Three noteworthy shows on this Wed., Jan. 14. Take a look-see below..
Lucinda Williams If you can’t tell it’s a Lucinda Williams song within the first line of the first verse, you need to get yourself to the record store, stat. She of the gravelly voice, raw-nerve delivery and often uncomfortably straightforward lyrics (“Did you only want me for those three days?”) returns to the Bay area; she’s been coming more often in recent years, thankfully, and any alt-country fan who hasn’t yet seen her should probably take advantage of this opportunity, if it’s not sold out yet. Williams, a gritty student of the pre-Nashville old school as well as rollicking ‘60s/’70s country-rock and an edgy, punky ethos, is currently touring her latest, excellent album, last year’s Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) —Scott Harrell
Elisa Ambrogio with Nathan Bowles She’s usually doling out ear canal-busting rawk in her other bands (Six Organs Of Admittance, Magik Markers), but Elisa Ambrogio ditches all that pleasant cacophony for a more subdued — yet equally twisted, complex, and delightful — alt-folk approach on a new solo debut, The Immoralist. The album’s rich lyrical content runs side-by-side with all of its sonic nuances, and a video for lead single “Superstitious” is goofy, tarot card-bashing, artsy-fartsy satirising visual fodder that juxtaposes all of the the actual song’s rich, smart and ear-catching qualities. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg) —Ray Roa
Songs In The Round with John Moreland, Caleb Caudle & Aaron Lee Tasjan Sadly, the Tampa Bay area has lost WMNF programmer Bryan Childs to Nashville. We’ll miss his stamps of approval on the bevy of sad-sap, fit-for-a-barstool Americana and roots music that gets thrown our way, and this set from John Moreland is proof of it. Moreland’s latest LP, The Throes, was Childs’ favorite album of 2013. Chock-full of heartache and some of the country’s best songcraft, it’ll be a treat to see the album come alive in this songs-in-the-round show alongside a pair of other gifted songwriters, Caleb Caudle and Aaron Lee Tasjan. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —RR
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2015.