Here's a look at what's going on this weekend in live music.SATURDAY MARCH 28
Eric Church with The Cadillac Three Eric Church has admitted to wanting to expand his sound past the already saturated pop country soundscape (he can “sympathize” with Taylor Swift's move toward the pop realm, he once explained), but the “Drink In My Hand” singing 37-year-old shouldn’t get too hung up on trying to stand out though, because he’s already about a thousand times less cheesy than the Aldeans and Luke Bryans of the airwaves. It’s all thanks to his open affection for all genres and musical history (the guy openly adores Springsteen) and an inability to give in to unfortunately accepted modern country cliches. It’ll be interesting to see how his live show has adapted on this run of arenas. (Amalie Arena, Tampa) —Ray Roa
Airsickness with Lion in the Mane, ANEW, and Relief In Sleep A couple weeks away from their debut EP Between All The Lies, Airsickness is already making their mark in Tampa’s alt-rock scene with infectious pop choruses and aggressive guitar licks. They’ve recorded their EP based on the premise of replicating their live performances, revitalizing a stagnating genre notorious for poor stage presence. The five-piece pop-rock outfit Lion in the Mane lands in town from Brooklyn, sharing the stage with USF pop-punk darlings ANEW and the ferocious, female-fronted Relief in Sleep.(Orpheum, Ybor City) —Adam Hardy
Jim Lauderdale
The confident storyteller and country-influenced singer-songwriter is a favorite locally. He will be the perfect headliner for the intimate downtown St. Pete bungalow-turned-gallery/shop/cafe, a welcome change after playing the crowds at Safety Harbor’s SongFest. (Craftsmen House Gallery, St. Petersburg.) —Julie Garisto
Tracy Chapman Tribute with Iris Calling Band, Christie Lene'e, and Chasing Jonah If you’re wondering how three bands are going to pay tribute to an artist that only has one song, then you need to dig deeper into Chapman’s catalog than “Fast Car”— she’s a deeply talented singer-songwriter with plenty of compelling, emotional tunes. And why not start your education here, hearing those tunes performed by a great slate of local artists? (Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg) —Scott Harrell
Come Back Alice with Flatland Come Back Alice are tried and true, you-can-always-count-on-them-to-blow someone’s mind, staples of the Tampa Bay jam band scene, and while you can catch frontlady Dani Jayne & co. on almost any weekend of the year, there is still something enchanting about watching them work through now CBA classics like “Fast Train” within the friendly confines of the Skipperdome. They’ll have good company on this bill, and the Stevie Wonder & Jack White loving funk of Flatland should be a welcome addition to the night’s menu.(Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —RR
G. Love & Special Sauce with Matt Costa Once upon a time, shoulda-gone-pro Huntington Beach skate rat Matt Costa gave up his skateboard for a fretboard in pursuit of the singer-songwriter life. It mostly worked out thanks to his Steinbeck loving offerings and an official stamp of approval from modern beach-folk king Jack Johnson, and he arrives at Jannus to support another Johnson-compatriot Garrett Dutton (aka G. Love) whose laid-back, yet delightfully fiery brand of Philly blues has been carving out a place in the hearts of harmonica-loving fans since the early 90’s. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —RR
Safety Harbor SongFest w/Steep Canyon Rangers/Seth Walker/Willie Sugarcapps/Callaghan/Kawehi Joseph Arthur/Shawn Mullins/Ryan Montbleau/many more For its second year, SongFest has upped the ante in terms of both quality and quantity of talent. Not to say last year’s ‘fest wasn’t bristling with good acts, but this year the show features some names that make you wonder how the organizers scored ‘em in the first place — on top of an already packed bill of worthy folk, blues, singer-songwriter fare, pop and more. Plus, it all benefits the long-in-the-works Safety Harbor Arts and Music Center, an eminently worthy cause. Check out Cathy Salustri’s feature on the festival here. Saturday-Sunday (Safety Harbor Waterfront Park, Safety Harbor) —SH
SUNDAY MARCH 29
Larry Garner Band Baton Rouge bluesman Garner returns to the Skipperdome. An Army veteran, Garner got his start in the ‘70s at legendary Louisiana blues shack Tabby’s, which at the time offered diehard blues fans a respite from the disco that was saturating the airwaves. From there, he initially found acclaim overseas in Europe before catching on back home in the States. His tenth solo album, Blues for Sale, dropped in 2012. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —SH
Sarah MacLachlan The woman (and animal rights activist) whose voice pretty much defined the best elements of late-’90s female artists makes her umpteenth appearance in the Bay area, and we’re willing to be she’s lost none of her passion or melodicism. Expect all the hits from her Surfacing era, as well as newer gems and tunes you probably haven’t heard before. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) —SH
Ol’ Dirty Sundays: DJ Wonder Let’s face it: Ol’ Dirty Sundays is great reason to completely throw all productivity out for Monday. The hangover is always well worth it though, and the tradition continues when residents DJ Casper and DJ lesage welcome Sirius XM mainstay DJ Wonder to man the ones and twos with a performance that should mix in nods to pop culture from the last decade (he’s remixed everyone from Rihanna to Britney) with the always present homage to old school hip hop, R&B, funk, and reggae that’s made ODS so famous over the last four years. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —RR
ALSO THIS WEEKEND
CJ Harding: Sweet Dreams, A Patsy Cline Tribute Sat., March 28, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
21st Annual Chasco Fiesta Country Concert with Frankie Ballard and Craig Wayne Boyd Sat., March 28, Sims Park, New Port Richey
Bobby Lee Rodgers with Florida Mountain Boys Sat., March 28, Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Let The Church Say Amen with CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Gerald Albright, DeLeon Richards, Marcus Cole, Keith Staten, Vonnie Lopez, and Leon Timbo Sun., March 29, USF Sun Dome, Tampa