THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Taking Back Sunday w/Bayside/Transit The competing wails of co-vocalists Adam Lazzara and John Nolan twist and clamber over Taking Back Sunday's energetic mix of emo, punk pop and post-hardcore, first introduced to national audiences with the release of debut full-length Tell All Your Friends ("Timberwolves at New Jersey," "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)"). On their current tour, the Long Island, N.Y. fivesome performs the entirety of the 2002 album to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Kreayshawn w/Rye Rye/Honey Cocaine/Chippy Nonstop "I got the swag and it's pumpin' out my ovaries," Kreayshawn rhymes in viral single, "Gucci Gucci" (39 million views and counting), her high-toned nasally disdainful drone matching the ironic sentiment. The San Francisco mistress of white upperclass rap issued her full-length debut earlier this year on Columbia, a mix of pop, hip hop, dubstep and west coast scuzz as produced by Diplo and Boys Noize, among others. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Cult of Youth w/Outmode/Craow Formerly the solo project of Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean Ragon, currently a "post-industrial folk" music four-piece that he fronts, Cult Of Youth issued their first album as a proper band, Love Will Prevail, in September. Songs like "Man and Man" are marked by a clash of urgent violin, acoustic guitar, rising strains of trumpet, pretty surreal female backing vocals and the strong male lead of Ragon climb over deep pulsing drumbeats. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Nate Najar and John Lamb CD Release Concert Two fine locally-based jazz artists — nylon-stringed acoustic guitarist-composer Najar and upright bass vet Lamb, who recorded and toured with Duke Ellington for more than a decade — present So What's New?, a joint recording of instrumental duets. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Weezer w/Ash I bet Rivers Cuomo didn't think his mildly grungy and dissonant ditty about an unraveling sweater would be the rocket that launched his band towards super alt rock stardom. "Undone — The Sweater Song" along with follow-up singles "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So" off Weezer's self-titled debut set the blueprint for their smart, quirky, infectious power pop style and they continued this trajectory with a string of LPs (from beloved 1996 sophomore LP Pinkerton to more odorous output like 2009's Raditude). Live, Cuomo & Co. are known for performing mega pop mash-ups like MGMT's "Kids" with Lady Gaga's "Pokerface" amid traditional Weezer fare. Opening the show are Irish alt rock heavyweights Ash, celebrating two decades together this year. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Rib Fest: Buddy Guy/Jonny Lang/Come Back Alice Pairing award-winning ribs from near, far and wide with three days worth of high quality music, Ribfest returns for its 23rd year and starts with a blues licking kick as led by legendary Chicago blues singer and axeman Buddy Guy, whose technique and showmanship has influenced decades of artists, from icons like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to imposing younger talents like Jonny Lang. The latter, a 31-year-old with the deep souful smoky vocals and gospel-soaked blues rock sound, warms up the Ribfest crowd before Guy takes the stage. Come Back Alice, a jammy funky rock band from Sarasota, opens. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
Eric Lindell The singer-songwriter imbues his music with influences from both the place he was born and raised (San Francisco) and the place he currently calls home (New Orleans), pitting his winsome husky croon against a fusion of ‘70s warm blues rock, tender blue-eyed pop soul and grooving R&B-imbued funk. Eric Lindell has earned high marks for West County Drifter, a two-disc set combining two recordings (2010’s Cazadero and 2011’s Between Motion and Rest) sold at gigs and not officially released until last year. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Yellowcard w/The Wonder Years/We Are the In Crowd/Sandlot Heroes A mere year after issuing their much-lauded comeback album, When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, Jacksonville native pop punk/alt rock outfit Yellowcard has produced yet another post-hiatus LP. Southern Air debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and has earned all manner of glowing reviews, including a nearly perfect rating from AbsolutePunk.net, which wrote "Southern Air is the definitive Yellowcard album, featuring Ryan Key's most intimate and personal storytelling, Sean Mackin's most emotive violin contributions, and Longineu Parsons' ever-steady backbone behind the drum kit." (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Fujiki-Hastings Benefit Show #2: Bad Veins/Sleepy Vikings/Florida Night Heat/Zillionaire The second in a series of shows to benefit the family trust of late Candy Bars drummer Ryan Hastings, who was killed in a motorcycle accident last month. Among the bands donating their time oo this bill are Cincinnati synth rock duo Bad Veins (Benjamin Davis on vocals, keys and guitar and drummer Sebastien Schultz), currently backing a sophomore album, The Mess We've Made, marked by the duo's usual catchy appealing pop hooks. On stage, they're joined by a reel-to-reel tape player nicknamed "Irene" (sometimes introduced as the third band member) that adds a boost to their sound, and Davis is known to employ a megaphone or telephone in place of standard-issue mics. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
