Take a look at shows happenign tonight in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg on this Fri., May 22.

K. Michelle Her sound adds funky hip hop bump n’ stutter to slinky R&B slow jams, and her name power has risen ever further with a few noteworthy guest collabs (Missy Elliott, Gucci Mane), a spot on VH1’s reality series Love & Hip Hop and then her own spin-off, K. Michelle: My Life, and two well-regarded LPs. The most recent, Anybody Want to Buy a Heart?, debuted at the top of the R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts when it dropped in December. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Celph Titled with Mike Mass, The Rukus, DJ Kramtronix, DJ Fader Born and raised in Tampa Bay before he ventured to NYC to make a name for himself, esteemed underground hip hop star Vic Mercer aka Celph Titled, juggles membership in several projects – most notably in New England super-groups Army of the Pharaohs (which dropped a new LP, Heavy Lies the Crown, last fall), and the Demigodz – but has plenty of solo material to his credit as well. He’s a wry and clever wordsmith with a low-toned flow, and a producer who infuses golden era sonic values and jazz-grooving qualities into his mixes. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Darius Rucker with Brothers Osborne, Brett Eldredge, A Thousand Horses No matter how much twang he infuses into his sound, I will always think of Hootie & the Blowfish when I hear Darius Rucker’s deep booming vocal. Of his five solo LPs, the last four were country music and each one – including 2015 release Southern Style – peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Country charts. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa)

Chris Thomas King No actor-musician was more suited to his role than Chris Thomas King in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, his character based on the Delta bluesman who allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for fame, Tommy Johnson. (Remember the scene where they drop him off at the crossroads? Spooky.) King has a deeper drawling vocal quality than the man he portrayed and modern hip hop beat sensibility to his New Orleans-spawned blues grooves. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

Radarmen CD Release Party with Flat Stanley, Plan to Fail Click HERE for more information (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

ALSO TONIGHT
Green Sunshine Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Dementia w/Dark Disciple/Promethean Horde/Tomb Of Ligeia/Servants of the Mist Local 662, St. Petersburg
Yiannis Parios Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
Geoff Abraham & Stone City Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Ari & the Alibis Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Renee Giaccone Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Xployt/Kalus/Axe Handle Hound/Superstar Loveshack Brass Mug, Tampa
Crate Brothers The Bends, St. Petersburg