Joe Pug You could almost hear a pin drop in Straz Center’s Jaeb Theater, and that’ll bode well for Joe Pug. The Maryland boy’s delivery sounds like a healthier Bob Dylan (admit it, our favorite Nobel Prize winner has always sounded a little frail despite the power of his lyrics), and he’s doing a damn good job paying respect to the American songwriting tradition as evidenced on songs like “Hymn #101,” “How Good You Are” and “I Do My Father’s Drugs.” (Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO

Thievery Corporation The new year is supposed to see some fresh stuff from Thievery Corporation album, but we have a feeling they'll have a lot to say and preview at this show which will celebrate the band's legacy while also taking a look forward. Rob Garza is not shy with his social and political commentary on issues of war, corporate money in politics, the media, so expect some fire at this one.(The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO

Transmissions We all need to be skeptics in this day and age. This reading of a new play leans on audience participation to help it explore the evolution of culture through the lens of jazz, lecture. and ritual invocation. Heady shit for a Monday evening, for sure. (CL Space, Ybor City) INFO