THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
Rockapella “Over the years, we’ve been through all the ‘re-discoveries’ of this trail we blazed — from N’Sync to Glee to The Sing-Off,” Rockapella member Scott Leonard told CL in an interview last year before the a cappella group made their annual stop in Tampa. “On one hand, it’s fun to see renewed interest. On the other, enough with the auto-tune.” Rockapella has been delivering tuneful multi-voice harmonies against an instrument-free but rather full-bodied backdrop of vocal percussion and bass for more than 25 years, but first hit national consciousness in the 1990s when they arranged and performed all the music on PBS children's game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. We usually see the group on their seasonal run and this year is no exception. Expect cuts from 2011's A Rockapella Holiday — their fifth holiday-themed album and 17th studio release overall — along with other seasonal fare and select favorites from the Rockapella catalog. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
Run DMT w/Helicopter Showdown Not to be confused with the Baltimore-based indie singer-songwriter, this Run DMT is an electronic music maker from Austin who prefers wompin' bass, heavy rhythmic pulses and creeped-out melodies in his productions and remixes, which draw on breakbeats, dark and dirty trap-beats, moombahton, dubstep and drumstep. Debut full-length Union of Opposites dropped this summer and features a few intriguing guest appearances, including Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) and DJ Swamp on the hip-hop fused tension-and-release track, "This or That." (G Bar, Ybor City)
Greenhouse Lounge w/D.V.S./Consider The Source Jacksonville livetronica three-piece Greenhouse Lounge builds thumping, sample-scattered sonicscapes colored with shades of jazz, funk, dubstep, drum n' bass, breakbeats, progressive house and disco. D.V.S. is the alias of Brooklyn guitarist/producer Derek VanScoten, who wields a glitchy, fizzy electro-futuristic sound. And rounding out this Thursday night bill is the hardest rocking act of the bunch, NYC-based trio Consider the Source, their progressive, jazz-fused foundation given a dark psychedelic edge with worldly flavors heavily influenced by Indian music traditions. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Santa Rock n’ Roll Angels Party w/Not Tonight Josephine/Paint the Town Red/Lushbudget Operation Coexist is a recently-established grassroots organization that promotes the healing power of music and is dedicated to increasing music therapy services and programs for the young patients at All Children's Hospital. During this holiday occasion, Coexist presents a night of live art and music by three high-quality Bay area acts, heavy-hitting modern alt-rock fivesome Not Tonight Josephine among them, and welcomes various local artisans and crafters to display up-cycled art, jewelry and other one-of-a-kind goodies for your last-minute shopping pleasure. (Octave, St. Petersburg)
Wynonna's Rockin' Christmas Five-time Grammy-winning country siren Wynonna Judd hits town with a concert of traditional Christmas tunes ("White Christmas," "Ave Maria," "Silent Night") along with her own repertoire of holiday songs and Billboard-charting hits backed by her full band, The Big Noise. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
R5 A California pop-rock band made up of four siblings plus a good family friend. R5 has two TV talents at the helm — fair-haired singer-guitarist Ross Lynch of Disney Channel sitcom Austin & Ally and his part-time acting bassist-singer brother Riker, a returning face on Glee. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Punk Film Screening & Concert w/Fang/Pagan Faith/No Fraud/Guy Smiley/Slap Of Reality Tampa's early punk scene gets the full lowlight treatment in new indie documentary We Can't Help It If We're From Tampa, which traces the Bay area's underground punk scene from 1982 to 1990 with gritty photos, poster art, rare film footage, interviews with musicians, promoters, club owners and others who were active in the scene back then, and of course, plenty of raucous music. No Clubs Productions and 40 Amp Media host a premiere screening of the flick followed by a punk-rock showcase ring-led by Cali hardcore legends Fang and Tampa punk vets No Fraud, and also featuring reunion sets from locals Pagan Faith, Guy Smiley and Slap of Reality. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Doomsday Show w/Poetry n' Lotion & Special Guests It's almost the end of the world (or so says the Mayan calendar and all those History Channel shows), and brassy instrumental jazz, metal and progressive rock fusionists Poetry n' Lotion are throwing a rager at their old stomping grounds in the midst of putting the finishing touches on a new full-length. Expect old faves like "Skinsuit" along with trademark covers (Sabbath anyone?) and cuts off their new Octopada EP. (Yeoman’s Road Pub, Tampa)
Late Night Brass Holiday Show A night of rockin' rhythm and blues spiked with seasonal melodies as staged by the crowd-pleasing players of Bay area 11-piece Late Night Brass. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Awkward Age w/The New Lows/Raguckas Triumphant punk-pop duo Awkward Age (fresh off winning a Best of the Bay award for their 2012 eponymous 7") is joined by wildly rockin' Orlando four-piece The New Lows (which just released a new full-length, I Couldn't Sleep), and Tampa punk quartet Raguckas for this Friday night show. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
End of the World Party w/Tres Bien/Levels/Shaller & Instanter One of those high-quality "local" indie rock bands that we see too rarely because half the members live out of state (in this case, LA). Tres Bien offers an End of the World treat with a headlining performance, their dynamic union of slinky organ-grooving psychedelia and energetic garage pop treated with a vintage patina. Also performing is Levels, the LA-based post-punk/garage pop project of Tres Bien's Cody Wilson (on guitar and vocals) and Mikey Rollingchild (on drums and vocals) along with fellow St. Pete native Roxor Evensen. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
