THURSDAY, OCT. 20
NEIL DIAMOND During our Planet editorial meeting last week, we had a brief discussion about whether Neil Diamond had suddenly become hip again. Some folks thought yes; I countered that it could only be so from the standpoint of camp. Let's just say that if Neil Diamond is genuinely hip again (if, in fact, he ever was) I didn't get the memo. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) —ERIC SNIDER
ZZ TOP If all you know from this Texas trio is the admittedly pretty good pop-market fare of Eliminator and Afterburner, do yourself a favor and dig back into its catalog of gritty, witty Texas boogie-rock — stuff like "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" only hints at the goodies these beard farmers have committed to vinyl. We'd rather see 'em in a roadhouse somewhere around midnight, but maybe they'll fill Ruth Eckerd with some eyebrow-arching fun. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
THE NINTENDO FUSION TOUR Nothing says "fuck the system" like a punk rock tour conceived to promote overpriced video games, am I right? Fall Out Boy, the latest slightly above-average generic nü-punk outfit to capture the big hearts and malleable minds of Generation Hot Topic (the band's latest album just went gold), headlines a pop-hook-heavy bill rounded out by The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out and comparative bright spot Panic! At The Disco. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, OCT. 21
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER w/BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME It seems like the initial hype surrounding the act might be fading, but The Black Dahlia Murder — a death metal outfit that snuck into new young fans' ears by infiltrating the screamo scene — is still a brutal, worthwhile good time. From Raleigh, N.C, Between the Buried And Me is taking a little more time to let its considerable word-of-mouth buzz ferment; it's another band associated with the metalcore/screamo crowd that happens to be far more influenced by old school death and extreme metal sounds than younger punk-derived styles. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
JOSÉ VALENTINO AND HIS JAZZ BAND Valentino has covered a lot of ground in jazz stylings: from smooth-style to Latin and some straight-ahead. He's done a number of guest gigs, including with Chick Corea. A pretty impressive resume for a 17-year-old high school grad whose instrument of choice is the flute, although he's an estimable saxophonist as well. His performance here marks the final Friday Fest on the Bay of the summer season, all the more reason to spend the evening with him. Hope and pray, however, that this isn't yet another light jazz entry in the Sarasota concert log book. (Van Wezel, Sarasota) COOPER LANE BAKER
RONNIE BAKER BROOKS w/CANDYE KANE He's a stinging lead guitarist who spent more than a decade as bandleader for his father, legendary bluesman Lonnie Brooks. She's a former sex-industry worker and recovering cowpunk who found her calling, and a role as empowering figure for women of all sizes and walks, in the blues. Together, they're … well, they're not together, really, but they make a pretty interesting double-feature blues gig. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
DANIEL "SLICK" BALLINGER & BLIND MISSISSIPPI MORRIS Young Mississippi bluesman Ballinger has supported most of the biggest (and, usually, oldest and blackest) names in Delta sounds. He was opening for legends before he could register to vote, and last year was awarded the Albert King Award at the International Blues Competition. His reputation shows in this pairing — semi-legendary harmonica player and frequent "Slick" collaborator/co-performer Blind Mississippi Morris wouldn't be hanging around with a pretender. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
BEN PRESTAGE A young white kid from Florida has no right to make music that sounds as ancient and grimy as this guy's stuff. The cigar-box guitar wails like it's from an Alan Lomax field recording, and Prestage's voice is bluesy without ever sounding like a kitschy imitation. He worked on his chops as a street performer on Beale Street, and you can hear it in the cheap, down-and-out feel of his recordings. He's in town to play yet another benefit for the gloriously left-wing WSLR. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) CLB
SATURDAY, OCT. 22
TRISHA YEARWOOD She got started in the late '90s as a Garth Brooks protégé and burst onto the mainstream country scene in '91, becoming the first woman country singer to sell a million copies of her debut album. Yearwood is solidly entrenched in the crossover Nashville establishment, and has continued her hitmaking ways, while hanging on to some semblance of legit country cred. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) ES
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS Kind of hard to believe that SCOTS marks its 20th anniversary this year. These wild-eyed celebrants of all things white-trash and trailer-park are more than a long-running joke — they play a randy blend of rock, boogie, country, blues and R&B, all delivered, of course, with plenty of self-deprecating mirth. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) ES
