Daily Loaf

A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts. For a more comprehensive schedule, check out our Upcoming Events page.

Friday, Aug. 21
Sick Puppies / Hurt w/The Veer Union/From This Fire/The Stand LA-by-way-of-Australia trio Sick Puppies make aggro-sexy alt rock with muscular basslines, crunchy guitar riffs, and vocals either crooned, sung-yelled, growled, or processed through fizzy effects. They bring a generally fresh feel to the hackneyed alternative market and are currently on tour in support of their recent release, Tri-Polar, which features the hot hit single, “You’re Going Down,” also the theme song of WWE’s Extreme Rules PPV broadcast last month. Co-headliners HURT are also on the non-traditional alt rock bandwagon, their sound marked by much more drama, heavier washes of sound with symphonic flourishes, and a lead singer who delivers lyrics in soft pained pleas or shrieks that come straight from the pit of his soul. The foursome is also pimping a new album, Goodbye to the Machine, which was released on indie label Amusement in April. Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15.

Geri X Video Release Party w/Eric McFadden and James Hall/Thomas Wynn & The Believers/Have Gun, Will Travel Neo-folk rock songwriter/vocalist Geri X has a strong voice that’s rich, grainy sharp and hypnotizing, and she sings with raw power, plays a confident guitar and leads her band looking like tattooed porcelain. She’s been back in town less than a year and has already put out her sixth and latest album, Anthems of a Mended Heart, played a launch party to a near 300 people at State Theatre in January (pictured above, photo by James Ostrand), and has been working the scene ever since. Now she’s moved onto the next phase of her career: music video. Geri X unveils the Michael McCourt-directed vid hot off the digi-reel for the Anthems song, “Kiss on Both Eyelids,” at a video release celebration with special guest artists: Atlanta guitarist/songwriter James Hall (Kommander, Jane’s Addiction) and San Francisco guitarist/vocalist Eric McFadden (Les Claypool, P-Funk), as well as Tampa purveyors of fiery Americana Have Gun, Will Travel and Orlando’s roots rockin’ Thomas Wynn and the Believers. For those who can’t make it out to the show, the video will be broadcast nationwide on Geri X’s Myspace page beginning at midnight that night. Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $8 (all ages). Read the rest of this entry »

I just spend the past few hours updating CL’s concert listings and in case you missed them, here’s the latest batch of additions from the past week for your concert planning convenience. For a complete breakdown of area shows, visit our Upcoming Concerts page; for last week’s most worthy additions, click here.

Friday, Sept. 04 Pitbull w/DJ Laz (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)

Tuesday, Sept. 08 Groundation (Plaza Theatre, Orlando)

Saturday, Sept. 19 Deva, Premal & Miten (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

Friday, Sept. 25 Cowboy Mouth (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

Tuesday, Sept. 29 Railroad Earth (Plaza Theatre, Orlando)

Thursday, Oct. 01 Side Door Jazz: Belinda Womack Quintet (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

Friday, Oct. 02 Alice Cooper Theatre of Death Tour ‘09 (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Friday, Oct. 02 Bettye LaVette (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg) Read the rest of this entry »

The Fiery Furnaces have been lauded for their ingenuity and ambitiousness, for breaking the indie rock mold and becoming true sonic adventurers. Conversely, they’ve have been criticized for being too prolific, for producing music too challenging or unfocused or overindulgent for a good sit-down-and-get-to-know-ya.

Darlings or misfits, one thing is certain: The Fiery Furnaces are crafty, inexhaustible artists who may be too inspired for their own good. The core members, brother and sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger (pictured), don’t seem to take any downtime — they’re either touring or creating music or brewing up new and better ways to play, present, record, arrange and engage their fans in their music.

“It’s something we take very seriously, but it’s something we would do anyway, so it makes us want to do it a lot,” Matthew told me by phone a few weeks before their August 22 Tampa stop. “Make records, write songs — you wanna do that as much as possible really, because that’s what you do for fun.” Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Franti believes music is the world’s greatest unifier. The 15-year frontman of Spearhead is so dedicated to it and so unwilling to disappoint his fans that he’ll continue to perform even if he’s experiencing debilitating pain.

But you can only play through the pain for so long — especially when said pain turns out to be a burst appendix.

The singer/guitarist faced this reality a dozen shows into his band’s co-tour with Counting Crows. Following one misdiagnosis after another, steadily increasing abdomen pain finally landed him in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following the band’s July 22 gig in Temecula, Calif. By the time doctors discovered the untreated problem and performed an emergency appendectomy, an abscess had formed and infection was running rampant, the toxins working their way into his blood. The surgeon described it as one of the worst cases the hospital had ever seen.

