AUTO!AUTOMATIC!!/THE SUGAR OAKS/MOUSE FIRE/HOW DARE YOU/DANGERFLIGHT/SOFT ROCK RENEGADES Acclaimed, local avant-instrumental rock trio Auto!Automatic!! returns to New World again to headline the second birthday of monthly music 'zine REAX, which also includes the Jason Isbell show the same night at Crowbar (see Music Week Brief above). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
TRACE ADKINS The country star responsible for idiotic hits like "Hot Mama" and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" has been hired to help lure folks to the Rays vs. Chicago White Sox showdown. He's scheduled to perform after the ballgame; the concert free with game ticket. (Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg)
GHOST OF A TRAGEDY w/STILL LIFE/FACE PLANT/BLACK SMOKE THEORY This Tampa hardcore/metalcore outfit are obviously big Hunter S. Thompson fans: "Fear and Loathing" is the lone song posted on their MySpace site. (The Garage, St. Petersburg)
VENICE BATTLE OF THE BANDS Twenty area acts vie for bragging rights, among them Port Charlotte death-metal group We the Wretched, the infectious pop of Saint Sweetheart, prog band Grimwood, faith-based sextet Welcome Home Eleanor, the classic rock of Englewood's Dirt Road Law, punk band Jack Somebody, Venice alt act What We Aim For and Nomads of the Nook, who offer funky jams. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday at the same venue. (Venice Community Center, Venice) —Amanda Schurr
AMP YOUR VOICE W/THE PROSPECT/PATHWAY TO PROVIDENCE/CHERRYHILL/TABLE SET FOR TWO Sarasota high school students pooled their energies for this Darfur benefit, featuring a promising lineup of young local bands that includes power punkers The Prospect, Pathway to Providence and Table Set for Two. The can't-miss act here, though, is Cherryhill, a stunning, classically trained acoustic quartet helmed by pianist/singer Kaela Bratcher and violin player Caitlin Whitehouse. Its soulful, melancholy pop suggests a maturity beyond the years of these soon-to-be college music majors. (Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota) —AS
JON CLEARY AND THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN As a session player with Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt and B.B. King, U.K. born, Crescent City-styled Cleary has proven himself an authentic purveyor of Cajun soul. Live recording Mo Hippa, the latest release from the piano man and his gents, is an inspired collection of R&B/funk covers (The Meters, Professor Longhair) and originals that captures their shack-shaking performances. (Ace's Lounge, Bradenton) —AS
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
EDDIE MONEY w/ISN'T SHE LOVELY/INYO/STORMBRINGER Hardly a year goes by that Eddie Money doesn't play a big outdoor festival around here. This time it's the closing night of A Taste of Pinellas. The pop-rock singer (and occasional saxophonist) scored several major hits in the late-'70s/early-'80s — "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Baby Hold On," "Take Me Home Tonight" — and has parlayed them into a solid, road-dog career. The 59-year-old's raspy voice has lost some of its power over the years, but those hit tunes still resonate with festival crowds. Opening up: Isn't She Lovely (1 p.m.), an all-girl rock group made up of St. Pete kids; fellow 'Burg-ites InYo, a young alt-rock band (2:30 p.m.); and the veteran classic-rock outfit Stormbringer (4 p.m.), an unfortunately named act for an outdoor festival. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg) —ES
DREAM THEATER w/OPETH/BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME A prog-rock group formed by a bunch of Berklee College of Music students, Dream Theater's bombastic, string-laden metal gained popularity in the '90s when the band had hits with titles like "Pull Me Under," "Another Day" and "Take the Time." (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
BOB MARGOLIN w/SANDY ATKINSON & THE REVELATIONS/RONNY ELLIOTT/CHARLIE VEGAS & THE NEW BLUES COMBO/DUKES OF JUKE This benefit show for the Childrens' Home Society of Florida is headlined by Margolin, a bluesman based in High Point, N.C., who touches on a variety of idioms, but relies on a rural bent. The other acts are locally based. Atkinson is one of the Bay area's premier blueswomen; Ronny Elliott is renowned for his folk-country narratives; Charlie Vegas and the Dukes of Juke have reps as house-rockin' blues and R&B outfits. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa) —ES
MONDAY, JUNE 2
THE OCEAN w/KYLESA/LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR/FLYING SNAKES/EMPYREAN/LEGIONS German metal ensemble The Ocean, which counts about two dozen members, brings the cinematic sounds and visuals to go with it. Could be interesting; just not sure how it's all going to fit into the Brass Mug. (Brass Mug, Tampa)
TUESDAY, JUNE 3
NADA SURF W/THE REPUBLIC TIGERS Nada Surf, the alt pop band that had a big hit in '96 with the single "Popular," comes to town in support of its outstandingly mature new album, Lucky. Check out my interview with the band's drummer, Ira Elliot on p. 38. Supporting the trio are up-and-coming Kansas City, Mo., indie poppers The Republic Tigers, fresh off a guest appearance on Letterman. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —AS
JUNE
7 Bogus Pomp Ritz Theater
