Nappy Roots A Southern rap quartet hailing from Kentucky who originally formed in 1995, Nappy Roots cultivates an old school hip hop vibe and rose to acclaim with their platinum-selling debut full-length, 2002's Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, and hits like "Awnaw." Though their newer tunes don't find the same lyrical depth as "orange Kool-Aid go good with Patron," even the most casual rap fans can get an education from these dudes. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —MP
Ben Prestage The culture and sounds of the Mississippi Delta where his parents grew up paired with his upbringing in rural Florida near the headwaters of the Everglades influenced Ben Prestage's gritty roots and blues sound. He did some busking while living in Memphis, where he perfected his one-man drum-playing technique. He's currently based in Vero Beach and hits town every few months, with his solo acoustic mountain man sounds, backing it up with a heavy beard, deep country drawl, and instrumentation that encompasses cigar box, fingerstyle, lap steel and resonator guitars, harmonica, banjo, fiddle and foot-drums. (The Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg) —LP
Kenny Vance and The Planotones Vocal-group impresario Vance has been bringing a timeless, soulful doo-wop vibe to classic proto-rock n' roll sounds since the days of the Brill Building. (Look it up, kids.) He was "discovered" by legendary songwriting duo Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller at the end of the '50s; he’s probably best known for his participation in Jay & the Americans, but also had a hand in the careers of Steely Dan principles Donald Fagen and Walter Becker and others as a manager, songwriter, composer and in other roles. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) —SH
Anti-Antiwarpt w/Bleeding Money/The Scurvy/Hell-Bent/Dead Cat Lounge/The Funeral Dazies/The Destroid/Free Market Anarchists Several punk, metal and hardcore bands, none of them performing at Antiwarpt the following day (nor at Warped on Sunday for that matter), rail against the local machine with a big bill of fuck off. (Fubar, St. Petersburg) —LP
SATURDAY, JULY 28
KISS / Mötley Crüe w/The Treatment There will come a point at which all lifelong KISS Army members will simply have to accept the fact that Paul, Gene and the others were long ago replaced by the kind of animatronic performers that populate Disney's Hall of Presidents. But apparently not before they creak and clank their way through yet another tour. This time it’s with the Crüe, a band whose contemporary listeners probably couldn’t tell you whether their fandom was sincere or ironic at this point. (I certainly can’t, and I still put ‘em on.) Note to novel throwback UK AC/DC-meets-Bad Company unit The Treatment: this opening gig is no longer prestigious, nor an honor. You should be touring clubs with Supagroup instead. (1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa) —SH
The Casualties w/Nekromantix/Down By Law/Lower Class Brats/Flatfoot 56 Most of these punk acts hold true to the influence of the original spirit-of-'77 aesthetic, particularly New York-bred headliner The Casualties, whose liberty spikes were turning polite St. Pete kids into gutter-punks 20 years ago. The real odd man out here is Dave Smalley and his Down By Law, a group shaped far more profoundly by seminal California pop-punk and melodic hardcore than by studded belts and Brit-apers. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —SH
Antiwarpt III The day-long festival is spread over 10 venues in downtown St. Pete and features 99 acts spanning garage rock, punk metal, psychedelic soul, dream pop and more. Read a whole lot more by clicking here. (Various venues, downtown St. Petersburg) —LP
SUNDAY, JULY 29
Vans Warped Tour It's that time of year again. Hooks, teen guitar-music trends, ill-advised summer clothing, incipient heat-stroke and a handful of above-average acts descend upon Vinoy Park in the form of the galaxy’s largest merch booth. Highlights for Adults: Bayside, Chuck Ragan, Every Time I Die, Hostage Calm, Transit, Polar Bear Club. Highlights for Children? Shit, I dunno, ask a child. And if they say Matt Toka or Senses Fail, send them to their room. (Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg) —SH
SubAp! Swap Meet Tampa music and culture site SuburbanApologist.com presents Sub (sw)Ap!, an afternoon record, shirt, poster, book and miscellany swap and sale. Locals brings their aforementioned stuff, local businesses like Microgroove, Old Tampa Book Company, Kiss Of Death Records and Blue Bird Books hawk theirs, and everyone leaves home with something new and/or old. Raffles for concert tickets, gift certificates and other goodies raise money for SubAp, and DJ Cub spins tunes to keep a mellow vibe going and New World lubes everyone up with their selection of tasty brews. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —LP
