SLIGHTLY STUPID/PEPPER/BARGAIN MUSIC
Slightly Stoopid sold out the state on their last trip through town; aesthetic kin of Sublime, they ply a reggae- and ska-heavy SoCal beach style. Originally from Hawaii, Pepper's alt-rock showcases a heavy reggae influence, while Bargain Music add a heavy dose of hip-hop, funk and humor to theirs. (April 8, Masquerade, Ybor City)
SOMETHING CORPORATE/YELLOWCARD/THE FORMAT Modern-rock radio darlings Something Corporate incorporate enough irresistible melodies and indie twitches into their sound to make them worthwhile to some more discerning listeners. The heavily-buzzed Yellowcard is, for all intents and purposes, co-headlining — while the band's violin-accented pop-punk is fairly generic, they've put a lot of work into becoming the Hot Topic generation's Next Big Thing (see this week's music column). Eclectic, up-and-coming skewed-pop duo The Format provides support. (April 9, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
DJ LE SPAM & THE SPAM ALL-STARS The celebrated multiethnic Miami electro-funk conglomerate begins a Friday-night residency at Masquerade. They'll be making asses move there on a weekly basis through May 14. Pardon my vulgarity, but that's cool as fuck. You have local grassroots promotional co-op Groovetrain to thank, as well as the venue. Highly, highly recommended. (April 9, Masquerade, Ybor City)
LIZ MANDVILLE GREESON Veteran Chicago R&B performer Greeson has been on the road for about a decade and a half; in that time, she's become a fan of both cult-y diehards and more pedestrian festival audiences. Expect plenty of roadhouse boogie and virtuosic yet soulful vocals. (April 9, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE SEMIS/THE NUEVOS Yeah, you guys already know how I feel about The Semis — in my book, their loud, fuzzy, swaggering, staggering pop-rock can't go wrong (and if it does, that's usually entertaining as hell, too). But tonight they'll be paired with the band that won the Planet's Best of the Bay award for Best New Band the year after they did: Sarasota's The Nuevos, whose snide, dynamic distorto-pop is as solidly infectious as The Semis' is volatile. Sarasota Planet music critic Mark Sanders recently joined the band on drums, so head out and try your best to make him feel very, very nervous. (April 9, Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg)
THE INDEPENDENTS/FLAT STANLEY/JOHNNY ZOOM CHEERLEAD SQUAD/SAFETY For some reason, I thought this gig was last week. Anyhoo, undead road warriors The Independents continue to put The Ramones and third-wave ska-punk into a blender. Chances are, they'll be doing it forever. Now-veteran local punk 'n' roll combo Flat Stanley has put some serious miles on their tour van, as well. (April 9, Brass Mug, Tampa)
ZOSO W/AGENT 99 Isn't it funny how most of the bands that inspire tribute acts are completely and thoroughly inimitable? Led Zeppelin worshippers Zoso have been at it for almost 10 years now, though, so they're probably pulling it off pretty well. According to Google, there are 2,456,124 bands called Agent 99, so screw 'em. (April 9, Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
GARGAMEL/FLYWHEEL/RIPA JODA/28 GATES If you haven't yet caught Orlando schizoid metal spectacle Gargamel's live show, by all means, flog yourself, then go get in the car. It's marvelous. They mix styles as easily as they mix technique, humor and showmanship. New York heavy-rock act Flywheel has a habit of coming down to our neck of the woods for extended spates of gigs at local clubs. The sound is aimed squarely at the more predictable end of modern radio-rock — chunky grooves and giant, anthemic choruses. Ripa Joda rises up from south of the Skyway, and local rap-rock act 28 Gates returns from hiatus with a mellower, funkier, more melodic sound. (April 10, Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
STYX W/GRAVITY St. Petersburg's annual Festival of States celebration can be counted on to kick at least one classic-rock titan your way; this time around, it's Styx, riding the success of a two-year-old Volkswagen commercial whilst keeping their eyes peeled for the next kitsch-wave. Bay area rock outfit Gravity, who get mad props from me for not sounding anything like Blink-182, Creed or the Bizkit, receive an opportunity to see the crowd from the big stage. (April 10, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
