THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
The Ataris w/Flatfoot 56/Red City Radio/Lemon Law Indiana alt rock foursome The Ataris have been working on sixth LP and follow-up to 2007's Welcome to the Light for a rather long time. The release date is still unknown, but a working title — Graveyard of the Atlantic — was confirmed a while back and a few tracks were released on a 7" in 2010 via Gainesville's own Paper + Plastic, which will also release the full-length upon its finish. Also on the bill: Flatfoot 56, a bagpipe-wielding Celtic punk band from Chicago, and another P+P-repped rock band, Red City Radio, from Oklahoma City. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Supersuckers w/No Loves Supersuckers dispense barroom-brawling cowpunk with a grungy-distorted layer of garage and Southern-fried rock n’ roll, the cheeky-twisted songwriting covering a range of topics, from drinking and drugging ("Bloody Mary Morning," "Ron's Got The Cocaine") to country culture ("Doublewide," "Hot Rod Ralley"). After a few-year hiatus that saw frontman Eddie Spaghetti writing and recording a solo debut, Supersuckers re-grouped last year, did some touring, welcomed a new drummer, and are rumored to be working on fresh material for a forthcoming LP. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Soul City Sue w/The Dags/The Sunset District feat. John Mcnicholas We've seen the return of many old school local bands over the past several months — Spiller, Failure Face, The Same… The next group to reunite is melodic prog rock quartet Soul City Sue, which graced the stages of venues like the Emerald and DNA in the late '80s and early '90s. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
The Malah w/DJ Craig Heneveld How does a jamtronica band stand out amid the hordes that have materialized over the past several years? Since 2003, The Malah has followed the tried-and-true method of building up a loyal fanbase with relentless touring while evolving their instrumental sound. The Denver-by-way-of-Greenville, S.C. trio includes live players who layer electronic and organic textures into groove-laden soundscapes fusing elements of funk, jazz, world beat, trance and breakbeat; guitarist Brandon Maynard and bassist Elliott Vaughn are both heavy-handed users of synths, samples and pedals, while Seth Fankhauser adds percs to the mix along with his own sample-slinging and beat-driving. Third full-length Light Forms dropped in August. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
The Adicts w/Car Bomb Driver/The Dead Popes/The Destroid An iconic British punk band with a dystopian approach, The Adicts have been regaling fans in Clockwork Orange droogwear as ring-led by jester/frontman Monkey for more than three decades. In fact, 2012 marks the band's 35th Anniversary and a 10th studio album, All The Young Droogs, was released Sept. 11 for the occasion and apparently finds the quintet venturing into uncharted territory. The area's highest quality punk-skewed acts, from the bombast of Car Bomb Driver to the cool but grinding surf-rockabilly vibe of The Dead Popes, warm up the stage. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Datsik Canada has birthed a slew of young yet high-ranking dubstep artists in the late aughts and among them is rising 20-something DJ/producer Datsik (Troy Beetles). "I think dubstep has become so huge because it's a complete bastardization of electronic music," he's said. "There's a little bit of everything thrown in the mix and dirtied up. There are pieces of hip-hop, the bass from electronic dance tracks and the roots of U.K. garage and drum & bass … Dubstep is totally the punk rock of electronic music." Datsik's Facebook page is currently closing in on 800,000 likes. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones Side Door Cabaret welcomes Bradenton-based Deming and his band for an evening of throwback sounds that draw on traditional blues, West Coast and Texas swing, rockabilly and American roots influences as driven by guitar and infused with harmonica. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Chrissy Murderbot w/Navigateur/Spies On Bikes/Cj Milli/Subpirate/Sidedraft/DJ Mega/Soft Rock Renegades I didn't know Chi-town had birthed its own sub-genre of ghetto house called 'Chicago Juke' until Chrissy Murderbot came into my life. The underground producer/DJ also known as Chris Shively has been working the Windy City scene for upwards of 15 years, founded three labels exploring different facets of his aesthetic interests — progressive dance with Sleazetone, jungle via Dead Homies Recordings and newest booty music label Loose Squares — and he's also the man behind the blog, My Year of Mixtapes. His self-styled sound is "booty-rave-jungle-house-bass-bashment-ghetto-garage-core." A diverse range of Florida electronic acts warm-up up the stage. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Whitney James The rich-timbered vocalist returns to perform a concert of jazz standards as part of the Side Door Jazz series. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
