THURSDAY, MARCH 16
ELSBEARY HOBBS' DRIFTERS & CORNELL GUNTER'S COASTERS A couple of '50s R&B/vocal group favorites mount a three-night stand at Busch Gardens. The legendary Drifters were plagued by continuous lineup changes almost from the outfit's 1953 inception, but nonetheless managed to help define the vocal-group sound and score hits with timeless tunes like "There Goes My Baby," "Adorable," "This Magic Moment," "Save The Last Dance for Me" and others. The Coasters took a more humorous approach to R&B/fledgling rock 'n' roll, and are best known for the 1958 single "Yakety Yak." (Busch Gardens, Tampa)
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
SAM BUSH As a member of New Grass Revival, Strength in Numbers and the Nash Ramblers, virtuoso mandolin and fiddle player Bush might be the single person most responsible for progressive bluegrass' fearless eclecticism. His fifth solo album, due out this summer on respected country/roots label Sugar Hill, features guest spots from artists as diverse as Emmylou Harris and Jean Luc-Ponty. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
FLYLEAF Fresh off the recently concluded SnoCore Tour, female-fronted Texas hard-rock act Flyleaf hits the road solo for a round of club dates. The group's got a fairly interesting sound that blends killer harmonies and big hooks with heavy-handed riffs and nu-metal's more cybertronic/atmospheric elements. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
DAVE LIPPMAN Lippman is the author of several satirical tunes, most often appropriating classic songs and setting them up with leftist lyrics. It's definitely funny to hear "There's something happening in here/ What it is, is an ad for a beer" in place of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," and Lippman deserves praise for his populism, but the jokes end up being awfully one-dimensional. There's little here that's going to stay with you once the show's over, considering that if you're the type to come to this gig, you probably know everything Lippman's singing about anyway. (Fogartyville Café, Bradenton) Cooper Lane Baker
THE SHAM-ROCK SHOW This St. Paddy's Day Bash, co-sponsored by 97X and national local-band promotion network The Dead Fish Handshake Tour, is aimed at exposing new talent to, well, whoever's spending St. Paddy's Day at the Mug. Former teen-pop comer (she was in P.Y.T.) and Guiding Light actress Lauren Mayhew has traded in her girl-group aspirations for a more hard-rocking (if no less predictable) sound. She'll be joined by Winter Park post-grunge/modern radio-rock act Unison, introspective Tampa unit Malayne, and fellow hometown outfit Iota Grey, which purveys some moody, piano-driven fare. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
RUBEE JAWBOTIK/SCIENCE-NON-FICTION The architect behind all the music you hear on S-N-F records, Jawbotik ventures northward from his home studio in Naples for a show at the Tavern. On his own album, Jawbotik rocks "swamp-hop" — hip-hop born out in the sticks by guys who would rather rep the Everglades than Queensbridge any day. Jawbotik's got serious talent as both a producer and a performer, with a booming voice as deep as the Mariana Trench that's perfect for tales of rasslin' gators and fightin' off coral snakes. Jawbotik may be the guy to bridge the Tavern's well-noted demographic gap between rednecks and college kids. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) CLB
SATURDAY, MARCH 18
KYMANI MARLEY & BARRINGTON LEVY Old-school dancehall meets royal blood for this reggae double bill. Kymani Marley stays pretty close to the somewhat rock- and pop-influenced sound that made his father famous; Levy, who first recorded when he was 14 years old, helped shape the sounds of dancehall reggae during the '80s, and remained a high-profile hitmaker within the scene throughout the '90s. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
TOM SHED Native Floridian singer-songwriter Shed has been a folk-festival staple for 30 years, and several of the tunes he penned about his home state are considered among the best on the subject. He's also composed music for several PBS documentaries. Tonight he's in Clearwater, fresh from an appearance at Dade City's Will McLean Festival last week. (Octagon Arts Center, Clearwater)
HANGAR/WESZT Hangar is kind of a mysterious entity. This is what I've gleaned so far: the band's from Bradenton and plays rock music. Based on the one song they've got posted, the group's got talent, with a throwback alt-rock sound without many frills and just heavy enough without ever sounding like death metal. Lead singer Charlie Miano has a raw, scratchy vocal style finely tailored to the rest of the band's jams. Weszt, meanwhile, hails from Orlando and works a kind-of-funky metal groove that is definitely more professional-sounding — for better or worse — than the group's stage-mates. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) CLB
A BENEFIT FOR BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS It is what it says it is. North Tampa watering hole/restaurant/pool hall/cover band venue L.A. Hangout (2025 E. Fowler Ave.) hosts a charity fundraiser. Live tuneage is provided by Dr. Love & The Transformers. (L.A. Hangout, Tampa)
SUNDAY, MARCH 19
