The Venus w/Oceans Rise/Soapbox Soliloquy Sometimes you’ve got to join your love for music from the 1960s and your adoration of science fiction in holy matrimony, and that’s just what Alexander Charos has done with his new project, The Venus. “Saturn Grind,” a lone single from the venture is all kinds of crunchy, synthy surf rock flecked with weird samples and nary the sign of a vocal track. Will the Alexander & the Grapes frontman actually sing at this Tampa debut? Who the fuck cares because that track is jamming without a vocal anyway. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) INFO
USF Choirs: Black Composers Concerts Choral composers like New Orleans’ late Moses Hogan (famous for his African American spirituals), Old Dominion University’s Dr. Adolphus Hailstork and famed organist Victor C. Johnson all get some shine as part of the USF choral program’s first ever Black Composers Concert, which the program is staging in honor of Black History Month. (Concert Hall at University of South Florida, Tampa) INFO
Florida Folk Scene Three Year Anniversary Showcase w/Ashleigh Devine/Jun Bustamante/Matt Walker Best of the Bay winning concert series celebrates three years of shining big, bright folky lights on some of the country's best six string pickers and songwriters. Check out why we love Florida Folk Scene here. (Green Bench Brewing Co. St. Petersburg) INFO
Florida Orchestra Pops: Mardi Gras in New Orleans w/Byron Stripling Fans of the Florida Orchestra are in for some fat times as conductor Jeff Tyzik leads them through a Mardi Gras celebration that will feature the music of Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong and Mahalia Jackson. All of it happens with special guest Byron Stripling (Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Boston Pops) handling trumpet and vocals. This is another one of those Florida Orchestra productions that opens in Tampa before hitting St. Pete and Clearwater over the weekend, but interested parties should know that heavy traffic is expected at the Straz and Mahaffey shows due to a presentation of “Wicked” and the street closures surrounding the St. Pete Grand Prix. (David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa) INFO
Quix w/Blunts & Blondes/$mgglr/Winta You know, Quix really are for kids, and bass producer/DJ Quix is going to prove it when a whole slew of twenty somethings pour into the Amphitheatre’s new home at the Ritz for a night of the progressive trap that sits front and center of “Jam Dizzle,” Quix’s new song with Australian producer Hydraulix. (The Ritz, Ybor City) INFO
Betty Fox Acoustic CD Release Betty Fox is a powerhouse jazz vocalist, and it’ll be interesting to see how she switches it up and turns on the subtlety for this listening room release show in celebration of a new acoustic album. (Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg) INFO
Southern Culture on the Skids w/Kolars Country fried southern rock comes to the Skipperdome on Friday thanks to Southern Culture on the Skids who blend rockabilly, surf rock and R&B into a unique brand of psychedelic rock that guitarist Rick Miller describes as “Americana from the wrong side of the tracks.” That sounds good to us, especially when Kolars (which features members of He’s My Brother She’s My Sister) open the show. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) INFO
The Bellamy Brothers Family owned M&B Products (have you ever had that “Cool Cow” dairy drink??) is luring folks out to Temple Terrace with a performance by long running country duo The Bellamy Brothers. It’s all happening as part of an annual Farm Night fundraiser that will benefit the city. Your preschooler gets in free, but tickets (which include all you can eat BBQ, sides and ice cream) are $15-$30 depending on how grown you are (you’re regretting drinking all that milk now, huh?). Howard and David Bellamy are going to let their love flow at this one, and organizers are hoping you let the funds flow, too. (M&B Products, Temple Terrace) INFO
ALSO PLAYING
No Room To Talk w/Tres Gringos (Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg) INFO
V.S.O.P (The Mermaid Tavern, Tampa) INFO
Ustad Gulam Abbas Khan (Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa) INFO
The Rosewoods w/Rising Down/DEA & Saint/Somatic (Fubar, St. Petersburg) INFO
Beerwolf w/Spar/Clem & Burnouts/SHOT/Quasi Mojo/Alien Tape Recorder (Brass Mug, Tampa) INFO
Final Friday w/J.T. Brown/Kerry Courtney/MouthCouncil (The Loft at Wove, St. Petersburg) INFO
Blast Friday w/John Waite (Cleveland Street District, Clearwater) INFO
Stuck Lucky w/Station Cases/Lipschitz/Awkward Age/Sketchie (Lucky You Tattoo, Seminole) INFO
Save Ferris w/Baby Baby (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) INFO
Dennis DeYoung (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
Benise: Strings of Passion (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
Vodkanauts (Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg) INFO
The Stranger: The Ultimate Billy Joel Experience (The Cuban Club, Ybor City) INFO
Fast Talkers w/Michael Barrow (Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa) INFO
Gullwing w/Jucifer/Swampuss (Crowbar, Ybor City) INFO
Tyrell Golden DeathB4Dead Release (Venture Compound, St. Petersburg) INFO
St. Pete Jazz Fest w/Joshua Breakstone Trio (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) INFO
HCC Guitar Series w/Rucco-James Duo (Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry Campus, Tampa) INFO
Christopher Dean Band (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) INFO
Beth McKee & Her Funky Time Band (Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, Sarasota) INFO
