THURSDAY, APRIL 24
Goblin w/Pinkish Black Italy isn’t renown for its prog rock though the genre enjoyed a rise in the 1970s with bands like Goblin, which infused symphonic and electronic elements into its progressive sound and came up after creating the immensely popular soundtrack for the Italian mystery film Profondo Rosso (Deep Red). The band went on to score a slew of other cult classic horror flicks, including Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead. Fans of the grim and macabre would do well to take advantage of this rare glimpse into a miserable musical menagerie of morbidities from scores and albums past and present. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –Shawn Ohtani
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
Julietta w/Brian Busto/Doug Kenderdine For this very special edition of Serious Soul, Brian Busto & Co. welcome Julietta, a DJ/producer who comes all the way from Munich and serves up mixes of house and techno that take deep, dark grooving turns with some tribal drum accoutrements. (Hyde Park Café, Tampa)
Geri X/The Brand New Opiates/Mojave Wilde/Well Wisher An eclectic bill of local(ish) indie talent that touches on the wounded, whiskey-drowned folk-roots rock of Geri X; the gypsy rambling and punk-kicking swamp twang of Lou Collazo-led Brand New Opiates; an off-kilter grooving mix of breezy pop-tronics, dance rock and experimental folk aesthetics from Orlando’s Mojave Wilde; and dissonant alt rock crunch by-way-of Well Wisher. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Maurice John Vaughn w/Daryl Hance You gotta admire a musician with balls enough to deliver an LP called Generic Blues Album, but maybe Chicago bluesman Maurice John Vaughn feels like his sounds speak for themselves – rollicking and shuffling R&B-soaked odes carried by Vaughn’s saxophone or driven by his guitar work and booming soulful vocals. Daryl Hance – who played with JJ Grey & Mofro until he went solo in 2010 – warms the stage with his funkier, Southern fried rock n’ blues stylings. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Blast! Friday w/Mark Farner (Gran Funk Railroad) & Stormbringer For the April edition of the free Blast! Friday block party, Capitol Theatre welcomes Mark Farner – lead vocalist and guitarist of Grand Funk Railroad – to its street-side stage. Farner will likely play hits from the Funk catalog (“We’re an American Band”) along with original material, and will be joined by Stormbringer, a local classic rock staple since 1990. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater)
Rob Thomas The multi-Grammy holding Matchbox Twenty frontman has enjoyed some fruitful success, both with his Orlando-bred band and as a solo artist. He’s behind some insidiously hooky material, so entrenched in the pop-rock landscape that it creeps into your consciousness and takes such deep root ‘til one day, you’re pushing a cart through Publix and “Smooth” starts playing on the PA and you know every goddamn word, and not because you like Santana (if you do, he plays at the same venue on Tuesday), but because of Thomas’ stupid catchy chorus. Actual fans get a chance for a more more up-close and personal view of Thomas as he cycles through a career-spanning set that’ll likely touch on all his hits. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Michael Chapdelaine w/Nate Najar An evening of acoustic guitar prowess. Michael Chapdelaine is a consummate player with prize-winning chops (no really – he placed first in both the National Fingerstyle Championships and Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition), and his sublime musicality shows in his deft picking and plucking of both steel and nylon string instruments. The Bay area’s own nylon string jazz and classical guitar phenom Nate Najar joins him on this night. Each play solo sets, and then come together for a duet or two. (Studio@620, St. Petersburg)
Chiodos w/Emarosa/Our Last Night/68 Chiodos is named for brothers Stephen, Charles and Edward Chiodo, also filmmakers who gifted the world with that cinematic masterpiece Killer Klowns from Outer Space. And that’s all I needed to know — see you at the show. But seriously, this Michigan band offers a fresh take on the business-as-usual sound of the post-hardcore genre, the melodic symphonic bits intertwined with melodic acoustic bits uncharacteristic of the genre. This tour — supposedly their last — backs just-released Devil, their fourth full-length and first since reuniting with original vocalist Craig Owens. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –SO
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic It’s hard to look at George Clinton without his rainbow plumage of clip-on hair extensions, dreadlocks, feathers and other dangly whatsits, and not wonder what made him finally put lay that nest to rest. He’s classed it up since scaling back to bald, abandoning all gaudy headgear in favor of fedoras and panama hats, and adopting a sharp-dressed elder statesman appeal that clashes with the nasty gruff-belted choruses he pits against P-Funk’s skanky jiving, space grooving tunes. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Stokeswood w/Jimkata/K-Slat A Friday night Crowbar lineup featuring two indietronic rock acts with synth-groove and dance pop orientations, and light New Wave, disco and electro-funk persuasions – deep bass-booming quintet Stokeswood, from Atlanta, and Ithaca, N.Y.’s hooky-bouncing Jimkata. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Whitechapel w/Carnifex/Within The Ruins/Cruel Hand/Nomadic Whitechapel hit Ybor with a deathcore clobbering on the eve of dropping their brand new fifth album, Our Endless War. Whitechapel’s fantastically brutal and severely humorless sound has risen quickly to top-shelf status in the extreme music genre, thoroughly shattering the notion that Tennessee can’t do metal. I was born and raised in Whitechapel’s hometown of Knoxville, and I can tell you that these guys have plenty to be pissed about – and they don’t pull any punches, either. (Orpheum, Ybor City) –SO