THE PURCELLS They're a family rich in both musical and cultural history. The patriarch, Tracy Purcell, has been playing since the '30s, though he did take time off to be one of the original Scouts and Raiders (an embryonic version of the Navy SEALS), a New York State Policeman, and a bodyguard for New York Governor and one-time Presidential hopeful Thomas Dewey. His daughter, Claire Purcell, enjoyed some country-radio airplay during the '80s, while Con played with several blues/roots/R&B acts and Paul is in bluesy local variety act The Rockin' Chair Band. Rootsong Productions brings 'em together for a single evening. (April 10, Catherine A. Hickman Theater, Gulfport)
KID ROCK We almost had him off the radar completely — and then came that damned duet with Sheryl Crow. (April 10, USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
BUFFALO STRANGE/THE WEARY BOYS/CHROMA This is a fairly varied evening that should provide something for every jam fan. Local favorites Buffalo Strange give forth a rootsy, reggae-injected vibe; Austin's Weary Boys do a raucous blend of bluegrass chops and happily drunk-punk energy better than anybody I've seen; and young Jacksonville outfit Chroma work a meditative, socially conscious vibe that's still funky enough to dance to. (April 10, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MERCURY RADIO THEATRE/THE SUBJECT/TRES BIEN/SHED FOR YOU Adventurous, humorous, schizophrenic and theatrical Philly outfit Mercury Radio Theatre knows its pop-culture history — look it up, people. Word has it their mix of psycho-surf, emo dynamics and B-movie love is going to be something to see. (April 10, Central Skatepark, Clearwater)
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/THE GEORGE LYNCH BAND Oh, the rock. Two guitar gods that taste great together. There's going to be full-band action, but you know you're only in it for the shredding. What I'm looking forward to is counting the people who bring their guitars to be autographed. (April 10, Masquerade, Ybor City)
PARADISE It's another big house-music shindig at the Cafe. This one serves as a CD release party for Marques Wyatt, whose Horizons is dropping any day now. Special guests include Jask and Joshua Wilkins. (April 10, Hyde Park Cafe, Ybor City)
JAGUARES Mexican rock en espanol superstars Jaguares not only helped bring native rock 'n' roll back to Mexico in the '90s (the country had been wary of the genre ever since some unfortunate concert violence during the '60s), but also proved that such a group could garner considerable sales abroad. They're a great band, and as a bonus, this tour is being sponsored by Amnesty International. (April 11, Twilight, Ybor City)
ALLISTER/HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW/PUNCHLINE/ START TROUBLE Highlights from The Drive-Thru Records roster hit the road. Allister makes its umpteenth stop at the State. Pop-punk, Chicago style. Hidden in Plain View hail from New Jersey, and that's close enough to Long Island to expect that region's trademarked blend of speed-pop and emo. Punchline aren't on Drive-Thru, but rather Fueled by Ramen; we're not saying they're all about the spastic punk fun, but we are saying that their first record was called How to Get Kicked Out of the Mall. The only band that's on an out-and-out major (and that, coincidentally, has only released one record), Start Trouble, opens. (April 11, State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
JEWEL The Alaskan singer-songwriter who famously lived in her car and infamously wrote really, really bad poetry has apparently realized that her reinvention as electro-pop diva was a complete and utter failure. She's wisely picked the acoustic guitar back up for this solo tour. (April 13, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
LESS THAN JAKE/THE EARLY NOVEMBER Both of these punk-scene bands are intimately familiar with the Jannus Landing stage. Of course, Less than Jake probably knows it a little better — hell, they've probably slept on it at least once over the last 10 years or so. The Early November's more subdued pop style should make a nice, easy transition into the frantic ska-punk party that is LtJ. (April 14, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
All entries by Scott Harrell, except where otherwise noted.
