A nice smattering of live music this Friday night, leaning to jammy, funky, rootsy, bluesy sounds…
Freekbass & the Bump Assembly Underrated and generally under-known bassis/vocalist Chris “Freekbass” Sherman was christened with his nickname by Bootsy Collins himself, and the Cincinnati musician has lived up to it with a forward-thinking mode of laying down lowend frequencies; while he calls on ‘70s influences like Sly and the Family Stone, Frank Zappa and Parliament Funkadelic, he synthesizes these sounds using modern playing techniques and weirdness, the result a retro-mod fusion of space-groove funktronica that’s heavy on the synthesizers, pounding downbeat, and wet, rubbery Freakbass thumping. Freekbass has collabed with a range of people; 2008 album Junkyard Waltz saw guest spots by Mike Gordon, Bernie Worrell and Buckethead. New David Bowie-inspired full-length Everybody’s Feelin’ Real was produced by Duane Lundy (Jim James, Ben Sollee), funded by Kickstarter, and features contributions from, among others, keys/synths man Joel “Razor Sharp” Johnson and drummer Big Bamn (Bootsy Collin’s Funk Unity Band). Both join him on the road in support of the album as part of The Bump Assembly, as does sax player/vocalist Dan Barger. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
COPE with Applebutter Express Can’t enjoy much better Friday night jam-time fun than with two of the area’s most popular purveyors of grooving, dance-vibing sounds as led by COPE’s rollicking, funked-up and roots-flecked rock n’ roll while Applebutter Express get things off to a rousing start with a new grassier ukulele-fueled set. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Delta Swamp Rats This rather young band is made up of old hand musicians: fierce harp-blowing, blues-moaning Ernie Locke and potent beat-keeping extrordinaire Aaron Fowler, both of Nervous Turkey, and 941-area axe and cigar box guitar slinger and slider Steve Arvey. Together, they brew up a blend of vintage 1920s and ‘30s blues seasoned in modern Delta funkiness. (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)
Displace Welcome Home Show with Sumilan, Groove Orient, K-Slat Fresh off a late summer tour of the Southeast, Tampa’s space-funk rock four-piece Displace returns to town with their dissonant sax-blown jams and tripped-out jazz-reggae-disco-dance genre mash ups. These are the sort of dudes who’ll play in the lot before a sold-out Phish show — and they did earlier this month in Alpharetta, Ga. — just to drum up some new fans. I can dig it. Also of note: Athens, Ga. electro-prog outfit Sumilan. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Ben Prestage An explosive one-man band whose feet tap fills and rhythms (his specially-rigged pedal drum-kit includes bass, snare, tom and high hat) while he switches between acoustic, electric, cigar box and lap steel guitars, banjo and even some fiddle, blows harmonica and sings in a deep country drawl. Swamp-roots blues singer-songwriter Ben Prestage hails from the South Florida swamplands and he looks like it, but despite the Rip Van Winkle beard, he seems to have a rather good sense of humor and his musical chops back up the novelty factor that’s always in question with these sort of performers. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Odi Diaz, Brian Busto, Bleek ’N Coy, Haze For the next edition of Serious Soul, resident dirty, deep and dark house music maker Brian Busto welcomes Cuban-born, Sarasota-based producer/DJ Odi Diaz, who learned beat-matching on cassette tapes and has sharpened and polished his mixing skills in the more than 15 years since, experimenting with new technologies while remained tied to the old ones to get to his tech house sound. Also behind the decks on this night: Bleek n’ Coy, a Tallahassee duo and purveyors of so-called ‘curious house.’ (Hyde Park Café, Tampa)
Larry Wilkins Benefit Show A local metal scenester and vocalist in metalcore outfit Rise 2 Brutality (fka Lethal Injection) is remembered and honored at this metal charity show to benefit the family he left behind. Performers include local shredding acts like The Cunningham Wake, Rise 2 Brutality, From the Embrace, Dementia and Stitch The Pieces. All ages; $10. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
ALSO HAPPENING TONIGHT
La Lucha featuring Jun Bustamante Fri., Aug. 29, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
KEKO CD Release Party Fri., Aug. 29, The Dubliner, Tampa
Gypsy Star with Rebecca Zapen Fri., Aug. 29, Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Rich Whiteley and Fil Pate Fri., Aug. 29, 8th Avenue Pub, Safety Harbor
Nakhiel with Foundry, Sinister Circle, Noctambulant Fri., Aug. 29, Brass Mug, Tampa
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 3, 2014.
