Viva La Records Mixtape Release Party w/Alexander & the Grapes/The Jackettes/Mo' Booty/The Other Ryan Willis We can’t seem to help it sometimes, but it seems like 80-percent of the St. Petersburg new releases we write about online have producer Alexander Charos at the helm. The 28-year-old is the frontman of Alexander & the Grapes and the head honcho of Yoko Phono studios which is an easy choice for artists looking to put that analog sound on their recordings. He also signs the checks at Viva La Records, which is retroactively honoring Cassette Store Day (“one of the more obscure capitalist marketing schemes,” they call it) with the release of their own mixtape, ironically available for download right now. You could also cop a copy of it at this show or up the ante even higher by showing up in person for a show featuring a trio of locals including neu-folk fire-wielder The Other Ryan Willis (you must listen to his double EP album on cltampa.com/music), pop-soul revivalists The Jackettes and Charos’s Grapes. Highlighting the bill? Miami’s Mo’Booty, an acid-washed garage-noir trio with a sound that suggests they’ve got a knack penchant for skinny dipping in the Atlantic Ocean on the first night of a new moon. (The Loft, St. Petersburg) INFO
Postmodern Jukebox Before our social media feeds were inundated with countless, aggravating puzzle memes and how-the-fuck-are-these-viral videos, Postmodern Jukebox actually provided some substance for the timeline. They did it by reaching back in time to borrow the sounds of doo wop, 1920s jazz and classic country to remake tunes by contemporary names like Ke$ha (before she was just “Kesha”), Miley Cyrus (before she was on The Voice) and Macklemore (before he was irrelevant again). The results were adored by casual music fans and nerds alike, and bandleader Scott Bradlee hasn’t let up on the pedal. They recently teamed up with American Idol season 10 contestant Casey Abrams who brought his bass to a session to re-record the Family Guy theme song. It’s two-and-a-half-minutes of vaudevillian, fiddle-stroking, tap-dancing fun, so you should definitely log back on to watch it (or just look above). (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
Shuffle For Haiti w/Pajamas/Kristopher James In this unforgiving news cycle, most of you have moved on from the devastating images coming out of Haiti after Hurricane Matthew ripped through the impoverished Caribbean nation. Cycle Brewing and Good Deeds St. Pete have not, and on Friday, October 21, The DIY, do-good club and brewery are staging a benefit concert and silent auction at St. Pete Shuffle. Every drop of the proceeds will go to help Haiti via Food for the Poor.
Good Deeds, which now boasts over 200 contributing members started in a living room at the beginning of July as our own country was still reacting to the recent shootings in Orlando. They've has staged several initiatives like school supply drives, but this show — featuring music from Pajamas, Kerry Courtney and Kristopher James — may be their most ambitious to date. (St. Pete Shuffle, St. Petersburg) INFO
R.E.M.'s Mike Mills: Concerto for Violin, Rock Band & String Ensemble We’ve been writing about bassist Mike Mills a lot over here, and it has a lot to do with his life after R.E.M. This particular chapter feels majestic and finds him teaming up with violinist and longtime friend Robert McDuffie for a concerto for violin, rock band and string ensemble (it’s a shame we couldn’t include this in our classical and jazz breakout). This performance finds Mills, 57, on bass and keyboard leading a four-piece band alongside two guitarists and a drummer. The idea for all this happened when McDuffie told Mills he was growing tired of playing Beethoven and Tchaikovsky all the time, so it’ll be interesting to see who’s having more fun onstage at this one. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Eden w/Elohim Perhaps best known for his Billie Jean cover, 19-year-old Dublin native EDEN will be taking the stage at Orpheum in good old Ybor City. Don’t let his age fool you -- for what he lacks in years he makes up for in musical genius. EDEN’S tracks resemble an a cross between Band of Horses and electronic house, a risky yet artfully executed genre all of its own. When combined with his honest, raw lyrics, the result is an experience that has to be felt to be understood. Tickets start at just 15 bucks and doors open at 8 p.m. (Orpheum, Ybor City) INFO — Kelly Smith
