THURSDAY, MAY 30
The Rascals The power-pop/R&B influenced sounds of New Jersey’s Rascals sound as fresh as ever and still elicit nothing but good vibes and memories whenever one of their many 1960s hits crank from a car radio. Playing in their original lineup for the first time since 1970, the band’s current “Once Upon a Dream” tour promises to be more than a lame attempt to recapture past glories. The performance is billed as a live biography of the band rather than an ordinary concert. Vintage film footage inter-spliced with narration and filmed scenes of actors portraying the band at various significant events from their illustrious career enhance the experience. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Gabe Echazabal
Jason Michael Carroll w/Zach Lockwood The Round-Up is one of the few places where the masses can pay homage to modern Country Western culture. Sometimes they get it wrong (“Redneck Fridays” doesn’t quite cut it as PC, does it?), but the line dancing and concerts are right on. On this night, the club welcomes Jason Michael Carroll, a 34-year-old Houston native who’s the product of the Nashville country music machine. He doesn’t necessarily break new ground on any of his three LPs, but songs like “Growing Up Is Getting Old,” “Livin’ Our Love Song” and “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead” are perfectly written and continue to mine common-man themes like shotgunning beers, thinking you’ve found “true love,” and burning the candle at both ends. (The Round-Up, Tampa) —Ray Roa
Summerland Tour 2013: Everclear, Live, Filter and Sponge Nothing makes you feel old quite like a traveling carnival with the kind of vintage alt-guitar combos that can now safely be played on classic-rock radio stations. Inaugurated by Everclear principal Art Alexakis last year, Summerland sports a lineup of enviably successful acts that will appeal to anyone whose existence and aural adventurousness peaked in the mid-’90s. Which is by no means a judgment; each of these bands contributed at least one truly well-crafted alt-rock hit to the genre canon, from Everclear’s “Santa Monica” and Live’s “I Alone” (a personal favorite) to Filter’s apparently immortal “Hey Man Nice Shot” and Sponge’s somewhat less perennial “Plowed.” One question: Where’s Lit? Man, I still love me some Lit. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Scott Harrell
FRIDAY, MAY 31
Cody Simpson w/Ryan Beatty/Before You Exit As long as there are kids finding their way through puberty, there will always be tween-pop, and Australia’s most popular contribution to the genre comes in the form of Cody Simpson, a fair-haired 16-year-old with the kind of chiseled features and good looks that tend to coerce tinnitus-inducing shrills from legions of rabid fans. Songs like “Summer Shade” and “On My Mind” are feel-good anthems devoid of the scandalous themes that often pepper modern pop, so expect a packed house ready to sing along to each and every innocent word of Simpson’s set. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center, Tampa) —RR
Pretty & Nice w/Alexander & The Grapes/The Happiness Machine/Jensen Serf Co. Enjoy optimum post-workweek replenishment with a lineup offering a thoughtfully assembled and complementary mix of local and national acts, thanks to show promoter New Granada. The band name Pretty & Nice means no irony whatsoever. The Bostonians’ sound is what you’d expect and more — cheeky British-Invasion-flavored mischief, psychedelic effects, shimmy-shaking fun and sing-along-ability. They’re on an East Coast tour with locals on the rise Alexander and the Grapes, which joins the ephemeral Happiness Machine and lo-fi wonders Jensen Serf Co.; altogether, an uplifting showcase inventive bands with varying degrees of ebullience and eccentricity. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg) —Julie Garisto
Blast Friday w/The Fixx Who remembers the two '84 shows at the old Bayfront Theatre (curently the Mahaffey Theatre) that featured The Fixx and were filmed for an MTV broadcast? Well, if you do and you were there, you ought to be allowed to attend Friday night’s Fixx show for free. Of course, everyone is allowed to see one of the best-selling bands of the 1980s for free as part of the Blast Friday series in downtown Clearwater. Lead singer Cy Curnin is as animated as ever on stage with his theatrics and Bowie-isms, and lead guitarist Jamie West-Oram still packs a mighty mean punch. (Cleveland Street, Clearwater) —GE
Lushbudget w/The Wallies/The Black Marys/Fowler’s Bluff St. Pete act Lushbudget’s website is a mesmerizing online marvel, full of minimalist design, dramatic alt-rock and some encouragingly disturbing art-damaged music videos. The group’s real strength lies in incorporating just enough raw emotion to stay on the safe side of the line where ambition topples over into pretense. South-of-the-Skyway act The Wallies balances melodic punk with sexy garage rawness, St. Pete’s The Black Marys bare their dirty and eclectic souls, and Fowler’s Bluff — featuring former members of The Boats — gives up a rhythmic, dynamic and varied blend of jazz intent and posthardcore execution. Highly recommended. (Local 662, St. Petersburg) —SH