William Elliott Whitmore w/Samantha Crain In his fifth proper studio release, 2011's Field Songs, Iowa-bred banjo-thrashing alt folk-roots troubadour William Elliott Whitmore delivers on his usual style of coarse sincerity and vivid, meditative storytelling. His gritty-resonant vocals serve as the perfect vehicle to evoke scenes from a fading American landscape as inspired by his own upbringing on his family's farm ("Let's go to the field, we’re gonna do some work, spend our day digging in the dirt / we'll hope the rain follows the plow, this piece of ground is our homestead now"). Warm-up for his current tour by petite Oklahoma songstress Samantha Crain. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Guttermouth w/The New Threat/Feral Babies/Wolf Face A night of seething angst and abrasive sounds as headed up by Huntington Beach, Calif. spewers of explicit punk rock, Guttermouth, their catalog covering plenty of tongue-in-cheek topics and featuring such hilarious song titles as the super-lengthy, "Hot Dog to the Head (A Hot Dog is a Food Not a Penis So Get it Right or Pay the Price)." (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Imagination Movers A four-piece formed in New Orleans nearly 10 years ago by four friends who wanted to produce a music/TV program that appealed to both kids and adults — educational lyrics set to familiar rockin' instrumentals. Imagination Movers started on a local PBS affiliate, grew in popularity enough to catch the attention of Disney in 2008, and earned a Disney Records label deal along with a 30-minute Disney Junior show. This is the date re-scheduled from March, with two presentations at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Skipper's 32nd Anniversary Party w/Vodkanauts/Gumbo Boogie Band/The Groves/The Sara Rose Band/New Groove City/Poetry 'n Lotion/Conrad Oberg/Halcyon/The Gerry Williams Band/The Crazy Carls/The Strangeways/Nalani Rothrock A free, all-day (noon-midnight) Skipperdome shindiggy that commemorates the restaurant/venue's 32-year anniversary serving the Bay area with tasty foods and tunes. The genre-spanning bill touches on brassy, metal-burnished post-jazz fusion of Poetry n' Lotion (which is now a five-piece with the addition of Auto!Automatic!!'s Alex Fedele on trombone and percs), to the Stevie Wonder-influenced funk, soul and R&B of Orlando’s Gerry Williams Band, to the surf-lounge rockin’ of The Vodkanauts. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
KillerB3 Documentary Benefit Concert Enjoy a grooving Sunday afternoon and celebration of the forthcoming locally-produced 2013 documentary Killer B3, about the Hammond B3 organ and those musicians committed to mastering the difficult instrument, nicknamed "the Beast." The doc features a who's who of B3 greats, including Palladium concert headliner Shawn Brown, who is joined for a B3-driven concert by guitarist Nate Najar and sax player Jeremy Carter. Proceeds help fund the release of the doc, and attendees are treated to a sneak preview of the film and meet filmmakers Murv Seymour and Joe Bamford. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Rachel Goodrich w/The Happiness Machine/Bootleggers & Baptists I love Ms. Goodrich. She's the petite "shake-a-billy" songstress with the big ol' velvety voice that can be sweet, jazz-sultry, or sly. Her music is just as colorful and varied, a marriage of quirky fun indie pop, modern swing and country folkabilly with light Latin and dance music flavor likely picked up from her native Miami. We don't see her as much since she re-located to the West Coast, so a performance by her and her backing band of "muppets" paired with a warm-up set by folk pop refreshing Happiness Machine should make for a delightful evening. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Blondie / Devo The "Whip It To Shreds" co-headlining tour puts together two pioneers of New Wave punk and synth pop. The Debbie Harry-fronted Blondie (which still includes original members Clem Burke and Chris Stein along with fresher players Leigh Foxx, Tommy Kessler and Matt Katz-Bohen) performs cuts off ninth studio album, 2011's Panic of Girls, along with all the singles you’d expect ("Heart of Glass," "Call Me," "Rapture," "One Way or Another"). Devo (Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale, and Jeff Friedl) has also put out a new(ish) album, 2010's highly praised Something for Everybody (their first in two decades), and is likely to mix up their set with newer material and classics like "Whip It," "Jocko Homo" and the like, and their trademark covers of the Stones' "I Can’t Get No Satisfaction," Alan Touissant's "Working in the Coal Mine" and "Secret Agent Man." The Bay area date is presented as part of a '70s/'80s Music Fest, and tickets are a mere $14. (England Brothers Bandshell, Pinellas Park)
Mark Kozelek This is one of those uncompromisingly hip shows that will likely never stop in Tampa, but will definitely draw some folks from here to Orlando. Mark Kozelek is the visionary singer-songwriter behind Sun Kil Moon (and formerly, Red House Painters). Though he just issued a poignant new Sun Kil Moon LP, Among the Leaves, Kozelek has hit the road Sun on a solo tour hyping Mark Kozelek On Tour: A Documentary; the DVD dropped in August and its sountrack follows this October. (The Social, Orlando)
