NOTE: Masquerade has closed its doors. Several of the shows in this Menu that were booked there have moved to different venues.
THURSDAY, MARCH 09
GEORGE THOROGOOD The man who provided one of the songs most often used in TV ads, "Bad to the Bone," brings his slide guitar and snarl to Tampa Theatre. Thorogood's out on the road promoting Then & Now, a new disc that's half live favorites and half new studio tracks. (Tampa Theatre, Tampa)
STEEL PULSE Quasi-legendary British reggae act Steel Pulse makes another of its fairly frequent St. Pete appearances. This is the band's 31st year of existence; the group is probably best known for the late-'70s single "Sound System." (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
DIERKS BENTLEY Young pop-country up-and-comer Bentley has been on the cusp of serious big-time success for a couple of years now. He's in town to perform at Lakeland's annual Strawberry Festival. (Strawberry Festival, Lakeland)
DISCO BISCUITS w/BROTHERS PAST The Disco Biscuits, one of the so-called leaders of the jam scene's trance-fusion movement, return to the Bay area for the first time in more than two years with a brand new drummer and something to prove — that they can still bring it on. The dance, that is. Bisco is joined by Brothers Past and after their St. Petersburg show, both bands head south to Sunrise for the weekend to perform at Langerado, a rather large music fest in Markham Park featuring headliners like Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, The Meters and The Black Crowes, and supporting acts that include Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, The Secret Machines and Steel Pulse. (The Bank, St. Petersburg) Leilani Polk
HERMAN'S HERMITS FEAT. PETER NOONE With Noone's over-the-top Cockney brogue and a penchant for combining Mersey beat rock 'n' roll with old English dancehall styles, Herman's Hermits enjoyed a healthy heyday, scoring 11 Top 10 hits (including "Silhouettes," "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and, of course, "I'm Henry VIII, I Am") from 1964-1967. It's been 38 years since the band last charted, so I think I'm safe in saying that this will be an oldies/nostalgia show. The engagement continues March 10-12. (Busch Gardens, Tampa) Eric Snider
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
THE TAKE ACTION! TOUR This annual punk tour nearly single-handedly subsidizes the Kristin Brooks Hope Center's suicide-prevention hotlines. This year's headliner is Epitaph Records' Matchbook Romance, a rising act that ambitiously combines elements of pop-punk with moody, textured modern rock. (By the way, the artwork for the group's new album Voices is absolutely amazing.) Joining MR on tour — though not all bands are appearing at every date — are generic emo-core act Silverstein, pop crew The Early November, technical posthardcore outfit Chiodos, and a host of newer (and lesser known) acts. NOTE: At press time, a venue had not been secured for this show. Please visit www.statemedia.com for venue/cancellation information.
G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE w/HAMELL ON TRIAL Cocky folk-blues strummer G. Love, who has steadily moved away from the hip-hop elements heard in his early sound, continues to thrive years after his 15 minutes in the pop-culture spotlight; it seems the jam scene has taken a shine to the guy. Energetic, thoughtful and funny one-man show Hamell on Trial, whose new album is called Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, provides quality support. (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS w/MOJO GURUS The enduring boogie-blues combo, minus co-founder Jimmie Vaughan but still featuring singer/harpist Kim Wilson, rolls on. It's tough to think of a more apt support act than St. Pete's own swamp-boogie stars Mojo Gurus. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
THE PRODIGALS They're a half Irish, half American pop-rock band with more than a little Celtic folk influence to their sound, and they can usually be counted on for an enjoyably rollicking Four Green Fields set every six months or so. The Prodigals' latest batch of catchy tracks comes in the form of the brand-new Momentum. (Four Green Fields, Tampa)
SKELETONS & THE GIRL FACED BOYS/THE BAND OF THE NAME/SWAYZE/THE LAKE AUDITION Aestheticized Presents brings another weird-ass and wholly worthwhile band to town. This time around it's eclectic, synth-y collective Skeletons & the Girl Faced Boys, along with concept-rock freaks The Band of the Name, Gainesville folk-rock unit Swayze, and Pinellas County art-rock combo The Lake Audition. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
WILD SPLASH 2006 Wild 98.7 FM's yearly Spring Break cavalcade of urban tuneage returns to Coachman Park. This installment seems a little light on really big names; rapper T.I. and Christina Milian are the ostensible headliners, and Bubba Sparxx may be the most widely recognizable performer. Ne-Yo, Elephant Man, Dem Franchize Boyz, Tanto Metro & Devonte, and Tami Chynn are also scheduled to play. (Coachman Park, Clearwater)
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK/OK GO/PLAIN WHITE TS/THE SPILL CANVAS While Minneapolis' Motion City Soundtrack is signed to Epitaph, the band's sound is more about jumpy, catchy rock 'n' roll than it is punk. Good stuff. So is the terminally underrated OK GO's jaunty, somehow sarcastic alt-rock sound. Plain White Ts and The Spill Canvas are comparative newcomers to the all-ages scene; both have been through town several times at the bottom of various punk and emo bills, and should start climbing up from the opening slots any day now. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
