Two fantastic roots-rooted bands land in Ybor tonight. Not sure if it's possible to do both but sure is worth a try if you like either or both... and one of them, at least, is free.Murder by Death with O’Death Over nearly 15 years, Indiana-brewed Murder by Death has delivered gothic, cinematic folk rock that can be at turns macabre, cheerful, sullen, forlorn, and whiskey-drinking ecstatic, but always balances the tension between woe and hope with some sort of conceptual premise. Lead singer/guitarist Adam Turla waxes poignantly on love in all its varying capacities in just-released seventh and latest Big Dark Love. New multi-instrumentalist member David Fountain (piano, percs, mandolin, banjo) builds on the album’s lush orchestrations and complements Sarah Balliet’s deliberate cello strokes and keyboard textures, while an infusion of synth-fueled electronics and psych rock textures add a layer of complexity to their overall sound. A must see, especially paired with an opening set by Brooklyn punk-grassy alt country sextet O’Death. 7 p.m. doors, Orpheum, Ybor City, $15-$17 (all ages).
Two Cow Garage with Branden Barnett It’s a free Tuesday night show staged by Brokenmold Entertainment and headed up by a rather fantastic punk kickin’ alt country band from Ohio, Two Cow Garage, which released its sixth album of gritty twang, The Death of the Self-Preservation Society, in 2013. The title track showcases the band’s unruly power, potent energy and instrumental prowess, its slow and menacing push-pull trajectory picking up to speedier tempos as Micah Schnabel delivers verses in crusty howls and executes frantically ascending guitar riffs while co-frontman Shane Sweeney counters with hard-pounding basslines. Live, they kill it. Another Tuesday must-see. 7 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, free admission.
Some media by both below...