97X End of the World Party w/Sick Puppies/IAMDYNAMITE 97X joins the apocalyptic festivies with top-notch talent in the form of an Aussie alt rock trio featuring a rad chick bassist. Sick Puppies rose to some renown in the U.S. with several singles that hit the top 20 of the Alt-Rock and Mainstream charts, a few tapped for assorted films and video games like aggressive and menacing ode "You're Going Down." Opening the stage is IAMDYNAMITE, a goofy-fun lightly blues-punk influenced guitar-and-drums two-piece that seems to be supporting a range of big bands lately; the last was Sum 41. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Sara Rose Band w/Midnight Bowlers League From covers of songs like Loretta Lynn's "You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" to a Last Waltz-style rendition of "I Shall Be Released," Sara Rose Band revives the sounds of traditional country and vintage roots rock as belted and crooned by singer Sara Hagan, who's joined by a who's who of local musicians — Telecaster-wielding axeman Mark Warren (Vodkanauts, Barely Pink), bassist Michael Hoag (Ditchflowers), and pedal steel player David Lane (Big Wiggler). Aaron Fowler (Nervous Turkey, Betty Fox and the Dirty Bastards) joins on drums for their Ringside showing. (Ringside Café, St. Petersburg)
SATRUDAY, DECEMBER 22
Brokenmold Sixth Annual Holiday Party w/The Woolly Bushmen/Wolf-Face/The Mother Machine/The Electric Geese/The Funky Pandas Brokenmold Entertainment spreads seasonal cheer with a jam-packed night of live music showcasing a diverse cross-section of sounds, including the '60s retro organ-driven garage-a-billy of The Woolly Bushmen (which released a self-titled debut LP in June), and the disorderly punk rock of Wolf-Face, delivered by four musicians in full-scale Teen Wolf wear — yellow Beavers basketball uniforms, shaggy wolf masks, head bands, tube socks and the like. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Sarah Mac Band Fourth Annual Christmas Show Tallahassee-based multi-instrumentalist songstress Sara Mac has sweetly soulful vocals that soar over her rich and melodic style of blues pop and folk rock, which is scattered with various holiday tunes at this intimate evening concert. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/Slopfunkdust/Blenda It's the eve of Christmas Eve — why not toast a few drinks and get your bump and groove on at the pre-holiday edition of Ol' Dirty Sundays? This week, resident DJs Casper and LeSage deliver dirty holiday tracks and welcome guests Slopfunkdust (aka Gwan Massive Don) and Blenda (the Gwan General) for what is sure to be an ass-grinding good time with plenty of old school funk, soul and hip hop along with current hot hits and, I expect, some of the holiday-themed beat-driven, chopped-and-skewed cuts off Slopfunkdust's seasonal LP, Music to Wrap To. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
The Gladezmen Purveying a tongue-in-cheeky blend of made-for-juke joint swamp-soaked Southern rock, blues and rockabilly, and hailing from the Florida Everglades are The Gladezmen, led by sandpaper raw-voiced singer, slide guitarist and harmonica wailer GatorNate Augustus and rounded out by AntKiller (double and regular bass), Scotty Crow (washboard, guitar), and Mississippi Matt aka The Honey Badger (drums). (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
Monétique Album Listening/EP Release Party Twin sisters Evonne and Evette Archer are the songbird talent behind Monétique, their pretty vocal harmonies weaving together over a marriage of R&B, soul, hip hop and pop music. This party celebrates the release of the duo’s debut, Don't Put Me in a Box EP, with a listening of the recording. (Cheap, Tampa)
For the Kids Too w/Will Erickson and The Wreckage/Dean Johanesen/Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets/The Pinata Hearts CL's fourth annual Holiday Auction has finally drawn to a close — but the fundraising isn’t quite finished. For the second year in a row, we've followed up our auction fundraiser for The Children’s Home with a charity concert for The Children's Home featuring a who's who of talented roots rock artists and a piano pop outfit. The tunes kick off at 5 p.m.; $10 suggested donation at the door (free for kids 10 and younger). (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Hideaway Christmas Party w/Swingset/Meyer Baron Swingset is a new lounge-jazz quartet that features singer-songwriter Rebecca Zapen on sultry lead vocals and occasional violin, with tight but easy-going instrumental backing by piano-man husband Jeremy Douglass, bassist Phil Magallanes and drummer Rich MacDonald. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25
New Granada's Xmas Night Extravaganza w/Alexander & the Grapes/King of Spain/Alaskus Gifts have been exchanged, toasts made, family feasting enjoyed and conflicts kept to a minimum; the kids are passed out in their beds, dreams of all the new crap they've gotten dancing in their heads. Mom and dad are in for the week, and encourage you to get out for a bit, so you make a beeline for New World, one of the few places not closed on the holiday thanks to New Granada's Xmas Night Extravaganza. Now in its ninth year at New World (and the 19th overall Christmas night event hosted by Ulrey and Co.), the local tradition finds area indie rock bands performing for those wanting or needing to get out of the house on the holiday. Two New Granada bands that released albums on the label this year head up the festivities: Alexander & the Grapes, a four-piece that mixes up the sounds of warm psychedelic folk-rock, '90s alternative and thoughtful indie pop on new album Hemispheres; and King of Spain, a duo made up of Matt Slate and Daniel Wainright, who delivered their latest electro-pop experimentations on sophomore LP, All I Did Was Tell Them the Truth and They Thought It Was Hell. Warm up by Alaskus, a St. Louis-by-way-of-Tampa tropi-psych rock twosome featuring Sleepy Vikings formers Nicole Schleif (guitar, lap steel) and Sandra Lolo (guitar, vocals, drums). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.
