✔️ = Critic's Pick
Neil Hilborn Maybe you’re one of the more than 13 million people who’ve watched slam poet Neil Hilborn perform “OCD” — a frantic piece about the way mental illness can steal away love — on YouTube. Maybe you’re not. Either way, Hilborn — who only agreed to have a performance recorded so he could finally put the poem to bed, is going to have to do it on Saturday when he headlines Orpheum. This one isn’t exactly live music, but poetry has its own rhythm, and Hilborn’s “OCD” has helped others heal along the way, so there’s that. (Orpheum, Ybor City) SOLD OUT
TRAGIC DISTRACTION
Boy's Entrance's Tim Cain on the tragedy that made his new rock opera, Tunnelvision a decade-long process
Boy’s Entrance Maybe you missed Tim Cain in Tunnelvision, a rock opera soundtracked by Cain’s band, Boy’s Entrance, which was one of America’s first openly gay rock ensembles. This performance won’t be as ornate or detailed as the musical (essentially a concept album about sexual obsession), but it will be an opportunity to see how the electro-noir and funk vibes of songs like “The Bodysnatchers” and “The Wolf Is At The Door” have evolved since Tunnelvision’s run at St. Pete’s Studio@620 last summer. (Flamingo Resort, St. Petersburg) INFO
✔️ The Cadillac Bombers w/Blind Buddy Moody You can catch Teddy Aston behind the bar at The Hub sometimes, but it’s more fun to see the longtime Tampanian with a hollow body Gretsch in his hand while leading The Cadillac Bombers through a chest-rattling set of swing, rockabilly and jump blues. That’ll be the case on Saturday, and we can’t believe that undersung Florida folk and country legend Blind Buddy Moody is also on this bill. (The Hub, Tampa) INFO
Lutzifer Fest: A Celebration Of The Life Of Ellis Madden w/Dead Cat Lounge/Jehovah’s Sicknesses/Sibyls/Pagan Faith/Boney Fiend Ellis Madden — a Tampa punk rock staple who was an original member of Bay area ska band Magadog — left this earth late last year, so his bandmates in Sibyls plus a handful of hardcore acts are getting together to say a loud goodbye and raise a little money to help ease the burden of Madden’s surviving family. Also of note here: All original members of old-school Tampa punk group Jehovah’s Sicknesses coming together for a reunion show. (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
BEST LOCAL ALBUMS 2017
Infinite Third's sound grows even warmer, more human on Channel(s)
Alex Nicosia w/Infinite Third/Fr33dback/Punitive Lies St. Pete producer Alex Nicosia headlines the kind of show that’ll piss off the “tell that kid to learn how to play the guitar” set. He’ll have plenty of electronics-driven company (Tampa purveyor of polished electro-pop, Fr33dback; Kersey Williams, aka Bushi, and Infinite Third) at this one which is a break from the rock-oriented shows that’ve been happening at this Fringe District record shop. (Planet Retro Records, St. Petersburg) INFO
✔️ Telepathic Lines w/Flat Stanley/Jeff Brawer/Evening Standards It’s been less than a month since Tampa Bay got a set from Telepathic Lines, but you may very well never see the St. Augustine band play this venue ever again. The Alafia River Beer Shed is an off-the-beaten-path, Florida dive bar that dates back to the 1940s when it was a bait shop. It settled into the bar biz during the 1960s and plays host to an Indiana pop trio (Evening Standards) plus two Tampa staples (Jeff Brawer, Flat Stanley) for this Saturday shindig. (The Beer Shed, Riverview) INFO
LUCKY TO BE HERE
Seminole Heights celebrates community with a music & arts fest
✔️ Heights Unites Music & Arts Festival w/Ella Jet & Future Soul/Ashley Smith & The Random Occurrence/Tribal Style/Rebekah Pulley/Dean Johanesen/King of Denmark/Shae Krispinsky/Acho Brother/Brother Cephus/Samurai Shotgun/DieAlps!/Will Quinlan and the Holy Slow Train/more The Brew Bus north lot turns into a music and art festival on Saturday when organizers of Heights Unites see if the trust they put into music lineup curator Keith Ulrey (Microgroove, New Granada Records) turns into a kickass festival (spoiler: it’s littered with some of CL’s favorite locals, so yeah it’s gonna rock). An indoor stage will feature quieter acts, and a full preview of the event leads this issue’s music section. (Brew Bus Brewing, Tampa) INFO
✔️ Pink It Up 9! Ska Bands Against Breast Cancer w/Victims of Circumstance/Unchecked Aggression/Matt Bistok Banned/Jeremy Gloff/Saganaki Bomb Squad/Skabortion Twins/more Cancer sucks, and in its ninth year, Pink It Up! — a ska-centric show skanking against breast cancer — continues its tradition of using music to foster empowerment for those battling the disease plus the family members who lend support along the way. Jeremy Gloff — the eccentric Tampa songwriter and scene supporter — plays host and non-ska wildcard. (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
NEVER ALONE
CL Premiere: "Take My Hand," says House Of I, which releases Alienation on January 22
