FRIDAY, JULY 28
THE LEGENDARY JC'S Super-funky Orlando soul favorites The Legendary JC's make another of their regular Skipperdome stops. The JC's aren't funky in the post-jam P-Funk sense of the word, but rather in the snappy, electrifying old-school soul-revue sense, and they've been wowing audiences locally and statewide for a while now. If you haven't seen 'em, you have no excuse. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
THE ROCK BUS TOUR Rush Energy Drink, the folks who brought you those jam- and pop-heavy Rock Boat cruises, and Weekly Planet's parent company Creative Loafing team up here to bring you a pretty good idea — putting rising regional acts on a comparatively high-profile sponsored tour — that could've used a more discerning artist-selection process. This jaunt features two decidedly mediocre acts in generic Austin-based contemporary pop-rock unit Wideawake and Georgia's rootsy, jam-poppy Zac Brown Band. Neither of these groups is particularly reprehensible, and both ably ply their respective sounds, but if you're gonna offer exposure to hungry young musicians, why not choose musicians that aren't riding three-year-old coattails? (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
PETE BEST The former Beatle kicks off a three-night stand at Clearwater's Royalty Theatre tonight. Best continued to record and release British Invasion-flavored rock after being replaced by Ringo Star in '62, but opinions vary with regard to its quality. You might hear more early Beatles songs than obscure Pete Best nuggets at the Royalty this weekend, anyway. (Royalty Theatre, Clearwater)
WEAKSAUCE CD RELEASE PARTY Crazed Pinellas bass/guitar/brass combo Weaksauce has risen to the top of the current crop of local modern-rock bands over the last year or so. Why? Because the band's got energy, balls, personality and a reggae- and punk-tinged sound that never veers too close to Sublime's territory (or the Chili Peppers', for that matter, though both are fairly obvious influences). Basically, Weaksauce is a kick-ass live band that doesn't sound like every other kick-ass live band in town, and that rules. Tonight, the band celebrates the release of its new full-length Nightmares & Daydreams with a little help from equally groovy friends Elevated and EFfeX — and will be recording a live album to boot. (The Junction, Clearwater)
LANCE ROWLAND IN-STORE He's been in and out of town; he's been in and out of the local scene, as well, as both singer-songwriter and supporting sideman. These days, Lance Rowland is pimping his excellent, aptly named new release, The '70s Radio EP. His take on earnest, hooky, barely gritty pop-rock is straightforward and of the highest quality. Plus, his soulful voice just makes you think about tunes like "Baker Street," and that's totally a compliment. See him tonight in full-band form at Vinyl Fever; this one's pretty late for an in-store — it kicks off at 9 p.m. (Vinyl Fever, Tampa)
SATURDAY, JULY 29
DREAMS YOU DIE IN/24 HOURS TO LIVE/A HORROR STORY/FORTITUDE/AND DOWN GOES FRASIER/LOOSE CANNON/STAND BEHIND Yeah, I know — I pimped this final show by Miami metalcore favorite Dreams You Die In several weeks back, but it was postponed at the last minute to allow for 688 Skatepark's anniversary shindig. The lineup has changed a little, but rest assured you'll get every kind of brutal 'core your angst-ridden heart desires, some of it from as far away as Virginia. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
VELVETEEN PINK/D'VISITORS/GRAVEY RECORDS/POSITIVE RESPONSE Velveteen Pink hails from Gainesville, and rocks an infectious, good-time blend of hip electro-pop and organic funk that will have the most self-conscious hipster shaking what little ass he or she has available for shaking. Looking for the occasional Cameo-derived slinky synth line and irrepressible falsetto vocal? Yes you are. Here you go. Local groove titans D'Visitors also grace this rhythmic bill, as does St. Pete hip-hop/DJ/electro concern Positive Response. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
EMIT PRESENTS JAZZ BRASIL! EMIT top dog David Manson stokes his thing for Brazilan music with this show. The trombonist composer will join his wife, singer and native Brazilian Andrea Moraes Manson, in their septet O Som Do Jazz and play an array of bossa nova, samba, jazz and tropicalia. On their heels comes Brazilian pianist Haroldo Mauro Jr., who will perform bossa and other Brazilian styles. He'll be joined by local ace bassist Mark Neuesnschwander and Brazilian drummer Luiz Santos. For more info, call 727-341-4363 or go to www.emitseries.org. (The Music Center at St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg) —Eric Snider
BRADENTUCKY BOMBERS BENEFIT w/THE DOWNSHIFTERS/THE RANCID POLECATS/SPANKIN' FRESH/STUCK IN SHERMER/MORE TBA Benefiting the lovely ladies of the Bradentucky Bombers roller derby team, this show actually features some of the Bombers themselves, namely the two women in the Ramones-riffing Spankin' Fresh. That band's Doug Holland even wrote a tune dedicated to the hair-pulling combatants, and Spankin' will be performing it for the first time ever this evening. As if that weren't tantalizing enough, everything earned at the door goes to benefit the team, and there's even going to be a drawing(!) This also gives you a good chance to check out the venue, a new joint called the Moondance Café and Lounge. Let's hope that it becomes a solid spot for live music. (Moondance Café and Lounge, Bradenton) —Cooper Levey-Baker
TENSPOKE INDIES VIDEO RELEASE SHOW We've known, loved and sung along with Hudson's Tenspoke Indies for years, while they were known as Harry Dash. The new name hasn't affected the band's jones for playing aggressive, catchy modern rock all that much, so you know what you're getting. Tonight, the band revels not only in its advancement to the next level of the Zippo Hot Tour nationwide band search/competition, but also the premiere of the video for its song "Make Me Want You." Again & Again, Kingsfoil, Trace of Day (man, they're everywhere these days, huh?), and DJ Jason Barco fill out the bill. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
