THURSDAY, MARCH 28
Honey Island Swamp Band w/Lauris Vidal/Devon Stuart Southern licking and sliding guitar solos twist over jaunty piano and Hammond B3 grooves in gospel-tinged rock ’n’ roll rambles reminiscent of the Allmans or The Band, while other tunes by Honey Island Swamp Band are imbued with NOLA-style R&B-kissed blues or more country-bayou soulful Americana. Honey Island was originally formed by Hurricane Katrina refugees who met in San Francisco. They returned to New Orleans in 2008, added a keys player, and have produced a few recordings since then; the last was 2010’s Good To You. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
PaintDrop EDM artists spin club-bangers as pulsating lights swirl and figures in white coveralls holding tall tubes of paint spray blasts over the room as the bass drops, showering and coating the mass of bodies in spattered color that looks pretty rad glowing under the flashing black-lights. Welcome to a touring version of NC’s wild paint drop rave, which promises an up-close-and-personal experience to everyone who attends: “Come in white ... leave in color.” (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, MARCH 29
Spring Beer Jam Dunedin Brewery kicks off a new tradition with its inaugural Spring Beer Jam, presenting more than 50 unique brews to taste (like Orange Blossom Wit, Grizzly Brown Ale, Red Pomegranate, and Gold N Coffee), and free live music all weekend that kicks off with a pre-party on Thursday featuring Aquaphonics. Also slated: two nights worth of jams from Michigan psych-progtronic quintet Ultraviolet Hippopotamus (Friday and Saturday) and South Florida jam rock staple The Heavy Pets (Saturday and Sunday); support sets featuring COPE, a ‘Ramblegrass String Jam,’ and DJs Craig Heneveld and 45Revolver. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Secondhand Serenade w/Juliet Simms/Veronica Ballestrini/Bet Me I’m Lying/Rising Down/Drew Disparte John Vesely, the artist otherwise known as Secondhand Serenade, delivers hooky lyrics in high-toned emo-pained wails (ala highest-charting hit, 2008’s “Fall For You”) or pop-sweet upbeat choruses that offer sage advice as in new single “Shake It Off,” his instrumentals built on a solid foundation of guitar and keys. Last September, he issued A Naked Twist In My Story, which features all the songs off his 2008 album A Twist In My Story as re-imagined with acoustic/orchestral production. He’s also finishing up some new material for a forthcoming self-released LP funded entirely by his fans via Pledge Music. On this tour, he’s joined by Juliet Simms, a rusty-howling rocker songstress and Bay area native who almost won the second season of NBC’s The Voice, and is currently managed by her former coach, Cee Lo Green. She, too, has a new single out, “Wild Child,” and an album expected this spring. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Basement Sessions IV: Mike Mass/Poetry n’ Lotion/Death Starsky/De Tyme Poet/Mighty Jai/Louis Junior/DJ Qeys Billed as a night of “Poetry, Spoken-Word, Jazz-Fusion, Turntablism and Hip Hop,” the fourth installment of the Basement Sessions features performances by Tampa-by-way-of-the-Bronx producer and smooth-flowing rapper Mike Mass (“Cooler than the AC … smooth like the butters”), double-brass blasted jazz-electro-metal fusionists Poetry n’ Lotion, and Death Starsky, the current alt hip hop, dance and art rock project of emcee/singer Sin and rapper/producer Gage. More info about the duo and their new multi-media full-length record here. The dress code is “look fresh,” so put on your fly duds and get ready for a night of high-class entertainment as presented by Left Coast Bartenders Guild and Thx Mgmt. (Don Vicente Historic Inn, Ybor City)
Lydia w/From Indian Lakes/Sweet Talker I was digging hard on Lydia’s 2010 album Assailants when the Arizona indie alt-rock band announced it’d be their last. Keening guitarist Leighton Antelman has since returned without his former co-founding bandmate, Steve McGraw, and sans any female support harmonies. He’s still recording under the Lydia moniker, however, and self-released two albums since Lydia’s comeback — Paint It Gold in 2011, and fifth and latest Devil out last week — with a new lineup that includes Matt Keller (keys, guitar, bass, programming), guitarist Justin Camacho and drummer Craig Taylor. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Mighty Mongo The four-year-old St. Pete foursome, Mighty Mongo, returns to the stage where they won The Ritz Ybor’s very first Ultimate Bands Series competition in 2010. A bouncy mix of ska, party rock and punk-pop is marked by snotty, spunky boy-girl vocal harmonies and the guitar work of 1970s mustache-sporting member, Anthony Isoldi. The band is currently gearing up for their second time playing Vans Warped Tour this summer, but first the “Mongolians” headline the Royal Room Live Concert Series on Friday night. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) —Kelsey Sunderland
Man Overboard/The Story So Far w/Tonight Alive/Citizen/The American Scene Proudly waving the pop-punk banner (they even have a ‘Defend Pop Punk’ motto, Facebook Group and podcast/mixtape series) is New Jersey fivesome Man Overboard, established in 2008 and delivering youthfully fresh vocal harmonies and chasing calls, riffy power chords, and fast, sometimes breakspeed rhythms. The Story So Far hails from Northern California, has a similar instrumental lineup (five members, two guitars, two singers) and punk-pop roots, but brings a tougher, hardcore forcefulness to their sound; sophomore full-length What You Don’t See was produced by Steve Klein (of New Found Glory, the band whose song they’re named for), and dropped on Pure Noise Records this past Tuesday. The two bands co-headline this “Supply Nation Tour” with several rising acts backing them up, including female-fronted Aussie quintet Tonight Alive, their debut full-length What Are You So Scared Of? hitting the U.S. last year and peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
