Kendrick Lamar w/YG/D.R.A.M. Take a look at the very crowded, very talented hip-hop sphere, and what you’ll find is that King Kendrick Lamar seems to still be the overlord of it all. The 30-year-old Compton rapper is fresh of yet another scorching awards show outing (he won six Moonmen at the VMAs and delivered the program’s only performance of note), and his new album (DAMN., released in April) is possibly the best rap release of 2017. K-Dot is also second to only Michael Jackson when it comes to being nominated for multiple Grammys in one night and has seven golden gramophones to his name. The last time the arena saw Cornrow Kenny was on a 2013 tour supporting Kanye West, but Lamar has eclipsed the embattled West for now, so it’ll be intriguing to watch politically-charged material from albums like To Pimp a Butterfly and his latest come to life in Tampa. Openers YG and D.R.A.M. are two of hip-hop’s fastest-rising names, making this something like a dream-bill for fans. (Amalie Arena, Tampa) INFO
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MTV VMAs 2017: Winners, plus highlights from acts headed to Tampa Bay
Bertie Higgins w/De Lei’ed Parrots Trop rock pioneer and bonafide knight Sir Bertie Higgins is headed to Skipper’s, baby (the 72-year-old was knighted by Imperial Order of Culture and Peace — a chivalry organization based in London, England — in the early 70s). You might have to revisit Higgins’ 1982 hit “Key Largo” to get back into the mood, but the fact that ol’ Bertie rose to fame without abandoning his roots in Tarpon Springs (where he played sock hops, homecomings and proms) is enough to make us want to head to the Skipperdome where we’ll get to see a band that opened for the Stones, Beach Boys and Roy Orbison in action. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
The Bends 5-year anniversary w/Polyenso/Loose Talk/DJ Big Chris Polyenso is a St. Pete based band that’s graced the stage at Jannus Live and even Bonnaroo, so it’ll be a wonder to see them drape a sprawling, electronics-driven indie-rock sound into the tiny confines of luxe St. Pete dive The Bends, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Loose Talk, a Sunshine City rock outfit featuring members of Anberlin, opens the show that also features photographic work from Alex Burnett, a best skateboard trick competition and grub from BCA BBQ. Per usual, there is no cover, and that means you’ll have plenty of company out on the sidewalk where DJ Big Chris will be holding it down. (The Bends, St. Petersburg) INFO
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Photos: Polyenso and fans transform St. Pete's Paper Crane for Pure In the Plastic anniversary
Netsky Not a computer virus, mmk? Nope this is an appearance from Boris Daenen — aka Netsky — who has been making noise as a drum and bass producer since he dropped a self-titled LP in 2010. These days the 28-year-old continues to make waves with guys like Lost Frequencies (“Are You With Me,” “Reality) and you should listen to that collab track, “Here With You,” for proof. (Orpheum, Ybor City) INFO
Ben Katzman's Degreaser w/Soapbox Soliloquy/Mtvh1n1 Ben Katzman often plays the role of cheerleader and advocate for bands on his BUFU Records imprint, but he gets to flip the switch at this one where his June 2017 EP, We Bled To Shred, gets to thrash and and wail against the Bloggernaut (a mythical “machine that curates the taste of the youth by sending out evil show promoters and publicists to control the population of rock.”) The six-track, 12-minute effort certainly has the power to make you headbang and play air guitar with layers upon layers of arena-ready riffs and finger-whirling solos that’ll have you reaching for your leather pants as you pregame for yet another killer show at this famed downtown Tampa dive. (The Hub, Tampa) INFO
King Complex Album Release w/Sun Signs/Kerry Courtney It’s finally time for King Complex to properly meet you. The masked electro-rock duo has been gigging around the Bay area for a few months now, and its debut LP Phase is due on Friday. To celebrate, the boys will bring songs like an incredibly catchy new single (“Pulling Strings”) to the biergarten where fans of Passion Pit, Young The Giant and Bleachers can fall in live with their new favorite local band. Another excellent Bay area band (Best of the Bay winners Sun Signs) might tease material from a new LP during its opening set, and St. Pete’s Kerry Courtney will continue to showcase the evolution of his new band to kick it all off. (Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg) INFO
Andy Montanez He’s a healthy 75-years-old, so calling Andy Montanzez “The Godfather of La Salsa” shouldn’t be too offensive. With a sound rooted in the Puerto Rican countryside, the former singer for El Gran Combo (and once co-leader of Venezuela’s Dimensi'n Latina) sticks to his guns these days while also managing to dip his toe into a little bit of the modern world every now and then (a 2006 LP, Salsa con Reggaetón, features Daddy Yankee). No telling if he’ll bring his Gran Combo style band to this one, but a chance at seeing salsa royalty up close and personal at this Carrollwood nightclub is hard to pass up. (Whiskey North, Tampa) INFO
