Mod Sun w/Matty Grimes/SwagHollywood Rap and poetry are natural bedfellows, but you don't always expect them to hit the sheets together at the hand of a a post-rock drummer. That's exactly what's happening tonight when Derek Smith (Four Letter Lie, Scary Kids Scaring Kids) hits Crowbar under the Mod Sun moniker where he makes sunny new age hip-hop like "Shoot 'Em Down" (with a peace sign, guys), "Spent All My Money" and "Beautiful Problem." Matty Grimes and Swag Hollywood open this show in celebration of Mod Sun's new LP (Movie, released last month), and you can listen to Mod Sun's collab with Gnash (who's performing across the Bay at State Theatre, see below). Don't forget to try a Mic Deluxx taco or burrito (he'll be stationed on the patio) after the show. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Gnash w/Imad Royal/Wrenn/Tulpa & Blankts You can love him or hate him, but a lot of people give a damn about Gnash. The Los Angeles nap enthusiast, singer, producer, rapper and DJ is in the platinum club, and much of the success has to do with songs like “i hate u, i love u” with Olivia O’Brien, which is dominating radio these days. UPDATE: There are two Wrenn's and the one opening tonight is Los Angeles songwriter, who is a product of the city's famed Los Angeles Country High School for the Arts. We regret that error. A real treat on this bill, however, is the addition of artsy Athens, Georgia songwriter Wrenn whose live set is an explosion of color riding a wave of dreamy pop bursting with big melodies (“Apathy & Good Books”), drunken harmony (“Poison”) and even airy ukulele (“Butterfly Clip”). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
ALSO PLAYING
Lei Liu w/Lowell Adams/Grigorios Zamparas (Plant Hall Grand Salon at University of Tampa, Tampa) INFO
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2017.