LeAnn Rimes Golden country pop darling LeAnn Rimes grew up in the spotlight, putting out her debut full-length as a sweet 16-year-old and catching nationwide attention with the title track, her cover of the classic melancholic Bill Mack ode, "Blue." She's since grown into a rather polished woman who issued her 13th studio album last year, Lady & Gentlemen, a selection of covers by male country artists like Vince Gill (who co-produced the record), Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Dom Kennedy w/Will Brennan "Yo girl got a cute face, her friend got a nice body, they just want to have fun, this my type of party," utters Dom Kennedy in his unaffected lackadaisical murmur over slow-jam R&B grooves and old school beats. The LA emcee (real name Dominic Hunn) has self-released six recordings; his 2012 mixtape, Yellow Album, features guest spots by Kendrick Lamar,Too $hort and Rick Ross among others. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
March Fourth Marching Band w/The Mud Flappers A musical ensemble and performance troupe, March Fourth Marching Band hails from Portland and draws on elements of jazz, funk, rock, and even metal, klezmer and Brazilian music to concoct their heady brew — dazzling brass as delivered by a seven-piece section with players on sax, trumpet and trombone, washes of percussion and rhythmic flair pounded and tapped and crashed and clapped by the five-piece percs corps, heady electric bass grooves, and visuals provided by high-striding stilt-acrobatics and vibrant dance artists. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Rib Fest: Heart w/Shawn Colvin/Conner Christian & Southern Gothic/Gregg Rolie/Sheri The rock songstresses of Heart headline the day two of the 23rd annual Ribfest. The classic hard rock group originally esablished in the mid-1970s by the co-howling Wilson sisters (flautist Ann and guitarist/producer Nancy) has delivered their fair share of femme-powerful fare, from earlier hard-driving and psych-grooving hits like "Barracuda," "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man," to their softer-edged balladry of the ‘80s and ‘90s like "These Dreams," "Alone" and "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You." Also of note: folk rock singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
A$AP Rocky w/Schoolboy Q/Danny Brown/A$AP Mob/Lundo Harlem, NYC-bred drug slinger-turned-rhyme flinger A$AP Rocky (born Rakim Mayers) is a member of A$AP Mob, from which he gets his name (and joining him on his solo headlining tour). He made quite a ruckus last year with his debut mixtape, LiveLoveA$AP, guest spots encompassing LA hip hop artist Schoolboy Q (also on this tour) and production mixing elements of country funkin' Southern hip hop with ambient Houston-style qualities; down or mid-tempo beats, sliced and twisted choruses, and A$AP Rocky's syrupy sing-song rhymes smeared over top and touching on anything from purple drank to his flamboyant threads. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Craig Morgan A country music singer-songwriter with a U.S. Army background who frequently brings his show on the road to military bases around the globe. Morgan is backing a sixth studio album, This Ole Boy, issued earlier this year via Nashville indie label Black River Entertainment. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
Glenn Frey A founding member of the Eagles, multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Glenn Frey was the co-collaborator behind many of the band’s hits, like "Take It Easy" (which he penned with Jackson Browne), "Tequila Sunrise" and "Lyin' Eyes" (both written with Don Henley), and "Heartache Tonight" (with Henley, Bob Seger and J. D. Souther). As a solo artist, he produced a number of Top 40 hits in the 1980s you might remember, too "Smuggler's Blues," "The Heat Is On" and "You Belong to the City" among them. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Steve Forbert w/Dean Johanesen With a few amorous pleas ("Meet me in the middle of the night, let me hear you say everything's alright … Let me smell the moon in your perfume") and a smoky-timbred drawl, Steve Forbert rambled into the roots rock landscape, though the 1980 single "Romeo's Tune" was his only charter despite a catalog that spans three decades and encompasses 14 studio albums. The most recent, Over With You, finds his straightforward songsmithery exploring the mixed emotions of personal relationships. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Rib Fest: Mongomery Gentry/Colt Ford/Matt Stillwell The 23rd annual weekend of ribs and refrains draws to a cowboy boot-kicking close on Sunday with a bill of downhome music headlined by Southern rockin' country duo Montgomery Gentry, which went indie after more than a decade of major label backing and issued seventh LP Rebels on the Run last year. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg)
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen A tight and choppy bluegrass four-piece from Raleigh, N.C., led by band namesake/composer Solivan on mandolin with back-up from banjo player Mike Munford, upright basssit Danny Booth and acoustic guitarist Chris Luquette. (Craftsmen House Gallery, St. Petersburg)