TAMPA BAY WORLD PEACE CONCERT This ambitious program is aimed at opening a dialogue on the Tampa Bay area's possible role in advancing everything from women's empowerment and environmental causes to using art as a progressive educational tool. Hey, wait, where are you going? There are interesting tunes, too, so calm your disaffected ass down and be intrigued. Artists as diverse as singer-songwriter/children's performer Red Grammer, Canadian composer Jack Lenz, "hoop dancer" and musician Kevin Locke, and young opera singer Holly Stell will collaborate on two programs, an afternoon show for the kids (3 p.m.) and an evening performance for adults (6 p.m.). All proceeds go toward local child-empowering force Character Development, Inc.; for more information, check out www.characterdevelopment.org. (Centro Asturiano, Ybor City)
69 FINGERS/PROJECT LOUNGECORE/VICTIM YOUTH/$5 NIGHTMARE Orlando's 69 Fingers deserve some credit for managing to play some ska music and not totally suck at it. Most ska bands water down their sound so much that the horns sound more Steely Dan than the Clash, but 69 Fingers keep the intensity high. The rest of the lineup specializes in the hard 'n' fast as well, just in case you thought that "Project Loungecore" was an irony-free name. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) —CLB
SUNDAY, JULY 30
TURBULENCE Like many contemporary reggae vocalists, Sheldonn "Turbulence" Campbell updates the genre's classic dancehall/toaster sounds with elements of contemporary urban and hip-hop. Unlike most of his peers, however, Turbulence — who first achieved widespread notice in '99 with "Word Wid It" — is also an accomplished DJ. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
BOWLING FOR SOUP/LUCKY BOYS CONFUSION/PUNCHLINE/ARMY OF FRESHMEN Isn't it great when pop-punk is really funny? Hey, I think so too. Unfortunately, Bowling for Soup is neither funny nor a particularly good pop-punk band. Chicago's Lucky Boys Confusion nabbed Next Big Thing status back in '01 with the vaguely ska- and hip-hop-influenced edge-of-punk album Throwing The Game, but its label dropped the ball with the follow-up, Commitment, which was a much better and more original album. Pittsburgh's Punchline is an insanely catchy post-emo nu-punk outfit currently flogging a predictably earnest acoustic release on Fueled By Ramen — which means the band is going to be huge — while Cali's Army of Freshmen marries a pop-punk background to the more mature, keyboard assisted take on pop so many middle-of-the-road, all-ages groups are going for these days. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THRILL SEEKER GHETTO STYLE FUNDRAISER I'm not saying the press release for this Gaspar's Grotto shindig is unclear. I'm just saying, what it tells me is this: If I give eight bucks to a bunch of people who want to jump out of airplanes later this summer, I can drink all the beer I want while listening to two bands, Last Day Alive and The Otherz. Oh, and I'm also supposed to bring a Motorola or Nokia flip-style cell phone, for donation to the hopeful skydivers' "African contacts." OK, so I am saying the press release is unclear. (Gaspar's Grotto, Ybor City)
A BENEFIT FOR SIERRA CLUB Stalwart local folk promoter Gloria Holloway, Skipper's Smokehouse and Tampa Bay singer-songwriter Bobby Hicks have teamed up to raise some money for Inner City Outings, an arm of the Sierra Club dedicated to helping urban and at-risk kids and adults experience and learn about the natural world. Passionate environmentalist Hicks headlines, and receives some moral and musical support via friends and peers like Frank Thomas, St. Augustine's Jim Carrick, Eddie Parshall, Pamela Jo Hatley, Barry Moses and more. This is an early show, running from 5 until 9 p.m. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
DUNEDIN PIPE BAND Did you know that Dunedin's had its own official pipe band for 40 years? You did? Where the hell have I been? Pipers, harpists, highland dancers, traditional singers — this award-winning ensemble (and member of both The Southern United States Pipe Band Association and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, naturally) is dedicated to preserving the history of Scottish musical traditions, and has it all. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
MONDAY, JULY 31
BRENDAN NOLAN Nolan was raised just north of Dublin and while he now lives in St. Pete Beach he — surprise, surprise — specializes in Irish-tinged folk. While he does play the traditional repertoire of songs, he's focused more recently on performing and recording his own stuff. He's played a couple of venues south of the Skyway before, at Rasher Tierney's in Bradenton and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, the latter of which is exactly where he's going to be this week. Wear green. (Sarasota Sailing Squadron, Sarasota) —CLB
TUESDAY, AUG. 01
FEAR BEFORE THE MARCH OF FLAMES/THE NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU/HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW/THE JONBENET A particularly technical and crushing evening of metalcore. The two groups at the top of the bill are both comparatively inventive with their frightening sonic psychoses; they're also both fairly regular visitors to the State. San Jose, California's Heavy Heavy Low Low specializes in ironically detached song titles ("Tragic Tragic Track Jacket," anyone?) and a derivative spazz-core sound reminiscent of early and less intricate Dillinger Escape Plan. Houston's The Jonbenet, on the other hand, adds Southern-rock swagger and punk propulsion to the mix to create something more straightforward, but also more exciting. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
