Concerts, June 13-19
by Leilani PolkTHURSDAY, JUNE 13
Future Vintage A keys-bass-and-drums trio with a funk sound repping the past, present and potential horizons of the genre. Keysman/composer Matt Giancola, bassist Trevor McDannel and drummer Dean Rocco draw on the heady retro sounds of 1970s funk along with hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul from the ’80s and ’90s, and electro dance grooves of today; the interplay of wet-dripping and rubbery zipping basslines and keyboards are set against a steady-hopping backbeat that’s sometimes augmented by programmed drums, samples and loops. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Guttermouth w/Pinhold Down/Mosquito Teeth Seminal Huntington Beach-based pop punkers Guttermouth return to Tampa Bay to serve up another set of their sarcastic, snotty rock ’n’ roll. Since their inception in 1988, the quintet has been marking their territory around the world with original material that encompasses nine studio albums. Support on this date provided by Jacksonville’s Pinhole Down and St. Peterburg’s own Mosquito Teeth. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)—Justin Little
Night Beds w/Jenny O. Winston Yellen charms with supple, dulcet-sweet vocals that reach higher-register intones and are buoyed by his own multi-tracked haunting harmonies on Country Sleep, the dreamy-pastoral alt-folk debut he put together over a many-month span sequestered away alone in a rural cabin, the lonesome down-tempo odes marked by mournful pedal steel, strings and sparse drums. A recent AV Club Undercover episode found Yellen (joined by bandmates on keys, drums and guitar) performing a low-key reading of Robyn’s synth pop hit “Dancing On My Own,” revealing that despite his music’s gloominess, he can still have a little fun, too. LA roots songstress Jenny O. — who was here last month opening for Rodriguez at the Straz Center and backs her twangy first LP, Automechanic — warms up the stage. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Donavon Frankenreiter w/The Crazy Carls The Cali-born, Hawaii-based surfer dude/singer-songwriter got a leg-up from best pal Jack Johnson at the start of his musical career, did a stint on Lost Highway after leaving JJ’s Brushfire label, but eventually broke away from that, too, forming his own Liquid Tambourine imprint in 2010. Last year Frankenreiter dismissed all the members of his band save longtime bassist Matt Grundy, and the two recorded his fifth full-length Still Livin’, a breezy folk rock album with no actual drums — all the rhythms were created via hand-claps and found percussion — and lots of added sonic texture via ukulele, lap steel and banjo. Frankereiter reflects on his life and loves, delivering lines like “You and I, girl, are like a sun and moon / Lately you’ve been in orbit in my head like a good summer tune” and “I believe the world could be fine if we could all sing the same lullaby” in his warm, honey-baked vocal tone. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Crookers Dance music artists come in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities, and Crookers — the solo project of Italian DJ/producer Francesco “Phra” Barbaglia — fits into his own category of hipster-meets-gangsta with his shaved bald head, well-groomed beard, pierced septum (usually a gold hoop), matching chains, and surprisingly warm and ready smile. Heavy electro house is his sonic game, though he has definite hip hop tendencies and even collabed with Kid Cudi on the track “Day’N’Nite.” (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
Sons of Hippies Summer Tour Kick Off 2013 w/Redfeather/The Mother Machine The past six months have been a pinnacle period in the musical career of Sarasota outfit Sons of Hippies, which inked a deal with reputable LA-based indie label Cleopatra in December, recorded third album Griffons at the Gates of Heaven with Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney) in Seattle this spring, and are having it mastered by Andy Walter (Radiohead, David Bowie) at Abbey Road Studios. The trio (Katherine Kelly, Jonas Canales and David Daly) have mixed in a few familiar tunes (like the propulsive “Spaceship Ride”) with the newer numbers, à la the grungy, harder-driving guitar-riffing “Minute by Minute” and more mesmerizing acid-dropping sitar-infused rock haze of “Forward,” Kelly’s silvery soprano slicing through the mix of post-apocalyptic rocktronica and bohemian psychedelia like a fine blade of melody. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)
Florida Rules 2013: Actions Speak Louder/Stay Away/Reveal Renew/Slow Burn/Losing Vision/Losin It/Blunt Trauma/Stealing Spines/Fortitude/With Increase/Blistered/Strengthen What Remains/Front Runner/Ten Fifty/Super Mutant/Kickturn/many more A huge two-day Friday-Saturday celebration of Florida’s DIY and indie bands practicing hardcore, death metal, emo, punk, pop punk and other genres with heavier distortion-fueled aesthetics. So far based on Facebook response, the most anticipated acts of the 40 some odd ones scheduled to play are Slow Burn (Venice), Blistered (Tampa) and Vices (Jacksonville). More info at theorpheum.com. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
MoonGoddess Three-Year Anniversary Party w/Lucky Costello Grassroots promoter Julia Stewart gets mad props for her valiant efforts in bringing high quality jams to the Bay area on a regular basis via MoonGoddess Entertainment, and three years after booking her first show, she’s still delivering the goods. This party in celebration of that fact features Lucky Costello, a trio from Jacksonville Beach blending elements of rock, blues, psychedelia and Latin music with the electronic textures and beats of dubstep, trance and DnB-seasoned dance music. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
[page]Broncho w/Feral Babies Oklahoma City-based band Broncho makes ’70s-imbued punk-garage rock with a modern post-punk catchiness, fine production qualities colliding with DIY rawness in a sound charming enough to earn them a nice buzz and a contract with Fairfax Recordings, which re-released 2011 full-length Can’t Get Past The Lips earlier this month. The ear-splitting mayhem of Feral Babies adds a good balance to the bill with their hard, fast and turbulent hardcore punk. The prolific quartet has a new full-length recording out, Unraveled, available now on bandcamp.com and on vinyl sometime later this summer; it’s the last to feature guitarist Sulynn Hago. Feral Babies also has a new split 7” with Chemical Ache that includes five new Feral Babies tracks. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, JUNE 15
