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The Weeknd w/ Rae Sremmurd/Belly/6 Black Many of Abel Tesfaye’s fans have already begun to abandon him after his latest move toward pop centrism on last year’s Starboy, but the 26-year-old sexed-up crooner better known as The Weeknd shouldn’t apologize. He’s still one of the most unique artists on the Billboard charts, and his recent collaborations with Daft Punk are proof that his noir & B is catching on with the rest of the world. Plus, he’s spoken for these days. Yep, that’s right. The guy who made himself famous on the back of coked-up, Noir & B has been galavanting around with Selena Gomez (it’s Instagram official, people), and gossip sites say that the Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) “loves seeing Selena immediately after a show.” Will she be in Tampa? Who knows? Let’s just hope that this romance can put a little more steam back into the sexed-up pop we’ve come to know and expect from the man. Read our reviews of his past sets at Amalie and Straz Center. (Amalie Arena, Tampa) INFO
Pajamas Album Release w/Fr33dback/Rogerthomas/Tommy Simms/Kerry Courtney The story of St. Pete songwriter Shane Schuch (who’s traversed the country as a member of popular rock band Mouse Fire) comes full circle at this release show for his pop-tronica project Pajamas. Read our profile of Schuch here. (Paper Crane, St. Petersburg) INFO
Meatwound “Largo” Record Release w/Thunderclap/SHOT “Ungodly sonic devastation across 12-inches of murky purple vinyl.” That’s show Tampa noisecore outfit Meatwound is pitching their sophomore LP, Largo, and we can’t wait to see it in action after hearing the merciless aural assault they unleashed on “Reproduction Blues,” which Decibel magazine described as “a fuckfest of bass-powered noiserock and feedback-as-riffage.” (The American Legion Post 111, Seminole Heights) INFO
12th Planet w/Ray Volpe “Dead Presidents,” John Dadzie’s new collaboration with UK EDM producer Zomboy is a schizophrenic adoration of brostep, and the 34-year-old Los Angelino and Skrillex-mentor better known as 12th Planet will bring all that energy to the Cuban Club in Ybor City who continue to venture out into their newfound interest in booking electronic artists. Dadzie is widely recognized as one of dubstep’s stateside pioneers, so it’ll be interesting to know what his set sounds like now that the sound has infiltrated every corner of the mainstream. Charlotte, North Carolina producer (and OWSLA, Mad Decent regular) Ray Volpe opens the show. (Cuban Club, Ybor City) INFO
Friday Concerts in the Park w/La Lucha If you read cltampa.com/music, then you know we’re big fans of Best of the Bay winning jazz combo La Lucha. You would also know that their pianist, John O’Leary, just raised $5,000 to record a solo LP about neuroscience. “The purpose of the record is to create a space around which a dialogue can occur in the community about modern scientific/neuroscientific discoveries, which have the potential to affect our lives,” O’Leary says, adding that music can play a part in that, too. “There is resilience in the human spirit that prevents, even Alzheimer’s disease, from taking away the essence of who we are.” Here’s your chance to watch him prove the point in person when the band takes to the Lowry Park Bandshell for a free concert under the pines. (Lowry Park Bandshell, Tampa) INFO
Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood is known for songs like “Son’s Gonna Rise” and “Let the Drummer Kick,” and he’s going to attempt to turn Jannus Live “Sideways” on Friday. Greenwood — better knows as Citizen Cope — hasn’t put out an album since 2012’s One Lovely Day, but that hasn’t turned fans away from a laid-back, introspective brand of reggae-tinged folk spirituals. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
The Florida Orchestra: The American Songbook — Then and Now w/Tony DeSare Jazz-influenced singer-songwriter Tony DeSare joins conductor Jeff Tyzik (plus drummer Michael Klopp, bassist Steve Doyle and Ed Decker on guitar) or an exploration of tunes by everyone from Irving Berlin to Johnny Mercer. The Hudson Falls pianist — who was named a 2009 “Rising Star” in jazz magazine Downbeat is even supposed to work in some Elton John and John Lennon at this show, which will also happen in St. Pete and Clearwater on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. (Ferguson Hall at the David A. Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Coin w/Arizona Vampire Weekend may be no more (they’re still around, but some lineup changes have changed the dynamic), but indie-pop still has a few golden boys floating around. Just look at Nashville, Tennessee four-piece Coin who arrive in St. Pete on the heels of a brand new LP, How Will You Know If You Never Try (released on April 21), where front man Chase Lawrence & co. graduate to a shimmering, brighter and bigger synth-driven sound which they hope brings them beaucoup success on the radio dial. Arizona — who are actually from New Jersey — will open the show with tunes from a forthcoming new LP, Gallery, which they’ll release a week after playing St. Pete. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
Selwyn Birchwood LP release w/Josh Miller Blues Revue As a young man in the blues game, Selwyn Birchwood has some big shoes to fill. Thankfully the Tampa Bay blues guitarist gone global has some pretty big feet (they’re a size 13). He is a firebrand on lap steel, and his gritty, soulful voice is known the world around. On May 19, Alligator Records (current home to acts like Mavis Staples and Mofro, former home to late greats like Sonny Boy Williamson, Buckwheat Zydeco and Pinetop Perkins) will release Birchwood’s new LP, Pick Your Poison, where he continues to update the blues by applying a style that is as infectious and fun as the gigantic smile Birchwood wears onstage at his live show. This is a chance for fans to hear (and hopefully buy) the effort a week early. Head here to hear CL’s premiere of a Poison highlight, “Guilty Pleasures.” (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
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Howie Day Howie Day’s Friday night set will “Collide” into Saturday as The Attic hosts the Bangor, Maine songwriter for two nights of intimate performances. Day, 36, is famous for songs from his 2003 LP Stop All The World Now, but he was an absolute loop pedal monster on the Madrigals EP released a few months earlier. It’ll be exciting to see which side of the singer comes out to play at Ybor City’s newest listening room. (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City) INFO
All You Need Is Love w/Una Voce In a day in age where our country wants to wall itself off, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay is taking two nights (the show happens again on Sunday at the University of South Florida) to use the the songs of Lennon and McCartney to remind people that diversity, not hate, is what actually makes us great. “Music reaches people’s hearts and creates an immediate sense of community,” explained GMCTB Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins. “In this turbulent time, the opportunity for us to come together and reach out with a positive message while doing something we love is incredibly important.” (The Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Rock/Blues/Folk
Florida Folk Scene Night w/Bob Anthony (Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg) INFO
Savi Fernandez Band (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
Jeremy Thomas Band w/Katie Talbert/Oscar (Ruby’s Elixir, St. Petersburg) INFO
Four Star Riot (Ferg’s Live, Tampa) INFO
Classical/Jazz
Jamison Williams w/Thomas Milovac (Sawgrass Gallery & Teahouse, St. Petersburg) INFO
World/Jam
Fear and Loathing at the New World w/Bengali 600/Pete Bones (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
Displace (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
Row Jomah (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa) INFO
Come Back Alice (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Country
Aaron Watson (Dallas Bull, Tampa) INFO
Tribute
Pure Zeppelin Experience (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
EDM/DJ
Crizzly (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO
DJ Mike Bison All vinyl+MPC (Mermaid Tavern, Tampa) INFO
A Night of DRUM and BASS with Jeffee and DJ K8 (The Lion’s Den Cigar Lounge, Ybor City) INFO
Hip-Hop
Saint Madness w/Q Tha Killah & Yung Zoom/Andrew Polo/42RDZ/Laz/more (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
This article appears in May 11-18, 2017.