The Mantras Looking to enjoy a no B.S jam session that sways back and forth between funk and classic rock ‘n roll? Then head over to the sweet sanctuary that is Dunedin to take in the full experience of The Mantras’ music. The five man jam band prides itself on the fact that each show is unique in its own variety, and promises to tell a different story each and every time. Grab and beer at Dunedin Brewery and open yourself up to the full Mantra experience -- interpretations may vary upon individual. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO — Kelly Smith
Groovehaven Music's Grand Opening Warehouse Party w/Bride of Chaotica/Twisty Chris and the Puddin Packs/The Wrenchers/Nerds Raging/Peter J The Venture Compound has been holding things down quite mightily in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District for a few years now, and today there’s another reason to stop by that less travelled area just south of Central Avenue. BOTB-winning outfit Twisty Chris and the Puddin’ Packs bring their vintage surf-rock doo wop to the soiree and they’ll be joined by costumed mayhem makers Nerds Raging and others. (Groovehaven Music, St. Petersburg) INFO
Mike Bison CL loves Mermaid for more than just its phenomenal craft beer board; every now and then, it graces us with some chill ass hangouts and is nice enough to provide us with some live music. Mermaid promises that tonight will be a magical transition into fall with a top-notch curation of soul, funk, r&b and more. Expect Mike Bison to be the mastermind of the night’s soundtrack, blessing us with his subtropical vibes to keep us warm into Florida’s wannabe change of seasons. (Mermaid Tavern, Tampa) INFO — Kelly Smith
Florida Orchestra Masterworks Series: Jeremy Denk plays Mozart Karina Canellakis conducts while award-winning pianist Denk (Avery Fisher Prize, MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship) dances his way around works by Stravinsky, Dvorak and Strauss. Denk was going to work through “Concerto for the Left Hand” by French composer Maurice Ravel. He's ditching the piece first commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist who lost his right arm in a wartime injury, however, and will be performing Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 20" instead. Fans on both sides of the bay won’t have to stray too far from home, since Tampa’s Straz Center hosts on Friday while Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete Handles Saturday’s performance and Ruth Eckerd Hall opens its doors on Sunday. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts) INFO
MDC w/Wartorn/Sibyls/Dead Cat Lounge These days, Austin, Texas represents everything Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood wants to be: quirky, independent, hip and progressive. Three decades ago that wasn’t really the case. That’s where MDC (“Millions of Dead Cops” or “Multi-Death Corporations” depending on your taste for controversy) comes from. Frontman Dave Dictor used his pulpit to throw shade onto anyone in power, especially the government and police officers abusing their power both on the streets and behind the scene. The band, sadly, still has a lot of the same to be angry about in 2016, and while this show on St. Pete’s 600 Block has been turning heads, Fubar is going full speed ahead with it. “After all the attention this show has had [we] said screw the small talk and worry about the bigger picture,” they wrote online. “That is to host music that people want to see. Leave your opinions on the sidewalk b/c this show is going to rule!” (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
ALSO PLAYING
Rusted Root with Devon Allman (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) INFO
Road To Hulaween Tour w/MZG Bells & Robes/Future Vintage (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Party Time Reunion Show (The Bends, St. Petersburg) INFO
Slap Of Reality w/Radarmen/Low Season (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
The Hummingbirds w/ Mandy Rowden (Hideaway Cafe, St. Petersburg) INFO
Beartooth w/Every TIme I Die/Fit For A King/Old Wounds (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
Third Friday Music Series (Main Street Safety Harbor, Safety Harbor) INFO
Concerts In The Park Series (St. Pete Beach Community Center and Horan Park, St. Pete Beach) INFO
Mad Dogs (Joe Cocker Tribute) (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Damon Fowler Group (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
