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.
