Concerts, Sept. 26-Oct. 2.
by Leilani Polk, Eric Snider and Carol CurrieTHURSDAY 26
The Weeknd w/Anna Lunoe/Banks Canadian alternative R&B artist/producer The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) has a silky, ceiling-brushing falsetto that’s joined by the nasal-brassy rhyme-flinging of fellow Canada countryman and frequent collaborator Drake in “Live For.” The fourth single off The Weeknd’s just-released major label debut Kiss Land is a blend of brooding drama and sentiment that reflects how the album flows overall, in deliberately, moodily, subtly-woven pop-groovescapes. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center, Tampa) --Leilani Polk
Blues Traveler Last year the John Popper-led band celebrated its 25th anniversary with a double-disc comp and an 11th studio album, Suzie Cracks the Whip. This year, Blues Traveler — which left a footprint in the 1990s with folky, bluesy harmonica-driven pop-rock charters like “Run-Around” and “Hook”— are back on the road in support. (Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa) —Carol Currie
Big Something N.C.’s Big Something make their bread and butter on the road, building jam-rock grooves that leave room for improvisation with sci-fidelic and greasy-funky keyboards, fatty bombastic basslines, dual blues-riffing and soloing guitars ala the Allmans but with more Umphrey’s McGee-minded progressive turns, a two-horn punch of trumpet and sax, and in some songs, passable-to-good vocals (hey, it’s more about the instrumentals). Original material is studded with eclectic covers; current numbers in rotation include “Calm Like a Bomb” by Rage Against the Machine and Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer.” (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)--LP
The Pretty Reckless w/Heaven’s Basement/Louna Though she wet her feet in acting, fashion and modeling, Taylor Momsen is far removed from the Gossip Girl we all knew, trading in Hollywood glam for rocker grit as frontwoman of hard-edged heavy metal outfit The Pretty Reckless, and even going so far as to pose topless (but not completely bare) for a new tour poster; her New York-based band supports a brand new sophomore LP, Going to Hell. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —CC
Mini-Tour Kick-Off Party: Y Los Dos Pistoles/Radarmen/Jeff Brawer Shae Krispinsky-led garage-roots rockers Y Los Dos Pistoles along with Radarmen (featuring the three-prong alt-rock attack of guitarist Rodney Smith, bassist David Kibby and drummer Adam Revak), and Dukes of Hillsborough guitarist-singer Jeff Brawer rolling solo acoustic prepare to embark on a short Florida tour with this Hub date. (The Hub, Tampa)--LP
O’Brother/Daylight w/Junior Astronomers/Rescuer O’Brother delivers a seething, roiling, propulsive rock synthesis of stoner/sludge metal, sprawling prog rock and driving art and post rock atmospherics. Darkened layers of sustained low-end growls, static-crunching guitar distortion and shrieking reverb, pounding doomful drumbeats and faster-pumping drive balance melodic interludes of quiet melancholy or build to explosive climaxes as soul-gripping singer/guitarist Tanner Merritt murmurs in creepy sly intones or explodes in anguished howls over top. Also on the bill is Philly area outfit Daylight, which purveys grungy alt-rock marked by dual guitar crunch. (Crowbar, Ybor City)--LP
FRIDAY 27
Maze feat. Frankie Beverly This longstanding unit holds a unique place in the annals of R&B. Formed in Philadelphia in 1970 and transplanted to San Francisco the following year, the band, then called Raw Soul, established itself amid the waning hippie movement. While Maze has maintained a steady presence on the R&B charts, the act has not crossed over to a mainstream audience, never having a single reach higher than No. 67 on the pop charts. Maze has a silky but organic sound built around undulating funk, tight ensemble playing and Beverly’s laid-back soul croon and easygoing stage presence. The band willingly let hip-hop pass it by, and has been the better for it. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) —Eric Snider
Blast Friday! w/John Cafferty Contrary to popular opinion, John Cafferty is not technically a One Hit Wonder. Yes, “On the Dark Side,” which climbed to No. 7 in ’84 as part of the Eddie & the Cruisers soundtrack, is the song for which Cafferty and his Beaver Brown band are best known. But the Rhode Island group did have three other singles make the Top 40, and 1985’s “C-I-T-Y” reached No. 18 (surely you can hum it, right?). Cafferty and company were so reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band that it was almost creepy. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater) —ES
Tyler Farr The first three singles off Tyler Farr’s on-the-verge-of-dropping debut full-length — women (“Hot Mess,”“Hello Goodbye” and title track “Redneck Crazy”) — are sure indicators of his low-country style. The rest of his subject matter is likewise geared on drinking, favored pastimes, women and heartache, sometimes all in one song ala his collab with Colt Ford, “Chicks, Trucks and Beer.” (Dallas Bull, Tampa)--LP
Beach Day w/Permanent Makeup/Alaskus Hollywood, Fla.’s Beach Day has concocts a melding of chunky garage-rock and girl-group gleam that borders on the sublime. The Bay area trio Permanent Makeup makes scruffy, garage-y avant-rock with elements of surf and punk. Nicole Schleif and Sandra Lolo make up Alaskus, a spacey psychedelic shoegaze act. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) —ES
