Blacksmith w/Old Bones/DieAlps!/No. 9 This show probably won’t be all Cinco de Mayo-ed out, and that’s okay. Actually, you can probably expect to see a lot of black t-shirts and zero sombreros when Tampa emo guys Blacksmith keep working through an EP (fall/apart) that only grown better live since its release nearly one year ago. New-ish rock duo No. 9 round out a support bill that includes DieAlps! (who are dying to finally release a new LP, Our City, this summer) and another Tampa alternative rock group, Old Bones. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Electric Suns w/Tropico Blvd Tropico Blvd’s new LP, It’s Gonna Be A Good Day, has been out in the world for about two weeks now, and track like “The Island” and “Dave” are growing on us thanks to a psych-pop sound that’s sprinkled with a little latin sabor, too. (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Us & Them ACLU Benefit w/Wally Clark We were bummed about Urban Conga moving out of their Tampa Heights office, but it stings a lot less when the folks running Illsol are putting on philanthropic art shows soundtracked by some of our favorite selectors. (Illsol, Tampa) INFO
The Naked and Famous w/Wavves/Luna Shadows Here’s a little double dose of spillover SunFest (Ben Harper, Christopher Cross and Lillie Mae are also SunFest acts playing in the area this week). The only thing is we don’t know who to call the headliner on a bill that includes New Zealand electronica five-piece The Naked and Famous (“Young Blood,” Punching in a Dream”) as well as San Diego’s pop punk outfit Wavves. We’re leaning towards Wavves since frontman Nathan Williams should be pretty fun to watch as he works through songs like “Million Enemies,” off of a still forthcoming LP, You’re Welcome (due May 19).(State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
Claude VonStroke He’s part of Electric Zoo’s second phase lineup announcement, but house and techno fans won’t have to travel to New York City to catch a set from Dirtybird Records founder Claude VonStroke whose label has been making waves in the underground dance music scene for over a decade now. VonStroke, 45, is a club staple so it’ll be interesting to see how this set unfolds as the Cuban Club continues to book an eclectic slate of acts. (Cuban Club, Ybor City) INFO
Resinated w/Ted Bowie The Jah Movement show in Tampa will be a little more kid friendly, so any reggae fans who would rather indulge in a few libations may want to head to St. Pete where ganja-loving reggae-rockers Resinated will play a free Cinco de Mayo show that finds Ted Bowe of Passafire handling opening duties. This is the perfect storm of downtown St. Pete’s First Friday and America’s favorite ethnic drinking holiday, so interested partiers might want to break out steel-toed Sanuks to help keep their tootsies safe from the increased foot traffic. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
Friday Concerts in the Park w/Jah Movement Reggae. It can be some of the least controversial, epically chill, music in the world. Especially so at the hands of Jah Movement which is making the drive up from Sarasota to share a little bit of Jah’s love with concert goers who’ll pull up lawn chairs at one of the prettiest parks in Tampa. (Lowry Park Bandshell, Tampa) INFO
The Florida Orchestra: The Music of Journey w/Brody Dolyniuk It’s a pretty great weekend for populist classical music from the Florida Orchestra (they’ll stage Pops In The Park on May 7), and this performance finds conductor Martin Herman joining forces with vocalist Brody Dolyniuk as they work though some of the classic rock group’s biggest hits. Don’t stop believing in your ability to enjoy a little orchestra action. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Rock/Folk/Jam
Espermachine w/Astari Nite/Nicholas Alderman (Orpheum, Ybor City) INFO
Four Star Riot (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa) INFO
Sunset Music Series w/The Outpatients (Weaver Park, Dunedin) INFO
Christopher Cross (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
Crush Tone w/Hi-Gear/Stone Bone/DJ Scotty (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) INFO
Sonic Stew & Donna Hopkins (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
OBJ Pre-Party w/Displace/Row Jomah/Shoeless Soul (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Natalie Claro (Ferg's Live, Tampa) INFO
EDM
Phase One (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO
Classical/Chorale/World/Jazz
Rotary Club Sock Hop w/Dennis Pupello Rockers Band (Tampa Letter Carriers, Hall) INFO
Carrollwood Community Chorus (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa) INFO
WAHH (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Country
Neal McCoy (Dallas Bull, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in May 4-11, 2017.