The end of the week has finally arrived and a big fat offering of live music lies ahead. Check out the highlights for this Fri., Sept. 18, along with a look at what's coming up this weekend.Jessica Lee Wilkes“You know your groove’s too shallow and you ain’t got the beat/skip the needle every time we meet,” Jessica Lee Wilkes snarls sultrily over a mix of fuzzy R&B-shuffling rock n’ roll in “Groove’s Too Shallow.” The track is the lead single off the Kentucky songstress’ just-released debut full-length, Lone Wolf. She also pounds acoustic and electric bass, and live, she’s joined by drummer Preston Corn and guitarist Wyatt Maxwell. If you missed her free show in St. Pete last night, her free set at Ella's starts at 10 p.m. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa)
Selwyn Birchwood A sizzling two-night (Friday-Saturday) stand featuring Suncoast Blues Society star and CL Best of the Bay-winning bluesman, Selwyn Birchwood. He hits the stage fresh off a European tour that ended with a set at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas, where he shared a bill with the likes of Buddy Guy, Tommy Rush and Walter Trout, among many others. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Luke Bryan with Randy Houser, Dustin Lynch Damn, Luke Bryan sure is a looker and by all accounts, he’s the fine “Country Man” he sings about in his debut full-length, 2007’s I’ll Stay Me; he married his high school sweetheart, they had two sons, and they’re raising the boys alongside his recently orphaned nephew. He currently has 12 No. 1 singles to his credit and is touring behind this year’s chart-topping fifth LP, Kill the Lights. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
The Maine with Beach Weather, Airsickness Arizona’s pop-sensible alt rock five-piece The Maine rolls through town backing American Candy, a fifth full-length that’s earned some rather positive media buzz; in fact, the four-star review from Alternative Press claims there’s not one bad song on the it, and the LP’s spot on the Billboard 200’s Top 40 charts indicates the fanbase is pleased as well. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Thee Oh Sees with Jensen Serf Co., Plastic Pinks This bill headed up by garage-psych darlings Thee Oh Sees has been the talk of the town since it was announced a few months back, and is a guaranteed sell-out, if tickets aren’t already gone by the time you’re reading this. In sum, if you’ve slept on it up ‘til now and really want to go, get your ass in gear, stat. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Toxic Holocaust with Lord Dying, Fleshreaper, Riptorn Joel Grind is the musical force behind Toxic Holocaust. Up until 2011, he wrote, produced and engineered all his thrash metal band’s recordings alone, hiring various rotating players to join him live. Nowadays, he splits studio duties with bassist Phil Zeller and drummer Nick Bellmore, and the trio hits town with Relapse Records labelmates and fellow Portland death/grindcore crushers Lord Dying, which dropped a sophomore LP, Poisoned Altars, this year. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Fronzilla with It Lives It Breathes, Palisades, Whitney Peyton You know that crushing metalcore band from Atlanta – Attila? Founding frontman Chris Fronzak has taken up a new side identity, that of rapper. As Fronzilla, his vocal tone has a Lil Jon’ quality – skuzzy-raspy, kinda loud and abrasive – and his subject matter is equally intellectual; first crunked-out horn-sampled single “Turn It Up” is about turning it up, yo (“Oh, shit, bitches on my dick/and we all up in this party ‘cause we came to make it sick”), while “They Still Talk” finds him bitching about people talkin’ shit. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
ALSO TONIGHT
Sister Kill Cycle/Traitor’s Gate/Dethstar Thrive/Xployt/Catatonic Scripts/Seek Well/Zach Kasakoffa Brass Mug, Tampa
Drum & Bass Night w/Footsouljahs Vapour, Ybor City