98Rock Fest w/Avenged Sevenfold/Volbeat/Chevelle/Black Stone Cherry/Saigon Kick 98Rock presents an evening-long lineup of its in-rotation bands as headlined by SoCal rockers Avenged Sevenfold, which took a metal turn with 2013’s Hail to the King (the title track’s been playing on the station, as has “Shepherd of Fire”). Volbeat are the psychobilly-flecked heavy-grinding metal act from Denmark that charted “A Warrior’s Call” while Chicago’s alt rock three-piece Chevelle has a few decent tracks, too (“Send the Pain Below” and the more recent “Face to the Floor”). The rest aren’t worth mentioning, other than Saigon Kick’s seeming out-of-place-ness (remember 1992 power ballad “Love Is on the Way”?). Free pre-show kick-off on the West Plaza features additional performances by Skratch n Sniff, Werm, Nothing More and Trivium. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
Brett Eldredge The Atlantic-signed country music issued his debut full-length last year. Bring You Back peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Country charts, its main money-making hit the gold-certified come-on track, “Don’t Ya.” (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
Iced Earth w/Sabaton/Revamp/Blackguard Iced Earth – formed by Jon Shaffer in 1988 – is yet another Tampa Bay metal band that has gained worldwide recognition and established the area as a major focal point in of extreme music. Their latest album Plagues of Babylon hit No. 5 on the German Media Control Charts, the highest rank they’ve reached thus far. The Germans are serious about their power metal. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –SO
Jim Chambers Drum Bash V.5.0 On this fifth edition of Drum Bash, local beat-keeper Jim Chambers returns to Sam Ash with 20 students ready to beatdown in the competition/live showcase. Each gets a chance to perform between 5 and 8 p.m., with the winners of the more than $2,500 in prizes picked by three celebrity judges – FOX 13 TV personality Jennifer Epstein, and drummers Casey Grillo (Kamelot), and Nate Young (Anberlin). (Sam Ash Music Store, Tampa)
We Are Jazz (Session Two): La Lucha feat. Jun J Bustamante w/Resurgence Jazz Ensemble By the time of this printing, Venture Compound will be a few days away from concluding its Kickstarter campaign to raise $500 for the We Are Jazz series, which was established by Jesse Vance and jazz student/musician Philip Charos to shine some light on the area’s jazz culture and provide a forum for “unhindered, unabridged and unhinged expression - to be a place where groups can let loose and bring jazz back to it's roots: a boundary pushing form of art.” Find out how to donate RIGHT HERE, and drop in for Session Two, with La Lucha featuring rich and full-bodied vocal accompaniment by Jun Bustamante. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
Gardens & Villa w/Good Graeff Over the past three years, the Santa Barbara, Calif. fivesome has enjoyed a slow but steady incline after issuing a well-regarded 2011 eponymous debut of fun experi-pop. After inexhaustible touring behind it, they finally put together material for a 2014 sophomore LP, Dunes. Recorded with producer Tim Goldsworthy (Cut Copy, LCD Soundsystem, Hercules & Love Affair) and using Stone's original custom-built Flickinger recording console, the album combines fat elastic basslines and funky dance grooves ala “Domino” and “Bullet Train” – the latter with a falsetto croon and Bansuri flute highlights – with darker, synthesized New Wave chilliness (“Echosassy,” “Thunder Glove”) and more introspective piano-fueled numbers marked by heart-thumping beats (“Chrysanthemums,” “Minnesota”). (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Alchemy Fest 9 w/Hymn For Her/Good Graeff/RedFeather/Luxury Mane/Rebekah Pulley Ex-Loafer Joran Oppelt originally organized this fest in honor of his darling daughter’s birthday. Alchemy Fest has continued to be a family-friendly affair nine incarnations later and still features high-grade musical talent. All performers at Alchemy Fest 9 regularly pop up in the pages of CL and together touch on a diversity of sonic moods – hubbie-and-wife-led punk-grass and country blues (Hymn for Her), tribal-vibing mountain-hewn Americana (RedFeather), psychedelic garage-grunge with surf flavor (Luxury Mane), charming sisters-led folk pop (Good Graeff), and twangy-pretty roots rock (Rebekah Pulley). Interactive arts and crafts, kids’ games and activities, an organic vendor marketplace, food, dance performances, yoga, workshops, magic and various other diversions round out the event, which occurs from noon to 6 p.m. (First Unity Campus, St. Petersburg)
Goodnight Neverland CD Release Show w/Tides of Man/Colours St. Petersburg’s ambient and emotive alt rock trio is celebrating the release of a finely-produced full-length, Old Tree, with another local act, Tides of Man, that just issued a noteworthy LP showcasing their own tight instrumental prog rock sound, Young and Courageous. Both are due for reviews; stay tuned. In the meantime, listen for yourself at goodnightneverland.bandcamp.com and tidesofman.bandcamp.com, and catch both live at this release party. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, APRIL 27
