Rooney w/Run River North/Donna Lu Here’s a show that found a new home in Ybor City after the recent closing of St. Petersburg’s Local 662. Tickets for the original show will be honored when Robert Schwartzman’s rock outfit, Rooney, heads to Crowbar in support of last year’s Washed Away EP where the Californians returned from a six-year LP hiatus with more of the bright West Coast power pop that made it famous when a self-titled debut dropped way back in 2003. Rooney isn’t known for operating too far outside of its well-established sound, but living in the sonic territory of bands like Weezer (“Why”), the Beach Boys and Billy Joel (“album closer “Sad But True”) isn’t necessarily a bad place to be. Fellow Golden State indie-pop makers Run River North open this show along with the Bay area’s own Donna Lu. (Crowbar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Something Else Thursdays w/DJ Wally Clark/Jordan Patrick/Rude 100/Bobby Duke CL fave Wally Clark returns to the patio at Lowry Park’s C. 1949 beer bar for a sweaty night of future soul, hip-hop, alternative and downtempo mixed in with production from some of the area’s best producers. That talent includes special guest Jordan Patrick, whose young face belies the power he flexes on trap tracks (“Midnight in Tampa” by Noble”) and a ridiculously pop-radio ready remix of Paramore’s “The Only Exception.” (C. 1940 Florida Beer Garden, Tampa) INFO
The Delta Troubadours w/Max Norton/Ashley Smith & The Random Occurrence Sometimes you’ve gotta change your name to set things in motion, and that was definitely part of the equation for The Delta Troubadours (formerly known as Gritt), which doubled down on the churn by heading to Muscle Shoals’ FAME studios to record new music that would eventually become songs like “Stone Thrasher.” The nearly four-minute cut opens with a wash of organ and electronic bleeps and bloops before unfurling into a lush, melodic exploration of growing up that could set the Gainesville band on a path towards national notoriety. Opening for the Troubadours are local boy gone Nashville, Max Norton, plus newcomers Ashley Smith & The Random Occurrence. Listen to the track, and read a Q&A with The Delta Troubadours, via cltampa.com/music. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
Puddles Pity Party If the sight of a sad, six-foot-eight-inch tall, non-speaking clown scares you, then you might want to warm up by heading to YouTube and finding a recent America’s Got Talent clip where Big Mike Geier brings his Puddles Pity Party persona in front of the judges. Noted clown-downer Simon Cowell even called Puddles “originality at its best” after an ovation-earning performance. Longtime fans have been following Puddles for well over half-a-decade now (he’s been on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Tour and even collaborated with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox) and will be pleased to see the act move into St. Pete’s Palladium Theater where Geier’s thunderous baritone will have a nice cozy place to bellow covers of recent hits (think Lorde’s “Royals”) and time-honored classics (Bowie’s “Life On Mars”) for anyone remotely interested in watching an emotionally turbulent performance unfold and then end almost as alarmingly as it began. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Tribal Style Reggae is coming to the Iberian Rooster basement, and it arrives at the hands of long-running Tampa band Tribal Style, whose direct ties to Jamaica go a long way in creating the authentic island vibes devoted fans have been bobbing around to for well over a decade now. Tribal Style has a masterful way of making the classic sounds (and healing powers) of old-school reggae come to life in a way that manages to feel wholly modern without disrespecting the past. (SubCentral at Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg) INFO
ALSO PLAYING:
Hiram Hazley + Le Jazz Trio w/Special Guest Anthony Castellano (Ruby’s Elixir, St. Petersburg) INFO
Kyle and Shannon Biss (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
This article appears in Jul 13-20, 2017.