“I went through a pretty close call and I’m just happy to be alive,” Franti tells me by phone less than two weeks later, still recovering from the ordeal. “I have a big four-inch incision inside of my body that needs to close itself up before I can really do anything.”

Franti kept fans up to date on his condition via a series of videos uploaded to his ongoing FrantiV tour diary. The videos are funny, heartwarming, and in one case, uncomfortably graphic (a clip showing his wound being cleaned by a nurse; check it out after the jump). Read the rest of this entry »

The night was hot and post-rainstorm muggy this past Friday, August 7 at New World Brewery, where an ever-swelling crowd of Bay area folks (270 paid) had stopped in to enjoy a double bill of quality local music — Poetry n’ Lotion (pictured at left, photo by Phil Bardi) and Nervous Turkey — and toast the man of the hour, scene stalwart and birthday boy Sean O’Brien.

Everyone seemed to be in generally good spirits and casually sipped brews and bobbed heads to the pre-show spins by DJ Minihorse, waiting with seeming patience for the live music to commence. (More pics by Bardi + video after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »

DC’s Thievery Corporation — made up of DJ duo Rob Garza, Eric Hilton (both pictured) and their vibrantly diverse ensemble of performers — produces a lounge-lush fusion of electronica, reggae, acid jazz, psychedelia and the world flavors of India and Brazil. They put on a pretty heady stage show and are bringing it to the Ritz Theater in Ybor City on Saturday, October 10; Ancient Astronauts provide support. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, August 15 ($38.50 GA/$60 VIP).

Here’s the press release/band bio/info about their latest album, Radio Retaliation (videos after the jump): Read the rest of this entry »

A weekly bulletin about who’s playing on late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime. See a day missing? No musical guest that night…

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Tuesday, August 11: Elvis Costello (pictured) (rerun, June 4)
Wednesday, August 12: Rob Thomas (July 7)
Thursday, August 13: Paul McCartney (July 15)
Friday, August 14: MSTRKRFT with John Legend (June 23, performing “Heartbreaker”)

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC
Monday, August 10: Lyle Lovett
Tuesday, August 11: Cobra Starship feat. Estelle (REGINA SPEKTOR AFTER THE JUMP) Read the rest of this entry »

UK alt rockers Coldplay have postponed their Tampa show (and only stop in Florida) for unexplained medical reasons. Here’s the official release from Ford Amphitheatre:

COLDPLAY
POSTPONES SHOW
AT FORD AMPHITHEATRE – TAMPA

Coldplay have been forced to postpone their show in Tampa on Sunday, August 9th for artist related medical reasons. Details of the rescheduled date will be announced as soon as they are available.

For more information go to www.livenation.com

I’m embarrassed to say I was actually looking forward to this show. Dratted balladeering Brits!

In case you missed them, here’s the latest batch of concerts announcements from the past week for your concert planning convenience. For a complete breakdown of area shows, visit our Upcoming Concerts page.

Saturday, Aug. 29 Summer Jam 5 The Honorary Title w/Cory Branan/The Beauvilles/The Sheaks/Guiltmaker/Shunda K/Mogul Street Reserve/How Dare You/Blind Man’s Colour/MORE TBA (New World Brewery and Crowbar, Ybor City)

Thursday, Sept. 10 Trauma Deville w/Sore Eyes (Orpheum, Ybor City)

Friday, Sept. 25 The Matt Kurz One (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

Saturday, Sept. 26 Lydia (pictured) w/Play Radio Play/Leone (Orpheum, Ybor City)

Saturday, Oct. 03 Tiger City w/Royal Bangs (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

Friday, Oct. 23 Revolting Cocks w/Jim Rose Circus/Blownload/Left Spine Down (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) Read the rest of this entry »

A quick breakdown of this weekend’s most worthy concerts beginning with Thursday, ’cause that’s when the weekend really starts, right? For a more comprehensive schedule of concerts, check out our Upcoming Events page.

Thursday, August 06
Hot Sun Quartet (pictured) As part of its Side Door Jazz series, the Palladium welcomes Hot Sun Quartet (aka Quarteto Sol Caliente), an instrumental ensemble that performs Latin-flavored jazz with two flamencoguitarists, a percussionist on congas, and a stand-up bassist. Thurs., Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $15.