[page]Enter the Haggis w/Nickels and Dimes Enter the Haggis’ name is as intriguing as the story behind The Modest Revolution. The songs on their seventh and latest studio LP were inspired by a days’ worth of content printed in the March 30, 2012 issue of The Globe Mail newspaper, and fans who donated to the Toronto-bred Celtic folk rock band’s Kickstarter campaign for Modest Revolution received a copy of the paper along with the LP. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —CC
Malcolm Tent Axe-grinding punk rock troubadour Malcolm Tent is an underground icon and ex-owner of a legendary indie record shop (Trash American Style, open 21 years before its demise in 2007); he also has his own radio show (Mr. Tent’s Wild Ride), a DIY record label (TPOS), and a knack for taking tiny, elegant, life-as-art photos. Microgroove’s Keith Ulrey described Tent’s last impromptu stop at his own shop as “hilarious, insane, engaging and sometimes awkward (for all three of the attendees who happened to be here),” and it apparently ended with the musician performing amid oncoming traffic in the middle of Florida Avenue. So — how could you miss something like this after reading something like that? Plus, it’s free; showtime at 7 p.m. sharp. (Microgroove, Tampa)--LP
The Underachievers w/Caskey/Vinny Virgo/Pat Ferg New darlings of the indie rap world The Underachievers have an 8.0-rated mixtape on Pitchfork (January’s Indigoism) and earned another more recent “Mixtape of the Week” nod from Stereogum (for September’s The Lords of Flatbush). The young Brooklyn duo — slick-flowing quicksilver-spitting rappers Issa Dash and AK — retain their street gaming edge and lexicon, but infuse their lyrical content with a healthy dose of stoner intellectualism and spirtituality, back up bravado with fiery mic skills and elevated wordplay, and deliver it all over psych-hop groovescapes. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)--LP
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Ska Homecoming w/ Victims of Circumstance/Electric Landlady/Four Minute Warning/Broseph Skalin/69 Fingers/The Hoverounds/SAGANAKI BOMB SQUAD/YugoSKAvia/Smash The Pink/Can’t Do It Witness a parade of skanky-sharp fashion (dogtooth, tartan and check-patterned formalwear, well-shined brogues and Doc Martins, pork pie and Trilby hats) at the 2013 edition of Ska Homecoming, where some of the area’s best ska-fused acts are gathered under one roof to perform and all their hepcat fans show up in their Sunday best to get down. All ages; $10. (Epic Problem, Tampa)--LP
Brian Wilson with Jeff Beck Not the first pairing of rock legends that comes to mind, right? You’ve got your SoCal genius songwriter, producer and stacker of heavenly harmonies whose sunny pop hid demons within. Then there’s your prototypical British guitar hero whose facility on his instrument is undiminished. One of the world’s most famous basket cases teams up with a guy so fit that at 69 he still wears his hair in a shag and goes sleeveless on stage. (If I have to tell you which is which …) Beck guested on Wilson’s upcoming solo album, which was the genesis for this co-headlining tour. The following quote from Wilson confirms that the two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will perform together: “We’ve got some new tunes we want to try out on a live crowd as well as doing some great music from our catalogues.” So, separate sets and a Big Finish. Works for me. Wilson is joined by former Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —ES
The Tattered Saints/Paint The Town Red!/The Dags Al Torcia has officially dropped his name from The Tattered Saints handle and embraced his role as frontman without it. The change also reflects his band’s fresh lineup and sonic shift to three guitars. This date launches a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for recording an EP in said fresh lineup. (Crowbar, Ybor City)--LP
Marc Black A rhythm-driven finger-style folk-bluesman who’s performed with the likes of Taj Mahal, Richie Havens and Pete Seegar, and is best known for odes dedicated to a few of his loves —“Ooh I Love My Coffee” (“I love it a latte, I love it a latte”) and “I Love You Rachel Maddow” (“With that short hair style, that cute sideways smile, I just gotta set my dial to bring her in”). (Craftsmen House Gallery, St. Petersburg)--LP
This Frontier Needs Heroes w/Mark Etherington/JT Brown A pair of sweetly harmonizing siblings lead This Frontier Needs Heroes. Jessica and Brad Lauretti collaborated long distance for their third full-length Hooky— Brad from Jacksonville, where he received a grant for a songwriting residency program, and Jessica from their Brooklyn homebase. The breathing space likewise infused their sound with an effortless airy appeal, though the folk-roots melodies are as heart-squeezing tender as ever, confirmed by the nostalgia-imbued title track (“Let’s go to Disneyland, throw ourselves in the sand, maybe we should start a band, it only takes five strings to jam”). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)--LP
