The Final Gwanning w/Gwan Massive Long-running Tampa reggae outfit Tribal Style have been an integral part of the New World Brewery fabric, so its fitting that the Bay area’s masters of gwan would anchor a gigantic lineup featuring a collective of the our local scene’s best rappers, DJs and multi-instrumentalists. Former CL music editor Leilani Polk called the show “an intoxicating, ass-shaking, hip-swaying brew of funky soulful hip-hop,” back in 2012, and the Best of the Bay winning outfit has only grown spicer as the years have rolled on. What's more is that proceeds from this event will go towards helping Houston dry out after last week's storms. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
Streetcar Live Powered By GMF w/Kristopher James A long-haired songwriter with a voice that could actually propel a trolleycar heads to Ybor City for the reactivation of Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival rolling concert series (it’s way to hot to be on that thing in the summertime. Kristopher James is a bespectacled strummer whose songs remind us of Amos Lee and Noah Gundersen, and his bellowing take on Americana and folky-soul should please anyone lucky enough to get a spot on the trolley. The uninitiated would do good to find the streetcar at the Ybor stop near Centennial Park, pay the $5 round trip fee and ride the rails for one of the city’s more unique live music experiences. (TECO Line Streetcar System, Ybor City and Tampa) INFO
Ball Greezy Ball Greezy? Now that’s a name, and the Miami rapper’s Bae Day Valentine’s mixtape is actually suitable for getting your balls a little greasy thanks to the way Mr. Greezy (and a few Magic City homes like Billy Blue and Lil Dred) flip songs like Webbie’s “I Miss You, ” Aaliyah’s “Come Over” and Usher’s “Nice & Slow” into sultry, bedroom-ready jams. The Ballster kept it romantic on his most recent Soundcloud track (“Dats My Bae”), so single folks might want to have a lap around their Bumble and Tinder apps to find a date to this one. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
Metal For The Military VII w/Solstice The seventh installment of Metal For the Military returns to Crowbar where a $12 cover goes towards the Haley House, which specializes in treating the spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries of combat-wounded vets. Hardcore metal heads may feel a little wounded after announced headliner Immolation had to drop out, but Solstice — a death metal outfit from Miami — should do just fine filling in for the Yonkers, New York old-timers. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Summer of Rum Festival w/Shaggy/Baha Men/Brass Roots Band/UnMotivated/Tef London/Freecoasters/Impulse Who let the dogs out? The Summer of Rum, that’s who, and even if the Baha Men and “It Wasn’t Me” man Shaggy aren’t your thing, then do know that the lineup for this festival of tropical brown drink also features a host of local reggae, ska and funk outfits. (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa) INFO
Moving Meditations One-Year Anniversary Party w/Infinite Third/Mountain Holler Tampa Bay songwiter Mark Etherington recently had an amicable split with a longtime drumming gig with St. Pete post-rock instrumental outfit Set and Setting, but that doesn’t mean that fans have to stop getting meditative with the fiery-locked local scene champion. In fact, it probably means we’ll have more chances to do so when the 27-year-old takes to the mic under the Mountain Holler moniker. Those unfamiliar with the project can expect Fleet Fox-y folk jams riding high on a unique, celestial vocal that channels the energy of Mother Nature into hypnotizing solo acoustic goodness. This free show is a celebration of the first anniversary for tai chi and yoga studio/massage center Moving Meditations. (Moving Meditations, St. Petersburg) INFO
Emo Night Tampa: September Episode w/Crate Brothers Another month, another brand new ‘sode of Tampa’s finest homegrown night of emo jams. This is the first installment of the series after one of the genre’s most revered bands — Brand New — dropped its final album, so expect to hear that jam and cry along at this one. Hypebeast types will be happy to know that a new version of Emo Night’s popular Bucco Bruce shirt will be released on this night, too. (First Chance Last Chance Bar, Ybor City) INFO
Beach House Labor Day Live w/Pauly D/3lau/Borgeous/Grandtheft/Henry Fong/Prince Fox/Quix/Riggi & Piros/SNBRN/Two Friends/Vicetone/Ben Phipps/DJ Ku/Lodato/Loosid/more So Pauly D (you know, the greasy DJ from MTV’s Jersey Shore) is the main attraction at this yearly bacchanal at Shephard’s, but don’t be afraid to let the localista in you let loose to the sounds of Bay area party starters like Tampa’s own DJ Ku. Details on this weekend-long beach-bodded party are available via shephards.com. (Shephard's Beach Resort, Clearwater Beach) INFO
ALSO PLAYING:
LaDonna's Birthday Bash w/Chemical Warfare/Whack & Tickle (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO
Forrest Hoffar w/Corrine Olivia (Council Oak at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) INFO
Between Bluffs (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
The Elements Monthly Hip-Hop Night (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Showtek (Planet Beach of South Tampa) INFO
Rock the Yacht w/Bus Stop Band (Yacht StarShip, Tampa) INFO
Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
Pepper w/Tibal Seeds/Fourtunate Youth/Darenots (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly w/Kelly Price/Tank/Nephew Tommy/more (Sun Dome at University of South Florida, Tampa) INFO
The Antidon'ts w//Low Season/Slap of Reality/Graveyard Groupies (Planet Retro Records, St. Petersburg) INFO
Johnny G Lyons Band & Friends (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Cottondale Swamp (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
First Saturday Jazz w/Zensemble (Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 7, 2017.