It's Saturday! Go see some live music. Or, you know, at least thing about it real hard; maybe you'll actually be prompted to get out of the house on this 15th day of August. Here's some recs.Keith & Susie's 15th Anny Party with Denison Witmer, Alexander & The Grapes Keith and Susie Ulrey – the supremely tapped-in couple who run New Granada Records/Presents and are not only champions of the local scene but an integral thread in the fabric that makes it so vibrant – are celebrating 15 years of marital bliss with a big ol’ public blow-out and a few fab musical acts. Singer-songwriter Denison Witmer is the quiet storm of Lancaster, Pa., his sweetly poignant vocals and acoustic guitar picking showcased in warm and swaying folk-pop odes like the easy-swaying “Keep Moving Brother, Keep Moving Sister”; he’s earned well-deserved comparisons to Cat Stevens and Nick Drake. Local New Granada-repped quartet Alexander & the Grapes deliver on lush, full-band folk rock drive as fueled by the first-rate songwriting of frontman Alexander Charos. Put your party hats on, it’s gonna be a fine night of tunes and revelry. Show starts at 10 p.m. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
G.T.A. with Michael Methods, Mister Gray, Ronnie Lopez & more Not to be confused with Grand Theft Auto, the video game franchise (because I was), GTA is a Miami-bred production duo made up of Van Toth & JWLS (aka Matt Toth and Julio Mejia), who purvey a dark-hued mix of electro, trap, hip-hop, bass music, R&B and even some rock, too. (Their acronym actually stands for ““Death To Genres.”) (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Maruta with Department Of Corrections, Mother Brain Three viciously heavy acts come together on this bill as led by Miami-Orando grindcore/death metal outfit Maruta, on tour behind a third full-length, Remain Dystopian, that was issued in June via Relapse Records and is packed with 17 punchy blasting tracks with a few minor extensions ala the four-plus-minute “Submergence aka Barren Oceans of Infinity.” (Epic Problem, Tampa)
TAKEOFFxLANDING Hip-Hop Music Festival with Travi$ Scott, Robb Bank$, Denzel Curry, OG Maco & many more A rather impressive lineup of not-quite-famous hip hop artists gather under one umbrella for TAKEOFFxLANDING Hip-Hop Music Festival, a showcase that also features tech and industry panels with top booking agents, publicists, managers, and producers of the genre, and installations curated by A$AP Rocky art director Robert Gallardo. Headlining the music is Houston rapper/producer Travi$ Scott, who was discovered by T.I. after issuing a well-regarded mixtape in 2013 and signed to his Grand Hustle Records that same year. His debut full length, Rodeo, drops in September and features production credits by Kanye West among others. The Ritz remains the primary venue for TAKEOFFxLANDING but other Ybor spots are supposed to be hosting artists, too. Visit takeoffxlanding.com for more info.(The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
ALSO TONIGHT
Boxcar Hollow w/Sara Rose Band Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
Crush Tones Ringside Café, St. Petersburg
Endless Flow/Rebekah Pulley/simply.abigail Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Mad Beach Band Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Ragged Old Souls/Fall on Purpose Mad Beach Brewing, Madeira Beach
Serious Soul: Doug Kenderdine's Bday Jam w/Doug K/Busto/See Shellz Hyde Park Café, Tampa
Big Brother/Indian Shores/Ask For Tiger The Bends, St. Petersburg
The New Rulers/The Ambassadors Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Dreamkiller/Small Town Titans/Against My Will/Auditory Armory Brass Mug, Tampa
Hippiefest w/The Family Stone/Rick Derringer/Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels/Badfinger Feat. Joey Molland Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Hussar/Redfeather/Children of Orion The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg