Concerts, June 20-26.
by Leilani PolkTHURSDAY, JUNE 20
Papadosio w/Stokeswood A three-date Florida tour presented as part of the AURA Music & Arts Festival Concert Series launches in St. Pete and is headed up by Asheville-based quintet Papadosio. Their aesthetic draws on trippy-tronic groove-drenched rock full of whizzing and fizzing synths, melodic or organ-riffing keys, pulsing basslines and plenty of guitar texture and solos. The verses of breathy-singing lyricist and axeman Anthony Thogmartin reflect on conservation, tolerance and other uplifting matters — when the five musicians aren’t simply laying out space odyssey-expansive, vocals-free but unz-unz-filled instrumentals as those on 2012 double album TETIOS (To End the Illusion of Separation). Support provided by Atlanta indie dance outfit Stokeswood. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
O Som Do Jazz: Album Release Party For this latest installment of the Palladium’s intimate Side Door Series, Bay area Brazilian pop, bossa nova and samba-jazz ensemble O Som Do Jazz — led by the silky melodious vocal stylings of Rio de Janeiro native chanteuse Andrea Moraes Manson — present a second album, A Kiss for Rio, which introduces even more of Brazil’s sonic tang into their sound. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Snow White’s Poison Bite w/Farewell My Love/Chomp Chomp Attack!/People In The Sea/Kissing Candice/Avacyn/Cruz Brothers Featuring: Dr. Gruesome and the Gruesome Gory Horror Show is the title of the new sophomore LP by Snow White’s Poison Bite, a Finnish foursome with a post-hardcore/emo-punk sound marked by nasally lead vocals that transform into wild yelps when things take a macabre turn. Their aesthetic is ostensibly “horror rock,” which I imagine refers to the lyrical content of songs like “Count Dracula Kid!”“There’s a Creep on the Block,” and “Will You Meet Me in the Graveyard?”— and not their sporadic attempts at Misfits-style face painting. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Earth Wind and Fire The soulful horn-driven mix of R&B, funk, jazz, disco and AM gold-style rock by this vet band has been getting the hip-sways going since 1969. Earth Wind and Fire has charted numerous hits, though you’re most likely to see the full-scale dance party commence for favorites like “Boogie Wonderland”“Shining Star” and “September.” (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
Someday Souvenir Over the last decade, local female-fronted rock band Someday Souvenir has managed to establish a strong presence in the Bay area and beyond, winning the MTV Ourstage “Takes the Stage” contest in 2011 and performing at LGBT events ranging from St. Pete Pride to The Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, Calif. Sultry-voiced frontwoman Dari Mahnic’s delivery is passionate and raw, refusing to be overshadowed by the pronounced riffs of guitarist Chrissy DeRado, and along with original rock ballads, Someday Souvenir has been known to play a range of covers, like Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” and Awolnation’s “Sail.” Their sound draws on a mix of Pink-style power pop and soulful Southern rock à la Melissa Etheridge, the overall effect emotive and authoritative all at once. For this “Avant Tout” event, Someday Souvenir plays the first portion of the show acoustic, and the rest with a full-scale plugged-in band. Also performing: Pedro El Poeta, Cuba Luna and Iris Calling. (Local 662, St. Petersburg) —Tyler Killette
Robert DeLong A rising star of the EDM scene whose instrumental chops pair well with his electro skills. Robert DeLong is responsible for that stripped-down catchy track “Global Concepts,” which pairs timbales-fueled rhythms with candied synthesizers and DeLong’s tender vocals singing a refrain that reflects on the things he might wonder about after he’s passed on: “Did I make money, was I proud, did I play my songs too loud, did I leave my life to chance, or did I make you fucking dance?” (Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg)
Bingo Players Another electronic act with less indie cred than Robert DeLong but more global experience, Bingo Players is a Dutch production duo (Paul Bäumer and Maarten Hoogstraten) that purveys a big house-rooted dance music sound. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
Kool & The Gang w/The Ohio Players Expect a night of ass-shaking good times when Kool & the Gang hits Mahaffey with their parade of discofied funk, soul and R&B hits: “Jungle Boogie,”“Get Down On It,”“Hollywood Swinging” (famously sampled by Mase and Puff Daddy in “Feels So Good”), “Spirit of the Boogie,”“Ladies Night,” and the like. Joining them is the Ohio Players, responsible for such hits as “Funky Worm,”“Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster.” (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
