Alice Cooper The godfather of shock rock brings his hoary old self to Ruth Eckerd, possibly leading one to believe that he's mellowed a bit, and is looking for a little respectability. But fear not — all reports indicate he'll be bringing everything from the guillotine to the big, big snake (not a euphemism) with him this time out. Expect all the hits and rockitude, not some watered-down VH-1 deal. When you wear a lot of makeup, age doesn't matter — just ask Peter Criss, or maybe Tammy Faye. (Nov. 8, Ruth Eckerd Hall)

Florida Orchestra Coffee Series: Orchestral Showpieces The Florida Orchestra kicks off its 2001-02 Coffee Subscription Series (concerts begin at 11 a.m.) featuring conductor Thomas Wilkins. This one spotlights harpist Anna Kate Mackle, and material from Dvorak, Ginastera, Rodrigo, and Tchaikovsky. Please leave your spiked wristbands at home; they'll only take 'em away at the door. For ticket prices, subscription information and the general in-depth skinny, call 813-286-1170. (Nov. 8, Mahaffey Theater)

Genitorturers/Crossbreed/Retard-O-Bot 2000 Everybody's favorite genital-piercing, supplicant-whipping, leather bustier-filling, hedonism-promoting cavalcade of dark, painful fun returns to its home venue. Oh, and they play music too — of the heavy and threatening sort. Clearwater's own industrial/techno/nu-metal spectacle Crossbreed give great show as well, albeit of a less wince-inducing nature. Wildly entertaining punk-rap dorks Retard-O-Bot 2000 are rumored to be on the edge of inking a record deal, which is the kind of information that could easily send local artists who actually play instruments and write songs staggering and mumbling to the pawn shop for a semi-automatic rifle. Genitorturers will be shooting a video tonight, by the way, so wear your best bondage mask and crotchless leather diaper. (Nov. 9, The Masquerade)

Girls' Night Out feat. Tracy LaBarbera/Maggie Council/Beth Brookfield/Jocie Hackney/Joe Positive/Corey Jane Holt/The Peabodies/Anna O An evening of female singer/songwriters at Davis Islands' best watering hole, hosted by the decidedly masculine Mike O'Neill. The styles should certainly prove eclectic, running the gamut from folky acoustica to more left-field fare. Joe Positive features talented longtime scene contributor Karen Collins, and St. Petersburg Times music critic Gina Vivinetto is rumored to be a Peabody. Come on out and let the ladies show you a thing or two about musical ability. Highly recommended. (Nov. 10, Yeoman's Road)

The Silent Treatment/Fore The Silent Treatment is a relatively new outfit from Bradenton, or Sarasota, or some damn place on the other side of the Skyway; they got so miffed about being called nerdcore in the Sarasota Planet that they broke their thick glasses. The trio turned in a truly impressive set at the Red Cross benefit a few weeks back, plying hooky, dynamic indie tunes with an attitude as heavy on fun as it was on angst. Good stuff. Bay area combo Fore adeptly rides the line between moody, radio-ready modern rock and slightly edgier sounds, and does it well. They're tight, dude. Another bill worthy of the 30-minute trek up U.S. 19 to Tarpon Springs, to one of the region's more underrated venues. (Nov. 10, Neptune Lounge)

Moscow State Symphony Orchestra Conductor Pavel Kogan leads Russia's premier symphony in an evening of favorites by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Well, there you go. It's a big week for Tchaikovsky, wouldn't you say? (Nov. 10, Ruth Eckerd Hall)

Eight to the Bar Swing Time presents New England's Eight to the Bar, an eclectic swing outfit that regularly logs more than 200 performances a year. They've been together for 26 years now, and have released seven albums (the latest being Hey Sailor!) — a ratio that kind of makes the Alan Parsons Project look like Ryan Adams in comparison. Also, there's only six of them. Hmmmmmm. They'll be performing at Tampa's Zendah Grotto, which is located at 4109 N. Lauber Way, between the stadium and the airport. (Nov. 10, Zendah Grotto)

