The best in live music happenings for this Fri., Sept. 5. Start your planning now...
Kings of Leon with Young the Giant, Kongos I know folks who actively loathe the catchy, only slightly twangy pop-rock monster that is Kings of Leon, but I’m a sucker for the mix of simplicity and originality that defines stuff like “Use Somebody,” “Sex on Fire” and most of sophomore album Aha Shake Heartbreak. Cali quintet Young the Giant scored big a couple of years back with modern-rock hit “My Body,” while Phoenix outfit Kongos’ single “Come With Me Now” adds accordion and chants to a pretty standard latter-day FM-rock sound. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa)—Scott Harrell
The Hank Woji Conspiracy CD Release Show Texas-by-way-of-Jersey singer-songwriter Woji plies a twanging, road-tested style somewhere between iconoclasts like Steve Earle and such original folkies as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Tonight he celebrates new release The Working Life, and is backed by hometown stalwarts Rob Pastore on bass and Deb Berlinger on drums. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)—SH
Coldair with Geri X, Ophelia Coldair is the solo project of Warsaw, Poland’s multi-instrumentalist Tobiasz Bilinsky, who’s quite the lauded indie hero in his homeland. The sound is an ethereal mix of new-school folk, haunting chamber-pop and light electronica that wouldn’t be out of place opening a Coldplay, David Gray or Gotye show. The folks that come out to support local singer-songwriter Geri X and harmony-laden Tarpon Springs contemporary folk outfit Ophelia are really gonna like the headliner, too. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —SH
The Mud Flappers with The Dustbowl Revival Acoustic septet The Mud Flappers hail from Orlando, and mix a melange of influences into their strummy, compelling sound, from mournful country laments to bluegrass, folk and jazz. The Dustbowl Revival, from Venice, Calif., ups the member ante by, like, a dozen more people, and adds a contemporary edge to their Depression-era musical roots. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)—SH
3 Doors Down: Songs From The Basement Acoustic Apparently, it’s the Day of The Radio-Rock Titans. While they only had a small handful of ubiquitous hits (“Kryptonite,” “Here Without You,” “Let Me Be Myself,”), Mississippi’s 3 Doors Down has earned and maintained its success by touring hard — including shows for the troops in overseas war zones — and regularly releasing the catchy, workmanlike rock its fans expect to hear. As the title implies, this acoustic tour is something of a different format, but still expect the faves. (Hard Rock Café at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)—SH
Terry Bozzio Zappa. Missing Persons. Beefheart. Peter Wolf. Alan Holdsworth. Robbie Robertson. Herbie Hancock. Jeff Beck. Stevie Ray Vaughan. Billy Sheehan. Billy Gibbons. Fantomas. These are just some of the folks with whom drum god Bozzio has collaborated, apart from his own solo work. Bozzio has always straddled the line between being a performer, techie “drummer’s drummer” and player for the song. He’s a living legend, and now he’s presenting an eclectic and melodic “solo percussion performance” featuring the world’s largest tuned drum set. Be intrigued. (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)—SH