2013 International Noise Conference USA Tour w/The Laundry Room Squelchers/Oblongata/BBOA/Vasectomy Party/BLK/MAS/Black Beast of Arrrghhh/Hell Garbage/many more The St. Pete landing zone for all things experimental, Venture Compound, hosts this touring showcase of noise acts, with sets no more than 15 minutes long apiece and all of it headed up and organized by punk-informed Miami-based purveyors of loud, The Laundry Room Squelchers. (The Venture Compound, St. Petersburg)
Emilio Rojas w/Temp/Samurai Shotgun/Eyeznpowa/Mighty Jai/Malibu/DJ Fader Whether he’s offering a warning about his bad boy ways (“You sleeping next to me, I’ll let you stay the night / But you gotta know ‘Good Morning’ means ‘Goodbye’”), or wondering what he’d do if it was his last day on earth (“Tomorrow Never Comes”), New York rapper Emilio Rojas is keeping it real and personal. This date falls right after the release of his latest mixtape, No Shame No Regrets. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
[page]The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die w/Dads/Pity Sex An indie rock band with emo and chamber tendencies, Connecticut octet TWIABPIANLATD (see unabridged name above) is celebrating the release of their brand new first LP, the wistfully pretty Whenever, If Ever. (Epic Problem, Tampa)
Gerry Williams Band w/Sheba The Mississippi Queen Get your dance on at the Skipperdome when Gerry Williams Band brings their four-horn brass attack of funk, soul, blues and R&B grooves to town for a Friday night throwdown. South Florida-based Sheba The Mississippi Queen, aka Martha Booker, joins the bill with her Delta-bred gospel-blues. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
Bob James and David Sanborn Two jazz-rooted musicians with decades of experience share a bill during this Ruth Eckerd Hall-Palladium Theater presentation. Alto sax player David Sanborn started his career playing with the Butterfield Blues Band and all session work aside, he’s recorded more than a few dozen albums. Keysman and composer Bob James was discovered by Quincy Jones back in ’63 at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, and his own catalog comprises upwards of 50 albums. James and Sanborn have collaborated on two LPs; 1983’s Grammy-winning Double Vision, and this year’s all-acoustic Quartette Humaine. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Homegrown Hip Hop 5 w/Infinite Skillz/Aych/Dynasty with DJ Sandman/Hard Target/HeadNOKKA Fam/Rival/SNAPM Now in its fifth year, Homegrown Hip Hop is a showcase of local talent put together by the Bay area’s own mightily clever and accomplished emcee, Infinite Skillz, who waxes on topics ranging from his love of cider (“Sipping on Some Cider”) and our baseball team (“Rays Up”), to balling in a headband (“Headband Game”) and the sorry state of mainstream hip-hop (“Lost”). Joining Skillz on this night are plenty of other notables, among them, the petite “Femcee” Dynasty, who has a deliberate, hard-hitting rhyme style, and Aych, a rapper who isn’t afraid to “Go Hard” (per his track with Kid Brick). (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Metal Meltdown The Orpheum is undoubtedly one of the Tampa Bay area’s metal havens. While a multitude of national acts regularly come through its doors, Orpheum also makes a point to give local up-and-comers their moment in the spotlight. This Saturday, the venue hosts Metal Meltdown, an all-ages showcase of a dozen stylistically diverse metal bands from the Bay area and surrounding locales. Whether you prefer hardcore, progressive or even Christian metal, you’ll be hard-pressed to not find it at this show. Among the highlights are As Crusaders Depart, their self-styled brand of “Fusedeath” calling on the more technical elements of jazz and salsa while still steeped in plenty of heaviness. (Orpheum, Ybor City) —Matthew Drozdeck
Brad Paisley w/Chris Young/The Henningsens Country rocking superstar Paisley has enjoyed his fair share of time at the top of the U.S. Country charts with 18 No. 1 hit singles and seven No. 1 albums over the past 14 years he’s been active, including this year’s Wheelhouse. His pocketbook reflects his popularity; he was ranked 14 in Billboard’s Top 40 Money Makers of the past 12 months. (MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
