THURSDAY, MARCH 21
A Solo Evening with Bruce Hornsby The classy, rusty-voiced keysman and perpetrator of AC-charting hits like “The Way It Is,” “Mandolin Rain” and “The Valley Road” draws from influences that encompass easy riding folk, breezy AC pop-rock, light blues and jazz, and classical music, though he’s the first to acknowledge his ever evolving creativity and stylistic approaches. Regular sit-ins with the Grateful Dead and post-Dead groups, his ongoing live downloads series, and a double album of live performances from his 2007-09 tours, 2011’s Bride Of The Noisemakers, reflect his more recent improvisatory mindset. On this intimate solo date, it’s just Bruce and his grand piano. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
Deftones w/Periphery Last year saw Grammy-winning alt-metal sextet Deftones issuing album number seven, Koi No Yokan, though it was their second minus recovering-from-a-near-fatal-accident bassist Chi Cheng and plus replacement Sergio Vega, who was more active in the recording of this album than the last. The band is as ferocious as ever, as in lead-off track “Tempest,” which finds frontman Chino Moreno oscillating between seethe and moan, and rage-filled roars (“I’d like you to take me, apart from the inside, then spit through the cycle, right to the end!”) over thick ominous guitars riffs and propulsive surging rhythms. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Handguns w/State Champs/Veara/City Lights Pop punk outfit Handguns hit town on their headlining “Pardon My Angst” tour backing high-octane latest album Angst, with like acts providing support. (Transitions Art Gallery @ Skatepark of Tampa)
Emperor X w/Alexander Charos/The Other Ryan Willis LA-by-way-of-Jacksonville’s C. R. Matheny (better known as Emperor X) lays nasally, youthfully fresh vocals over a boisterousy skewed pop and folktronic aesthetic, his cockeyed turns at songwriting ranging from a melancholic break-up ode named ironically for a denial-of-service attack application (“Low Orbit Ion Cannon”), to the BTU-wasting air conditioner of “Compressor Repair” that the narrator keeps trying to fix because, he implores, “I want you to be cool.” Both are featured on Fourteen Live Recordings, a new Emperor X release due out later this year. He most recently set the interwebs abuzz with his geocaching art project, The Blythe Archives (a series of EP releases containing hidden clues, codes, or hints directing listeners to geocached master tapes that unlock even more material), and for his habit of burying his master tapes, one-off songs and lo-fi demos at sites around the world while he’s on tour. His performances have been described as ‘half Billy Bragg-inspired anarcho-electric sing-alongs, half Lee “Scratch” Perry lo-fi dub live sessions.’ (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
(the) Umbrella Cult w/Physical Plant Frothing up from Sarasota’s hotbed of indie music talent, (the) Umbrella Cult purveys ’60s/’70s vintage- scuffed psych-garage pop that is has a nice dose of tooth-aching tambourine charm, strong male lead and female backing vocals, and marching upbeat rhythms. Their 2013 self-produced album, Apocalove, is intriguing enough for a return listen. (The Hub, Tampa)
FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Revival Tour: Matt Pryor, Chuck Ragan, Rocky Votolato, Jenny Owen Youngs Now in its sixth year, The Revival Tour was initially inspired by old-fashioned folk musician get-togethers and it has seen a revolving cast of guests along with receiving international praise for its stripped-down sets and live collaborations between performing artists. This tour around features Matt Pryor from The Get Up Kids, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Seattle-based singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato, and NJ-based singer/songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs. (The Social, Orlando) —Shannon Kelly
Saigon Kick Reunion w/Save the Radio! Remember that acoustic guitar-driven hair metal ballad from 1992, “Love Is on the Way”? Yea, that was Saigon Kick, delivering five albums worth of hard rock direct from Miami until they disbanded in the late ’90s. This 20th anniversary tour reunites original members Matt Kramer, Phil Varone, Jason Bieler and Chris McLernon. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Inspecter 7 w/The Apes/Control This/Die Trying/Dos Proper Rudos All three waves of ska sounds collide in the vibrant, springy, Skatalites-brassy music of New Jersey-bred nine-piece, Inspecter 7, which hits town supporting a third full-length, 2012’s Escapes and Illusions. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
King of Prussia Poster Boys or: The Art of Mobile Recording is a documentary that follows two musicians — King of Prussia’s Brandon Hanick (a Dunedin native) and longtime multi-instrumentalist collaborator Nathan Troutman — as they use their traveling poster sales job to finance an ambitious project to record an album on the road for their side project, Cool Moments. The film premieres and the twosome performs this Saturday at Gasparilla Film Festival. They also play a free in-store of indie psych pop with King of Prussia at 9 p.m. sharp, hyping a new light-and-dark double album, Zonian Girls & Summer Spooks, featuring contributions from more than 20 guests. They’ll also be hawking copies of 2012 LP, Transmissions from The Grand Strand. (Microgroove, Tampa)
Tim Reynolds & TR3 w/Sol Driven Train Mostly underrated Dave Matthews Band axeman Tim Reynolds makes his annual appearance at the Skipperdome with his solo side trio, TR3, which currently encompasses bassist Mick Vaughn and drummer Dan Martier. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
