Kenny Loggins Prepare to get footloose in the danger zone. The man, the myth, the sexual-orientation enigma that is Kenny Loggins brings over 30 years of toe-tappin' sing-along tuneage to the Bay. Take that, Messina. (Nov. 29, Ruth Eckerd Hall)
Jay Black & The Americans/Little Anthony & The Imperials Sixties rock 'n' roll hitmakers Jay Black & The Americans, of This Magic Moment fame, join, uh, '60s rock 'n' roll hitmakers Little Anthony & The Imperials, of Tears on My Pillow fame, for an evening of '60s rock 'n' roll hits. Both bands rose to prominence during that magical time when doo-wop merged with a nascent R&B sound to create some truly enduring American rock classics. And I don't care what anyone's parents say — kids were having premarital sex to them. (Nov. 30, Ruth Eckerd Hall)
The Derailers w/Pagan Saints Austin quartet The Derailers mix spicy Tejano, reverb-soaked rockabilly and good old stripped-down rock 'n' roll to make some unfailingly exciting party noise. Dave Alvin has produced all of their records, including the brand new Here Comes The Derailers, so their honky-tonk's got cred, if anybody cares. Pagan Saints' earnest, Celtic-tinged country-rock has kept them among the area's favorite live draws for, oh, about forever. Will, buddy — get off your ass and go be famous. (Nov. 30, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Marcille Wallis/Ceol Binn Speaking of Celtic music, the Port Charlotte-based Marcille Wallis & Ceol Binn will be presenting a holiday music-and-dance program called Christmas with the Celts tonight at Tampa's UU Dome. While the band draws on a number of traditional ethnic roots styles, including Irish, Welsh, Breton and Appalachian, this evening's performance will focus on Irish and Scottish seasonal music and folk dances. Bring your own stout-nog. Dulcimer/guitar player Wallis and her band recently had a few of their songs featured in a PBS series on Scotland. (Nov. 30, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa)
Robert Mirabal Native American Music Award winner Robert Mirabal engages in the regional premiere of the live-performance version of his critically acclaimed work Music From a Painted Cave. Described as a unique look at the legends and stories from Taos Pueblo, his show was recently filmed for inclusion in the pay-per-view Concert for America 9/11 benefit. Native American dancers, authentic costumes, and a contemporary multimedia approach help the music of Mirabal and the Rare Tribal Mob achieve an intriguing balance between musical theater and cultural performance art. (Nov. 30, Mahaffey Theater)
Bitchin/Grabass Charlestons/Blaine the Mono This is the first of two shows this week put together by new local DIY promotional co-op Uncommon Cause. UC consists very simply of a group of guys in local bands who just want to bring overlooked underground music to town in that communal old-school way — they book the show (club or no club), the bands get the entire door and a floor to crash on, no muss, no fuss, everybody have fun tonight, everybody Wang Chung tonight. Both Bitchin's female-fronted punk-rock and Grabass Charlestons' rowdy noise originate from Gainesville, while homeboys Blaine the Mono (I know where you got your new name, guys) may or may not still be called Buddy Revell sometimes. (Nov. 30, Harbor Club)
F/Nuclear Beer/The Belltones The second Uncommon Cause gig this week relocates things to the New World and brings a couple of South Florida hardcore stalwarts — old-school legends F and supergroup Nuclear Beer, featuring members of Against All Authority and Radio Baghdad — together with G-ville's infamous Belltones. Enjoy. (Dec. 1, New World Brewery)
Dee Snider The Twisted One makes good on a postponed mid-December date; as Snider was the Sister's primary songwriter, expect the hits. Oh, and be sure to hit him up for reimbursement of whatever it cost you to rent Strangeland. (Dec. 1, Jannus Landing)
U2 w/Garbage Alt-rock superstars U2 finally get around to Tampa in support of All That You Can't Leave Behind. It's their finest disc since Bono embraced electronica/schizophrenia, or Brian Eno showed them a sequencer, or Larry Mullen Jr. got bored, or whatever the hell happened that conspired to make everything after One suck so badly. Anyway, it won't save rock 'n' roll, but it might have saved their reputation, and they're still one of the best live bands out there. Garbage's third effort, BeautifulGarbage, has thus far failed to generate the excitement of previous outings, but Shirley Manson continues to be very attractive, quotable and frightening. (Dec. 1, Ice Palace)
El Vez w/Cabaret Diosa The Mexican Elvis has entered the building. Those who dismiss the performer as nothing more than a novelty act are only half-right — sure it's a gimmick, thanks for pointing that out, Hawking, but the man and his band are just as obviously talented. And nine-piece Latin-inflected ensemble Cabaret Diosa are flat-out amazing; anyone who's ever wondered what Dean Martin guesting with Carmen Miranda would sound like is highly encouraged to attend. Come celebrate the Christmas season with WMNF, some gator nuggets, and some great bilingual entertainment. (Dec. 1, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Third Annual Battle of the B-3s The Hammond B-3 organ emits a crowd-pleasing sound, which is one reason this event has reached a third year. It's a cool concept. Set up two B-3s on stage and let the players jam out with the help of a backing band. Blues, R&B, some jazz probably — it'll be a rousing party of a night. The featured organists are Sidney James Wingfield, who's played with Luther Allison and Son Seals; Dean Germain (Backtrack Blues Band, Charlie Morris Band); Mike Kach (Chris Anderson Band, Anthony J & the Automatics) and Dennis Toerpe (Johnny G. Lyon Band). The Al Fuller Band provides backup. This one's presented by the Suncoast Blues Society. It goes from 5 to 9 p.m. (Dec. 2, Skipper's Smokehouse)
—Eric Snider
97X presents The Next Big Thing feat. Sum-41/Disturbed/Alien Ant Farm/Lit/New Found Glory/Dave Navarro/Jimmy Eat World/Adema/Flickerstick/Lucky Boys Confusion/Stroke 9/Sugarcult/Abandoned Pools/Soulsystem/Crizzy & The Punx The closest Tampa mainstream radio gets to the cutting edge presents a stunning array of modern rock's good, bad and irrelevant. Kudos to 97X for securing a fairly eclectic lineup, and for getting a couple of locals (funksters Soulsystem and reggae-punksters Crizzy & The Punx) in there to kick things off. From Sum 41's tyke-punk and Alien Ant Farm's amiably fucked-up Faith No More lite to New Found Glory's speedy hooks and Adema's rather pedestrian nu-metal, there's something for everybody, so long as everybody wants to wait through everybody else's something. Jimmy Eat World's genuine summertime pop-rock is a highlight; however, the combined presence of Dave Navarro, whose tepid solo disc sullies his groundbreaking resume, and Disturbed, who's just plain horrible, may prove a difficult obstacle for the more pop-oriented fans, and vice versa. (Dec. 2, Coachman Park)
Sonos Handbell Ensemble The San Francisco-based Sonos Handbell Ensemble performs a set of holiday songs from Bach, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, among others. The Ensemble recorded the first American CD of handbell arrangements ever commercially produced and distributed. (Dec. 2, Palladium)
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2001.