Big Sean w/Madeintyo Sorry if you were hoping to get into this much-fussed over appearance from Kanye collaborator Big Sean. The show is sold out, and for good reason. The 29-year-old Motor City emcee has spent the last decade grinding through mixtapes and slept on albums, but he finally broke through on 2015’s Dark Sky Paradise before this year’s I Decided officially introduced his to the world (although many started hearing his name when he opened for Rihanna’s Anti world tour). Sean — who just received the key to Detroit — may have been born in southern California, but his flow is for the working class hustlers trying to do right by their families while also wilin’ out. The kids all love him to, and you’ll see it in action as they go bar for bar with Sean on hits like “Bounce Back,” “Champions” and “Moves.” (The Ritz, Ybor City) SOLD OUT
Diet Cig w/Daddy Issues/Piss Ghost/Stove They met at a Hudson Valley house show, but now guitarist Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman find their faces printed on the pages of the New York Times. It’s been a rapid ascent for the duo who released a debut EP in February 2015, and they don’t show any signs of stopping. A debut full length (Swear I’m Good At This, which saw release one week ago) is the kind of confessional punk pop an older generation of Dashboard Confessional and Fall Out Boy fans grew up on, but Luciano, who’s been playing electric guitar no longer than five years, seems to have a master’s grasp on putting raw, untethered emotions to tape in a way that’s cheeky and painfully honest. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
Acoustic BBQ w/John Nowicki It won’t be Fat Jim Morrison making an appearance (songwriter John Nowicki’s verbally abusive, rotund alter ego is a hoot), but trust that a set from this former New World Brewery employee will be a good time. Nowicky just pulled off a three hour set at the American Legion Post 111 in Seminole Heights, so expect him to breeze through this free two hour performance at the venue’s famed hump day celebration of smoked meats and juicy greens. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
Listening Room Festival Kickoff w/The Currys/Christie Lenee/Daniel Champagne/Mark Croft/Flagship Romance How many how shows can you attend in less than a week? You’ll find out starting on Wednesday when the Listening Room Festival 2017 kicks off their celebration of small concert spaces (think art galleries, small clubs, and people’s homes) by sending five different acts to rooms in Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Largo, Tarpon Springs and Tampa. We’ll talk about this more in next week’s issue, but in the meantime head to listeningroomfestival.com for more.
Phonogenics 101: David Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tampa songwriter Jeremy Gloff’s ongoing album discussion series rolls on as he leads a discussion about Bowie’s post Ziggy Stardust LP loosely based on Orwell’s “1984.” Bowie fans largely see this album as a the final straw for Ziggy, and they always debate the LP’s place on a ranked chart, but no one can deny how good "Rebel Rebel" is. Doors lock up at 8 p.m. so the talks starts on time. (Disco Dolls Studio, Tampa) INFO
TC Carr & Bolts of Blue (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Chelsea Grin w/Ice Nine Kills/Gideon/Enterprise Earth (Orpheum, Ybor City) INFO
Play Like Iz Workshop (Largo Public Library, Largo) INFO
This article appears in Apr 13-20, 2017.