THURSDAY, JUNE 09
Nashville Pussy w/Koffin Kats/No Loves Doling out the sort of psychobilly-soaked Southern-fried hard rock made for late night boozing and brawling, Nashville Pussy is an Atlanta four-piece fronted by husband-and-wife duo Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys, he on rhythm guitar and grating nasally barks and howls, she on blistering lead guitar and occasional backup snarls. Their last album was 2009's From Hell to Texas, which features such shit kickers as "Dead Men Can’t Get Drunk" and "Gimme a Hit Before I Go." Motor City punk-psychobilly trio Koffin Kats support. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —Leilani Polk
Los Amigos Invisibles w/Infinite Groove Orchestra Como se dice "awesome" en español? Los Amigos Invisibles is a Venezuelan band that plays a unique blend of acid jazz, discofied funk flavored with intoxicating rhythms and Latin percussion. The six-piece has exploded in the global music scene with super high-energy live shows and earned multiple Grammy nominations as well as a Latin Grammy win. Muy bueno! (Crowbar, Ybor City) –Kate Cillian
Mat McHugh Solo Acoustic w/Anuhea Mat McHugh spent eight years on the road fronting dub-rootsy Australian outfit The Beautiful Girls before a motorcycle accident forced him to take a break to recuperate in L.A., where he used his time convalescing in a cheap hotel to record a collection of stripped-down numbers that became his solo debut, 2009's Seperatista!. Two U.S. tours followed in 2010 – one with The BGs to promote that year’s Spooks, and the other as a solo acoustic artist supporting his own album, opening for John Butler, and re-discovering the thrill of performing music in its purest form to an intimate crowd of onlookers. McHugh has warm, inviting vocals and an earthy, soulfully honest quality to his songwriting. Hawaii’s modern folk-rock and island-fused pop artist Anuhea opens his current headlining tour. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) —LP
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Katy Perry w/Robyn No one ever said two women locking lips wasn't hot, and Katy Perry literally banked on it. Where Jill Sobule's similar 1995 admission fell onto charting ears, Perry’s sexier pop rock approach about kissing a girl was better marketed and more accepted in 2008, and became the 10th best selling single in the 21st century. The superstar artist who recently wed to Brit comedian Russell Brand has a sort of do-no-wrong sparkle and just enough rock n' roll moxy to pull off her kinda-bad girl persona. Her "California Dreams" tour comes follows the release of her third (now platinum-certified) album, 2010's Teenage Dreams. (St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa) —LP
Vains of Jenna w/Rise of Athera/Bad Magistrate/Autumns Pain/The Eyes of God LA-by-way-of-Falkenberg, Sweden's Vains of Jenna purvey a brand of heavy rockin’ metal that screams of its late '80s West Coast influences – hard, fast, loud, and high-voiced sneering. The foursome just released a shuffling Thin Lizzy take on Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You," which isn’t so much bad as it is just not good. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) —LP
Jaron and the Long Road to Love Formerly one-half of late '90s duo Evan and Jaron, country pop recording artist Jaron David Lowenstein now fronts his own outfit, Jaron and the Long Road to Love, and co-writes ballads like "That's Beautiful to Me" ("Babe, you could have gone with Romeo, but you let him go, and you stayed with me instead / And every day I find new ways that make you beautiful"). His debut, Getting Dressed in the Dark, earned two nominations at the 2010 American Country Music Awards. (Dallas Bull, Tampa) —LP
Peter Baldwin CD release Party w/Dynasty/D'visitors/Florida Night Heat Because good things never last forever (especially when it comes to the Florida music scene), alt soul rocker Peter Baldwin is bidding Orlando and the greater Tampa Bay area a fond fare-thee-well as he heads to greener musical pastures in NYC. He does so with his usual class – a CD release show and freshly-pressed album, 2011's Peter Baldwin in Vodville, to show for it. The slow but fiery "Femcee" Dynasty opens with backing by funk-world outfit d'Visitors and prog-post-power rock trio Florida Night Heat. O-town’s electro-rock trip-pop three-piece The Pauses have also been added to the bill. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
Grouplove w/John Gold Once upon a time, the charts were absent of Biebers, Gagas and Ke$has. That’s right; I’m talking about the era of '90s alternative rock. Intentional or not, Grouplove seems to pay homage to this time in history with their lo-fi, guy-girl vocal wails and acoustic guitar-driven songwriting. The band began a few summers in a remote mountain village in Greece. Now they've re-located to L.A. and are playing shows with acts like Florence and the Machine and Foster the People. Their 2010 self-titled debut EP grabbed the UK's attention and the band also made waves at SXSW with songs like "Colours" and "Naked Kids." (Orpheum, Ybor) –Adam Richards
The Parlotones An award-winning, multi-platinum band in their South African home, but barely a blip on the radar in the U.S., Johannesburg quartet The Parlotones craft sensitive modern rock songs marked by the operatic howl of lead singer Kahn Morbee. (The Local 662, St. Petersburg) —LP
Dick Dale & The Dick Dale Band w/Laramie Dean/The Taints "The King of Surf Rock Guitar," Dick Dale, is a pioneer of experiments in reverb and using custom Fender amps to get that distinctive watery-warped tone, his signature song an instrumental surf take on the Greek number "Misirlou" most famously used in Pulp Fiction. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —LP
Bryan Elijah Smith "Let it pour on me, darlin', let it roll like the thunder cries" Virginia singer-songwriter Bryan Elijah Smith huskily drawls in the title track off his 2010 alt-Americana LP, which is threaded with strains of fiddle, mandolin, banjo and acoustic guitar, and was written, recorded and produced by Smith in his home studio with backing by musicians Jeff Miller and Jay Austin. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) —LP
