Don’t miss …
The Kills. U.S. audiences likely know Alison “VV” Mosshart from The Dead Weather with Jack White, but it’s safe to say that The Kills — her main creative outlet with Jamie “Hotel” Hince — has gotten more attention as a result. The sexy ferocious frontwoman with the sultry demanding snarl formed The Kills with her innovative multi-instrumentalist other-half more than 10 years ago, after Mosshart’s South Florida punk rock band fizzled out. Last year’s Blood Pressures found The Kills adding more sonic layers to their normally stripped back sound, the songs pulsing and grinding with the fuzzed-out revival sounds of garage, post-punk and electro-rock. This is the duo’s Bay area debut. Mon., Jan. 30, 8 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, ritzybor.com.
Radiohead. The British alt-rock band I count among my Top 10 all-time favorites returns to town for the first time in nearly four years, on Leap Day, in support of 2011’s atmospheric, groove-laden, percussive-driven eighth LP, The King of Limbs. Despite the fact that it’s not my favorite effort by the band — Jonny Greenwood’s insistent riffs are noticeably absent and the album lacks any true peaks or lift-offs — I still dig it and am curious just how they’ll present the tracks live. Plus, they’re effing professionals, well versed in the art of putting on a show that’s both tasteful and relentlessly dynamic. I’ve had the chance to see them do it twice, and Thom Yorke, the Greenwoods and all the rest have not let me down yet. Wed., Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Bay Times Forum, tampabaytimesforum.com.
Experience Hendrix. The 2012 edition of the traveling homage to Hendrix features live collabs and performances of the guitar-slinger’s catalog by, among others, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford, Dweezil Zappa, Billy Cox (the only surviving member of both the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys), The Doors’ Robby Krieger, Eric Johnson, Robert Randolph, Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) and others. Thurs., March 15, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, rutheckerdhall.com.
Also on the radar …
Sleigh Bells / Diplo. Two super hip indietronica acts team up for some noisy dance punk crunch and electro-glitch hop twitch and bounce. Sat., Feb. 4, Ritz Ybor.
Zola Jesus. Singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova's gothic sound draws on industrial and experimental rock, Dark Wave electro-pop, and classical music. Mon., Feb. 6, Crowbar, Ybor City.
An Evening with Trey Songz. The singer, songwriter, rapper and producer is the latest in the line of big R&B-hip hop acts that have recently hit Tampa. Tues., March 6, Straz Center, Tampa.
Gasparilla Music Festival. The debut of a new outdoor music fest on the water in downtown Tampa. Official lineup announcement soon. Sat., March 10, Curtis Hixon Park, downtown Tampa.
Caveman. New York’s psyche-shoegaze outfit released their debut LP, Coco Beware, on their own Magic Men! label in November. The stunning, gently melodic effort got them signed by reputable indie label Fat Possum Records. Sun., March 11, New World Brewery, Ybor City.
The Naked and Famous. The New Zealand synth pop group enjoyed international success with the charting single, “Young Blood.” Wed., March 28, State Theatre, St. Petersburg.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Re-scheduled from the original Jan. 23 due to Anthony Kiedis’ foot injuries, the tour supports the funky alt-rock band’s well-regarded 10th album, I’m with You. Thurs., March 29, Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Pink Martini. More than a dozen musicians make up the “little orchestra” otherwise known as Pink Martini, which mixes up classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop music to get to their lounge cool and classy sound. Thurs., April 5, Straz Center.
Plants and Animals. The indie retro-psyche rock trio from Montreal, Canada hits town hot on the heels of the release of their fifth album, The End of That (out Feb. 28 via Secret City). Tues., April 10, Crowbar.
Rammstein. The mega Berlin-based industrial rock band known for epic live performances brings an all-new production to North America following their first-ever retrospective release, Made In Germany 1995-2011. Sat., April 21, Tampa Bay Times Forum.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.