So. Cal Punk Invasion w/Fear/Agent Orange/D.I./Total Chaos Plastic and fakery incites some pretty strong feelings of disgust and So-Cal is a hotbed of punkified antipathy. This bill spotlights some of the region’s finest. Fear has been rocking LA since 1977 and is credited with helping shape the sound of hardcore punk via thrashtastic, tongue-in-cheek songs about anything from beer to women to beef baloney; you may remember them from 1981’s punk documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization. Agent Orange hails from Orange County and gets props for being the first group to combine punk and surf rock. Fullerton’s D.I. features ex-Social Distortion drummer Casey Royer on vocals while Total Chaos out of Ponoma Valley is fronted by vocalist Rob Chaos, who’s also co-owner of Cali-based punk label SOS Records. Thurs., Aug. 6, 7 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $23. Read the rest of this entry »

Who the fuck is this person? you think with disgust as you read my apathetic reaction to Steely Dan’s performance at Ruth Eckerd Hall. You find yourself compelled to school me on my apparent lack of knowledge, compose an angry response listing all the reasons I am wrong, berate my abilities as a journalist and my failure as a music critic overall. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW AND WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I CARE? you conclude in all caps so I can’t ignore your ire. I can almost hear your self-righteous click of “Submit Comment” button. (Photo by jamesostrand.com)

You have a valid point. Who the fuck am I and why does my opinion matter so much more than those other idiots who came before me who you also thought were chattering out of their asses?

I am a near-native who’s covered all aspects of Bay area culture for Creative Loafing for nearly six years. While I never aspired to be the paper’s music editor, my love of music eventually and naturally led me to write about it, to attempt to put those intangible moments of joy and sorrow to paper and describe the seemingly indescribable, to relay a sound or a feeling or a mood or a texture with words, to try and offer an objective look at something inherently subjective, something based on experiences and background and taste and even my mood at any given time. I’ve been writing and listening to music for a long time. I don’t pretend to know everything but I approach all music with an open mind and a willingness to build upon what I already know. Read the rest of this entry »

Pennsylvania experimental rock ensemble Black Moth Super Rainbow (pictured, photo by Jae Rumberto) hit retro and modern notes all at once with their day-glo vibrant electro-dance melodies, fizzadelic folk shambles and made-for-space jams. It’s some of the headiest music you’ll find out there right now, but songwriter/frontman/creative conscience Tobacco (real name Tom Fec) doesn’t consider his music psychedelic at all.

“I think everything I do is pop,” he told me a few weeks ago during a phone interview before the second leg of the band’s two-part tour. “I don’t like psychedelic music and I never set out to do it. It just sort of comes out that way. I might be the only person who thinks this, but Eating Us … it seems like a pop album to me.”

Eating Us, his band’s fourth and latest full-length, is not the sort of name that makes me think pop. The black-and-white album cover, with its smeary sad face superimposed onto the back of a hand, doesn’t make me think of pop music, either. And the limited edition “hairy” version of Eating Us (with synthetic hair in its inner sleeve) is probably as far from pop packaging as you can feasibly get. (FOR VIDEOS and MORE, CLICK HERE)

Lots of new concert announcements arrived in my email box over the past three days. I’ve paired the new with a few that slipped through the cracks for your concert planning convenience. For a complete breakdown of area shows, visit our Upcoming Concerts page.

Saturday, Aug. 8 Sons of Bill, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $7 in advance/$10 dos; ON SALE NOW.

Friday, Aug. 14 Tracy Byrd, Dallas Bull, Tampa, $9.95 in advance, $15 at the door; ON SALE NOW.

Sunday, Aug. 23: White Rabbits w/The Fiery Furnaces, The Social, Orlando, $13 in advance, $15 dos; ON SALE NOW.

Friday, Sept. 04: Soja w/The Movement, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15; ON SALE NOW.

Friday, Sept. 04 Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Social, Orlando, $20 in advance, $25 dos; ON SALE NOW.

Wednesday, Sept. 16: Living Colour (pictured above), Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $15 in advance, $18 dos; ON SALE NOW. (CLICK HERE FOR THE REST)

Google “gypsy punk” and most of the dozen or so results relate back to Gogol Bordello. Search the band specifically and you’ll find more than a million pages that mention it. While Gogol’s Ukraine-born visionary/composer Eugene Hütz isn’t interested in taking credit for spearheading a whole new movement in American music, his band’s influence is undeniable.

Gogol grew from NYC’s underground music scene, just as much a melting pot as the city itself. Hütz immersed himself in it and assembled a motley crew of talented, multi-ethnic musicians to create his gypsy punk orchestra and make his vision of infusing East-European culture into Western music a reality.

(Click here to read more; audio, videos and a Q&A with Eugene after the jump.)

This just in from the Bruce Springsteen newsite: The Boss had added 25 dates to his current U.S. tour, including a stop at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheatre on Sept. 12; tickets go on sale July 24. Here’s the complete details, with the fluffery (gushing quotes from European press) edited out:

Bruce Springsteen & The Legendary E Street Band have added 25 new US concert dates to their 2009 ‘Workin’ On a Dream’ tour. Springsteen has now sold over 1.5 million concert tickets in 2009 alone, with the new dates expected to push that number over the two million mark. (Too see video of the band performing “The River” at 2009’s Glastonbury as well as the complete schedule of tour dates, click here.)

For more music coverage of all sorts, visit our music blog, TampaCalling.com.

Scotland’s indie rock foursome Frightened Rabbit, fronted by brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison, hits several festivals (including Pitchfork) and makes a few solo stops this July. The band (pictured at left, photo by Dave Gourley at Kelvingrove Museum) has just announced that it will return to the states for a late summer-early fall tour that kicks off in Morrison, Colo., and ends at The Social in Orlando. They also debuted a new song and played some intriguing covers at Off the Beaten Track, an ongoing video music project (check that out HERE). Here are some highlights from the release (tour dates after the jump):

The foursome will team up with friends and countrymen, The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks for a raucous Scottish invasion of the States. The band will headline the anthemic rock-filled jaunt, which kicks off in Salt Lake City on September 14, following their appearance at the Monolith Festival in Colorado, alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girl Talk and the Walkmen. (Click here to see the remainder of the release and tour dates.)

Bay area folks aren’t the only ones who consider Old Seminole Heights a noteworthy neighborhood. This Old House, the home improvement rag and PBS TV series, has selected 51 neighborhoods across the country that “have promising futures and homes that truly deserve a long-term commitment,” and Seminole Heights made the cut. In fact, the historic mid-Tampa neighborhood was chosen by the Editors as one of the 10 best. (Photo courtesy of TOH and taken by Mike Pease.) The July/August “Best Old-House Neighborhoods” issue hit newsstands June 29; you can see the complete release and breakdown of winning cities after the jump:

Random news bites from the last several days (excluding anything about Michael Jackson … well, mostly).

Regina Spektor’s new album, far, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this week and the lovely Russian-born songstress is scheduled to perform on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Thursday, July 30. Slipping to the No. 2 spot this week are the Jonas Brothers with Vines And Trying Times, which held last week’s No. 1 position. Black Eyed Peas have moved to the top of the charts with The E.N.D. And in case you BEP fans were worried, the title doesn’t foreshadow the band’s immenint break-up, but stands for “The Energy Never Dies.” Clever.

Seattle grunge metal makers Alice in Chains have confirmed the dates of their upcoming world tour, sans lead voice Layne Staley, who, if you recall, faded away into reclusivity before he speedballed to his death in 2002. The tour supports the band’s first new studio release in more than 10 years, Black Gives Way to Blue (in stores September 29). The first single, “A Looking View,” is currently streaming on their MySpace page and definitely has the feel of classic Alice in Chains, complete with the hard-meets-soft harmonies by vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrel and Staley replacement, vocalist/guitarist William Duvall. Here’s a statement the band released about the new song: “The song basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside. A cell of our own making with an unlocked door that we choose to remain in. Focusing our attention inward instead of reaching out to a much larger world. I think this is common to us all. It’s funny how hard we fight to hang on to a bone we can’t pull through a hole in the fence, or how difficult it is to put down the bag of bricks and move on.” Current confirmed U.S. stops include Detroit, DC, Chicago, NYC, Milwaukee, Portland and San Francisco. No telling whether the tour will bring them to Florida. (Click here for more.)

It used to be that MTV would overplay videos to such a degree that it was impossible not to know the latest singles by Madonna, or Prince, or Michael Jackson (may he RIP). Those artists blew wads of cash to make miniature movies for their songs. (Michael and sister Janet’s 1995 acclaimed video duet, “Scream,” cost $7 million alone to produce.)

Nowadays, MTV doesn’t play videos so much as it airs clips of them during the closing credits of its neverending reality TV programming, so many artists have turned to YouTube to get the vids out and are likely alot more budget conscious when making them. The results vary from fun and inspired to downright garbage. Here’s a look at two Moby videos created in support of his ninth album (out today on Little Idiot). I’ve also included a preview clip of Bjork’s live Voltaic CD/DVD release. (Complete clips from the DVD would be nice but sadly, there are leaked or uploaded as yet.)

