THURSDAY, FEB. 03
STEEL PULSE This harmony-heavy reggae outfit from England was spawned from the same cultural spasm that birthed The Clash, The Strangers and the Police. After concentrating on pop crossover for the better part of two decades, Steel Pulse returned to the socially conscious roots orientation of Jamaican reggae in the last few years. Their latest disc, last year's African Holocaust, is a case in point. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg) -Eric Snider
THE TOASTERS w/THE SUPERVILLAINS/RUDESQUAD/THE COHORTS The Toasters are America's longest running ska act; they were a major influence on the '90s Third Wave ska-punk trend, but are much, much better than all of those bands, mostly eschewing a youth-marketing edge in favor of a blend of roots-reverent rhythms and funky, jazzy eclectica. Finally, Jagermeister is sponsoring non-metal bands. A trio of Florida acts provides support: Orlando's Supervillains, long-running Pinellas favorites RudeSquad, and new arrivals The Cohorts, who count nutty-ass Fang Shooey bassist Mitchy B. among their ranks. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
BARRY & HOLLY TASHIAN w/MIKE O'NEILL The Tashians are a pair of songwriters in the old-school mode, collaborating to create a timeless blend of country, folk and roots music. Pre-hookup, Barry Tashian fronted the legendary Barry & The Remains; post-hookup, the duo's '90 album Harmony was nominated for a Nashville Music Awards Bluegrass Album of the Year prize. Unrequited Loves frontman Mike O'Neill, whose jangly poetic style manages to sound simultaneously collegiate and heartfelt, opens. (Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa, Tampa)
FRIDAY, FEB. 04
HARRY DASH CD RELEASE PARTY Pasco County's hardest working pop-rock foursome has yet another accomplishment to add to its lengthy collective resume: the video for their song "Sugar High" was selected for inclusion on this year's Can't Dance DVD compilation, an industry marketing sampler that gets handed out at big-time events like The Sundance Film Festival. But the band's not resting on its laurels. Tonight marks the release of its latest CD, Momentum. The addition of DC North, Annie on Distortion, and one of my favorites, The Human Echo, make this a damn fine local rock bill. (Bourbon Street, New Port Richey)
ACOUSTIC SYNDICATE This North Carolina-based jam/jazz/bluegrass family affair brings its tight harmonies and instrumental prowess to town in support of last October's Long Way Round. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
LIL SCRAPPY Lil' Scrappy hails from Atlanta, where some enterprising label types first scoped the young MC holding a monster crowd of his high-school peers in thrall. A deal with the BME label and a record steeped in the bouncy Southern sound soon followed. (USF Special Events Center, Tampa)
DEBUSSY STRING QUARTET Lyon, France's finest (and the winner of a battle of the bands you probably didn't know existed, the Evian International String Quartet Competition) deliver a highbrow program of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. (Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, Tarpon Springs)
TSUNAMI RELIEF BENEFIT This is just the first of a fusillade of upcoming shows aimed at raising some relief cash for the stricken Indian Ocean Basin. Represent, people. This is a particularly good local show in any case, spanning the spectrum from hardcore to indie hip-hop; it's not like you gotta listen to crap in the name of doing your part. The lineup: Tribal Style, this week's cover boys The Beauvilles, Red Tide, This Day On, Surreal & DJ Balance (of Double Helix fame), Clenchfist, Science-Non-Fiction, Johnny Utah, gleeful rock troublemakers The Standing Shadows, and DJ Blenda. I can't recommend it enough. (Masquerade, Ybor City)
LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS/BLUES PIG/TIM DORSEY BOOK SIGNING Call it a harmonic convergence. Thanks, Skipper's and Suncoast Blues Society. Not only do you get some smokin' blues, but come early enough, and you also get a chance to render your copy of Floridian author Tim Dorsey's Torpedo Juice instantly eBay-worthy, courtesy of the man himself. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MASON JENNINGS w/THE HUMAN CONDITION/THE CUBAN SANDWICH CRISIS Rootsy singer-songwriter Jennings started playing originals live as a youngster, and has since built a loyal following the old-fashioned way - one show at a time. It's starting to pay off; the insurgent-country bible No Depression praised his latest, Use Your Voice, and the album inspired a new tour documentary titled Use Your Van. Supporting Jennings on this particular date are a couple of earthy, strummy pop ensembles from the area, The Human Condition and The Cuban Sandwich Crisis, the latter of which is slowly but encouragingly recovering from a bout of cover gig-itis. (Boomerz Boiler Room, Seminole)
SATURDAY, FEB. 05
SCREW MUSIC FOREVER PRESENTS COME THE FREAK ON Ten years ago, some local musicians decided to turn the logo they'd been stamping on art-pop act Home's cassette releases into a true record label, and released a split 7-inch featuring Home and the brilliantly experimental Bay area trio Ima. Since then, the Screw Music Forever imprint has appeared on its fair share of records, but more than anything, it serves as a force to both unify a cadre of philosophically kindred (and mostly Tampa-bred) artists, and cross-promote their various works. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of that first SMF offering, the co-op is bringing its biannual festival of fringe music (traditionally held in Brooklyn), er, home. Says Brian Repetto, SMF co-founder and singer for long-running Tampa iconoclasts Dumbwaiters, "it's a mixture of the old-school bands everybody remembers, and all of the new projects." The lineup, so far: Home, The Unrequited Loves, Baby Robots, Leels, Dumbwaiters, Errant Strike, Shittalker, Nut Tank, Jarvic 7, and Bound. Things kick off at 6 p.m. Expect excellence. For more on Dumbwatiers, check out this issue's Music feature; for more on Screw Music Forever, hit 'em up at www.screwmusicforever.com. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
