98ROCK PRESENTS THE B.F.D. It's the kinder, gentler, shorter alternative to the station's annual LiveStock weekend festival, which we guess has gone the way of the dodo and the 50 cent cup of coffee. This one-day shindig is headlined by 3 Doors Down, the Mississippi band everybody thought would be a one-hit wonder but has managed to perfect the art of churning out modern-rock tunes that sound exactly like classic-rock tunes; also on the bill are Papa Roach, the ex-Creed outfit Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, The Exies, hot new Tallahassee export No Address, and Dark New Day, another new modern-rock act made up of members of former third-tier modern-rock acts like Virgos Merlot, Doubledrive, Stuck Mojo, Skrape, and Stereomud. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa)
THE HEADLIGHTS The beloved '90s Bay area jangle-rock band reunites to solicit funds for ailing fan Craig Gilbert. A couple of post-Headlights projects, Steve Connelly and Scott Dempster's Too Many Subplots and Steve Robinson's solo singer-songwriter incarnation, will open. For more, check out the Music Feature. (Catherine Hickman Theatre, Gulfport)
POOG/VONN NEW & LOUD ZOO The EMIT experimental/avant music series continues, this time with a decidedly spiritual bent. Vonn New, Loud Zoo and Poog will perform their improvisational World Beat-influenced compositions (on all sorts of strange and exotic instruments) at St. Pete's Sacred Lands Indian Mound and Botanical Garden, presumably taking inspiration from the area's spiritual history. There's a "Sound Walk" and "Deep Listening Workshop" in the afternoon before the concert, which will be immediately preceded by a tour of the grounds. Sacred Lands is located at Park Street and 17th Avenue N. (Sacred Lands Indian Mound and Botanical Garden, St. Petersburg)
BLUEGROUND UNDERGRASS Do you even have to ask? This jammy, heavily Aquarium Rescue Unit-influenced "newgrass" ensemble has been thrilling roots and neo-hippie scenesters since the mid-'90s. (Skipper's Smokehouse)
SUNBURST MUSIC FESTIVAL The City of Safety Harbor dives into the community-festival fray, instituting what it hopes will become a yearly event including food, arts and crafts, games, a petting zoo, and, of course, music. The entertainment lineup is both admirably heavy on local talent and nicely diverse, running the gamut from Celtic to rock. Scheduled acts include Mountain Memories, Justin Chimino, Nectar, Davis Walker Duo, Empty Hats, The Freed, The Human Condition and Urban Gypsies. Things kick off around noon. (Safety Harbor Marina, Safety Harbor)
NEW GRANADA PRESENTS ISOBELLA/DUMBWAITERS/ZILLIONAIRE Cool, culty Tampa post-rock outfit Isobella is using the New World's regular New Granada Records showcase night as its CD release party, which makes sense, because New Granada's putting the thing out. The seven-buck cover gets you a spanking new copy of it. Also in attendance are Dumbwaiters, who may have now appeared in the Music Menu more than any other local artist besides Will Quinlan, and new act Zillionaire, which features former members of The Washdown and The Maccabees. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
JO DEE MESSINA The country singer, who rose to fame in the late '90s as contemporaries like Shania Twain and Faith Evans were making pop crossover a regular occurrence, is touring on the brand-new Delicious Surprise, her first album in nearly four years. Messina's doing two shows at Busch Gardens, one tonight and one tomorrow night. (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
SUNDAY, MAY 1
THIRD WORLD Maybe my mind is going due to advanced age, but I'm sure I wrote one of these blurbs on Third World not all that long ago. So be it. The band is one of the more soulful and enduring units in the annals of reggae. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -ES
LINK WRAY The father of the power chord plays the Skipperdome the day before his 76th birthday. Wray's legacy was cemented with the gritty, atmospheric 1958 instrumental "Rumble"; that tune, and most of his work spanning the next decade, are the primordial ooze from which all of rock 'n' roll's dirty, heavy, attitude-driven black sheep, from cow-punk to metal, emerged. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE WEARY BOYS If any of these guys are late for their own show, I guarantee it's because they went up to Skipper's to catch some of Link Wray's set. They last called Austin home, but it seems like this rollicking, beery roots/bluegrass gang spends more time on the road than anywhere else. The guys really seem to dig on the New World, and the New World crowd digs 'em right back. Highly recommended. (New World Brewery)
GUYANA FLOOD RELIEF CONCERT The Caribbean Cultural Association presents an evening of Island, Indian and African Music. This event kicks off at 4 p.m., so get there early. The featured players: Tradewinds; Slingshot Drepaul; Creig & Chesley; Reggie; Jimmy Ray; Ken Corsbie; Winston Duggin; Ronnie M; The Phase 11 Band; and Big Daddy Fire. (USF Special Events Center, Tampa)