A quick breakdown of the weekend’s most worthy concerts (i.e., those ones you need to know about in order to get on with your live music life) from Thursday through Sunday. Yeah, we started on Thursday this week, what of it? For a more comprehensive schedule of this weekend’s offerings and a listing of shows taking place over the next several months around the Bay area, check out our Upcoming Concerts page.
The Parachute Musical [pictured right] w/Ex-Norwegian/Her Name Is Victory Among the high-quality non-country music talent to come out of Nashville is The Parachute Musical, a piano-driven pop-sensible indie rock quartet with head-bobbin’ catchy hooks delivered in the youthfully clear and high emo-soaring vocals of singer-pianist Josh Foster. The band is currently celebrating the release of its latest single, “No Comfort,” an upbeat after-love song with a peppy wordless “Da-dada-dada-da-da” chorus, as well as a free “Seasons Greetings” three-song download offered on Bandcamp.com. 9 p.m. doors, New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7.
King Yellowman w/IMPULSE/Offshore Riot/Mighty Mongo Since his debut in 1982, Jamaican albino deejay King Yellowman has helped bring toasting to the forefront of reggae, gracefully ushered dancehall music into a new and better era, and had a substantial influence on hip-hop music; NWA used his vocals in their hit, “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and his tongue-twisting 1982 single, “Zungguzungguguzungguzeng,” has been sampled over and over again by artists ranging from KRS-One to Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, among many others. Yellowman has released more than 50 albums in less than three decades, and although he hasn’t put out a new one since 2005, it doesn’t look like he’s letting up on touring any time soon. 7 p.m. doors, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15 in advance/$17 dos (all ages).
Teenage Rehab / Flat Stanley Their mission is to “cripple indie rock and all this poetic bullshit that people associate with punk rock.” As you may have surmised, the Kentucky three-piece produces a hard, fast and raw brand of hardcore punk. Teenage Rehab also plays Emerald Bar in St. Petersburg this Saturday. 8 p.m., The Hub, Tampa, free admission (ages 21 and up)
FRIDAY, JUNE 25
Monsters of Sludge Rockfest, w/Greg Billings Band/Pitbull Toddler/Sonic Erotica/No King/Orange Hour/ Victims of Circumstance Several Bay area acts — from horn-infused ska fivesome Victims of Circumstance, to hard-driving reggae-tinged alt rockers Orange Hour — have united for this charity rock show triggered by the BP oil spill disaster. All proceeds benefit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and will be split between injured wildlife treatments and beach cleanup efforts. 6:30 p.m. doors, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, $10 donation (all ages welcome).
[pictured left] w/The Veer Union/Transmit Now/Against the Wall/Not Tonight Josephine Framing Hanley burst onto the post-hardcore scene with a heavy alt rock cover of Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop.” The five-piece is now out to prove they’ve got chops above and beyond their re-arranging capabilities with their sophomore album, A Promise to Burn, marked by dual vocal interplay and dueling guitars, the clear and piercing notes sliding over heavy distorted riffs. 7 p.m. doors, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $25 (all ages).
Spam Allstars w/The Hip Abduction/Green Sunshine If there’s one thing you can count on when it comes to the Spam Allstars, it’s a bonafide Miami-style dance party. The vibrant music of the South Florida nine-piece draws on elements of Latin, funk, hip hop and electronica, with DJ Le Spam throwing down the beat-tastic foundation on turntables and samplers, and a cast of vocalists/instrumentalists — among them, feisty flutist Mercedes Abal, saxophone man AJ Hill, and lead singer/caller Tomas Diaz on timbales — bringing tasty flavor to their heavily-textured jams. 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $12 in advance/$15 dos (ages 18 and up).
Bill Wharton, The Sauce Boss You’ve probably heard of The Sauce Boss, a Florida blues musician who brews up a big ‘ol pot of gumbo during his shows and dishes it up hot to his fans afterwards. (Apparently, more than 165,000 have been served so far.) Wharton plays in support of his new album, Hot n’ Heavy, and will also debut his sweet-and-spicy Hot N Heavy Peach sauce. 8 p.m., Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $10 in advance/$13 dos.
Standback CD Release Party Bay area hard rockin’ foursome Standback possesses a gritty bluesy edge paired with the searing slide guitar prowess of frontman/singer Joel Tatangelo; this show is the first of several celebrating the release of the band’s debut release, The Standback Band. 9:30 p.m., Dave's Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg, $6.
Geri X Former local alt rock singer-songwriter Geri X kicks off her latest round of touring in support of her new album, The Bedroom Sessions, from the city she once called home. This is a free show. 9 p.m., The Local 662, St Petersburg, free admission (ages 21 and up only).
[pictured right, photo by Jeff Ambrose] w/Proud Iron Lion Tempe, Ariz.-based What Laura Says is on tour promoting their second album, Bloom Cheek (Terpikshore), which is made up of melodic rock numbers dosed with psychedelic embellishments. 7 p.m. doors, Orpheum, Ybor City, $8 (all ages).
Leonard Kaage & the Kin Although he’d been performing for some time, Swedish neo-folk artist Leonard Kaage didn’t begin writing and recording his own songs until 2008, when self-released the limited five-song Time EP. That same summer, Kaage was contacted by Florida-based label Feels Like Home Records, and soon after, laid down the tracks of his self-titled debut full-length, which dropped last year. This is the final stop on his current U.S. tour. 7 p.m., Vida De Cafe, 120 8th Ave., St. Pete Beach, $3.
Bay Buzz Fest w/The Funky Seeds/Bleu Gravy/Road Trip/Tropical Disturbance/The Geezers/Mile Marker Zero/Kickin’ Again/Green Sunshine A local showcase featuring an array of Bay area talent and genres (reggae, rock, funk, etc.), and celebrating the success of The Bay Buzz, a locally-based online music rag written by and for Bay area musicians. 2-10 p.m., Shackletons Folly Bar and Grille, St. Petersburg, $5.
Album Release Party w/Alexander & the Grapes/Only Thieves Quirky local folk pop sextet Grecian Urns offers up sunny, infectious melodies, deliver appealing spot-on vocal harmonies, and craft heavily-textured song arrangements that incorporate a variety of instrumentation (harmonica, fiddle, flute, trombone, percussion) in addition to the usual drums-keys-bass-guitar set-up. The band presents their studio debut, LOVEDREAM, at this record release show and is currently offering a free download of the first single at their Bandcamp.com site. 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $8.
Rays Concert Series: Barenaked Ladies Co-founding Barenaked Ladies member Steven Page (the dude with the glasses) left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career. Although I don’t want to credit Page with writing all of their best songs, nothing on the Ladies’ ninth full-length and first record without him, All In Good Time, stands out. In fact, I saw the foursome perform on The Bachelorette several weeks back — they were the featured entertainer on one of the “dates” and incorporated the cast into the music video for their AC contemporary single, “You Run Away” (written by remaining co-founder Ed Robertson and apparently inspired by Page’s departure). It was bad, real bad ... And yes, I do think judging a band by their reality TV appearance is fair, since they were promoting the album that featured said shitty song. The concert follows the Rays game, likely after 10 p.m., Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg; price included with admission to the game.
SUNDAY, JUNE 27
The Day Show @ Crowbar w/Kelli Debbs [pictured right]/10th Concession Acoustic Set/Ettison Jayne Kelli Duo Acoustic Set/Jeremy Demers Acoustic Set/Some City, Somewhere/Will Erickson and Local Roots Throaty-voiced roots music singer-songwriter Kelli Debbs is picking up and moving away from the Bay area to California; this early show is a sort of going away party as well as a celebration of her new album, Dreamers and Insomniacs. 3 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $5.
Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Fundraiser w/Pitbull Toddler/Sons Of Hippies/Someday Souvenir/The Show/IPD /John Hancock Ever wonder what it takes to participate in the Susan G. Komen event, aside from the ability to walk 60 miles in three days? Answer: a $2,300 minimum entry fee. No money, no walkie, no matter how close you may come to that amount. Hence the slew of Komen for a Cure fundraisers; while all the money goes to the organization, you have to raise your donations ahead of time to actually get in the walk. This charity concert supports a four-woman team, “Saving 2nd Base.” 4 p.m., Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $10 suggested donation.
Tommy Emmanuel w/Chase Foster In his four-decade career, Grammy-nominated Australian Tommy Emmanuel has established himself as one of the world’s leading acoustic guitar virtuosos with his complicated fingerpicking style (he plays bass with his thumb and melody with the rest of his digits), and percussive effects on his guitar’s body. The instrumentalist was voted “Best Acoustic Guitarist” in Guitar Player Magazine’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards, and is on the road promoting his 22nd album, 2009’s Just Between Frets with Frank Vignola. 7 p.m., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $22.50 and $42.50.
Dave Hardin Dave Hardin’s Nine Years Alone has a permanent home among my all-time favorite albums. For those who don’t recognize the name, Hardin was a staple of the local music scene for many years, churning out tons of great roots rock tunes and building a loyal following. Then, in Eddie and The Cruisers-like fashion, he simply vanished. But recently, while working on web updates for a friend, I discovered a new concert listing for June: Dave Hardin. The announcement left me as surprised as if I’d caught a glimpse of Sasquatch or a UFO. Luckily, this event is a bit more substantial than an extraterrestrial sighting and should be a lot more fun than alien probing. Fans of Dave, as well as anyone who loves great roots/folk rock, should make plans to catch his only Florida show. 7:30 p.m., The Painted Fish Gallery, Dunedin, $10. —Jeff O’Kelley
