Thursday 7.19
Straight Outta Leicester The Formation Records Group is a landmark in U.K. breakbeat music. Founded in 1989, Foundation has continued at the forefront of underground dance music and is now internationally respected for a unique style of hardstep drum 'n' bass. The Formation Tour, headlined by co-founder DJ SS and MC Warren G, not the U.S. rapper of G-Funk fame, stops over in Tampa for a show featuring Twisted Individual, Dingo, Screwface and Stateside Collective's own Bamboo and CLRH2O. The 18-and-up show costs $10. Doors open at 10 p.m. at Rain Lounge, 302 Nebraska Ave., Tampa (813-932-2006).
No Relation to Desi Comedian Arnez J. may co-host a top-rated morning radio show in Chicago, but he brings a lot of physicality to his act. He has charisma and physical agility enough that he was recruited by The Harlem Globetrotters, and he's since displayed that talent on Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam and his own BET Comic View half-hour special. Arnez J. performs through Sunday, July 22, at the Improv. Tickets cost $16 to $20. Call for times. The Improv's at 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City (813-864-4000).
Friday 7.20
The Anti-DisneySpike Decker and Mike Gribble, the first to debut work by the creators of Beavis and Butt-head, South Park, Rugrats and Wallace & Gromit, are back with another feature-length collection of bizarre animated short films. Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation premieres 16 new films and two returning favorites. Titles include Rejected, the latest from Academy-Award nominated cult animator Don Hertzfeldt, Radioactive Crotch Man 3, Pussy da Red Nosed Reindeer, Monkey vs. Robot, Coco the Junkie Pimp and Ghost of Stephen Foster. The festival is for ages 18 and up and takes place through Thursday, July 26, at Tampa Theatre. (See Movie Marquee for times.) Tickets cost $6.25 and $4 for students. Tampa Theatre is at 711 N. Franklin St. (813-274-8981). See Film column.
Once Again, It's On The Orpheum represents the Bay's premier proving ground for underground hip-hop artists, who surface for Got Skills? 4, an old-school battle of MCs and B-boys/girls. The crowd judges the contenders, who rap freestyle and break dance for $100, a future show booking and titles of illest MC and smoovest B-Boy. Doors open at 9 p.m. The slots for competition fill fast (30-plus MCs and 30-plus breakers) and registration ends at 11 p.m. All ages for competitors are welcome, everyone else 18 and up. Admission is $7, $5 for registration. The Orpheum's at 1902 Republica de Cuba, Ybor City (813-248-9500).
Saturday 7.21
3-D for MD Nuance Galleries and 3-D pop artist Charles Fazzino have teamed up for a fundraiser benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Fazzino has raised money through his artwork for such charities as For All Kids Foundation and Habitat For Humanity, but what sparked his interest in this benefit was an experience creating an original mural with 60 children at MDA's Camp Pa-qua-tuck, where his daughter had volunteered. Fazzino is best known for his brightly colored serigraphs of New York City, but his images vary from classic films to sporting events. The show opens with a noon luncheon. Fazzino is on hand 7-9 p.m. to individually dedicate any work sold, with a percentage benefiting the MDA. Nuance Gallery is at 720 S. Dale Mabry, Tampa (813-875-0511).
Odetta An American cultural treasure, Odetta has produced music that embraces African-American folk, blues, spirituals and gospel and influenced generations of musicians, including a young Bob Dylan. Odetta's commercial breakthrough came during the folk revival of the early 1960s; the singer/guitarist is also remembered for playing blues during the '50s in the early Bessie Smith style. She's recently received the National Medal of Arts and released a studio album, Blues Everywhere I Go. (For more on Odetta, check out Scott Harrell's Music column.) Acoustic bluesman Roy Book Binder opens the show at 8 p.m. at The Palladium. Tickets are $15 and help benefit the new building campaign for WMNF-88.5 FM. The Palladium is at 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg (727-321-1967).
Sunday 7.22
Current View The Tampa Museum of Art continues its commitment to raising public awareness of Florida artists by hosting its fifth annual underCURRENT/overVIEW exhibition of work by regional artists. This year's exhibition features 15 artists who've achieved a certain level of expertise and recognition, offering a wide range of innovative forms of expression, media and artistic concerns. They are Ryan Berg, Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, Leslie Fry, Mandy Greer, Eunice Kambara, Steve McCallum, Monica E. Naugle, Leslie Neumann, Florence Putterman, Ric Savid, Sabrina Small, Roxie Thomas, Robyn Voshardt, Sven Humphrey and Christopher Weeks. Admission is $1 through July. The exhibition runs through Sept. 16 at Tampa Museum of Art, 600 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa (813-274-8130).
Crouching Fish, Hidden Finger It's been more than four years since Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger hit the road together, as they did in '96, when all things post-punk and Orange County were blossoming. The bands are touring in support of their most recent albums, last year's Everything Sucks, a re-release of RBF's '96 independent debut, and Stomping Ground, which is supposed to be the finest recorded example of Goldfinger's unbridled and infamous live shows. Homegrown opens the $20 show at 6 p.m. at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg (727-896-1244).
Monday 7.23
Grand Ole Opener Those who don't like country music may yet like Junior Brown, just as many fans of the Dave Matthews Band aren't fans of folk. Junior's stylistic allegiance is split between the soul of country and the spirit of rock. Hearing one lick from Brown's guit-steel (a 6-string and steel-guitar hybrid of his own invention) is generally enough to decide whether or not he's too Grand Ole Opry for you, but as the opener for the Southeastern leg of the Dave Matthews Band's summer tour (from Selma, Texas, to Nashville), fans of DMB will have plenty of time to decide. Tickets for the Ice Palace show are $46.50, plus service charge. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and the Ice Palace is at 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa (813-301-6500).
Tuesday 7.24
Get Your Toast On St. Petersburg's Toastmasters Club 2284 is part of the Toastmasters International Organization, a nonprofit entity created to improve public speaking, listening skills and overall self-esteem. The Toastmasters Club 2284 meets at 6:15 p.m. every Tuesday at the Piccadilly Cafe and works on public speaking, as members present speeches and interact in various speaking roles. Quarterly dues are $20 with a one-time initiation fee of $27. For information, call 727-343-7782. The Piccadilly Cafe is at 1900 34th St. N., St. Petersburg (727-328-1501).
Wednesday 7.25
Two-Step Program Stand-up comedy's funniest guy you've never heard of, Ron Morey, has performed on A&E's Evening at the Improv and PBS's The Best Medicine. Morey headlines a show shared with Darrell Joyce, whose early appearances on BET's Comic View landed him appearances on HBO's Young Comedians Special. The pair performs through Sunday, July 29, at the Improv. Call for times. Tickets cost between $8 and $14, depending on the night. The Improv's at 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City (813-864-4000).
