AUTISM AWARENESS BENEFIT North Tampa hard-rock haven The Pegasus Lounge hosts an autism fundraiser that's equal parts rock and punk. Featured acts include Broken Self, Reason to Burn, Crooked Edge, Daveawesome, Genovese Effect, Lives' Page, Skylab Hoax, Select Start, and Boy Meets Heart. Get there early — things kick off at 7 p.m. (Pegasus Lounge, Tampa)
SARASOTA EARTHDANCE It's the third year of Sarasota's edition of Earthdance, the music and dance festival that goes down simultaneously in 220 cities and 70 countries worldwide. Musically, this year's sticks with the formula, bringing together granola-funk bands like The Drum Studio All-Stars and thumping electronica courtesy of a variety of DJs, including Normen Schindowski, festival organizer and all-around Suge Knight of this shit. And we can't forget the occasional musical oddity as well, like Didg Revolution, whose primary instrument is indeed the didgeridoo. (The Powel Crosley Museum, Sarasota) —CLB
HALFWAY TO ST. PATTY'S DAY PARTY Where else would a halfway-there St. Patty's party be but the Dunedin Brewery? Buffalo, N.Y.,'s rowdy JackDaw brings the full-on Celt-rock, while Keltic Fire provides more traditional, folk-rooted tuneage. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
JOBSITE ROCKS III Marking the end of its seventh season, the Jobsite theater company throws a third annual bash featuring three estimable local bands. The aim: to raise a bit of cash and have a whole lot of fun. This type of event also represents a welcome synergy between Tampa Bay's music and theater scenes. Performing bands include the versatile rock outfit The Vodkanauts, who bring a bit of old rock 'n' roll and a whiff of cheeky lounge to their act; Weapons of Ass Destruction, who play loud, noise-infested power-punk; and Nessie, a kinda rootsy, sorta garage-y band fronted by Planet rock critic and columnist Scott Harrell. All are extremely worthy of your time. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —Eric Snider
SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
MUSIC FRESCA TOUR (AKWID/ARTURO SANDOVAL/JD NATASHA/JAVIER GARCIA/YERBA BUENA) Looking for something a little off the usual beaten path? Check out this mini-festival of contemporary Latin artists. Rap duo Akwid hails from Mexico by way of South Central Los Angeles and was nominated for a Latin Grammy in '03. Critically hailed Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval has been mixing up jazz and Afro-Cuban styles since the '70s. Singer-songwriter JD Natasha is a true rarity in rock en español — a female alt-rocker. Genre-mashing multicultural songwriter Javier Garcia doses up his eclectic tropical music with everything from rock to funk to salsa to reggae, and Yerba Buena found a diverse American audience through projects like the Fela-Kuti-celebrating Red Hot + Riot and tours with the Dave Matthews Band. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FLICKERSTICK W/THE FINALS You gotta give it to 'em — Bands on the Run-winning Dallas rock act Flickerstick refuses to go quietly into the twilight of post-reality show obscurity. The band continues to tour heavily on the D.I.Y. tip, and might just rock you if you'd let your ironic guard down for a song or two. Also on hand for this FREE SHOW at First Avenue's newest Jannus-adjacent watering hole is New Jersey pop-rock act The Finals. (The Bishop Tavern, St. Petersburg)
JO DEE MESSINA Messina really blew up last year with "My Give a Damn's Busted," even though she was already a Nashville hit a decade ago. The album "Busted" was drawn from, Delicious Surprise, is in the mold of fellow tarted-up female pop-country crossovers like Gretchen Wilson and grandmamma of 'em all, Shania Twain. (Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota) —CLB
TUESDAY, SEPT. 19
THE FAMILY VALUES TOUR Groovecore godfather Korn's Family Values Tour has always been about heavy sounds, be they metal, rock or rap. This year, however, the now-institutionalized summer jaunt went back to basics and offers a pretty standard selection of titans (Korn, Deftones), known radio performers (Stone Sour, Deadsy), up-and-comers (Dir En Grey, 10 Years, Bullets & Octane), and underground metalcore cred-lenders (Walls of Jericho, Bury Your Dead). There's pretty much something, or a lot of somethings, for any metalhead or hard-rock-radio aficionado, but for my money, the big draw is the return of Deftones — see the music feature for more on that. (St. Pete Times Forum, St. Petersburg)
NOW IT'S OVERHEAD Yeah, I know this complex, original and generally killer indie-rock band was just here a month or so ago. But in-stores are always a different kind of fun, and it's the group's only gig in the market this time around. Highly recommended. (Vinyl Fever, Tampa)
