Mass/Demi Nova/Brilly Asher/Vern Senior In March, Tampa emcee Mike Mass played one of the Gasparilla Music Festival’s most epic shows (a sundown set in the Kiley Garden amphitheatre just before Talib Kweli tore down the adjacent stage), and on Saturday he’s bringing some friends to another GMF-sponsored event that is one of the more unique concert experiences in Tampa Bay. Attendees can board TECO’s Streetcar line anywhere along the route that runs between Ybor City and downtown Tampa, but it’s best if they punch their tickets at the Centennial Park station near Eighth Avenue and 19th Street to get the full effect. (Streetcar departs from Centennial Park, Ybor City) INFO
Crowbar 10-year anniversary w/Thomas Wynn & the Believers/Florida Night Heat/Band of Sorrows/The is TRC/Queen of Ex Carter/Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypto/Synergy in a Cup/Jinx/DJ Casper/DJ Deacon An iconic Ybor City live music venue celebrates a full decade of dedication to one of the most eclectic live music calendars this side of the Hillsborough River. Read our feature story get the full gist. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Abhik Mukherjee w/Arun Ramamurthy/Venupuri Srinivas/Shankh Lahiri Before inauguration, explore that side of you that’s curious about other cultures by heading to Carrollwood for a set by Abhik Mukherjee, a West Bengal born and raised sitar playing who’s been plucking away at the mysterious instrument since he was six years old. He’ll be joined by violinist Arun Ramamurthy plus Venupuri Srinivas and Shankh Lahiri on percussion on this show where you can sit and namaste for the duration. (Hindu Temple of Florida, Tampa) INFO
Charlie Daniels Band w/Montgomery Gentry/Confederate Railroad/The Embry Brothers Band Speaking of multi-cultural explorations of the South’s diverse population (read our previous blurb), there’s a charity show happening at The Dallas Bull. Yeah, the bill doesn’t exactly scream warm-fuzzies at what uncle Bruce calls your “libtard heart,” but the show’s benefactor, The Angelus, does provide care, housing assistance and training to physically and mentally disabled adults. (The Dallas Bull, Tampa) INFO
Independent Grand Opening w/Have Gun, Will Travel/Shawn Kyle/more Remember when some of the people who moved into bustling downtown St. Petersburg started complaining about the music coming from The Amsterdam? This booking is kind of funny and a big win for lovers of live music who miss the sound of good local tunes coming from the roundabout at Central Avenue and 11th Street. The tunes kick off at 5 p.m., which means that most of those whiners will probably be too busy chasing early bird specials to care anyway. (The Independent, St. Petersburg) INFO
Native Gator Dedication w/Rebekah Pulley Seminole Heights You know a neighborhood is quirky when the local homebrew shop and taproom asks a universally-appreciated songwriter to help celebrate a statue saluting a mythical two-headed reptile. But Seminole Heights' Southern Brewing & Winemaking is doing just that, with Rebekah Pulley providing the soundtrack for its Native Gator Dedication Celebration. For clarity, we can credit the Seminole Heights phenomenon of a two-headed alligator to Tampa artist (and prankster?) Justin Arnold, who sent a photo of the beast to the Tampa Bay Times in June of 2014 along with a note saying that he talked to a friend at “Fish and Game” who said the sight was not uncommon. Arnold’s then-bandmate Andy Stern also sent a note to the paper, and the photo caught like wildfire with outlets around the world posting about it. We all miss Arnold's shenanigans (he's laid low since a World of Beer prank in September), but at least we’ll have a new piece of art, designed and built by Arnold himself, to remember how he always tried to keep these particular Heights weird. (Southern Brewing & Winemaking, Seminole Heights) INFO
Miracle on Cleveland w/The Fixx Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater is already pretty damn Spic and Span, but it gets extra jolly and white for a holiday celebration featuring Santa, a skating rink and at least one 80s new wave band that sings “One Thing Leads To Another.” We’re guessing The Fixx is skipping their Streets of Fire contribution for this snowy affair. (Cleveland Street District, Clearwater) INFO
ALSO PLAYING
Rob Cartwright Benefit Show w/Triple Threat & more (Snapper's Grill & Comedy Club, Palm Harbor) INFO
Bowzer's Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Party w/Jon "Bowzer" Bauman/Little Anthony and the Imperials/more (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
Kenny G Holiday and Hits (Youkey Theatre Lakeland) INFO
A Boogie w/Da Hoodie (Aja, Tampa) INFO
Redhead Express (Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center, Pinellas Park) INFO
The Elements w/Yungn/Nyia Star/Nat Keza/Blizzie Castro/more (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Crushmas 6 w/ F/Chris Barrows band/Pagan Faith/Funeral Dazies/Dead Cat Lounge (Local 662, St. Petersburg) INFO
The Mellow Relics (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
Master Chorale of Tampa Bay (Tampa Theatre, Tampa) INFO
Uke It Out 2.0 w/Applebutter Express Duo/Rebekah Pulley/Ronny Elliot/Juntion 27/more (Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Fr33dback w/Kristopher James/Forest Floor (Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg) INFO
Live Punk Rock Karaoke w/Down By Law/The Pink Lincolns (The Bends, St. Petersburg) INFO
Displace w/NoNeed/Row Jomah (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Dean Johanesen (Jaeb Courtyard at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in Dec 1-8, 2016.