A jam-packed Friday. Check out what's happening below. Tori Amos The fiery-haired piano-banging songstress was the first female artist who grabbed my heart — were Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink really so long ago? — and she’s also responsible for my first real concert experience, at Tampa Theatre, age 14; I wasn’t really allowed to go, so I spent the night at my girlfriend's, went anyway, was dazzled and bewitched, and kept that little (big?) secret to this day. (Sorry mom and dad. But look where I am now!) Two decades later, she’s on her 14th studio LP, Unrepentant Geraldines, and while I’m not the smitten fan I used to be, I still have deep appreciation for what she does and who she is, and she’s definitely worth seeing live. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) [More shows after the jump...]
Billy Iuso & The Restless Natives A two-night Friday-Saturday stand of New Orleans-spawned funk from soulful singer and versatile guitarist Iuso, who hits town backing a new (2013) album, Naked. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Donavon Frankenreiter One of those singer-songwriters you can’t help but like because he’s just so daggone good natured – and he has a pretty dang cool mustache. The surfer dude is associated with Jack Johnson – the two are buds and JJ’s Brushfire label repped Frankenreiter until he signed to Lost Highway in 2006 – and he has a very nice sandpapery quality to his vocals as well as solid material in his arsenal, including 2009’s buoyant sunny “Free”; his last album was 2012’s Start Livin’. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Betty Fox Band Betty Fox can howl some rich, throaty, soul-stirring blues soaked in lounge jazz sultriness and influenced by her background in Southern country gospel music. She has that special star quality when she performs live, too, and her repertoire includes original material as well as covers ranging from Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” to old standards like “Trouble in Mind,” most famously recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1965. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
The John Wesley Band with Black Coast Royals The Porcupine Tree guitarist from Tampa issued a new solo full-length in April, Disconnect, and hits Ybor for another date of rocking out in support. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Crocodiles with Jaill, Florida Night Heat My first introduction to Crocodiles came via the San Diego band’s fuzzy trippy mash-up of “Groove Is In The Heart / California Girls” off 2010 Sleep Forever EP. Four years later, Crocodiles is touring behind their fourth full-length, Crimes of Passion, which kicks off with an upbeat rock ode about atheism, “I Like it in the Dark,” and builds on their garage-hazy noise pop sound with some Dark Wave flavor. Songs like “Heavy Metal Clouds” add brass boosts and multi-voice backing chorales to the driving instrumentals, while rambling electro-dusty set closer “Un Chant D'Amour” turns up the heartache factor with acoustic guitar strums and breathy yearning vocals. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
ALSO TONIGHT
The Lauren Mitchell Band w/Sandy Atkins & the True Loves Fri., Aug. 22, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa
DJ Chang w/Brian Busto Fri., Aug. 22, Hyde Park Café, Tampa
The Souliz Band Fri., Aug. 22, Ybor City Jazz House, Ybor City
Connor Christian Fri., Aug. 22, Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg
Kasondra Rose and The Sleepless Fri., Aug. 22, The Amsterdam, St. Petersburg
Rebekah Pulley Fri., Aug. 22, The Tap Room at The Hollander, St. Petersburg
Booty Call 8/22 w/See Shellz/Galaxz/Sidedraft/Lars Warn/Blud Dmnd Fri., Aug. 22, The Bends, St. Petersburg
Lipstick Killers Alice Cooper Tribute w/Kozmic Pearl Fri., Aug. 22, Local 662, St. Petersburg
Nate & Tom’s Birthday Bash w/Joe Menendez/Super Green/Troy Youngblood Band/Drastic Fall/Bleeding Money/Samurai Shotgun/The Glorious Rebellion Fri., Aug. 22, Pegasus Lounge, Tampa
Geri X Fri., Aug. 22, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg