The Hip Abduction w/The Funky Seeds/Danfield Funk, acoustic rock, reggae, blues, soul, surf, jazz and world music are all represented at the Skipperdome on this night. CL-approved swaying and grooving nine-piece The Hip Abduction leads the feel good jams with their Afro-beat and Caribbean flavors, instrumentals textured and brightened by brass (tenor and bari sax, trumpet, flugelhorn), percussion, vibes and African kora. THA signed a contract to record with renown Easy Star Records reggae producer M. Goldwasser (Matisyahu, Steel Pulse), and is currently working on a third album. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Michale Graves If you think you recognize the name, it might be because Jersey native Michale Graves (yes, it’s supposed to be spelled that way) enjoyed a few short-lived runs (1995-98 and 1998-00) raging lead vocals in The Misfits; or maybe you’ve seen his name in any articles about openly libertarian artists. Just-released Vagabond is his first album of all new material since 2008, a melodic acoustic guitar-driven foray inspired by the traveling he’s done and people he’s met along the way, and far removed from his horror punk tendencies. The album was entirely funded by Kickstarter (more than $31k raised), and another is on the way: The Lost Skeleton Returns, hearkening back to his more familiar aesthetic with 10 re-recorded classics and four new tracks. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Bombadil w/Zulu Wave From the realities of “Marriage” (“Would you still buy me dinner after the 200th time I dropped my silver fork, and the nursery rhyme stork never brought a baby to you?”) to the insecurities brought to light at a “Laundromat,” folk-pop trio Bombadil puts forth an offbeat perspective in their narratives. Multi-timbred vocals rise in lively harmony or in choruses of coos, hoots and oohs that are carried over a shimmering, brightly-hued mix of harmonica, piano, bass, guitar and rollicking drums. This tour hypes fourth album Metrics of Affection, due out July 23 on Ramseur Records, and is Bombadil’s first time back on the road in three years, after a debilitating nerve injury by member Daniel Michalak kept him inactive and unable to play for an extended period. Sound-washing post rock four-piece Zulu Wave supports. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Blast! Friday w/Pure Prairie League The downtown Clearwater street festival features live music right on the street. This time around, Blast Friday welcomes country rock vets Pure Prairie League, featuring pedal-steel innovator John David Call leading the sliding string melodies in songs like breezy roots ballad “Amie.” (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater)
SATURDAY, MARCH 30
WMNF Karib-B-Yan Kruze Music Festival w/Jambalaya/Impulse/Jahafari/Tifane/Johukames Possee/Trinity 7/Dewye Ranks/Iyata Christi/ Soul Liberation/ Zuberi & The Passion Crew/many more The fifth annual festival celebrating the sights, sounds, food and culture of the Caribbean is a joint tribute to ska/soca icon Byron Lee and calypso king Mighty Sparrow, with acts ranging from local African dancers to roots reggae music makers. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Florida Night Heat/Auto!Automatic!! In a power trio format, Florida Night Heat brings the post-tronic, stoner-psychedelic rage. Andre’s grinding, pounding basslines raging amid the texturized washes and cadenced passages of guitar by Jensen, his solos flavored with stoner griminess or spaghetti western drama that mount against the walloping, throbbing or steady-driving rhythms of Chris. Auto!Automatic!! also works the three-piece angle, but delivers guitar harmonics-laden and string-shredded rock as built by Brian, Adam’s lowend vigor and Alex’s technically-precise, pulsing drumbeats adding force to their overall sound, which can be aggro metallic or more groove-oriented, like a heart beating in intriguing time signatures. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, MARCH 31
Walter Strauss His style of layering rapid finger-picked melodies and harmonies, and use of rhythms and counter-rhythms give Walter Strass’ acoustic guitar compositions a more robust sound. His jazz and folk leanings have taken a world turn after he delved into West African music and spent four weeks in Mali studying with kora players like Grammy-winning Toumani Diabate, picking up plucking techniques and phrasing that he translated to guitar. This one-off stop after Suwanee Springfest is his last before departing Florida, and the 90-minute, early afternoon concert starts promptly at 2 p.m. (UU Dome, Tampa)
