THURSDAY, MARCH 15
Greenhouse Lounge w/The Produkt/Mr. Saturn Jacksonville-based electro jam outfit Greenhouse Lounge draws on progressive house, jazz, funk, breakbeats, dubstep and drum & bass in their effects-strewn instrumentals, marked by heavy fizzy low-end grooves, warped and spliced vocal samples, guitar manipulations and melodies, and rhythms that force you to move. Dubstep purveyors Mr. Saturn and avant DJ/electro collective The Produkt support. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
The Business w/The Downtown Struts Leading the original surge of bands in the British Oi! movement, South London's working class four-piece The Business have been raising punk hell for upwards of 30 years. The Downtown Struts, from Chicago, warms up the crowd with their raucous, rah-rah spirited punk-roots rock. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Experience Hendrix Tour Electric guitar god Jimi Hendrix burned so bright in his too-short life that he left behind an ever-lasting legacy that continues to influence wannabe guitarists to this day, more than four decades after his death. The 2012 edition of the homage to Hendrix — which was born at Seattle's Bumbershoot fest in 1995 and grew to a nationwide tour in 2008 — features a star-studded roster of musicians performing and collaborating on select songs from his repertoire, among them, Billy Cox (the sole surviving member of Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys), The Doors' Robby Krieger, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Latin rock oufit Los Lobos, steel guitar wiz Robert Randolph, Dweezil Zappa (son of Frank and an axeman in his own right) and funk-master Bootsy Collins. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Listening Room Festival A multi-day festival of house concerts all over the Tampa Bay and beyond, with live showcases each night at the intimate Hideaway Café & Recording studio, a listening room in its own right. See pp. ?? for details about the fest. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
Blast! Friday w/Ryan Star/Junior Doctor Downtown Clearwater's monthly street fair and block party continues appeals to spring breakers for the March edition. Headlining the concert is rock singer-songwriter Ryan Star, who used his time as a contestant on CBS reality show Rock Star: Supernova to help launch his recording career. His second studio, 11:59, debuted at No. 31 on the Billboard 200. Support from Junior Doctor, a power-pop quartet that hails from Cocoa Beach. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater)
Steve March Tormé The eldest son of legendary jazz singer Mel Tormé presents a program of vocal pop and jazz, including selections from the Great American Songbook. In the 1980s, he co-hosted a game show Name that Tune, and he was a one-time member of jazz vocal group Full Swing. Currently, he hosts a syndicated radio show on the Music of Your Life Network; his most recent album, 2009's inside/out, features all original music. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo) —Rebecca Forman
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
St. Patrick's Day Rock n' Roll Party w/The Dead Popes/Jump Salty/Doll Parts/Avast Four punk-leaning local rock bands bring their rowdy made-for-beer guzzling sounds to this St. Patty’s Day party, among them, garage-surf leaning Dead Popes and all girl sextet Doll Parts. (Fubar, downtown St. Petersburg)
DevilDriver w/Dying Fetus/The Faceless/Job For a Cowboy Heading up the 30-date "Metal Alliance Tour" is Cali-based DevilDriver, a heavy groove metal outfit that issued a fifth studio LP, Beast, last year. Also of note: politically-inclined death metal trio Dying Fetus, from Maryland. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Mutemath A New Orleans alt rock band that was only on my periphery until their third album, Odd Soul, grabbed my attention with its seriously badass '70s-vibing prog-psyche rock sound, marked by plenty of crunchy grinding guitars, fatty fuzzed-out bass and synthesizers, and some electro-groove moments to keep things from getting too overly throwback. The record was one of my favorites last year and the reason I'll be spending my Saturday night in O-town. (House of Blues, Orlando)
Miss Tess & The Bon Ton Parade Smooth, low and sultry-voiced songstress Miss Tess addresses modern concerns amid a golden vintage sonic palette that draws on swinging jazz, honky tonk, blues, and roots-Americana. She and her band, the Bon Ton Parade, are on the road backing a new live double-album, Live Across the Mason-Dixon Line. (Ella's Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
An Evening with Roger McGuinn You know folk rock vet McGuinn from his time as lead singer and guitarist of The Byrds, though his solo output starting from the early 1970s and reaching into 2011 with CCD vastly outnumbers what he did as a Byrd. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Young the Giant w/Grouplove This show has been sold out for weeks, likely because both L.A.-area upstarts — fresh anthemic alt rockers Young the Giant and super catchy synth pop purveyors Grouplove — have blown up over the past several months, their tracks featured on MTV and used in commercials, television shows and even video game soundtracks. (The Ritz, Ybor City)