New Cathedral w/Geri X/Guiltmaker/Lions After Dark/The Tell Sign A wide-spanning bill of high-quality locally-brewed alt rock, from the bruised musings and jagged melodies of CL-approved singer-songwriter Geri X, to New Cathedral, their driving sound carrying hints of heavy post-hardcore and metal. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Darwin Deez w/Hollerado Darwin Deez is the sort of pop band you either find relentlessly charming or incredibly annoying — and likely your opinion is based on whether you've seen the video for "Radar Detector" and/or have witnessed frontman Darwin Smith bringing goofy back with his spastic dancing and Revenge of the Nerds-style good looks — Jheri curly brown ringlets, pencil thin mustache, pale lanky frame clad in a variety of vaguely ‘80s outerwear. I'd consider myself charmed. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Carrie Rodriguez Her father is Texas folkie David Rodriguez, her grandmother memoirist/essayist Frances Nail, and talented songstress Carrie Rodriguez seems to have inherited the talents of both. She plays fiddle, mandobird (a solid body electric mandolin) and tenor guitar, has sweetly twangy vocals, and fills out a repertoire of original roots rock and alt country odes (as frequently co-written by Chip Taylor) with re-imagined covers of songs like M. Ward's gently lovely "Eyes on the Prize" and "I Started Loving You Again," a duet by Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens. (Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa)
A Benefit Concert For Jeff Pinkham w/David Grisman/Jim Lauderdale/many more The Skipperdome opens its doors for a rare Monday night concert to benefit Jeff Pinkham, a local (self-employed, uninsured) multi-instrumentalist who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. Pinkham regularly performs with his wife Terry and son Josh as the Terry T. Trio, and has served as sideman and session player for a range of respected roots artists. Some of Pinkham's former collaborators gather from far and wide to donate their time and talent to the cause. Among them are newgrass mandolin-playing icon David Grisman, known for his long-running musical association with the late Jerry Garcia; country-Americana singer, songwriter and guitarist Jim Lauderdale, whose material has been recorded by the likes of Patty Loveless and Vince Gill; and fiddle maestro Jeremy Kitttel, formerly of Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet. Also of note: a reunion performance by The Sunshine Bluegrass Boys in their original lineup: Mike Marshall (mandolin), Ron Rimmer (banjo), Joey May (guitar) and Allen Waters (bass). (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Pretty & Nice w/Alexander & The Grapes/Emperor X/Jensen Serf Co. Boston's experimental indie pop quartet Pretty & Nice are fresh off the release of a new EP, Us You All We, fully funded through a Pledge.com music campaign and their first release since well-regarded 2009 sophomore album, Get Young. Quirky jangly first single "Capsules" is marked by thick grooving basslines, riffy guitars, tambourine-washed rhythms, fuzz-pop synths, and falsetto coos backing robust lead vocals that make cute queries like, "Why don't you step out and get your vitamins, from the sun?" (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series w/Chris Otepka Another fan-funded success story comes from The Heliogoats, which is really the performance moniker of Chris Otepka along with whoever joins him in the studio and on the road at any given time. The $6k he raised via Kickstarter.com went towards pressing four albums to vinyl, including 2012 latest Back to the Ache, and towards the tour to support it. Otepka brings his sweetly yearning vocals, clever story-spinning and acoustic guitar strums to New World for a solo set of serenades you might remember from NPR's 100th Tiny Desk Concert. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
An Evening of Jazz Enjoy a classy evening of music and a New Orleans style buffet dinner at this fundraiser for Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation's Education Initiative, which strives to provide resources, opportunities and guidance for arts and jazz education in the Tampa Bay area. Straightforward jazz combo Ray Biscoglia Trio — led by pianist Ray Biscoglia with backup from upright bass player Glenn Stevenson and guitarist Nate Najar — perform all throughout. (Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater)
Dance Gavin Dance w/A Lot Like Birds I/The Mighty Hail/The Sun/The Orphan, The Poet California post-hardcore outfit Dance Gavin Dance — which headlines this year's "Rock Yourself to Sleep Tour" — has emerged from the post-hardcore muck with a sound drawing on elements of progressive, experimental and psych rock. They did the band member shuffle numerous times since their formation in '05, finally returning to the original lineup for 2011 fourth album Downtown Battle Mountain II, though Jonny Craig was relieved of his clean vocalist duties after one too many meltdowns and Tilian Pearson (formerly of Tides of Man) is now singing in his place. Also of note: A Lot Like Birds, an intriguing post-hardcore act with frenzied punk and prog tendencies and a four-piece brass section that accompanies them on select live dates. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
