THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
Justin Bieber w/Ariana Grande/Cody Simpson Privacy is hard to come by as a celebrity in the current technological age; you’re not only dodging wily paparazzi but also all those unknown regular folks with camera phones tracking pretty much every move you make. If you’re in the throes of some very natural teenage angst, all the pictures, videos and reports of your teen-appropriate high jinks – underage drinking, weed smoking, relationship break-up drama, shirtless birthday wanderings on the streets of London, pet monkey problems at German airport customs, a $100k car wrecked not by you, but by your friend who’s driving for you – are blown out of proportion. Luckily for Canadian superstar Justin Bieber, even when he’s stumbling blearily down a sidewalk at 3 a.m. in his saggy-crotched pants and hideous headgear, he’s still a 19-year-old pop superstar with good looks, newly cut abs (hard to see a pic lately without ‘em) and enough money to sail gracefully into adulthood, provided he doesn’t get sidetracked by partying for too long, or at least learns to become more discreet about it. This is the second North American leg of his 15-month-long “Believe” tour, which actually stopped here back in December, on its first round with different pop artists supporting… (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
MyChildren MyBride w/Erra/Death of An Era/Adaliah/As Crusaders Depart/It Came Without Warning Alabama-bred quintet MyChildren MyBride injects a healthy dose of seething cinematic drama into the creeping-galloping instrumentals on their most recent self-titled third album, the crushing guitar distortion, double-studded rhythms and heavy breakdowns carrying the slithering murmurs and drawn-out gut-rattling roars about life, death, god, Lucifer, entropy, immortality and the meaning of it all by vocalist Matthew Hasting. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
Leftover Cuties Residing in vaguely old timey sonic realms, Leftover Cuties craft pop noir ditties imbued with jazzy sophistication and the palm trees-swaying West Coast breeziness of their LA homebase. Ukuleles, accordion, jaunty horns and rhythms, the round resonant sounds of upright bass, occasional whistling, and Israeli-bred chanteuse Shirli McAllen leading it all with her commanding yet coy silky sultry intones. Fans of The Big C might recognize Leftover Cuties from the Showtime show’s theme song (“Game Called Life”), or maybe you’ve heard the quartet’s vintage-hued kazoo-laden cover of “When You’re Smiling,” which was used in an international Hyundai campaign. This tour backs a sophomore full-length issued last month, The Spark & The Fire. (Jaeb Theater at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Tampa)
Adam Ant w/Prima Donna He hit Tampa last year nearly four months before releasing his 17-song autobiographical comeback album and first record of new material in 18 years, Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter. On this night, close to seven months after its release, he finally returns, this time bringing his dandily-dressed audaciousness to St. Pete with his band, The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse, to play hits, early deep cuts, and selections from his new LP. More about Ant in Julie’s story.Openers Prima Donna hail from LA but have that Midwestern punk rock/power pop appeal made so beloved by Cheap Trick. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
The Barlettas w/The Happiness Machine/Saint Popes Athens, Ga. has long been a hotbed of diverse genre-spanning indie music, from B-52s, REM and Widespread Panic, to Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal and Drive-By Truckers. The latest noteworthy upstarts from the creative college town are The Barlettas, which draw on many decades of influences while somehow managing to deliver a fresh, eclectic sound. The five-piece blends sunshine-soaked pop rock melodies with honky tonk twang and vintage psychedelia, adds the odd dose of reggae, surf-pop and Americana flavor, and finishes it off with the most charming interlaced and overlapping vocal harmonies you ever did hear, their light-hearted lyrical matter offered up in sweetly ragged hoots, coos, howls and warbles. A few high quality locals join them on this New World stop. The Barlettas also play Dunedin Brewery on Thurs., Aug. 8. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
Gareth Asher w/Steve Everett Gareth Asher is a quiet force of alt folk beauty. The Georgia native singer-songwriter’s husky-tender vocal stylings and soulful serenades have earned him a growing base of relentlessly loyal fans that are treated to his very personal gratitude for their support via his ‘Cover of the Month’ video series; they send in requests, he picks one each month and posts a YouTube video of himself performing it in a stripped-down acoustic guitar-driven format. July featured a warm, lovely rendition of Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name,” apparently his favorite tune by the artist. (Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
Swiss Sauce Vol. 2: Zeds Dead/Dieselboy/Exodus/many others St. Pete promoter Stephen Welch presents the next installment of his new electronic music series. Swiss Sauce Vol. 2 is headed up by Canadian production duo Zeds Dead (DC and Hooks, aka Dylan Mamid and Zach Rapp-Rovan), their bass-driven jams touching on glitch, dubstep, drumstep, hip hop, DnB and electro house music. Fourth and latest Hot Sauce is their debut on Mad Decent. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Can’t Do It 10-Year Anniversary Show w/The Best of the Worst/Station Cases/Madison Turner Among the leaders of acts that burst forth from the ’00s-era local ska fusion scene was Can’t Do It, their style synthesizing the discordant raging elements of punk and metal into cheeky, trombone-blasted, heavy yet bouncy-fun numbers like “Hobo Juice,”“If I Were a Dick to Animals” and “Brian Austin Green,” with frontman Josh Sullivan shouting-singing lyrics in spastic bursts of energy. The group gets together to play whenever all seven musicians are free and have time to spare, and the festive occasion of their 10th anniversary seemed a suitable impetus for a nine-date national tour up to Michigan and back; this performance marks its conclusion. (The Shelter, St. Petersburg)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
