A breakdown of concerts happening this Fri., March 6.
Empire Cinema / DieAlps! Empire Cinema seamlessly meld indie alternative and post-rock flavors in latest EP Esse Quam Videri. Brendon Hock’s vocals buzz behind roaring and wailing guitar, a balance of melody and dissonance. Joining them is DieAlps!, a four-piece fronted by the classically-trained and Austrian-born Connie Calcaterr, whose voice emits a certain jovial aura despite their songs’ minor tonality; the outfit (on tour behind a 2014 eponymous release), heads Savannah, Ga. for an unofficial Savannah Stopover party the next day. Both Tampa-based New Granada-repped bands debut fresh members/lineups, with Vinnie Cosentino (Palantine, Early Forms) joining DieAlps! on drums. Did I mention the in-store performances are FREE? Donations for road trip gas money (and some spending cash for vinyl) recommended. (Microgroove, Tampa) –Adam Hardy
Florida Strawberry Festival: Loretta Lynn with Boyz II Men What more can be said about The First Lady of Country Music? Loretta Lynn has been crooning tunes for upwards of 50 years and shows no signs of letting up. She plays the afternoon Strawberry Festival set, while veteran ballad-hawking R&B vocal group Boyz II Men (now a trio made up of Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris) conclude the evening with a hits parade touching on “Motown Philly,” "End of the Road,” “Uhh Ahh,” “On Bended Knee” and the like. (Festival Grounds, Plant City) –Leilani Polk
Spring Jam with Keith Sweat, Ginuwine, Dru Hill, Jon B Get your slow jams, hip hop grind and new jack swing grooves on at Spring Jam. Slick Rick hosts while headline duties are assumed by R&B soul singer Keith Sweat (“I Want Her,” “Make You Sweat,” “Twisted,” “Nobody”). Genre heavyweights Ginuwine (“Pony,” “Differences”), Dru Hill (“How Deep Is Your Love”) and Jon B. (“They Don’t Know,” “Are U Still Down”) fill out the rest of the bill. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa)–LP
John Wesley Band with Geri X You can always tell when it’s Brandon native John Wesley on guitar. The sometime player in Porcupine Tree delivers sensitive lyrics behind his heavy, whining riffs and solo, is backed by a solid three-piece made up of guitarist Ian Medhurst, drummer Mark Prator and bassist Sean Malone. This night finds him performing songs off his seventh studio album, 2014’s Disconnect, as well as select cuts from his back catalog. Local indie/folk songstress Geri X supports. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) –Seth Peterson
Cannibal Corpse / Behemoth with Aeon, Tribulation Two monsters of metal teamed up for a massive tour that reaches its conclusion in Florida on this weekend. Buffalo death metal heavyweights Cannibal Corpse back 13th album, A Skeletal Domain, while Poland-brewed Behemoth brings a more blackened death sound and their own 10th LP, The Satanist. Both dropped last year on Metal Blade Records. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)–LP
Tommy Emmanuel Capitol Theatre presents two back-to-back nights (Friday and Saturday) of percussive finger-style acoustic guitar from Australian virtuoso Emmanuel, whose intricate instrumentals find him playing chords, basslines, melodies and harmonies, sometimes simultaneously. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)–LP
Trigger City Trio Album Release Show Playing self-styled “rock with a heavy helping of funk,” St. Pete’s Trigger City Trio delivers a combination of guitar wizardry, space-funk bass and earthy rhythms. TCT looks throws a huge party celebrating the release of their self-titled debut LP on this night as joined by other quality locals – One Mile Final, Burning Tree, and Row Jomah. (Local 662, St. Petersburg) –SP
ALSO TONIGHT
First Friday Bluegrass w/Ramblegrass Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours w/Rayzilla Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Victor Wainwright & Wildroots Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Michael Weiss w/Joe Farren Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Ray Bonneville Gram's Place, Tampa
Noah and The Greenes, Shoeless Soul, The Groove Co The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg
Y Los Dos Pistoles, Wax Wings, Penny Dreadfuls Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa
First Friday @ The Bends w/DJs Sugarbear and Fader The Bends, St. Petersburg