Sean Hamilton w/Infinite Third/Crux An April set from Atlanta-based Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel was proof that St. Pete’s [email protected] is a great place to see an experiemental show, and the tradition continues when Billy Mays III’s loop-driven Infinite Third project (which opened that Duet show) returns to the space alongside a Leo Suarez-propelled acoustic trio (Crux) and another performance from Sean Hamilton. Devoted, longtime readers of CL will remember Hamilton, 26, from our August 2016 post detailing LOCI (his collection of improvised compositions for drum set and real-time electronics), and we’re interested to see what the Tampa Heights composer has in store as he gets ready to embark on a six-week tour that takes him across the South and all the way up the Pacific Coast before looping back through the Midwestern heartland. ([email protected], St. Petersburg) INFO
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Tampa composer Sean Hamilton breaks down his new release, LOCI in advance of a tour — listen
Andy Montanez He’s a healthy 75-years-old, so calling Andy Montanez “The Godfather of La Salsa” shouldn’t be too offensive. With a sound rooted in the Puerto Rican countryside, the former singer for El Gran Combo (and once co-leader of Venezuela’s Dimensi'n Latina) sticks to his guns these days while also managing to dip his toe into a little bit of the modern world every now and then (a 2006 LP, Salsa con Reggaetón, features Daddy Yankee). No telling if he’ll bring his Gran Combo style band to this one, but a chance at seeing salsa royalty up close and personal at this Carrollwood nightclub is hard to pass up. (Whiskey North, Tampa) INFO
Tony Lucca w/Leon Majce/Brett Bowcott Television talent show junkies are going to be familiar with Tony Lucca, but here are the Spark Notes on the 41-year-old and alumni of The Voice. He got his start on The Mickey Mouse Club and finished as the second runner up on the second season of NBC’s singing competition (that’s third if you’re keeping score). He’s got about a dozen solo LPs, EPs and live albums under his belt and can lay claim to having opened shows for the likes of *Nsync, Maroon 5, Marc Anthony and even Kelly Clarkson. Clearwater’s own Leon Majce is a regular on Sirius XM’s Coffee house channel, and he’ll be joined by cellist Brett Bowcott to open this show. (Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Clearwater) INFO
Lil Wayne There will undoubtedly be some hip-hop heads that skip Kendrick Lamar’s Tampa show in favor of crashing into Jannus on Friday. Confused? Weezy is the reason. It’s $75 to get into the St. Pete show with Lil Wayne, and if that sounds crazy then consider the fact that the 34-year-old New Orleans emcee has played pretty much every other venue in town during the course of his 25-year-career (Weezy signed to Cash Money Records when he was just 9 years old.) Wayne and Kendrick are definitely friendly (they’ve recorded together and have been very complimentary to each other in online posts), so it’s not too far-fetched of an idea to imagine one of them joining the other for a bit at some point in the night. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) INFO
Maxwell There’s no denying the importance of Maxwell, and at 44 years old, the Brooklyn singer born Gerald Maxwell Rivera might arguably be the best, still-touring voice in the R&B and soul music game (sorry, D’Angelo — we miss you, dude). A 2016 LP (blackSUMMERS’night, the follow up to 2009’s Grammy-winning BLACKsummers’night) is a still schorching, slow-burning jazz, funk and soul excursion, and we’re expecting Maxwell’s band to be oiled-up and ready for this, Maxwell’s return trip to Pinellas after a 2016 set at Ruth Eckerd Hall. (The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Oceans Rise w/Kelp/Cinema Within & Kosms The hilarity of a band called Kelp opening for Tampa instrumental quintet Oceans Rise is not lost on us, but neither is the seriousness of the 48-minutes of imposying prog-rock that Oceans Rise puts together on its 2016 LP, Ablation. Wordless vibes abound thanks to Cinema Within (the ambient solo outlet of Gullwing guitarist Mirza Begovic) and Jonathan Greye’s electronic Kosm’s project at this show, which kicks off the final month of Ybor existence for New World Brewery since the iconic 22-year-old venue is being forced to relocate so that developers can build a mixed-use four-story condo on the property. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
ALSO PLAYING:
Roberto Debourg (Council Oak at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) INFO
Galbraith Group (The Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
Riot Ten (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO
The Ongoing Concept w/Eidola/Save Us From The Archon (Noise Box at Christ Community Church, Brandon) INFO
Starlight Concerts w/Southern Thunder (Highlander Park, Dunedin) INFO
Tommy Johnson (United Methodist Church, Sun City Center) INFO
The Applebutter Express w/Golden Era (The Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing, Ybor City) INFO
Hellcats Shakin' (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO
Summer Concert Series w/Inner Circle (Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo) INFO
Boxcar Hollow (The Blueberry Patch, Gulfport) INFO
Hank & Cupcakes w/Kaleigh Baker/Pajamas (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Eidola w/The Ongoing Concept (The Noise Box, Brandon) INFO