An Evening with Ian Anderson The creative force of vet British prog-rock outfit Jethro Tull, Scottish-born flautist, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Ian Anderson, brings his current Thick As a Brick tour to town, during which he and his band performs both the 1972 epic along with the 2012 sequel in their entirety, with a 20-minute intermission in between. Story by Gabe E. forthcoming. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Skipper's 32nd Anniversary Blues Bash The second night of festivities, themed "Dukes and Duchesses," features old hand local blues and R&B dealers Dukes Of Juke (est. 1985) with back-up by the Late Night Brass Horns and guest vocal sit-ins by songstresses like Betty Fox, Beth McKee, Sara Rose and Annie Lyon (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Stevie Nicks The soft rockin' songstress with the distinctive, lower-register sandpaper-stroked vocals began her recording career as a member of Fleetwood Mac, and still performs with that vet outfit when the mood strikes, though she's proven herself a fruitful solo artist, too. Last year, Stevie Nicks released her first album of new material in a decade, In Your Dreams, and also celebrated the 30th anniversary of her debut, Bella Donna. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Ernie Evans and the Florida State Bluegrass Band w/Highway 41 South Bridging the gap between traditional and modern bluegrass styles is guitarist/singer Evans and his band of harmonizing instrumentalists, which includes upright bass playing wife Debi, mandolin player and fiddler Nate Lee, and banjo plucker and strummer Isaac Taylor. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
Florence + The Machine w/The Maccabees Flaming-haired Florence Welch is the robustly soaring voice and striking face of Florence and The Machine, not to mention the outfit's primary songwriter, though her oft-overlooked bandmates (guitarist Robert Ackroyd, bassist Mark Saunders, drummer/percs man Chris Hayden, harpist Tom Monger, and keysplayer and longtime friend, Isabella "Machine" Summers) contribute healthy collaborative input to the overal soulful, arty indie rock aesthetic. Worldwide smash debut Lungs set the stage for a much-anticipated follow-up, and 2011's Ceremonials found the band graduating to arena-size venues for their current 2012 U.S. tour. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)
Off! w/Negative Approach/Double Negative To top off a week that finds a diversity of high quality punk rock acts busting through town, hardcore punk supergroup Off! returns for another round of raging the State, which they jam-packed on their stop here last year. Off! features vocalist Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag), guitarist Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), bassist Steven McDonald (Redd Kross, Tourists), drummer Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, RFTC, Hot Snakes), and the LA fivesome is currently celebrating the release of a 2012 self-titled second LP full of fast, loud and punchy songwriting (the longest track, "King Kong Brigade," clocks in at 1:36, the shortest, "I Got News for You," 41 seconds). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Seether w/Sick Puppies/Kyng/Young Guns If you know South Africa's metallic, crunchy stomping post-grunge outfit Seether, it's likely from 2004 single "Broken" with guest vocals by Evanescence principle Amy Lee (former flame to Seether lead growler Shaun Morgan). Right now, they're backing fifth LP Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Del McCoury Band / Preservation Hall Jazz Band Two bands celebrating more than 50 years of active music-making unite for a joint tour that backs a 2011 co-release. Del McCoury is the 73-year-old ambassador of traditional bluegrass, his band encompassing instrumentalist sons Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo. Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a brassy New Orleans staple that has seen a huge roster of musicians come and go in its five-decade existence. Together, the bands explored the common influences and intersecting histories of bluegrass and jazz in the collaborative American Legacies album. The run of dates in support (including this Wednesday night stop) puts both bands onstage together in a rare concert performance. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
Kendrick Lamar w/Ab-Soul/Jay Rock "It's very clear why Lamar has been slated as the ‘next Kanye,” CL Contributor Deborah Ramos wrote after witnessing Lamar's recent Bonnaroo set. The much-buzzed-about 23-year-old hip hop emcee from Compton brims with casual confidence and possesses a relaxed West Coast flow he displays in tracks like the classily-named "Pussy & Patron," and the California pride-vibing "The Recipe." He dropped his first mixtape at 16, and has produced and released a steady stream of recordings ever since, both as a solo artist and as a member of West Coast supergroup Black Hippy (with Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, the former two joining him on his current tour), and he’s on the verge of releasing the debut full-length he recorded with legendary producer Dr. Dre, good kid, m.A.A.d city. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Zedd / Porter Robinson A Rolling Stone "Artist to Watch" for 2012, Russian-born German-raised EDM producer/DJ/songwriter Zedd (who releases his full-length first, Clarity, Oct. 9 via Interscope) has toured with the likes of Lady Gaga, Skrillex and Deadmau5. Electro house producer Porter Robinson (who’s only 20 and has already played sets at Coachella, Ultra, and Lollapalooza) joins Zedd for their "Poseidon Tour." The morphed set has both taking turns playing back-to-back tracks, and alternating throughout the night. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
