Lots happening in live music this Sat., Dec. 5. Take a look at the concert breakdown below.
Lucero All a Man Should Do – the brand new 11th outing from Lucero – finds Memphis’ soulful country punkins in fine form, its title taking from a Big Star ballad included as a cover on the album (“I’m in Love with a Girl”), which also finds Ben Nichols’ deep rumble waxing on everything from a ramble inspired by his his spiritual mentor ("Went Looking For Warren Zevon's Los Angeles") to alcohol-fueled heartache (“I Woke Up In New Orleans”) to metaphorical wolves (“Can’t You Hear Them Howl”) to youth and aging (“My Girl & Me in ’93”) in a mix of poignancy and barn-burning force. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
97X Next Big Thing with twenty one pilots, Of Monsters and Men, Walk the Moon, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Robert DeLong, X Ambassadors, Glass Animals & more The 15th annual edition of NBT is officially sold out, but you could get lucky and nab one or two on StubHub or find an extra with some diligent Craigslist searching or social media pleas, if you are inclined to see the alt rock bombast of twenty one pilots, the chamber-hued folk pop by Of Monsters and Men, the darkly introspections of X Ambassadors, and the more electro-oriented indie pop sounds of UK-bred Glass Animals, all in one place, with a bunch of other 97X-approved acts. Happy hunting. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater, Tampa)
Dance Gavin Dance 10-Year Anniversary Tour with Slaves, A Lot Like Birds, Dayshell, Strawberry Girls Dance Gavin Dance turns 10 this year and has hit the road to commemorate the anniversary milestone. Though only Jon Mess and drummer Matt Mingus remain from the original ‘o5 lineup, support acts Slaves and A Lot Like Birds are fronted by former DGD vocalists Johnny Craig and Kurt Travis, respectively, while Strawberry Girls includes ex-DGD guitarist Zachary Garren. All current and former singers join the Sacramento post-hardcore outfit each night in setlists spanning their 10-year career, including 2015 return-to-form sixth LP, Instant Gratification. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Spred The Dub with Oceanstone, Part One Tribe, Yamadeo Get your Saturday night island grooves on with Spred the Dub, a South Florida acts that brews up a good time brew of roots reggae, dancehall, dub and ska doused in elements of funk, soul and rock n’ roll, and finished with blasts of brass. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Big Sam's Funky Nation This weekend’s second Crescent City powerhouse is fueled by its namesake leader’s trombone bombast and blasts and booming lead vocals. Big Sam’s Funky Nation hails incorporates NOLA’s vibrant sonic flavor into a well-oiled fusion of funk, jazz and rock n’ roll that hits a new peak of spirited grooving on 2014 fifth full-length, Evolution, while taking a more introspective lyrical turn as Big Sam waxes on love, pain and relationships. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
The Mavericks Pushing a brass-escorted blend of neo traditional country, Tex Mex, big band jazz and rockabilly infused with Latin piquant since 1989, the Raul Malo-led Miami-bred Mavericks haven’t spent much time on the charts and broke up for eight years, but maintained a rather loyal cult following and they’ve got a few Grammys to their credit, not to mention an impressive new full-length, Mono, that debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums charts. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Fifth Annual Shoe Box Christmas with Abortion Twins, Counted Out, Dead Cat Lounge, Sibyls, The Horribles, Stand Up Ralph, Slade & the Wasters, Pig Pen A bunch of heavy local punk-leaning rock acts assemble for the fifth annual event that collects a shoebox full of toys, gifts, school supplies or whatever a migrant worker’s child might want in place of admission (though you can pay $5 and get in, too). (The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg)
Annual Halcyon Toy Drive with The Cheaters The folk-acoustic duo made up of Deb Hunseder and Steph Callahan host their annual charity drive to collect toys for the holidays that are gifted to the emotionally disturbed children staying in Carlton Manor’s therapeutic foster homes. “Chicks who rock pop” group The Cheaters join in the musical festivities, and attendees are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for a child of any age. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Madchild Over the trip-hop grooving production of “Jackel,” Vancouver-born, L.A.-based underground emcee Madchild flows about his talents (“I’m a sick and twisted midget with invisible friends / I cut like scissors with precision while you’re miserably vague / I mutilate the master, leave them physically dead / Some rappers run away from me like I’m a biblical plague”) and makes hilarious reference to juggalos, his dog’s Gucci travelbag, his girlfriend’s S&M tendencies and other topics in his crusty nasally spits and flows. The self-proclaimed “second greatest rapper in the white race” (or so he claims mockingly in “Mental”) is also a member of still-in-Canada hip hop group Swollen Members; this tour follows the release of his third solo LP, Silver Tongue Devil. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
ALSO TONIGHT
Bradenton Blues Festival w/Blues Caravan/James "Super Chikan" Johnson/Mike Zito/Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Sat., Dec. 5, Riverwalk, Bradenton
Crowbar 9-Year Anniversary w/Dirty Bourbon River Show/Underhill Family Orchestra/Poetry n Lotion/more Sat., Dec. 5, Crowbar, Ybor City
Together In Exile/Archangel/Clench Fist/Atom N Evol Sat., Dec. 5, Brass Mug, Tampa
Urban Gypsies w/Florida Mountain Boys Sat., Dec. 5, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Winter’s Miracle on Cleveland Street Starring Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night Sat., Dec. 5, Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater
Fred Johnson Sat., Dec. 5, The Underground at Moscato’s, St. Petersburg
Jobsite Rocks! - Home For The Holidays Variety Show Sat., Dec. 5, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Jordan Esker & The Hundred Percent/Speaking Cursive/House Of I/Matthew Wead Trio
Sat., Dec. 5, Fubar, St. Petersburg
