THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Heffron Drive feat. Kendall Schmidt w/Eric Dash/Ariana & The Rose Not much happening on Thanksgiving Day, because once your tummy’s full of turkey and trimmings, it’s damn difficult to budge from that cozy spot on the sofa. But if you start feeling antsy, the Steelers-Ravens game isn’t doing it for you, or (more likely than both of those), your daughter's a diehard fans of Nickelodeon’s soon-to-be-canceled show Big Time Rush and the boy band of the same name it spawned, Orpheum presents Heffron Drive. BTR lead singer Kendall Schmidt — who has a high youthful vocal quality with an emo-nasally tone — and BTR touring guitarist Dustin Belt comprise Heffron Drive, named for the street they both lived on when they first met back in ’08 and re-launched this fall after four years of inactivity. The duo plays early material and fresher pop-tronic rock odes on their first U.S. tour. High-class showmanship courtesy of Kendall. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
A$AP Ferg & The A$AP Mob w/Joey Fatts/Aston Matthews/OverDoz Yes, it’s another A$AP — there’s a whole mob of them, dontcha know? (The acronym actually stands for ‘Always Strive And Prosper,’ the outlook of the Harlem-based A$AP Mob hip-hop collective.) A$AP Mob’s current rising rhyme-slinging star (after A$AP Rocky) is gold-grill sporting A$AP Ferg, aka Darold Ferguson Jr., a 25-year-old rapper who just issued a well-regarded debut through RCA, Trap Lord. This is his first headlining tour, and he’s joined by his Mob compadres. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Love & Life Party w/The Freestylers/DJ Lace/Funk Lab/Mike Nice/MC Cles1/many more A new presence has taken up residence in the nightclub space formerly occupied by Empire. Pressure Ybor has been serving the EDM-loving public since opening its doors in September. The rave-up party planners of Love & Light present this latest event, billed as “A celebration of love, life, friends and family.” London-bred production outfit The Freestylers (Matt Cantor and Aston Harvey currently joined by third member Chris Bishop) head up the festivities, backing fifth and latest album The Coming Storm, and firing off mixes that draw on bass music, urban electro house, breakbeats, dubstep and lightly discofied dance. (Pressure Nightclub, Ybor City)
Mindless Behavior Surfing atop the waves of boy band groups spawned from the ‘00s is Mindless Behavior, more in the vein of Another Bad Creation than Backstreet Boys with their electro-bouncing hip-pop tendencies and high-toned sweet harmonies crooning sticky lovesick tracks like R&B charters “My Girl” and “Mrs. Right.” (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Nofucksgiving w/Abortion Twins/Fall on Purpose/Jormundgandr/Stereo-Type/Architect Of Infinity Some of us are giving thanks for the holiday weekend; others are exclaiming, “Fuck giving, let’s rock!” (Or, this is what I imagine when I see bills like this on the calendar.) Leading the thankless festivities are Abortion Twins, a cheeky raging five-piece spewing songs like “Cocksucker in a 3-Piece Suit” and “Portuguese Breakfast” (if you knew what it was, you’d be disgusted); this is the last show featuring drummer-bassist team Spaz and Jonny. Other highlights include the ska-fused variety show rock of Fall on Purpose, and the self-styled “melodic Viking Jedi death metal” of Jormundgandr (their material touches on Star Wars and Vikings, sometimes simultaneously). (Brass Mug, Tampa)
Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus After a memorable set warming the stage for piano howler Jason D. Williams, Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus makes their way back over from Florida’s East Coast to deliver a full-scale Skipperdome showing. Their blend of jumping blues, jiving swing and retro shuffling rockabilly twang is marked by dual Gresch guitar tones and the rich throaty drawl of the quintet’s leading lady as joined by the smokier masculine harmonies of her axe-wielding on-stage counterpart. Material includes classic vintage tunes by Eddie Cochran, Slim Gaillard and Wanda Jackson as well as numbers by more modern artists like Squirrel Nut Zippers and Imelda May. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones Detroit-bred, Bradenton-based Deming plays a mean blues guitar and belts out resonant vocals over his band’s shuffling, harp-blasted sound, which also draws on elements of Texas swing, country roots and rockabilly. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
James Tristan Redding w/Troy Petty With just an acoustic guitar, breathy warm croons or ragged howls, and solo material full of poignant and profound lyrical musings ala debut full-length Walking Into Brooklyn, James Tristan Redding has been reeling in fans beyond those drawn from his late alt-country band Union Pulse, whether he’s listing all the reasons why “My Dad is a Bad Ass” or waxing poetic about the nature of women (“A Girl Name Elizabeth”). (The Hub, Tampa)
The Florida Orchestra Presents the Music of Pink Floyd This year marks the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and The Florida Orchestra honors the occasion with a revival of the most popular program in its Rock Concert Series arsenal. A full band led by Zebra guitarist/vocalist Randy Jackson plays tunes from Dark Side as well as select cuts from The Wall and A Momentary Lapse of Reason, with full symphonic backing by TFO. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)