It's this weekend's live music round-up — the good, the bad and the ugly. Check it below
SATURDAY, AUGUST 30
Soulbotz CD Release Party with Brand New Opiates The band comprises some of the smartest musicians and best drinking buddies you’ll ever meet. Dillon Griffiths, Josh Erdman, Dan Kennedy, Arthur Bogalis, Gordon Marshallare regulars at the (not currently active) Short Circuit studio in Seminole Heights, where they recorded the band’s new album. Hear them pimp out earthy melodies with rhythmic flair and experimental prog rock noodlings on this night. The hybrid apropos to the band’s name is well balanced, and a Soulbotz show is a spirited, good time. (Yeoman’s Road Pub, Tampa) —Julie Garisto
Beres Hammond An elder romantic reggae crooner with husky tender-soulful vocals and swaying instrumentals enfolding them like a hammock. Beres Hammond also does a little toasting in island-brewed tunes that once earned him the title “Otis Redding of Reggae”; Hammond also got official props when the Jamaican government awarded him the Order of Jamaica last year in recognition of his “exceptional and dedicated contribution to the Jamaican music industry.” Impressive. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
OMG Music Fest with Jacob Whitesides, Round2Crew, Alyssa Shouse, Dylan Holland, Reed Deming, Grant Landis, Tyler Matl ZOMG (O.O), this is totally, like, a touring showcase of internet sensations. HEYO! Everybody here has come up via viral videos and social media savvy, among them, Cincinnati hip pop duo Round2Crew (“Booty Had Me Like” was inspired by a trending hashtag and has more than 1.6 million YouTube views to date), and singer-songwriter Alyssa Shouse, discovered on YouTube by Jason Derulo and invited to record and release one of his songs, “Overnight Celebrity,” now boasting 1.27 million views; the only song with more (at 1.5 mil) is her cover of the Rihanna/Eminem ode, “Love the Way You Lie.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival with Godsmack, Seether, Buckcherry, Pop Evil, Escape The Fate, Redlight King, Within Reason, Sons Of Revelry, SuicideGirls, These Raven Skies, Tattered One mainstream radio band of moderate hard rock talent and veteran standing as headlining anchor? Check. A couple handfuls of pedestrian alt rock acts filling up the rest of the lineup, with a few meh-to-so-so highlights? Check. Stimulant beverage sponsor claiming a share of the tour name? Check, check! Headliners Godsmack formed in the mid-1990s but didn’t come roaring onto the Billboard until the early ‘00s with No. 1 Rock charters like “Awake,” “I Stand Alone” and “Straight Out of Line,” and continued to put out hits since; 2009’s “Whiskey Hangover,” “Cryin’ Like a Bitch” in 2010, and most recently, the title track off their 2014 sixth LP, “1000hp.” (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Summer Jam 10 THX Mgmt marks the 10th anniversary of Summer Jam by making it the last one. Ever. At least Joe D’Acunto & Co. have tapped a rather great line-up of talent – Reptar, Beach Day, Roadkill Ghost Choir and many others – for the final throwdown. Read all about it here. (Crowbar and New World Brewery)
Emerson Hart He’s been writing yearning rock songs for a few decades as frontman of alt rock band Tonic (“If You Could Only See,” “You Wanted More”) but has only been doing the singer-songwriter thing since 2007 when he issued his solo debut. Seven years later he’s finally released a sophomore follow-up, Beauty in Disrepair. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31
Umphrey’s McGee with The Heavy Pets Chicago ensemble Umphrey’s McGee is definitely worth seeing live if you like ridiculous musicianship (including a pair of shred-capable guitarists/vocalists and a jazz-trained drummer with Neil Peart-impressive chops); dynamic stage shows (six players, all in sync, segueing in and out of songs with ease, while taking some time to stretch it out, rather technically, in the middle of it all); well-composed originals calling on elements of prog rock, jazz, classical music, funk, hip hop, reggae, metal and even Latin music – some of it catchy, some of it technical as hell – as well as a repertoire of trademark covers (“Xxsplosive,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Let’s Dance,” “Kashmir” and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” among many others); and an eye-dazzling light show that always syncs with whatever’s going on in the music with bursts or washes or waving patterns of vibrant saturated color. This tour around, Umphrey’s McGee tours behind eighth studio album and first outing on their own imprint, Similar Skin (Nothing Too Fancy Records). (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Alien Ant Farm with Kaleido, H2NY, The Defiant, Virginia Rose Band Remember that alt rock-styled cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” the one that’s all guitar-distorted riffs and falsetto harmonies mixed with howling refrains and growled verses? Yep, that was Alien Ant Farm, which, since that one No. 1 Alt Songs hit, hasn’t charted much else of note, not in the U.S., anyway. Forthcoming fifth album Always and Forever was funded with help from a PledgeMusic campaign and this date as part of the band’s “ANTarchy In The USA” tour hypes it up. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Snake Healers with Sweet Heat, Radar Men?, Raguckas A night of gritty, swampy, ball-busting, made-for-whiskey-drinking rock n’ roll as led by Gainesville-based Snakehealers, featuring drawling vocalist/guitar strummer Devon Stuart and lead guitarist/singer Chad Smith (both formers of The Takers), bassist Mike Alligood and drummer Danny Michael. (The Hub, downtown Tampa)
ALSO THIS WEEKEND
Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio Sat., Aug. 30, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Deep Purple Sat., Aug. 30, Hard Rock Live, Orlando
Baby Anne Sat., Aug. 30, Amphitheatre, Ybor City
Squeedlepuss Sat., Aug. 30, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Tampa Battle of the Bands Sun., Aug. 31, Orpheum, Ybor City
Lather Up! & Friends Sun., Aug. 31, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Ol’ Dirty Sundays: Back to School Dance Battle Sun., Aug. 31, Crowbar, Ybor City
Pete & Wayne Sun., Aug. 31, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Laidback Luke Sun., Aug. 31, Hogan’s Beach, Tampa
Applebutter Express Sun., Aug. 31, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Nerd Up 2: Nerd to Your Mother w/The Illustrious Video Boy/Shard Teknique/MR SIN/Jack Barbee Sun., Aug. 31, The Social, Ybor City