Andrew W.K. w/Neglected Superhero/More Potentate of partying, maestro of madness, and all-around good dude Andrew W.K. returns to his once-home state for the only full-band show on his a “Human Party Machine Tour.” Playing music since the age of four, W.K. seemingly crash-landed onto the Billboard charts with hit single “Party Hard” and debut album I Get Wet back in 2001. He followed up with the more popular, but less memorable The Wolf in 2003, and the almost never released Close Calls with Brick Walls in 2006, before expanding his party-loving persona into the realms of motivational speaking, writing, and all-around celebrity. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —Andrew Silverstein
The Heavy Pets w/Displace Fort Lauderdale’s Heavy Pets have been running the poppier side of the ever-stoned jam band scene since their full-length debut Whale in 2007. Two albums and an EP of reggae and folk-tinged pop rock have come in the ensuing years, but The Heavy Pets reserve sprawling solos and drunken rambling grooves for their live sets, stretching and twisting their originals into deliriously giddy exercises in instrumental playfulness and virtuosity. The group of players they’ve assembled for recent shows seems to draw out the inherent spaciness in the band’s instrumentals. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Colin Joyce
Florida Night Heat CD Release Party Stoner-psych power trio Florida Night Heat bring their sweaty inferno to New World in celebration of a new four-song vinyl outing. Omegas finds Florida Night Heat in their current mode of build, stretch and crush — whether it’s the ambient experimentations dissolving into heavy reverb, rhythms and fuzzed-out distortion ala “Philistines,” or the mix of deliberate smolder and vigorous drive in “Ice Station Larc,” the guitar and bass taking turns between straightforward and ominous phrasing as backed by a marching or stealthily creeping backbeat, all of it riding to a crashing conclusion. Warming up the stage are Orlando jangle-garage three-piece Alias Punch; AJ Vincent, former keyboardist of Austin indie rock outfit Bright Light Social Hour doing his solo thing; and experimental local rockers Sun Signs. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —Leilani Polk
Face to Face Twenty-two years after taking the name Face to Face and trading in metal for punk rock, these So-Cal punk rock vets who came up with the likes of The Offspring and Lagwagon have returned with their Rise Records debut and eighth studio album, Three Chords and a Half Truth. Known for pounding drums, enormous bass lines and anthemic choruses, the band melds old-school punk rock with the classic mid-’90s California punk they are known for. Also on the bill are Teenage Bottle Rocket, purveyors of energetic, youthful punk rock, and Blacklist Royals, road warriors who put the rock in punk rock. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Daniel Figueroa
Hannah Aldridge The daughter of Alabama Music Hall of Fame songwriter Walt Aldridge, Hannah is a seasoned staff songwriter for BAR Music. While most of her songs are sweet, dainty and sincere, others have a grittier, folk and Americana appeal. What her voice lacks in twang is more than made up for by a sultry, breathy vibrato that is earnest and organic. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg) —Tyler Killette
SATURDAY, JUNE 1
Lovebrrd/Tender Cruncher/Young Egypt/more As per usual, the unusual has become routine at Venture Compound. This particular show kicks off a month-long, 32-date national tour put together by Sarasota-DIY label Lava Church, which tends to release off-kilter electronica that ranges from stripped-down beat exploration (Lovebrrd’s Morning Sickness), synth-ed out industrial (Tender Cruncher’s “Chill”), and one strangely glorious cover album paying tribute to New Order’s Technique. What’s more, Lovebrrds’s Patrick McBratney will also be using the tour to gather info for an upcoming book that explores the effects of the Internet on DIY music & art culture. Ambitious? Admirable? Most definitely. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg) —RR
Resinated w/Danfield/Roots For Change/AJEVA Pop-reggae funk fusion band from Madeira Beach, Resinated, headlines a night of feel-good jam bands with its dancey choruses, and catchy tunes about getting high and enjoying life. St. Pete-based indie roots reggae band Danfield, their simplistic yet adequately funky style incorporating electric and acoustic guitars, bongos and an occasional standing double bass. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) —TK
Gareth Emery Though the English trance producer and DJ began gaining recognition immediately with the release of his debut track “Nervous Breakdown” in 2002, Gareth Emery’s impressive fourth track “GTR-Mistral” is generally considered to be the one that launched him to unimaginable new heights in that same year. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City) —Mina Abgoon