Lefty Williams Learning how to play guitar is a formidable undertaking, and there are plenty of people who’ve simply given up even trying. That’s why the story of Atlanta-based axeman Lefty Williams is all the more inspiring. Though born without a right hand, Williams plays a mean guitar, better than many of the “regular” axe players you’re likely to encounter. Picking up the instrument at age 4 and making his own prosthetic pick at 6, Williams has since become an accomplished player and now has two decades of experience to draw from, his joyful mix of blues, rock and funk sure to make anyone feel good. His two albums, Big Plans (2005) and Snake Oil (2009), were recorded by notable producer John Keane, who's worked with the likes of R.E.M. and Widespead Panic. For an insight into Williams’ unique technique, check out his “How I make a pick” video at lefty-music.com. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin) —Matthew Drozdeck
Eric Sardinas Part of this South Florida blues-rock guitarist’s live gimmick is the possibility that he’ll set his axe on fire during his set. He also wears cowboy hats. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
Post Rays Game/Ruth Eckerd on the Road Concert Series: Imagination Movers Be prepared to see extra kids scurrying around for this latest edition of post-baseball entertainment. After the Rays finish the last of a four-game run against the Royals, the field is cleared and a stage rolled out for a performance by Imagination Movers, the New Orleans group from the TV show by the same name. Tickets to the 1:40 p.m. game include show admission. (Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg)
TUESDAY, JUNE 18
Billy Idol The bleached-blonde punk/glam/hard rock music vet with the most internationally recognizable sneer might not be delivering much in the way of new music, but he certainly performs the hell out of the old fare, staple hits like “White Wedding,”“Rebel Yell” and even “Eyes Without a Face” keeping his momentum going decades after their release. He also satisfies his voracious, still extensive fanbase with a hilarious tour diary at billyidol.net that chronicles his travels on the road. “I have new cabinets, my guitars are all behaving, and the rack of flashing lights seems to do what it’s meant to do,” he wrote at the end of his first check-in. “I’m ready to roll.” (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Samantha Crain w/Y Los Dos Pistoles/DieAlps! She may be petite but folk/Americana singer-songwriter Samantha Crain has a big expressive voice (when she’s not doing the hushed tender thing), and her velvety drawling timbre pairs well with her dusty odes and multi-instrumental tendencies on guitar, fiddle and piano; she also plays harmonica. Her very personal latest, Kid Face, was produced by John Vanderslice and issued this February via Ramseur Records (Avett Brothers, Langhorne Slim). (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Kid Ink Another new school Cali-bred pot-smoking rap artist, LA’s tatted Kid Ink worked his way to his current star-rising status with a series of self-releases, including two well-regarded 2012 recordings: full-length debut Up & Away (which charted high on Billboard and iTunes) and well-regarded mixtape Rocketshipshawty, both on his label with DJ Ill Will, Tha Alumni Music Group. In January, he signed a deal with RCA and his new single with Meek Mill and Wale, “Bad Ass,” finds him flowing like a contented cat about his current lot in life: “I’m feeling like a man of the hour, tear down the house / Throwin’ this money like it’s no running out.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Heart w/Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Tribute Hard rockin’ and rollin’ Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy have been churning out hits as Heart for four decades now, making enough bread for a lifetime with ’70s-era radio staples like “Barracuda,”“Crazy on You” and “Magic Man,” though they charted a few songs in the 1980s and are still coming up with fresh material; last year saw the release of a 14th full-length album, Fanatic, in addition to a career-spanning four-disc CD/DVD compilation, Strange Euphoria. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
[page]Capital Cities In catchy-fun synth rock single “Safe and Sound,” Capital Cities co-collaborators Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian deliver a warm triumphant refrain of love and support —“I can lift you up, I can show you what you want to see, and can take you where you want to be / You could be my luck, even if the sky is falling down I know that we’ll be safe and sound”— amid exultant trumpet and waves of bright synthesizer sonics, all of it carried on jaunty dance beats. The LA duo is joined by a full band on their current tour supporting first full-length In a Tidal Wave of Mystery. This is show is presented by 97X as part of the Bud Light Music First Concert Series, for free, but you need a ticket to get in. More info at 97xonline.com. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Soul 2 Earth w/Cheatwood A Tuesday night bill of funk, blues, rock, gospel and soul as headed up by Soul 2 Earth, a posi-vibing seven-piece from Winter Haven that spices up their setlists with covers like “Take Me to the River” and “I’ll Take You There.” (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
Grizzly Bear w/Majical Cloudz While you might feel a certain degree of knee-jerk hostility toward the inherent Pitchfork/hipster-appealing quality of Grizzly Bear, you also have to concede that the Brooklyn quartet has a gift for writing compelling music, currently at four albums and counting. The latest, 2012’s Shields, finds Grizzly Bear exploring the progressive side of their sound while delivering the expected dreamy haze of psych-folk, chamber pop and art rock exquisiteness, Daniel Rossen’s ethereal warble steadied by Edward Droste’s more earthy tenor. This show is a possible sell-out; get your tickets stat. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series w/John Nowicki The ball-busting drummer of Poetry n’ Lotion does his solo bellowing acoustic guitar-driven thing for the latest edition of New World’s grub and tunes series. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.