Aspera w/Isobella/Showmen's Rest Aspera (formerly Aspera Ad Astra) once again bring their shimmering, swirling, post-psychedelic soundscapes to the Orpheum. Somehow, it manages to come off as extremely out-there, but still indie-rock at the same time. Weird. The buzzy, hypnotic Isobella and insinuatingly low-key Showmen's Rest provide support. This may be one of those gigs where you get the frowning of a lifetime for talking to your buddy too loudly at the bar while a band is trying to very quietly transcend and transport. But go anyway. (Nov. 10, Orpheum)

United We Stand Fest featuring Dead End Kids/My Hotel Year/As You Wish/Fang Shooey/Rudesquad/The Chucky Luv Band/The Underestimated Band/Nation of Suspects/VD Let's give it up for all of the Tampa Bay bands, venues, promoters, bartenders and fans who've lent their time, talents, and cash for all of the great benefits that sprang up in the wake of 9/11. Here's another quality show — this one's perhaps the most eclectic yet, spanning the spectrum from the old-school punk mayhem of Dead End Kids to The Chucky Luv Band's H.O.R.D.E./college-inflected good-time populist pop. Thanks, guys. (Nov. 11. State Theatre)

The Honor System w/The Chase Theory One of the current indie/emo/punk scene's second-generation/offshoot outfits, the melodic and politically aware Honor System rose from the ashes of Chicago underground faves The Broadways. They ply some of the most inimitable, urgent and catchy tunes going around, and have built a small but rabidly loyal fanbase. Go see why. And don't forget to check out Bradenton posthardcore heroes The Chase Theory, just weeks before their second release, the EP In Pursuit of Excellence, becomes available. Finally. (Nov. 13, Orpheum)

Holly Gwinn Graham w/Raiford Starke Pacific Northwest singer/songwriter and USF graduate Holly Gwinn Graham has been around the world at least a couple of times during her 38 years as a musician and actress. Her style mixes jazz and blues with traditional and contemporary folk influences. South Florida's own Raiford Starke employs a similarly mixed bag of inspiration. You'll have to ask him why he's named after two Florida prisons yourself — I'm not gonna. (Nov. 13, Skipper's Smokehouse)

'Memories of the King … The Legend Continues,' starring Elvis Wade with The Florida Orchestra In 1976, the King himself lifted his lardy ass out of his seat and gave Elvis Wade a standing O — or so the legend goes. The man born Wade Cummins in Mount Pleasant, Tenn., is said to be the only Elvis impersonator ever to get the King's seal of approval. This was apparently enough cred for The Florida Orchestra to book a show with Wade. Yes, the Orchestra's a pretty easy target on this one — and not just from classical purists — but, hey, let's lighten up a bit. This one could be good, campy fun, and it might yield a pretty solid show. TFO is always cash strapped. What better captive audience than the cult of Elvis fans? (Nov. 14, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center)

—Eric Snider

P.O.D. w/FenixTX/Blindside Spiritual nu-metal stalwarts P.O.D. have come a long way since they played the Refuge on weeknights not too many years ago. If this sparks your first realization that they're coming to town, you're probably SOL in the ticket department — this is a sure sellout, and probably the last time anyone will get to see them in a smallish venue, at least until the reunion tour in 2011. Cookie-cutter pop-punkers FenixTX seem a bit out of place here, but Blindside's gnashing metal/hardcore crossover sound should fit right in. (Nov. 14, Jannus Landing)

Voodoo Glow Skulls/Pulley/Spitvalves East L.A.'s Voodoo Glow Skulls purvey a ska-core sound so much harder and meaner than the likes of Goldfinger or Mustard Plug that they really shouldn't be categorized together at all. No hooks, just muscular, flailing, sweaty, bilingual fun. They'll surely be doing it until after the Fourth Wave is a tired in-joke. Pulley gives up the kind of Orange County melodicore that vocalist (and professional baseball pitcher) Scott put out with Ten Foot Pole before they mellowed and he split. The Spitvalves, hailing from Orlando, are local ska-punk favorites who almost always come through town supporting the genre's best. (Nov. 14, State Theatre)

—All entries by Scott Harrell unless otherwise indicated

This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2001.