Lots happening this first weekend in March. Take a look at the highlights for this Fri., March 4, then peep what's coming up on Saturday and Sunday, too.
Willie Nelson If you haven’t seen Chelsea Handler’s doc series on Netflix (Chelsea Does …), get on it. The bonafide hippie dude of outlaw country music gets his own segment during the “Drugs” episode; he and Handler hop-box his tour bus, smoking big fat doobies packed with Willie’s Reserve (his new line of ganj) and creating an instant classic in interview history. Amid his heady business ventures, Nelson is still cranking out fresh material, and he arrives in town on the heels of releasing Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, studio album No. 68. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Michale Graves with Kevin K. Band, Surfin' Dead, Switchblade Villain The dark side of punk comes to the Local tonight. Best known as two-time frontman for various latter-days incarnations of The Misfits, Michale Graves has been bringing a sometimes more metallic take on the genre to town for longer than some all-ages showgoers have been alive. The rest of this bill — including gritty, NYC-styled Kevin K. Band and old-school-informed Switchblade Villain — should go over well with Graves’ fans. (Local 662, St. Petersburg) –Scott Harrell
Stories & Songs: An Intimate Evening with Ivan Pena, Eric Best, Meg Shannon & Justin Vilardi Four local songwriters who regularly play as members of full-scale bands scale back the gear and roll out the solo chops for an evening of “In the Round” style acoustic performances and behind-the-song stories and anecdotes. Doors at 6 p.m., show starts at 8. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
The Goddamn Gallows with Husky Burnette, Que lastima How can a band go wrong with two core members by the name of Mikey Classic and Fishgutzzz on guitar and upright bass, respectively? (They also have Baby Genius on drums.) The terrible Lansing/Detroit twosome has led The Goddamn Gallows since its formation in 2004, brewing up devil-burned hell-raising and honky-tonking psychobilly-country infused with healthy doses of metal, punk and bluegrass, currently joined by Genius, .357 String Band former Jayke Orvis on mando and banjo, and washboard and accordion player Avery, and all members contribute to the rough-hewn vocalizations, shouts, yells and screams. Also of note: Husky Burnette, a gritty, harmonica wailing hill country-blues rock band from Tennessee that just dropped a new LP, Ain't Nothin' But A Revival!. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
Awakening Into the Sun Spring Festival Kickoff with Mindi Abair, Seth Glier The launch party for the colossal (free) Pinellas County yoga and meditation gathering features the sort of easy, serene sounds you likely hear piping amid taking in either activity within a classroom setting or participating in the fest’s large scale peace-vibing clinics: smooth jazz sax mistress Mindi Abair and multi-instrumental inspirational pop singer-songwriter Seth Glier. TJ Vanderpool also performs. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Wet Nurse Album Release Party An all-grrl group named for the professional breast feeder who takes over for an un-milkable mom? Clever, fun and by my description, crude, all applicable to the blend of punk and garage pop sounds Wet Nurse churns out. The Orlando-area four-piece and certified Bends favorite (led by twin sisters Nina and Susana Chaplin) throws it down to celebrate the release of a new record on this night with support from Broom Closet and Permanent Makeup. (The Bends, St. Petersburg)
ALSO TONIGHT
JP Soars Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Hussar/Lilith/DEA & Saint Fubar, St. Petersburg
The Fab Faux Capitol Theatre Clearwater
A Night of Drum and Bass w/Screwface/Kay-S/Thee Joker/The FootSouljahs/Chedda B VaPOUR Ybor, Ybor City
St. Petersburg College Piano Concert Series: Steven Mayer SPC Music Center, St. Petersburg
Together In Exile w/Rising Up Angry/Clenchfist/Meatspace/SAHE State Theatre, St. Petersburg
TC Carr & Bolts of Blue Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Melanie Martinez w/Alvarez Kings Sat., March 5, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
Alternative Press Tour w/State Champs/Neck Deep/Knuckle Puck/Like Pacific Sat., March 5, Orpheum, Ybor City
Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp w/Bob Seeley/Daryl Davis/Luca Sestak/Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues Sat., March 5, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Sat., March 5, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
The Moody Blues Sat., March 5, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Reggae Rise Up Festival w/Dirty Heads/Oceanstone/Resinated/Tatanka/ Sun Dried Vibes/Fortunate Youth/Stick Figure/Tribal Seeds Sat., March 5, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
Tampa Pro Party w/Yelawolf/Mike Mass Sat., March 5, Skatepark Of Tampa, Tampa
Southern Culture On The Skids Sat., March 5, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Bibster w/Manidfest Destne/Ybless/Zalys/Kriteek/Will-Ro/Achiles/SS Monroe/Cojaxx/Emce Damage Sat., March 5, Pegasus Lounge, Tampa
Road To Neptune Album Release Party w/Blu J.D./Dabron Kain & Doralissett/Arielle Chi & Demo/Rival/Shevonne Philidor Sat., March 5, Fubar, St. Petersburg
Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival Concert: Gary Allen Sat., March 5, Busch Gardens, Tampa
Sun Signs/The Real Clash/Rising Down Sat., March 5, Brass Mug, Tampa
Meatball Fest w/Burning Fair Verona/And One For All/Aegeus/From the Embrace/Akeldama/Prepare The Grave Sat., March 5, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Pretty Voices w/Gino And The Goons Sat., March 5, The Hub, downtown Tampa
ROAR! w/Row Jomah Sat., March 5, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Meatwound/Thunderclap/Ninehorn Sun., March 6, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Los Lonely Boys Sun., March 7, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Walter "Wolfman" Washington & the Roadmasters w/Ari and the Alibis Sun., March 6, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Annual Brewer’s Ball After Party w/Lauris Vidal Sun., March 6, Independent Bar & Café, Tampa
Reapermanser w/Gullwing/Nutcheck/Blood Bath And Beyond/Kunt Knuckles Sun., March 6, Brass Mug, Tampa
Il Volo Sun., March 6, Carol Morsani Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival Concert: Huey Lewis And The News Sun., March 6, Busch Gardens, Tampa
Nate Najar Quartet Sun., March 6, Studio@620, St. Petersburg
The McCartney Years Sun., March 6, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Jon Roniger Sun., March 6, Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2016.