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