Laserspectacular: Music of Pink Floyd It’s Eric Foreman’s wet dream, one the fictional That ’70s Show teen apparently shares with Floyd fans of today. The more than two-hour extravaganza features special effects lighting, glowing visual displays and state-of-the-art laser technology set to 10,000 watts of sound for a mind-expanding sonic journey. In honor of its 25th year, the Laserspectacular has added new songs to the mix. The first half of the show includes The Dark Side of the Moon while the second is a best-of presentation. To quote Eric Foreman’s verbal eloquence, “Laser Floyd is Pink Floyd music … with lasers. Lasers, like in Star Wars!” (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg) —TK
SUNDAY, JUNE 23
Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/DJ Methods Bringing a more laid-back vibe to the Ol’ Dirty Sundays decks is DJ Methods, from Miami, whose mix includes retro electro-funk and silky R&B nestled amid the fresher sounds of hip hop, trip hop, soul, Latin music and dance music grooves. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
An Afternoon in Havana Orquesta Aragón featuring musicians from the Buena Vista Social Club brings their vibrant percussion-and-horn-imbued sounds to the U.S. The many-piece ensemble’s performance is one of the highlights during a four-hour cultural celebration, “An Afternoon in Havana”; the other is a showcase of Latin, salsa and mambo moves by international dance champs as hosted by three prominent TV star dance pros — So You Think You Can Dance’s Mary Murphy, and Tony Dovolani and Maksim Chmerkovskiy of Dancing with the Stars. Proceeds from the event support the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. (Coliseum, St. Petersburg)
[page]Generationals w/Gringo Star From the breezy, lightly New Wave-bouncy indie rock of Heza’s opening track “Spinoza,” to Afro pop-tinged cuts like rubbery bass-fueled “Say When” and bright percussive-clapping “Put a Light On,” to the thump-and-roll strut of “I Never Know” and melancholy drive of “Awake” and set closer “Durga II,” the new Generationals album is an easy breezy voyage that maintains a cohesive yet eclectic feel marked by sweetly cooing and sighing vocal harmonies. Read more about the New Orleans duo in this week's story. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
MONDAY, JUNE 24
The Dirty Heads w/The Expendables SoCal alt-reggae rock outfit The Dirty Heads hit the ’Burg on their latest round of dates promoting year-old full-length, Cabin by the Sea. The shaggy-haired five-piece spouts melodic, rhythmic tunes infused with hip hop and ska punk flavor. Breakout single “Lay Me Down” spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative charts in 2008. Their latest release is full of laid-back beachy tunes augmented by steel drums, trumpet solos and featured guest vocalists like Matisyahu and Rome Ramirez (of Sublime with Rome). Joining the Heads are seasoned surf-rock/reggae jammers The Expendables, known for stoner anthem “Bowl For Two” and touring behind an LP featuring all-acoustic versions of fan favorites, 2012’s Gone Soft. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —TK
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
Intronaut w/Scale The Summit/Mouth of the Architect/Set And Setting/Auto? Automatic?? This decibel-blasting bill of sounds is commanded by LA-based experimental metal/post-prog quartet Intronaut. Lead singer Sacha Dunable has a raw and ominous lower-register growl he sets over dual guitars that build the melody and tension; quieter passages expose supple jazz-infused basslines and a backbone of steady roiling rhythms, while the big, crunchy moments of technicality and intensity turn the bass into a low-end pulse and the drums into a ball-busting engine that gallops through complex time signatures. Intronaut has toured with the likes of Mastodon and Helmet; this is a headline tour backing 2013 album Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones). (Orpheum, Ybor City)
BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series: Graph Rabbit A tenderly sublime lullaby with twinkling notes falling like drops of melodic water and delicate falsetto croons gliding blissfully overtop, “Only Fields” introduces the exquisite hushed potency of Graph Rabbit. Brookyn-based musician/composer Austin Donohue (guitar, vocals, bells) produced 2012 full-length debut Snowblind with generous input from producer Allen Farmelo (The Cinematic Orchestra, Mike Jorgensen/Wilco); the result is a conceptual work of soaring snow-covered cinemascapes and moments of dreamy minimalism. Frequent collaborator Shy Kedmi (analog synths, keys, bells, glock) became an official Graph Rabbit member upon its completion and the duo perform the album in its entirety (and offer pre-sale vinyl copies of it) on their current tour. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.