The Doo Dah Beasties w/House of I Does Jason Mraz’s “Lucky” make your innards tingle with joy? Well then, you’ll love Doo Dah Beasties’ “New Year’s Day” in which the New York pop outfit adopts the posi-vibes of that 2008 hit single from Mraz, adds drums and then kazoo with saccharin results. This one should have a little hometown flavor, too, since Bay area music teacher (and Displace saxophonist) Chris Sgammato plays on “New Year’s Day” as well. On Friday, the band also plays Seminole Heights’ Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café for the Tampa folks allergic to bridge driving. (Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg) INFO
FISH BY THE WATER
Tampa Bay Bluesfest scored record attendance with Samantha Fish, Buddy Guy, The Rides and more — photos
✔️ Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival w/Toronzo Cannon/Kenny Wayne Shepherd/Ana Popovic/Samantha Fish/Greyhounds/ZZ Ward/George Worthmore/Steepwater Band/Super Doppler/David Julia/Rusty Wright People like to complain that the Clearwater Jazz Festival used to be free to attend (up until five years ago it was one of the last no-cover jazz fests in America). Well, here’s the festival to make those squeaky wheels pipe down for a little while. General admission for the two-day Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival won’t cost concertgoers a thing, and the $25-$45 for VIP seating is well worth it, thanks to a lineup that includes Toronzo Cannon (bringing his new album, The Chicago Way, to Coachman), Andrew Trube-led Texas trio Greyhounds (teasing a forthcoming album, Cheyenne Valley Drive, due April 6) and Serbian guitar showoman Ana Popovic. The additions of Bay area fave Samantha Fish (she’s a Skipper’s and St. Petersburg bluesfest alum) is just icing on the cake. (Coachman Park, Clearwater) INFO
Cage Brewing 2nd Anniversary w/Holy Human Cosmic Roots Collective It's been two years and that octopus on Cage Brewing's wall still hasn't escaped its enclosure. Who wouldn't wanted to be incarcerated inside of the hoppy-heaven, though? On Sunday the brewery throws a free party complete with visual artists plus acoustic tunes (Saint Eazy), prog-pop (Cosmic Roots Collective) and blues-y swamp-punk (Holy Human) (Cafe Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
PHENOMENAL TALK
Ybor Speaks brings the power of spoken word to the Lion's Den (PHOTOS)
Tommy Phenom Tommy Phenom — an up-and-coming guitarist and songwriter — has been making his name known by appearing at series like Ybor Speaks and downtown Tampa's Wine & Rhyme, but this gig at the also-new Blue Note will be chance to see him in a listening room free of chatter and the constant clink of liquor bottle. (The Blue Note, Tampa) INFO
February 23-24, The Florida Orchestra: Dvorak’s The New World Symphony concerts Composer and Tampa native Michael Ippolito — a Brandon High grad — has composed "Triptych," a major 24-minute work for the Florida Orchestra’s 50th anniversary season. "It’s a fascinating piece that captures the natural beauty of Florida," Kelly Smith, communications head for TFO tells CL. "Cypress swamps as cathedrals, summer thunderstorms conjured up by a spirit, coastal waves." Ippolito said he wanted to consider what makes him Floridian. “Until now, I never thought much about what makes being a Floridian unique, or how to reflect that in my work," he said. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
ALSO PLAYING
Busch Gardens Real Music Series w/the Temptations' Glenn Leonard/the Platters' Joe Coleman/the Drifters' Joe Blunt (Stanleyville Theatre at Busch Gardens, Tampa) INFO
Glass House Point w/Ella Jet/Sondor Blue (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Matt Andersen (Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
Johnny Charros Band (Buckets Grill & Tap, Tampa) INFO
Sarasota Slim (Ruby’s Elixir, St. Petersburg) INFO
Danielle Mohr Band (The Living Room on Main, Dunedin) INFO
Reality Asylum w/Loloren (Transitions Art Gallery at Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa) INFO
Disco Inferno (Ka'Tiki, Sunset Beach) INFO
Blackkout (State Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Dallas Bohrer's Peace, Love, & Blueberries Festival w/Crossing the Tangent (A Chris Sgammato Student Band)/Somatic/Legacy and Friends/Between Bluffs/Displace/Acoustic sets by: Nathan Moore and Oak Ramble (Blueberry Patch, Gulfport) INFO
So What'cha Want w/DJ Fader (Orbit 19, Holiday) INFO
Spy Vs Spy w/DJ Steel (SubCentral at Iberian Rooster, St. Petersburg) INFO
Andrew Peterson (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City) INFO
The Bloody Jug Band w/Panic Fire (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO
Alias Julius (c.1949 Florida Beer Garden, Tampa) INFO
The Mak Brothers Band (The Wild Rover Brewery, Tampa) INFO
Live & Local w/James Trevor Pannofino (Jaeb Courtyard at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Triggerfish (late show) 3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Baby (early show) (3 Daughters Brewing, St. Petersburg) INFO
Unlimited Devotion (The Ale & The Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
Concert on the Bay and Living Room Sessions present “Kelly & Ellis” (House Show, Pasadena) INFO
Southern Culture on the Skids (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
Strut (The Bricks, Ybor City) INFO
Fencewalk (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Fig. 3: Love, Volume Closing Reception w/Mark Castle/Abstract Machine/Whirlynn/i_like_dogface/Burnt Hair (ART/ifact, Lakeland) INFO