Tropidelic w/Ragged Old Souls Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
La Lucha The Underground @ Moscato’s, St. Petersburg
Jay Roast & Birthday Bash w/Slade & the Wasters/Archaic Interest/Gino & the Goons/Sonic Graffiti/Mosquito Teeth Fubar, St. Petersburg
Savants of Soul w/Groove Orient Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Steven Lolli Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa
Matt Walker & Friends Courtyard Stage @ Ale And The Witch, St. Petersburg
Bay Sir/Julioso/Alma Contra/Allen Snow The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Tampa Bay Jazz Fest w/Maurice Allen/Ryan Kilgore/Joey Sommerville/Jose Valentino Ruiz/Kyle Schroeder Sat., Sept. 19, Water Works Park, Tampa
O Som Do Jazz Sat., Sept. 19, SPC Music Center, St. Petersburg
Blues Traveler w/Lawrence Sat., Sept. 19, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Planet Retro 2-Year Anniversary w/Moon Flag/Gino & The Goons/Empire Cinema/Kyle Chason/Mind the Canvas Sat., Sept. 19, Planet Retro, St. Petersburg
Hiphopalooza III Sat., Sept. 19, Crowbar, Ybor City
The Bends 3-Year Anniversary Party w/Ufo Sex Scene/Selectric/Booty & The Browns Sat., Sept. 19, The Bends, St. Petersburg
Super Freestyle Explosion w/Stevie B./Taylor Dayne/Lisa Lisa/The Original Cover Girls/Freestyle/Debbie Deb/Johnny O/Cynthia/Lil Suzy/Lisette Melendez/JJ Fad Sat., Sept. 19, Amalie Arena, Tampa
Lions After Dark Album Release Party w/Goodnight Neverland/Preson Phillips/Wilder Sons/Funny Bunny Sat., Sept. 19, Orpheum, Ybor City
The Knick Knacks w/Mave’s Arcade/Donna Lu Sat., Sept. 19, New World Brewery, Ybor City
Eilen Jewell w/The Iguanas Sat., Sept. 19, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Ruben Moreno & Zydeco Sat., Sept. 19, Edge of 9, St. Petersburg
JP Soars Sat., Sept. 19, Courtyard Stage @ Ale And The Witch, St. Petersburg
Future Vintage/Row Jomah Sat., Sept. 19, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Pretty Voices/Archaic Interest/Seafang Sat., Sept. 19, The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg
Troy Youngblood and the SoulFish Sat., Sept. 19, Capitol Beer House, Clearwater
Dark Disciple/Thrash Or Die/Singod/Nekromaniak/Into The Grave Sat., Sept. 19, Brass Mug, Tampa
Post-Rays Concert Series: Sister Hazel Sat., Sept. 19, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg
Sasha Tuck & Friends Sat., Sept. 19, The Underground @ Moscato’s, St. Petersburg
EMPIRE X Birthday Bash w/Jaybee/Kensi/Decibel Nation/Kay-S Sat., Sept. 19, Fubar, St. Petersburg
The Midwest Maniac Monsters Mini Tour w/Ricky Dreamz/Syke Pachino/more Sat., Sept. 19, Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, Tampa
Green Jelly w/Nerds Raging/Twisty Chris & the Puddin’ Packs/Green Bastard Sat., Sept. 19, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Ringside’s Six Ring Circus w/Displace/Holey Miss Moley/Serotonic/Dropin Pickup/No Need/K Slat Sat., Sept. 19, Ringside Café, St. Petersburg
Josh Lamkin and Automatic Heat Sat., Sept. 19, Den Stage @ Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Jim Chambers Music Box Presents: Sunday Secret/Surviving the Mile/Extra Celestial/Five Alarm Fire Sun., Sept. 20, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Unearthly w/Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus/Insatanity/Ebullition Sun., Sept. 20, Brass Mug, Tampa
Archnemesis/Bells & Robes Sun., Sept. 20, Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Tony Lucca Sun., Sept. 20, Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Sunday Jazz Brunch Debut feat. Le Jazz Trio Sun., Sept. 20, Boulevard Burgers & Tap House, St. Pete Beach
Norma Jean w/The Ongoing Concept/’68/Sleepwave Sun., Sept. 20, Orpheum, Ybor City
TC Carr & Bolts of Blue Sun., Sept. 20, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café, Tampa
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/Blenda Sun., Sept. 20, Crowbar, Ybor City
Raychill Muller Sun., Sept. 20, Mermaid Tavern, Tampa