Artist: Moby
Album: Wait for Me
Songs: “Shot in the Back of the Head,” “Pale Horses.”
Both of Moby’s new singles have intrigued me with their raw electro-meets-organic feel. The video for “Shot in the Back of the Head” is David Lynch’s dark and abstract translation of the song, which is rather gloomy all on its own; and “Pale Horses,” the second single with haunting female vocals by Amelia and melancholy overtones, is directed by Elanna Allen and follows a lonely alien who takes a train to the moon to find some companions. Both are animated, but in very different styles.
Grade: A for both; the music was good and the videos compelling enough to make me want to check out Moby’s new album. (CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP).

All photos by Phil Bardi.

Here are a series of pics from the first set of the opening night presentation of Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco. Cirque presents its 5000th performance of Saltimbanco this Tues., June 30, at 7:30 p.m. The Cirque staple, which first premiered in Montreal in 1992, is more simplistic than later productions, the costumes are less fantastic, the color palette is neon, and the music is a mix of New Age, progressive jazz and late ’80s synth funk. But all the wonder is present along with the cast of quirky, amusing characters and their playfulness is perfectly intact. For a complete review, check out David’s wrap of the Lakeland run by clicking here. The regular schedule is 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1 and 5 p.m. Sun., now through July 5, at the St. Pete Times Forum, Channelside Drive, downtown Tampa. Tickets are $42.75-$112.75 (discounted tickets for children 12 and under). (More pics after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »

Just got a last minute email about an event that takes place tonight in Tampa: John Hemingway and Friends, an evening of Florida arts featuring works by Florida artist Kumpa Tawornprom, live music by Florida musicians Ben Plott, Brahm Bones and boon, and readings by Florida authors John Hemingway (who celebrates the release of his new memoir, Strange Tribe), Ira Sukrungruang (Talk Thai), Jim Miller (”When to Lie”) and J’aimé Sanders (The Rabbit Hole). Hemingway holds a signing following his presentation.

Fri., June 26, 6 p.m.-2 a.m., Karma Bar & Café, 206 N. Morgan St., downtown Tampa, $10 general admission.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
Dark Night of the Soul

From the first reports of a new project by artist/producer Danger Mouse and singer/multi-instrumentalist Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous), to the freaky 16-second video revealing filmmaker David Lynch’s hand in its artistic direction, to its Internet leak after the dispute with EMI turned into a permanently unresolved issue, Dark Night of the Soul has been generating a shadow-shrouded hype that reflects the album’s own bewitching eeriness.

The 13 songs were written by DM and SH in collaboration with a noteworthy cast of nearly a dozen guests, who not only provided vocals but helped compose and produce their respective tracks. Each one retains its own individual feel, but all remain within Dark Night’s moody boundaries and feature DM’s skilled multi-layering production techniques. (Click here to read more.)

For more news and views in music, check out the CL Music site.

Musicians tend to disparage their local music scenes, but when it comes to Florida, neo-folk troubadour Lauris Vidal (pictured, photo by Charles Brewer III) says they likely don’t know how good they’ve got it. He didn’t. The 31-year-old Daytona-based musician (who plays guitar, tenor banjo, lap steel and a ukulele he crafted from a banjo neck and cigar box) grew up here, but spent five years performing for DC’s thankless audiences. “It was so cold and closed in DC, and you had to work so hard for no appreciation at all,” he told me during a recent phone coversation.

While the Sunshine State may seem like a cultural dead end, Vidal says Floridians are generally open to original music, including his own brand of shambling, Southern gothic-tinged roots. “Coming back here and playing and having people of all ages really appreciate it, and show it, felt amazing. It’s one of the reasons why I want to work so hard in Florida and help Florida’s national reputation.” (Click here to read more.)

To check out CL’s music homepage, click here. To check out our comprehensive list of upcoming shows, click here. To go directly to our music blog, Tampa Calling, and see more music news, reviews and other musical flotsam, click here.

It’s midnight at a hole-in-the-wall club in the heart of Little Havana, Miami. The place is pumpin’, the dance floor jammed with a multicultural mass of bodies writhing and grooving and ducking and swaying and shaking asses to the pulsing beats. The music is a breathing, heaving, horn-saturated slice of Miami fusion, the native flavors of Cuba — salsa, charanga, rumba and the like — mixed with ’70s-style funk, hip-hop turntablism, free jazz, dub reggae, Afro-beat and electronica.