The 97X Shindig w/Panic! At the Disco Free concerts from 97X have almost become par for the course. The alt rock radio station churns out yet another one as the summer starts winding down: the Shocktop-sponsored Shindig. This year’s headliner, emotive baroque pop rockers Panic! At the Disco, is a far cry above last year’s (Chevelle), and they even have a fourth album on the way, the Butch Walker-produced Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, due out October 8. First single “Miss Jackson” (not to be confused with the similarly-named Outkast track) finds the band moving in a bump n’ groove direction that is very, very intriguing. Don’t forget – while it’s a free concert, you do have to pick up tickets at designated ticket drop locations; more info at 97xonline.com. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Paul Van Dyk South Florida’s New Times just came out with an article outlining the reasons why “Paul van Dyk Is Dance Music’s Most Christ-Like DJ,” and makes a quasi-serious case for it while pointing out some interesting facts which I will summarize for you here: the German electronic producer trained as a carpenter before he got into music, laid the foundation for a movement (contemporary trance), got really big in his 30s, and brings people together in happy unified masses of dancing bodies, who, I might add, arrive to worship at his technotronic altar. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)
Tony Lucca w/Honor by August He started out on The Mickey Mouse Club, but Tony Lucca didn’t really get his big musical break until many years worth of thankless toil later, when he auditioned for NBC’s The Voice, was snapped up by Maroon 5 judge Adam Levine, and made it as far as the contest’s finals. Despite placing third, the experience gave Lucca priceless national exposure, some recognition for the music he’d written up to that point, and a record deal on Levin’s own 222 imprint. His first release under the label, With The Whole World Watching EP, dropped in mid-July. (Jaeb Theater at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa)
Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band w/Ragukus/Tiny Tortures Nato Coles hails from Minneapolis, and his band’s Midwest-brewed sound draws on early power pop, heartland rock and hooky punk n’ roll, all served with upbeat rowdiness tailor made for the Hub’s crusty welcoming environs. (The Hub, downtown Tampa)
Indigenous Ways Music presents: ?nowledge/Logic ForBeatz/A-Hart/Zace A showcase of high-caliber hip hop talent as led by Indigenous Ways emcee ?nowledge, who takes an aggressive approach when backed by his band but eases up his flow to fit the more sample-driven grooves in his solo fare, never relinquishing the fine command he has on his surges of conscious verses. He wrote, recorded and mixed new joint “The Walking Dead” with a MadLib beat for his forthcoming mixtape, his lyrics reflecting on society and using zombies as a metaphor (“Gotta start living your life or else you'll end up walking dead forever / Can’t resurrect the body once the mind is gone / That's why I write these songs…”). Also of note: Logic ForBeatz, who brings an old school feel to his production and has a lower register easy-going delivery that he pits against ?knowledge’s more slippery style in the 2011 collabed track, “My First Song.” (Market on 7th, Ybor City)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11
For the Love of Rose: A Benefit Concert for Rose Bilal An extensive and rather impressive group of jazz musicians have pooled their talents to help out a fellow friend and artist in need: Rose Bilal. The legendary locally-based vocalist, songwriter, author and motivational speaker consistently gives back to the community via performances and charity work, and now needs some love herself after suffering from a stroke in May. She spent four weeks in the hospital and has $250k in bills to show for it, not to mention rehab therapists and home care aides she’s still paying to assist in her recovery. Among the performers on this night, Belinda Womack, Rita Wilson, Stan Hunter, John Lamb, Alejandro Arenas, Kenny Drew Jr., Shawn Brown, “Stretch” Bruyn, Patrick Bettison, Mark Feinman, Eddie Graham, Ron Gregg, Theo Valentin, Billy Marcus, Larue Nickelson, Henry Page and Vincent Sims. If you can’t make it out but would still like to donate, visit rosebilal.com. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Ol’ Dirty Sundays Website Launch Party w/DJ Ynot/DJ Sven DJs Casper and LeSage celebrate the launch of a new website for the few-years-old Ol’ Dirty Sundays weekly hip hop dance parties, and bring in a few guests from Miami to work the decks: vet hip hop turntable pro DJ Ynot, and DJ Sven, who infuses reggae, jazz, electro and Latin joints into his mixes. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
MONDAY, AUGUST 12
Mayer Hawthorne w/OneRepublic The soul revival singer, songwriter, musician and producer with the silky croon dropped a fourth full-length album last month, Where Does This Door Go, calling on Pharrell to help him produce, among others, and collabing with artists like indie songstress Jessie Ware on sexy first single "Her Favorite Song" and clever Compton-bred rapper Kendrick Lamar in the grooving R&B number, “Crime.” This is one of two stops he makes in Florida backing the LP, and warming up the stage for OneRepublic. (Hard Rock Live, Orlando)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 13
Ellie Lee & Blues Fury An axe-slinging blues rock songstress based in St. Pete, Ellie Lee has won awards for her choppy talents on right-handed (upside down) guitar and secured fans with the way she makes it sing so much more sweetly than her own gruff and soulful drawling vocals. She’s backed by keysman John Sipher and drummer Jerry Hale. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.