Indigo Girls Grammy-winning folk duo the Indigo Girls are known for pitch-perfect harmonies and hummable melodies. Now they’re adding some oomph to their acoustic catalog on their current tour. The iconic folkies — Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who have written and performed together for more than two decades — travel with a full symphony orchestra, creating a more bombastic sound. “It can bring new dimension to old songs as well as highlight songs that have string arrangements on the recordings but were never played live in an orchestrated configuration,” Ray saya. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —Tiffany Razzano
The Applebutter Express/The Bloody Jug Band/Troy Youngblood No stranger to the local folk music scene, the Tampa-based funky bluegrass/Americana band Applebutter Express brings its spirited uke-based tunes back to Ybor City. Led by husband and wife duo Kyle and Shannon Biss, Applebutter Express has played their share of big-name festivals, including Bonnaroo in 2012. Also on the lineup, with a slightly darker take on folk music, is The Bloody Jug Band from Orlando. Described as “swamp noir,” the bluesy rock eight-piece draws inspiration from jug bands of the 1920s and 1930s. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —TK
A Slice of the Burg Music & Arts Festival: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic w/The Black Honkeys/Fall on Purpose/others Downtown St. Pete is about to get funky, y’all, and it’s all in the name of saving an historic landmark. A Slice of the Burg promises an all-day block party highlighted by art events, tasty food vendors and music performances headlined by the Funkmaster general himself, George Clinton, who bringd his traveling carnival known as Parliament Funkadelic to the ’Burg in the hopes of making a Mothership Connection with fans. Proceeds go toward efforts to Save The Historic YMCA Building. There ain’t nothin’ funky about that. (Historic YMCA, St. Petersburg) —Joe Bardi
Halcyon w/Cuba Luna Acoustic folk duo Halcyon (Deb Hunseder and Steph Callahan) have been writing music and performing together throughout Tampa Bay and around the country for more than 20 years. Their harmonizing vocals, which blend together perfectly à la the Indigo Girls (who happen to be performing the same night, at Ruth Eckerd Hall), and on-stage chemistry make for a lively, engaging act. Special guest, Brandon-based singer-songwriter Cuba Luna, who got her start performing on the streets of Ybor City, opens. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —TR
Steve Connelly, Ed Woltil & Dean Johanesen Three local linchpins and old friends gather for what’s sure to be a memorable evening. Formerly of the Headlights and Drive-Thru Church, Connelly is a studio production deity and continues to rock with his band the Lesser Gods. Woltil (The Ditchflowers) and Connelly’s bandmate in the Headlights and Drive-Thru Church, is known for his keen pop sensibilities. They’re joined by Johanesen (The Human Condition) — the junior of the three but equally formidable. The all-star trio will play in-the-round, joining in with one another in different configurations, performing old-band tunes and newer tunes. Woltil says he’s been working on a new release, Paper Boats, and will play selections from his solo effort. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg) —JG
Fifth Annual IPA Festival w/Dopapod Nothing goes better with good beer than good music, which is something Dunedin Brewery is well aware of. For the fifth annual edition of this hoppy-flavored fest, the microbrewery pairs more than 35 IPAs, double IPAs and experimental IPAs with live rock ’n’ roll by one of the fastest rising acts in the jam band community: Dopapod. The four musicians deliver a kaleidoscopic synthesis of mind-melting electro, sci-fi funkiness, and fusionistic jazz and prog-rock via intricate guitar lines, swirling organ and a rhythm section laying down some of the most danceable grooves around. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) —Matthew Drozdeck & Leilani Polk
SUNDAY, JUNE 2
Dirty Names w/Oxford Noland Non-pretentious, down-home and lively, the next Hub lineup is a solid one, for sure. The Dirty Names hail from the mid-Atlantic region and aim “to bring back the lost art of pure Rock and Roll with a modern twist.” They should appeal to fans of Alabama Shakes and Black Keys. Cousins Aaron Buckingham and Josh Harrell make up Tampa-based dynamic duo Oxford Noland (formerly ootleggers and Baptists). (The Hub, Tampa) —JG
Frampton’s Guitar Circus The man with the golden locks and the screaming Gibson Les Paul who rose to super-stardom in the mid-’70s with his record-breaking live album has never stopped creating great music and touring. The locks may be gone but Peter Frampton’s guitar prowess is still alive and well. For his current tour, Frampton has enlisted Grammy-award winning blues guitarist Robert Cray to accompany him on his “Frampton’s Guitar Circus” tour, and it promises to be a jaw-dropping night of guitar excellence. The ever-revolving cast of guest guitarists boasts some pretty impressive names. Our stop also feature Steve Cropper, the legendary Memphis player who was an original member of soul/rock outfit, Booker T. and the MGs. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —GE
