Lots happening tonight and this weekend as far as concerts go. Check out the breakdown for this Fri., Nov. 20, and then take a peek at the weekend ahead below.
The Sword with Royal Thunder J.D. Cronise has been the creative force behind The Sword for a dozen years, propelling its transition from the stoned, doomful sounds of 2006 debut Age of Winters, to ‘70s vibing hard rock and heavy metal ala Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top in 2015 fifth and latest LP, High Country, its big fuzzy guitar riffs, pounding and crashing rhythms, and overall dramatic ball-busting appeal reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, while Cronise’s vocal quality evokes Ozzy at his best. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)–Leilani Polk
Mountain Holler, Rogerthomas, Austin Miller, Jun, Infinite Third, Dea & Saint A rather eclectic bill of local music makers with diverse lyrical and instrumental capabilities as well as varying styles of delivery, from the straightforward acoustic guitar-driven indie folk of Mountain Holler to the ambient soundscapes and layered electric guitar renderings of Infinite Third. (Fubar, St. Petersburg) –LP
Bleubird, Jabrjaw, BC, Jon Ditty Alt hip-hop is a catch-all term that doesn’t quite begin to describe New World Brewery’s Friday night lineup. Leading the pack are two South Florida talents. Fort Lauderdale emcee Bleubird fashions himself as a boisterous hip-hop powerhouse on his latest release, No Limit Tank, erratic like his personality and marked by spacey trap beats and Bleubird’s booming rapid-fire flow. West Palm Beach’s self-proclaimed “Loosie King,” Jabrjaw, spits effortlessly over jazzy-funky boom-bap beats. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) –Andrea McCray
Green Sunshine Tail Feather Shakedown “Hip-hop jam band” might sound a little intimidating, but Green Sunshine serves up fun, feel-good vibes, their sound combining funk and hip-hop rhythms and rhymes with soulful vocals, soaring trombones and trumpets, and syncopated bass grooves. This is their second annual week-before-Thanksgiving party. (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg) –AM
Dumpstaphunk with Kaleigh Baker One of New Orleans’ best modern funk pushers, Dumpstaphunk’s sound is big and complex sound, with both smooth-toned and guttural jazz-hued vocals, velvety bass riffs by two lowend slingers, and some bluesy keys and guitar to set it off. On this night, Kaleigh Baker opens with her deep, soulful vocal qualities, wide range, and music that proves a delightful combination of jazz, blues and rock that she calls ‘Mountain Soul.’ (Crowbar, Ybor City) –AM
Brent Johnson and the Call Up! He’s been slinging axe since the age of 4, and nearly three decades later, New Orleans-by-way of-Southern Texas musician Brent Johnson has built upon his youthful virtuosity with hands-on experience and mentoring by legendary “Braille blues daddy” Bryan Lee, whom Johnson has played with for more than a decade. Johnson also writes original blues-rooted material; 2014 debut full-length Set the World on Fire showcases his fluid tone and slide prowess. (Florida Avenue Brewing, Tampa)–LP
Have Mercy with Transit, Somos/, Microwave On tour behind 2014 second album, A Place of Our Own, Have Mercy plies propulsive indie rock outfit with distinctive emo and punk-pop tendencies in the vocal stylings of frontman Brian Swindle, whose delivery trades off between snotty, youthfully high tonal qualities to more ragged howling outbursts and wailing calls. (Orpheum, Ybor City)–LP
Spiritual Rez with UNRB Doling out greasy, brass-coated servings of reggae rock since releasing their self-titled debut in 2004, Boston’s Spiritual Rez returns to the Skipperdome for another evening of feel-good island swaying and skanky explosive celebrating as joined by the Bay area’s own uke-driven four-horn-blasted ska-punk outfit, UNRB. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)–LP
The Wizards of Winter It’s alot like Trans-Siberian Orchestra – dramatic prog rock arrangements of yuletide music – and in fact, The Wizards of Winter was originally a TSO tribute act. The 10-member ensemble now has its own repertoire (which includes just-released The Magic of Winter), though TSO hits are still woven into live setlists and a few original TSO vocalists are featured on this 2015 tour: Tommy Farese, Guy LeMonnier, Tony Gaynor and Michael Lanning. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)–LP
ALSO TONIGHT
Mighty Mongo w/Come Back Alice/Actual Bank Robbers Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Damon Fowler Group Live Album Release Party Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
CREATIONS w/Church Tongue/Divebomb Epic Problem, Tampa
Troy Youngblood & Soulfish Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Made of Iron Brass Mug, Tampa
12th Planet/Grandtheft Amphitheater, Ybor City
Lounge Cat The Underground at Moscato’s, St. Petersburg
Holey Miss Moley Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Shadow_Run/Brothers The Bends, St. Petersburg
Mercy McCoy CD Release Party Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Aegea w/Nine Mile Drive/From This Fire/Cypher Machine/Otherworld Local 662, St. Petersburg
Music & A Meal w/Mindy Simmons/James Hawkins Sacred Lands, St. Petersburg
Lauren Mitchell Band/Ella Jet/Green Sunshine Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Circa Survive w/Rx Bandits/Citizen Sat., Nov. 21, The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
Joe McMahon/Johnathan Coody w/Broken Things Sat., Nov. 21, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Cash Cash/Tritonal Sat., Nov. 21, Amphitheater, Ybor City
Katharine McPhee Sat., Nov. 21, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Alesana w/Iwrestledabearonce/Entheos/Artifex Pereo/Cabaret Runaway Sat., Nov. 21, Epic Problem, Tampa
Hope Darling/Trigger City Trio/The Detectives/G2P Sat., Nov. 21, Local 662, St. Petersburg
TobyMac w/Britt Nicole/Colton Dixon/Hollyn Fri., Nov. 21, USF Sun Dome, Tampa
Gypsy Wind/Uncle John’s Band Acoustic/Ari and the Alibis Sat., Nov. 21, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Mobile Deathcamp/Carnivora w/Must Not Kill/Singod Sat., Nov. 21, Brass Mug, Tampa
Sean Chambers w/RJ Howson Sat., Nov. 21, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Straight No Chaser Sat., Nov. 21, Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa
Oh, My Shad! Album Release Party Sat., Nov. 21, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Pandora’s Box: Ultimate Aerosmith Tribute Sat., Nov. 21, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
The Family Sat., Nov. 21, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Car Bomb Driver/Seafang Sat., Nov. 21, The Bends, St. Petersburg
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones Sat., Nov. 21, The Underground at Moscato’s, St. Petersburg
Coldplay Tribute w/Iris Calling Sat., Nov. 21, Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
George Winston Sun., Nov. 22, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Mavis Staples w/Joan Osborne Sun., Nov. 22, Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Ethan Parker Band Sun., Nov. 22, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Serotonic Sun., Nov. 22, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Allan Holdsworth Sun., Nov. 22, Largo Cultural Center, Largo
Weltesser/Disevered/Ad Nauseum Sun., Nov. 22, The Bends, St. Petersburg
Juke Joint Kings Sun., Nov. 22, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Falling In Reverse w/Attila/Metro Station/Assuming We Survive Sun., Nov. 22, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg