THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
COHEED AND CAMBRIA w/RUSSIAN CIRCLES/SECRET MACHINES Coheed and Cambria's blend of emo and prog-rock might — might — work for me if the singer's voice didn't recall mine after huffing on four balloons' worth of helium, which is probably why I could never properly embrace Rush, y'know? (Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8
NERVOUS TURKEY CD RELEASE PARTY w/BIG JEF SPECIAL Heavy blues trio Nervous Turkey has been igniting local stages for the past year or so thanks to the expert drumming of Aaron Fowler, Mark Cunningham's killer organ-playing and the in-your-face explosiveness of singer/guitarist/harmonica player Ernie Locke. The trio's freshly minted debut full-length, Fat Boy Likes to Roll, is as raw and wicked as the band's live show. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
AMANDA SHAW AND THE CUTE GUYS w/SARA HICKMAN Amanda Shaw graduated high school and turned 18 in recent months, but the fiddler/singer/songwriter already has an album out on the venerable Rounder imprint titled Pretty Runs Out and has performed at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the past nine years straight. This May, she played what was dubbed the "Louisiana Stage" at WMNF's Tropical Heatwave. Her peppy melding of Cajun, pop and roots-rock — replete with a Clash cover — was such a hit that the community radio station has brought the little star ("I'm 5-foot-nothing," she told me) back for this Skipper's gig. Shaw also performs Sat., Aug. 8 at Ace's Lounge in Bradenton and Mon., Aug. 10 at Craftsman House Gallery in St. Petersburg. For my interview with Shaw, in which the former child actor (she did Disney movies in 2004 and 2005) says she was asked to audition for the role of Hannah Montana, click here. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
JOHNIE 3 w/DINGUS/MUTE ISSUE/THE TRI-FIVES/CRASH FISTFIGHT The Mind Syndicate stages another jam-packed, all-ages punk show at the VFW hall. Sharing the bill this time: Ohio Ramones lovers Johnie 3 ("Let's Get Medicated"), Maryland power-poppers Dingus, hardcore Miami trio Mute Issue and local rockers The Tri-Fives and Crash FistFight. (VFW Post #3233, Sarasota) —Amanda Schurr
MAGADOG w/THE BRENTFORD SOUND/SPANKIN' FRESH After more than 15 years together as forefathers of ska's Third Wave, veteran Tampa act Magadog returns with a new lineup, new album (Stubborn Records release, Sunrise) and several regional shows. A handful of players join original members Ed Lowery, Dave Akright and Jim Pedigo for soulful, horn-heavy reggae skankin' in the Two Tone tradition. Lending support are female-fronted Fort Myers band The Brentford Sound and Bradenton punkers Spankin' Fresh. (Rasher Tierney's, Bradenton) —AS
CONVERGENCE 14: VOLTAIRE/IRIS/AUDRA Big Goth shindig taking place Aug. 8-11 at various venues across Ybor. Bands, fashion, all kinds of fun for the eyeliner 'n' gloom crowd. For more info go, to c14ybor.com. (Various venues, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
ROCKABILLY RUMBLE: ROCKET 88 w/THE SULTANS OF SIN/THE TAINTS/KNOCK GALLEY WEST The Garage's second annual rockabilly bash features Orlando's Rocket 88; the psychobilly-leaning quintet formed in 1992 and is back regularly performing with the original lineup. Hey ladies, there will also be a Bettie Page look-a-like contest, with $100 prize for the winner. (The Garage, St. Petersburg)
SEVEN MARY THREE w/DAYS OF THE NEW/HAT TRICK HEROES For someone who loves original grunge bands like Pearl Jam and, to a slightly lesser extent, Nirvana, it's always been hard for me to stomach coattail-riders like Seven Mary Three. The Orlando band is as post-grunge as it gets. "Cumbersome," "Water's Edge" and "Lucky" were all hits when I was in high school or had just graduated. But going back and listening to them doesn't even give me a nostalgia kick, which typically happens with bad music of the period. On a positive note, Hat Trick Heroes open, and they kick ass in a neoclassic rock way, which means they're borrowing from past generations, not aping what's on the radio a year before they went into the studio, which was the case with Seven Mary Three. (Bourbon St. Nightclub, New Port Richey)
HELLSTOCK: HELSTAR w/JET CITY (QUEENSRYCHE TRIBUTE)/MENA BRINNO/MY EVIL SIDE/RETALIATION/CHAOS Led by James Rivera, who spent a few years in Tampa in the early 2000s, Helstar has been called "one of America's better kept heavy metal secrets throughout the 1980s" by All Music Guide. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
SARA HICKMAN The versatile Texas troubadour, who opens for Amanda Shaw at Skipper's, will perform a children's show geared toward 4- to 8-year-olds starting at 1 p.m. (Halcyon plays at night.) Local folk promoter Gloria Holloway writes: "[Hickman's] kids concerts are funny funny. [Hickman] gets a couple of good old dads out of the audience and brings them on stage and proceeds to make them look silly. The dads go along with everything, and their kids giggle but are embarrassed. The wives and friends and the rest of the audience is in stitches. In other words, adults — even without kids — get a kick out of her kids concerts." (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
DEAR HUNTER w/LYDIA/YOU ME AND EVERYONE WE KNOW/EYE ALASKA Boston's Dear Hunter does chamber pop for the indie set — a little too subdued for my taste but compelling nonetheless. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
KINDER, GENTLER SUNDAYS: REBEKAH PULLEY/EXPERIMENTAL PILOT/DAVE KORMAN (MEMPHIS TRAIN UNION)/RUSS VAN CLEAVE (TIM VERSION)/SCOTT HARRELL (NESSIE) Billed as "good music done real quiet like," this bimonthly Sunday event featuring Tampa Bay's "most talented singers/songwriters/bands raw," will be hosted by Nessie frontman Scott Harrell, who was a regular at the similar In the Raw acoustic events that took place across at the State Theatre. This gig will be held in Crowbar's beer garden, aka The Crow's Nest. Doors open at 7 p.m. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
BILLY NORRIS PROJECT w/ZKG/MIDDLE RHYTHM The gifted guitarist/singer/bassist is back from college to wow us with his jazz and blues chops, which are impressive. (Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa)
BARRY AND THE PENETRATORS w/RE-FORM/THE IN-CROWD Jersey Shore dub boys Barry and the Penetrators mash Jamaican roots Rasta and East Coast punk, referring to surf-ready numbers like "Reggae Party" as "lifestyle music." If that's code for a solid, Sublime/Social D retread, then mission accomplished. The band's joined by like-minded Central Florida rockers Re-Form and Bradenton's harder-edged The In-Crowd. (Pastimes Pub, Sarasota) —AS
