THURSDAY, MAY 11
KEVIN SO Asian-American folk-festival staple Kevin So has released 10 albums in as many years, and is reportedly adept at just about any style, from vintage croonerisms to jazz and R&B, on both guitar and keyboards. This is So's second UU Dome appearance. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
JUST RECORDS SHOWCASE St. Pete-based indie imprint Just Records boasts a stable full of groups that came together out of Eckerd College's student body. Which is certainly cool; the only drawback would be if some of your label's bands broke up upon graduation, as is reportedly the case with Armchair Romantics, so come see the group at one of its final shows. The more experimental Ship Shape and electronic-noise-laced Nines round out an intriguing young bill. (Bombshell Gallery, St. Petersburg)
IMPROMPTU This Bay area acoustic quartet specializes in the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Their last high-profile gig was opening for Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks at the State Theatre, and the post-show talk was that guitarist Larry Camp and his cohorts really took it to the headliners. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) Eric Snider
FRIDAY, MAY 12
JAMES BLUNT Truth is, the hit single "Beautiful" is the kind of ubiquitous tune that can turn people off to a new artist without every giving him or her a chance. The song's not even bad — it's just that you hear it a dozen times a day if you tune into the radio, or watch VH-1, or shop in a mall, or basically leave your house without your iPod. Yes, Blunt, the hip Adult Alternative guy of the moment, is associated with former Four Non Blondes vocalist/songwriter-to-the-stars Linda Perry, but he has a fresher sound than most. Also, he says "fuck" in some of his songs. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
.38 SPECIAL We won't judge. It's totally up to you to decide whether or not loving to air-guitar to "Hold on Loosely" carries with it the responsibility to support this fading Southern Rock-lite institution in a live setting. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD/THE MATCHES/MC LARS/FORGIVE DURDEN The Florida boys and frequent Bay area visitors Whole Wheat Bread mix pop-punk and hip-hop in a novel fashion, but are definitely heavier on the former. Perennial middle-of-the-bill Epitaph Records act The Matches stays the course; punk-savvy, Stanford-educated glitch-hop mouthpiece MC Lars gets clever; and Seattle's snotty-but-sophisticated pop act Forgive Durden dies for the sins of Ed Norton's other personality. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
GO IT ALONE/NOW SOLDIERS/ANCHORS AWAY/THE DAMAGE Two of the most committed, compelling and listenable acts in Florida metalcore, Pinellas' Now Soldiers and Jacksonville's Anchors Away, come sandwiched between a rock-infused hardcore act from Southern California and, uh, The Damage. You decide which is which. (688 Skatepark, Clearwater)
PAUL WILBORN & THE BLUE ROSES QUARTET: "LET'S MISBEHAVE!" Wilborn may run around Tampa in a jacket and tie as the city's arts czar (I know that's not his title, but I love saying it), yet he can't seem to get performing out of his system; nor can he get naming all of his bands "Paul Wilborn & the ..." out of his system. For this show, the czar and his Blue Roses Quartet venture across the bay to perform songs by Fats Waller, Cole Porter, Gus Khan, Irvin Berlin and other titans of the American Songbook, in a performance that's "Rated R for Racy." (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) ES
ODEM PRESS/MAH_ONE/SPANKY HUDAS/S2E/DJ KOMBATROCK Let's let eloquent, outspoken Tampa activist Kelly "DJ Kombatrock" Benjamin tell us about these acts, shall we? Odem Press: "Tampa's own Odem Press hate to be compared to Lightning Bolt. They're better than those crappy songs they have on Myspace.com." Mah_One: "After years of carbon monoxide inhalation he is seeking therapy through the manipulation of 45 rpm recordings using effects processors and broken toys. Spanky Hudas: "Owns a church in Zephyrhills that he uses as a bass for his wicked mashups and audio experimentation." S2E: "S2E performs Mooged out space rock in leotards out of the back of a baby blue VW bus with various members, usually passerbys ... He has a regular gig in the parking lot of Borders on South Dale Mabry. He once played outside of a presidential fundraiser and was a hairtrigger away from being blown away by the Secret Service." Thanks, Kelly. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
HANGTOWN CD RELEASE PARTY For those of you who remember Hangtown as a superior local Americana act that went kaput several years ago, this is not a posthumous sort of thing — Hangtown is back, in a slightly more rockified fashion. And the group brought a pretty damn fine EP, Gone Today, Here Tomorrow, back from Beyond with it. Helping the guys celebrate new life are Experimental Pilot, Four Star Riot, Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets, and their close friends/former Barely Pink bandmates The Threads. Come early; the music starts at 8:30 p.m. sharp. (The Bank, St. Petersburg)