[page]SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Stand Your Higher Ground: The WMNF Tribute to Stevie Wonder w/Vincent Sims and The Sidewinders with Scott Elliott/Gerry Williams Band/The Ditchflowers/Gwan Massive/Shaun Hopper/Betty Fox Band/Belinda Womack/Talk To Mark/Poetry n’ Lotion/The Mighty and Strong Band/6th Melody Now that Stevie Wonder is leading the boycott against our state due to the George Zimmerman trial verdict and has vowed not to perform in Florida until the “Stand Your Ground” law is abolished, there’s a chance we’ll never enjoy his soulful R&B serenades here again … not that he stopped in much before the trial, but still, the possibility existed. At least we can console ourselves with events like the latest tribute hosted by WMNF, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Stevie’s masterful album, Inner Visions. The fine lineup includes Orlando’s Gerry Williams Band, whose namesake takes a page from the Wonder groove playbook, pop rock melody makers The Ditchflowers, potent hip-hop ensemble Gwan Massive and finger-picking guitar wonder, Shaun Hopper. Closing the night with a full-album presentation of Inner Visions is Vincent Sims and The Sidewinder with guest Scott Elliott. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)--LP
Fall Out Boy w/Panic! at the Disco/Twenty One Pilots Fall Out Boy has maintained a chart-topping, concert-drawing career built around tightly wound, anthemic pop-punk and the charisma of its frontman Pete Wentz, who’s become a cult figure of his own. Las Vegas’ Panic! at the Disco made quite a splash with its big-gesture, fist-pumping rock in the mid-2000s, but their popularity has tapered off somewhat. (USF Sun Dome, Tampa) —ES
Michael Ross Quintet A bedrock of the jazz community, Ross is among a handful of truly great acoustic bassists to call Tampa Bay home. His performance in a relatively upscale setting comes on the heels of the release of his terrific new album, Ginger. The seven-track disc finds Ross the composer mining his most lyrically melodic side, but this concert will almost certainly include edgier material as well. The quintet includes guitarist LaRue Nickelson, saxophonist/flutist Danny Jordan, pianist Patrick Bettison and drummer Walt Hubbard. Ross sums up his philosophy of playing his instrument thusly: “Get a good sound, swing hard and play the bass like a bass.” He succeeds on all counts. (HCC/Ybor Mainstage Theatre, Ybor City) —ES
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/KaoticBlaze For the last ODS of September, resident DJs Casper and LeSage welcome back Margie “KaoticBlaze” Nuñez, a NYC-bred DJ who mashes and spins modern and throwback hip hop, breaks, house, funk, reggae and Latin music. (Crowbar, Ybor City)--LP
Jeremy Gloff Album Release Party This year marks two decades of music-making for local Best of the Bay-winning singer-songwriter Jeremy Gloff. He’s observing the hallmark with an 18th album, Inside of Blue Buildings, funded by fans via a fruitful Kickstarter campaign, recorded over the summer, and officially unveiled at a Sunday evening soiree and show. The first few singles find Gloff slowing down the pace of his dance-leaning pop sounds and getting introspective on themes of home, poverty, and accepting and sorting out all the shit that hits the fan on any given day, like “My Life Is Perfect,” an ode of sardonic optimism that loses its sting by way of its delicate acoustic guitar-driven instrumentals and Gloff’s higher-register tenor intertwining with the pretty feminine calls of Danielle Merkle. (Mermaid Tavern, Tampa)--LP
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Young Roddy w/Corner Boy P/Fiend New Orleans rapper Young Roddy celebrates the joys of ’hood life, thug life, weed and … weed. His latest project is a collaborative mixtape with Curren$y called, appropriately, Bales. He’s joined by two other rhyme-slangers from Curren$y’s Jet-Life stable. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) —ES
TUESDAY. OCTOBER 01
Greensky Bluegrass w/Fruition Greensky Bluegrass writes material that embraces the stylistic spirit of their namesake genre; drums-free odes built on strings (upright bass, banjo, dobro, guitar and mandolin) that could be hewn from the Appalachian Mountains (though the band is from Kalamazoo, Mich.), and are marked by poignant four-part harmonies with strong soaring leads. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)--LP
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 02
Michal Menert w/Odesza/Mikey Thunder Poland-born, Colorado-based producer Michael Menert has a fine ear for sample dropping, and slips obscure vintage clips from both Eastern European and Western vinyl all throughout his soulful, bass-bumpin’ mid-tempo dance grooves. his musical background on guitar and keys informs his style of using both organic and electronic textures in his fusion of space jazz, hip hop and funktronica. He co-produced 2006’s Taking Up Your Precious Time, the debut Pretty Lights album, and he was the first artist signed to the Pretty Lights label. Sophomore full-length Even If It Isn’t Right dropped last year. Warming the stage on Menert’s current tour is production duo Odesza (Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches), delivering trip-hoppin’ beat-tape style mixes. (Crowbar, Ybor City)--LP
Sick Puppies w/Redlight King/Charming Liars LA-by-way-of-Australia’s Sick Puppies hit fans with a fourth studio LP this summer, Connect, but to these ears, it fails to do just that. Granted, the chorus of first single “There’s No Going Back” is suitably anthemic, but the message is trite (“the past is in the past, thank god it doesn’t last forever”) and the radio-ready alt-rock sound not-at-all compelling. At least the trio has proven their live potency or else I’d have to write them off for good. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)--LP