Happy Fourth! Celebrate the holiday by supporting the scene — here's a look at some of tonight's most noteworthy live-music offerings around the Bay area.
4th of July Party at the Witch Downtown St. Pete’s courtyard-facing craft beer and live-music landing spot celebrates the patriotic holiday with its First Friday Bluegrass Retreat as ring-led by Ramblegrass. Dunedin’s jammy string quartet (guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass) is joined by special guest pickers for the show, which takes place from 5:30 to whenever the waterfront fireworks start, around 9:30 p.m. (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)
Damon Fowler Group w/Selwyn Birchwood Get your blues-licking on with two Bay area heavyweights who have new albums out in 2014 — rusty-soulful vocalist and slide/sacred steel six-string slinger Damon Fowler with his band, and newer fast-rising axe-buster Selwyn Birchwood. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Bleek ’n Coy/Brian Busto/Chris Mitchell/Alen P Because what says “Happy Independence Day” more than some sick ‘n’ dirty beats and half-off drinks? On the traditional birthday of the USA, South Tampa locals converge on Hyde Park Café for an evening of deep house and techno as generated by Chris Mitchell, Alen P and Serious Soul resident DJ Brian Busto. The event also features Tallahassee dwellers Bleek ‘n Coy, a duo whose dance-music origins were cultivated while they were studying together in London; they refer to their abroad-influenced beats as “deep house and UK funky.” (Hyde Park Café, Tampa) —Jackie Braje
First Friday 4th of July Party w/Magic Mike The free First Friday party at Jannus falls on America’s so-called birthday, and manning the decks is producer/DJ Magic Mike, born and bred in Orlando and renown for being the city’s first platinum-selling artist with 1989’s D.J. Magic Mike and the Royal Posse. He dabbles in breaks but is best known for his hip-hop and Miami bass sounds. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Gross/Ex-Breathers/Unified Right A crazy-noisy show at Epic Problem? Really? Orlando sludgecore act Gross slows down the breakneck tempos and even adds a bit of rhythm to break up the skronk, while Tallahassee’s Ex-Breathers keep the BPMs way, way up and Unified Right (another Florida band, damned if I can track down from where, exactly) blasts a pleasingly “classic” hardcore sound reminiscent of seminal Black Flag. “Institutionalized”-era Suicidal Tendencies, etc. (Epic Problem, Tampa)