Jimmy Thackery w/Hadden Sayers Just calling gritty veteran guitarist Thackery a bluesman doesn’t really cut it — while his original material often obliterates the line between blues and ageless classic rock, he’s equally at home stretching out an old chestnut like “Red House.” As with many of the artists embraced by WMNF and Skipper’s, he defies genre, and is worth another look by anyone suspicious of labels. Up-and-coming guitar slinger and bandleader Hadden Sayers, who for some unfathomable reason swapped crazy Texas for fucking bonkers Ohio at some point, provides soulful support. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —SH
Mantis w/Subpirate/Leviathan/Bonesaw Um, yeah — the fact there’s an act on the bill called Bonesaw should be all you need. BONESAW! Unfortunately, those of you looking for SHREDDING METAL will be disappointed, as this is a dubstep show. Dubstep, as you know, is a form of electronic/groovecore that wants to be inaccessible and catchy at the same time, which physics tells us is impossible. Get it together, dubstep. Pick a lane, is what I’m saying. RELATED: There are 6,315 musical projects called Leviathan. Do better. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —SH
TUESDAY, JUNE 4
Big Boi w/Killer Mike Heftier half of ’90s/2000s hip-hop duo Outkast, Big Boi has made quite the name for himself following the dissolution of his former group. Although never quite reaching the massive popularity Outkast did, Big Boi debuted with the enjoyably weird and sonically decadent Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty back in 2010. His latest Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors follows suit with a more playful mood and a stacked guest list including Phantogram, Little Dragon, Wavves, Kelly Rowland, and Killer Mike, who’s opening for Big Boi. Mike’s unique brand of hard-hitting, conscious Southern rap has drawn acclaim through the years following his debut Monster back in 2003. (The Plaza Live, Orlando) —AS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5
The Postal Service Ready to feel old? It’s been 10 years since Give Up, “the album that’s everywhere,” was released. Hitting the road in support of that ancient gem with Jenny Lewis in tow to open and provide harmonies, the indie-electronica legends play a sold-out show at Orlando’s House of Blues. Tamborello and Gibbard’s hits still sound oddly like relevant releases as much as they are familiarly ingrained in our heads, the nearly overplayed singles still making guest appearances now and then to remind us of the band’s brief heyday and lasting influence. Expect a full house of sing-along and nostalgia. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando) —Deborah Ramos
ZZ Ward We all could’ve guessed that after the death of jazz and soul queen Amy Winehouse there'd be a handful of aspiring singer-songwriters attempting to follow in her musical footsteps. ZZ Ward stands out from the imitators with a unique and daring ambiance unmatched by others attempting to accomplish the same sound. The up-and-comer’s pizzazz is demonstrated by 2012 single “Put the Gun Down” from her debut Til the Casket Drops. ZZ Ward’s bluesy and bold vibe, paired with a classic raspiness in her voice, is one of a generation past and is almost impossible to resist tapping your feet to. (The Ritz, Ybor City) —MA
Taj Mahal Boasting a career that has spanned the better part of the last century, Taj Mahal has spent much of his life turning the blues and soul world on its head. He was a member of one of the first interracial bands to sign to a major label, he’s played with nearly every big name in the R&B and rock worlds (The Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy and Howlin’ Wolf to name a few), and he was among the first to incorporate Caribbean, West Indian, and Reggae styles into the blues. (Palladium Theater, Clearwater) —DF
Rajhi Gahler/Megajoos/Zulu Wave/The Mother Machine/Sun Signs Our very own Mojo Music and Books is quickly becoming a favorite stopover point for globetrotting DIY punks without a Tampa venue to call their own. Rajhi Gahler of Murfreesboro, Tenn., are the latest group of scuzzy delinquents to buzz their way through Mojo’s familiar racks. Alongside their King Khan-indebted brand of garage rock, they’re bringing along Megajoos, a similarly disheveled bass and drum duo also hailing from Tennessee. Our traveling Volunteers will be accompanied by Tampa’s art-punk favorites in Zulu Wave, so get to Mojo for a fair helping of fuzz pedals and bratty garage rock vibes. (Mojo Books & Music, Tampa) —CJ
King Django w/Brian Hill/John Decarlo/Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso/Black and Tenn Roots music means more than just Americana, and King Django has achieved a well-deserved cult status by incorporating the seminal styles of multiple cultures into an entertaining persona and kick-ass musicianship. This entire bill celebrates the diversity of roots music with energy, evocation and entertainment. Read more about King Django in this week's music feature. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —SH
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