INTEGRITY/DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR/SEVENTH STAR/GET THE AMMO/COLDSIDE/TRUST NO ONE/DNME/ROMAN EMPIRE In a scary little corner of the Christian-music underground, Cleveland's Integrity is untouchable, but its brutal '90s output — a singular and ahead-of-the-curve blend of hardcore, industrial and extreme metal — endeared it to a cult of secular fans as well. Founder, singer and sole real member Dwid foresaw the current trend of exploring faith through cathartic hardcore noise more than a decade beforehand, though his fame for it is severely compartmentalized. Still, this Bay area show is undoubtedly already being salivated over by hundreds of adventurous local punk fans. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
MEDICATIONS w/GUILTMAKER/INCREDIBLE CRISIS/FAREWELL TO FINLEY Sinewy post-punk trio Medications is part of the D.C. family of bands that calls Dischord Records home. Those familiar with the classic "Dischord sound" will take right to their raw, rhythmic poetry — the full-length Your Favorite People All in One Place harks back to the label's earlier, less experimentation-heavy roster. Tampa's dynamic Guiltmaker, deceptively melodic Incredible Crisis, and brand-new Farewell Finley support; Guiltmaker member Shaun Drees spins, as well. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FEAR BEFORE THE MARCH OF FLAMES/BEARVSSHARK/SINCE BY MAN/FALL OF TROY A show built on fractured and often frighteningly heavy post-hardcore, with most of the acts skewing toward the generically screamy and frenetic. Then there's the taut, inventive and interesting Bearvsshark (which calls to mind These Arms Are Snakes). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE MICKEY FINN SHOW Veteran honky-tonk variety-show ringleader Finn brings his cavalcade of music, jokes and patter to New Port Richey for a Christmas-season extravaganza. The Mickey Finn Show is the longest running gig in the history of Las Vegas, so it's hard to imagine the most jaded audience member not being charmed on some level. This campus of the Pasco-Hernando Community College is located at 10230 Ridge Road. (Pasco-Hernando Community College, New Port Richey)
SUNDAY, OCT. 23
WHY? w/SCIENCE-NON-FICTION & D.U.K.E./TOURETTES/DEFINING MOMENT WHY? is a completely indescribable full-band deal associated with ever-evolving Oakland indie hip-hop collective Anticon — the group's principal songwriter Yoni Wolf has adapted his original melodic sing-spoken vocal delivery to a wildly eclectic bed of live instrumentation. Check out the Music Feature for more. Thank Bradensota's killer Science-Non-Fiction rap crew for hooking up this highly recommended gig, after you enjoy sets by them and some of their gifted compadres. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
ERNIE CALHOUN Playing jazz and blues locally for 65 years demands to be feted, and that's just what several of the area's jazz stalwarts will do for 80-year-old saxophonist Ernie Calhoun. In 1961, Calhoun and fellow veteran Al Downing formed Al Downing and the All-Stars, and the horn man remained a fixture on the local scene. Belinda Womack, Paulette Pepper, Theo Valentine, Rose Bilal, Richard Jackson, John Lamb, Ron Gregg, Ricky Lyons and the Billy Norris Trio will perform, among others. Oh, and Ernie Calhoun, still going strong, will blow too. WUSF jazz director Bob Seymour emcees. The program runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Call 727-894-4718 for tickets/info. (St. Peter's Cathedral, St. Petersburg) ES
MONDAY, OCT. 24
JETHRO TULL Back in the late '60s/early '70s, one of the litmus tests for showing rudimentary music knowledge was being aware that Jethro Tull was a band, not a guy. Woe was the teenage fellow who uttered, "Jethro Tull? I really like him." Death. On to more substantive stuff. Early on, the band, led by the impossibly pompous singer/flutist (he'd probably say "flautist") Ian Anderson, mixed nascent metal, clumsy classical, blues-rock and Brit-folk into a muscular mix that scored in the post-hippie zeitgeist. It all started to unravel after 1971's top-selling Aqualung (the following year's Thick as a Brick paved the way for a quick descent into ponderousness). When, in 1989, Jethro Tull won the first-ever Grammy awarded in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance (if memory serves, Metallica was also nominated), well, it was just too much to bear. The band has not yet lived the award down, although Tull somehow manages to continue recycling its shopworn art-rock. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES
TUESDAY, OCT. 25
LATTERMAN Sick of the dogma, mini-trends, bro-ness and other assorted irritations involved in liking punk rock these days? Come out to nifty, new little Tampa record store Top 5, and get introduced to Deep Elm Records' rad, socially conscious Latterman. Yup, I said Deep Elm, but this ain't no emo — this is catchy, high-energy rock 'n' roll with a purpose and an invigorating originality. The group's album No Matter Where We Go … ! reminds me a bit of Clairmel at its best, and it's such a fun listen that the live set's just gotta be out of hand. Oh, and buy something while you're there, cheapskate. Top 5 Records is located at 1300 S. Dale Mabry. (Top 5 Records, Tampa)
This article appears in Oct 19-25, 2005.