Bonk Festival of New Music This date's program of experimental sounds begins at 8 p.m. and includes works by Eric Lyon, Jean-Claude Risset, Hideko Kawamoto, Sarunas Nakas and Helmur Lachenmann. The pieces by Kawamoto and Lachenmann will be performed by the USF Percussion Ensemble, directed by Robert McCormick. (March 8, Friday Morning Musicale)
Voodoo Glow Skulls w/Union 13/Link 80/tba Voodoo Glow Skulls have been perfecting their third-wave ska-punk since 1988, when they formed in Riverside, Calif. They recently started their own label, El Pocho Loco (which, near as I can tell, means "the crazy chubby"), and are debuting new sax and trumpet players on this tour. Sharing Southern California stomping grounds, Latino heritage and a label (Epitaph), Union 13 are the Skulls' frequent tourmates. Doors are at 7:30, and tickets cost $8 in advance, $10 at the door. (March 8, State Theatre)
Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze This New England-based blues quartet has been quite the item in Europe for a few years. Fronted by Wally "Sweet Daddy" Greaney on vocals, harp and sax, and featuring firebrand German guitarist Uwe Herr, the group plays rollicking shuffles, frenetic boogie and smoldering slow blues and more. (March 8, Ringside Cafe, and March 10, Bourbon Street, New Port Richey) —Eric Snider
Bonk Festival of New Music This evening's program includes a recorded piece, "Velocity," by local composer David Manson, accompanied by computer animation and imagery by Lumena. The evening will close with "A Sense of Minerality," choreographed and danced by Claire Laronde and Elsa Valbuena, to Laronde's "Frissons du Son." The performances start at 8 p.m. (March 9, Friday Morning Musicale)
Sean Costello Twenty-year-old blues guitarist/vocalist Costello (yep, another one) made his Skipper's debut at 17, and has since been Susan Tedeschi's band leader and lead guitarist. The show starts at 8 p.m. and cover is $5. (March 9, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Argentina/Still/Dumbwaiters Great regional post-rock for a bargain basement price: Gainesville's droney, melodramatic Argentina were stunning last time they hit the Orf; Still features members and ex-members of Hot Water Music, Clairmel and Argentina, plus a cellist (yep, a cellist); Dumbwaiters have a whole batch of new songs, and they're still trying to get distro for Titles ... any takers? Cover for this all-ages show is $4 and doors open at 9 p.m. (March 9, Orpheum)
Southern Culture on the Skids w/The Forty-Fives Who woulda thunk, back when these guys hooked up in 1985 in Chapel Hill, that SCOTS would be able to keep up the moonshine-swillin', fried baloney-eatin', rockabilly boogie shtick going for six studio albums? Well, they have, and judging by the sincere ruckus they cause every time they hit the stage, they will be for quite some time. Atlanta's punk-fried, Hammond-fueled garage R&B quartet The Forty-Fives open the show. Doors are at 9 p.m. and tickets are $15 in advance. (March 9, State Theatre)
Bonk Festival of New Music The last night of the 10th anniversary festival will end with "Ziqquratu II" by Sarunas Nakas, as performed by a six-person ensemble. The program starts at 8 p.m. (March 10, Friday Morning Musicale)
G-Love & Special Sauce w/The Meryl Streep The playful, Philly-based soul-blues outfit will release their fifth full-length, The Electric Mile, this April. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8. Tickets cost $16.50 in advance, $18 day of show. (March 10, Jannus Landing)
Robbie Kreiger w/Supernatural Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9:30. Opening for the legendary Doors guitarist will be a Santana tribute band. (March 10, Club More)
Roger Sanchez As Roger S., Tribal Confusion and Transatlantic Soul, Sanchez is one of the reasons Strictly Rhythm was the leading house label in the early '90s. His first single, "Luv Dancin'," helped the transition of the late '80s NYC club scene from garage to the rougher trance sounds coming over from the other side of the Atlantic. (March 10, Fun Tampa)
Wild 98.7 Splash w/Ja Rule/Ziggy Marley/112/PYT/Scholars Word WLLD-98.7 FM kicks off Spring Break (though I believe it's always Spring Break around there) with local reggae band Scholars Word from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $10 with a label from either a 1- or 2-liter bottle of Coke. (March 10, Coachman Park)
Lagwagon/The Vandals/Ataris Formed in 1990, '81 and '97, respectively, these three bands represent three generations of SoCal punk. Doors are at 7 p.m., tickets cost $13 in advance, $15 day of show. (March 13, Masquerade)
The White Octave/'65 Film Show/The Scaries Chapel Hill's White Octave is a quartet built around Stephen Pederson, former Cursive guitarist. Emo powerhouse The '65 Film Show, from Virginia Beach, performed last here with Rainer Maria — no, not last time, the time before that. The Scaries are from Asheville, N.C., and despite their hippie-town genesis, mine a more anthemic musical vein than their billmates. Cover charge for this all-ages show is $5, and doors open at 9 p.m. (March 13, Orpheum)
Sugar Minott & The Black Roots Band w/Shaggy Dread Considered by many to be the architect of modern dancehall music, the sweet-voiced Minott formed Black Roots in 1978, going onto nurture a steady stream of young talent via his Youth Promotion collective. His unwillingness to make deals that did not include Youth Promotion ultimately lead to his remaining a cult figure, and not a superstar. The show's at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $12 in advance, $15 day of show. (March 14, Skipper's Smokehouse)
—All entries by Stefanie Kalem