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/DJ Evil Dee/Crazy DJ Bazarro Producer/DJ/turntables whiz Evil Dee is one-half of Da Beatminerz, a member of underground hip hop outfit Black Moon (behind 1993’s significant Enta da Stage), and has produced for the likes of KRS-One, Nas, De La Soul and Black Star. He’s still a pretty active dude, between Beatminerz Radio, touring with Black Moon and production gigs, so it’s nice he’s taken the time to return to the decks at Ol’ Dirty Sundays and get the party going with his mix of hip hop, R&B, reggae, funk, soul and jazz joints. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
MONDAY, APRIL 28
Lana Del Rey Sure, there’s a chance the trip-pop songstress will return on her next tour, play a less awkward weeknight, maybe even swing over to Tampa Bay for a date. But what if she doesn’t? Do you really want to miss seeing her, even if it’s at a less-than-satisfactory Orlando venue on a Monday? How much do you love Lana Del Rey? If you’re digging on her hard, can’t get enough of her languid, sexy, low-end stroking track “West Coast” (I know I can’t), you just might want to make the drive. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando)
TUESDAY, APRIL 29
Black Label Society w/Devil You Know Tuesday Though he’s almost universally associated with Ozzy Osborne, there’s a reason that Zakk Wylde has his own permanent spot on the Hollywood Rockwalk of fame. Wylde’s band Black Label Society released their ninth studio album Catacombs of the Black Vatican just this month, and sounds like they’re just as heavy as ever, if tracks like “My Dying Time,” “Heart of Darkness,” and “Damn the Flood” are any indication. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) –SO
Boz Scaggs He hits town regularly and this marks the 2014 Bay area stop of Boz Scaggs, blue eyed-soulful soft rocker best known for ‘70s hits like the funk-grooving “Lowdown” and more upbeat horn-and-synth-blown barn-burner, “Lido Shuffle,” both off his seventh 5X-platinum-selling LP, Silk Degrees. He’s still making new music, though more sporadically than his heyday; 2013’s MEMPHIS was his first album of new material in five years. This tour supports, but you can expect to hear all the favorites, too. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Santana San Francisco’s legendary Afro-Latin-blues rock axeman Carlos Santana, whose distinctively clear singing and soaring guitar tone harmonizes with the love in his heart and the calm serenity of his spirit, hits the Hall with his nearly five-decades-old namesake band just a few weeks before releasing their 22nd studio album, Corazón. This show’s a sure sell-out, since Santana the amphitheater the last time they played the Bay area … (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30
The Mavericks I had no idea Miami-bred Mavericks had such a sizeable following until tickets to their Fri., May 2 date sold out without delay. This second date was added by popular demand. The neo-traditional country and Tex Mex group originally formed in 1989, won a Grammy in 1995 for the twangy buoyant “Here Comes the Rain” and went on indefinite hiatus in 2004 after releasing six LPs. They re-grouped in 2012. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Mogwai The quintet from Scotland has risen in the post-rock ranks to eminent status via an eight-album repertoire of finely-wrought instrumental epics that toy with the contrast of distortion-buzzed heaviness and crystalline atmospherics, all of it dosed in effects and built with dual guitars, synthesizers, keys, bass and drums. This rare live date in Tampa backs a fresh 2014 full-length, the moody cinemascopic Rave Tapes. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
The London Souls The soul-charged rock outfit from Brooklyn hit hard with the release of their 2011 self-titled debut. London Souls has since lost a member and kept the core lineup at two, Tash Neal (guitars, vocals) and Chris St. Hilaire (drums, vocals), with aux players filling the bass duties on the road. No word on a sophomore album, but hopefully their live set includes some new material, even if said material hasn’t been recorded yet. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Marc Rizzo w/NAVENE-K Soulfly’s current lead guitarist, Marc Rizzo (also known for his work with Cavalera Conspiracy and Ill Niño) has impressive metal guitar chops with classical Flamenco influence but mostly sticks to shredding. Since 2011, he’s been releasing instrumentals on a single by single basis until he drops his next full-length; this tour backs the latest, “Downside Up.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Powerman 5000 w/9 Electric/Dropshot/Dementia "When Worlds Collide" put alt metal band Powerman 5000 on the alternative radio map in 1999 with its urgent hard-grinding electro-industrial thrust. The only song that’s gained traction since then is 2003’s “Free,” but I bet you don’t remember that one at all. This tour hypes a forthcoming full-length, Builders of the Future, due out May 27 on Universal. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Chuck Ragan and the Camaraderie w/Jonny Two Bags Hot Water Music co-frontman Ragan has been exploring his twangier side since before most of the current alt-country shouters picked up an acoustic guitar — his side project Rumbleseat was active before the turn of the millennium. He’s also largely responsible for the currrently white-hot Revival Tour. His new full-length, Till Midnight, leans more toward full-band rocking than much of his previous solo material, with some nice Springsteenian touches. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —Scott Harrell
For a complete list of this week's concerts, plus info about concerts on the horizon, CLICK HERE.