The Show is the Rainbow w/Auto?Automatic??/Alien House I will never forget the musical force that is Darren Keen aka The Show is the Rainbow, who played to a sparse New World crowd a few years back and took full advantage of the near-empty standing-room space with a one-man dance party/train-wreck. He hurled his husky, sweaty, shirtless body from one side of the room to the other, jumping on and off benches, ripping air guitar solos, getting up close and personal with the few of us who were there, and giving us a face full of crack as he banged his shaggy head and doled out explosions of what-the-fuck. Definitely worth checking out. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —LP
Jagged Edge Jagged Edge did not coin or create “baby-makin’ music,” but they have been contributing to its cause since 1997. With seven full-lengths under their belts – 2011's The Remedy (Slip-N-Slide Records) their latest – Edge has been nominated for multiple awards and delivers all the elements of incredible R&B music: powerful vocal harmonies, consistency of style, ability to collaborate with other artists, and lyrical honesty that goes beyond what everyone else seems to sing about (love-makin'). You probably remember old school hits like "Where the Party At" and "Let's Get Married" best. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) –AR
Parson Brown Presents: Jimmy Payne/Sunset Bridge Band Every month, Gram’s Place Inn and the house band led by Parson Brown presents a showcase of Florida artists. This month’s guests are singer/songwriter Jimmy Payne, a mainstay of local stages, and Sunset Bridge Band featuring Gracie Grieshop, whose tunes "Big Black Tears" and "No Worries" have gotten frequent airplay on WMNF. (Gram’s Place, Tampa) –Julie Garisto
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Marc Ganancias / Mark Holt / The Products A bill that features acoustic sets by gruff-voiced singer-songwriter Marc Ganancias and Lakeland "working man music" singer-guitarist Mark Holt, Orlando hardcore punk outfit The Products closing out the night with a one-two riff-raging punch of plugged-in loud. (The Hub, Tampa) —LP
Poetry n' Lotion After a triumphant set at Tropical Heatwave, PNL returns to the Ella’s stage to serve up an afternoon set for those who like their barbeque and soul food seasoned with some trumpet-led post-rock/jazz/metal instrumentals. (Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa) —LP
Aiden Hawk Benefit Concert A lineup of local musicians celebrate the life of a local child who suffers from a chronic disease of the nervous system (dysautonomia) while raising money to help defray his medical costs via this charity concert. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) —LP
Christopher Bell A few months back, I caught a performance by solo Jamestown, N.Y. musician Christopher Bell, who strapped on a cello like a guitar and ran loops of his cello riffs, keyboard melodies and beats. He was delightfully sweet, old-fashionedly dapper and endearingly nerdy – and had one hell of a singing voice. He was amiable and chatted comfortably with the "crowd" (there were only a few of us) between songs, belting out covers of "Helicopter" by M. Ward, "Use Me" by Bill Withers, and a cool revamp of "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. Don’t miss his latest Refinery stop (The Refinery, Tampa) –JG
Trinity 7 w/3rd Stone Band A roots reggae band that serves up meaningful messages of inspiration, transformation, hope, unity, and peace as delivered by soulful singer Ras Meishak. Born in the hills of Jamaica and based here in Tampa, Trinity 7 is made up of musicians from mixed cultures and backgrounds united by their great love of reggae music and the belief that they can initiate positive change in the world with their own brand of it. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)–KC
TUESDAY, JUNE 14
Junip w/Helado Negro Swedish-Argentine folk singer-guitarist Jose Gonzalez is joined by musicians Elias Araya (drums) and Tobias Winterkorn (organ, moog) in Junip, the trio he played with for several years beginning in the late 1990s that went on hiatus after releasing a well-regarded EP in 2006. The trio re-convened in 2010 and released their first LP of electro-organic psyche-chillwave music, Fields, shortly after. Junip hits town on the tail end of their North American tour and fresh off playing Bonnaroo. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15
Borgore w/Nerd Rage/Baker Beware of Borgore! The gutsy Israli DJ/producer otherwise known as Asa Borger doles out edgy and brutal beats with R-rated lyrics to match. This material may not be suitable for children, but it's perfect for a night of shenanigans and gory dubstep dance moves to fuzzy pounding bass and dizzying mixes. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City) –KC
Curren$y w/Trademark da Skydiver/Young Roddy/Fiend/others Fast rising hip hop star Curren$y stopped at Jannus in February and in his review of the show, CL writer Andrew Silverstein wrote that the rapper offered up “a powerful and dexterous, albeit short, performance … But where set time lacked, the New Orleans native’s verbal potency shined. A master of phrasing, cadence, and off-the-cuff freestyles, Currensy bounced from all sides of the stage, gesticulating, clearly feeling each song he’d penned.” His set drew heavily from both of his recent mixtapes, Pilot Talk and Pilot Talk 2, and you can expect much the same from his June stop. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —LP
The Pass w/Young Egypt/Pop Glow An experimental dance party headed up by discotronic New Wave-psyche pop outfit The Pass from Louisville, Ky., their music built on candy-coated keyboard melodies, dancefloor beats, waves of fantasy sonics, earnest echoing vocals, and the blips, zips and fuzzy rips of well-used synthesizers. The Pass have described their show as a cross between a foggy three-ring circus and a rave in Prague. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —LP
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