The band responsible, Spam Allstars, calls its Pan-American dance music “electronic descarga” and the man in charge is DJ Le Spam, though he’s not a frontman in the traditional sense. The youthful Miami musician/producer (real name: Andrew Yeomanson) doesn’t sing or play instruments or tell his bandmates what to play. But he crafts the foundation of the band’s music, shaping the mood with basslines and electronic beats. The resulting samplers are triggered throughout the band’s live performances, and Yeomanson uses turntables to add improvised sounds, words and textures to what his all-star group of musicians produce, all while mixing the entire thing via his post behind the soundboard at the back of the stage. (Audio and video after the jump.)

I fell in love with Soviet-born songstress Regina Spektor a few years ago with the release of 2006’s Begin to Hope. While I was initially turned off by the inherent pop marketability of the album (it’s almost too well-produced for its own good), I was drawn to her poetry, to the sweetness of her accented voice, to the moments of her singing in her native language. (There’s more of that on her earlier self-released albums, though she really does it best in her third album, Soviet Kitsch.)

Anyway, the point of this post is that Miss Spektor is set to finally release the follow-up to Begin to Hope and I am stoked. Other than her adorable duet with Ben Folds, “You Don’t Know Me” — the first single off his 2009 album, Way to Normal — Spektor has been virtually MIA for far too long. Now, she’s gearing up for a worldwide release of far, due out on Sire Records June 23. (The official press release with info on her upcoming Letterman and Good Morning America, track listing and European tour dates, and the video for her new song, “Laughing With,” after the jump.)

Indie rock forefathers Yo La Tengo are gearing up to release Popular Songs, on September 8 via Matador. The follow-up to 2006’s I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass was recorded in Hoboken, N.J. and Nashville earlier this year.

From the Matador Records Blog:

We have an old saying at Matador HQ, “the only thing predictable about Yo La Tengo albums is their high level of excellence and crazy amount of musical ground covered”. Trouble is, even if you believe we really have an old saying that unwieldly, it doesn’t really do justice in this instance. The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital album ‘Popular Songs’ (OLE 856-1,2) could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of ‘em. Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, ‘Popular Songs’ finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that’s cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous. (FOR THE REST OF THE RELEASE AND TO HEAR THE NEW SINGLE, “Periodically Double Or Triple,” CLICK HERE.)

The Dodos perform solid, straighforward, no-frills-attached acoustic-driven pop music, and their 2008 album, Visiter, was among one of my favorites last year. Here’s the band performing “Red and Purple” and “Eyelids” from Visiter, and what seems to be a new song, “Fables,” on Pitchfork TV. (Click here to see the video.)

Tonight, May 31, 2009, Phish returns to the road and kicks off the first leg of their summer tour at Fenway Park, home field of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest of all current MLB stadiums. Phish, the band that inspired this ongoing column (and changed the lives of me and everyone who reads this thing and plenty of others who don’t), will hit the stage at 6:55 p.m. and fill upwards of 30,000 fans (including my good friend AAAlex) with joyous satisfaction. (Screenshots of the first-night-back video — with Fenway’s organist playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” then cracking his knuckles and launching into “Tweezer” while various appropos shots of the stadium flash by — after the jump.) The rest of us will watch from the sidelines, checking the regularly updated From the Road setlists, watching various #Phish Tweets from the show (my own not from the show here), and eagerly awaiting our own upcoming Phish adventures.

With a new spat of Phish shows to be reported on, Phish Saves America (PSA) is officially off hiatus. Not that it was ever really on hiatus, but I’ve admittedly took a bit of a break since Hampton, letting all the little Phish news bites fall through the cracks while I set some things in order. (Translation: I’ve been busy.) But the upcoming weeks will find both me and Tampa Calling contributor B.Treotch (also of Coventryblog.com) at several different upcoming Phish shows, which means plenty of coverage. B.Treotch will be at Asheville (maybe?) and Knoxville, and will serve as Creative Loafing’s on-site reporter at Bonnaroo with various Tweets and whatever else we can manage at the Tennessee fest, and a post-fest wrap with all the media we can manage. I will be road-tripping up to Knoxville in an RV with some Bonnaroo-bound friends and other taggers-on next Tuesday (look out for plenty of Tweeting and a post), then I’ll be hitting the last three shows (in Indiana and Wisconsin, respectively) the following weekend. The Gorge will follow in August if my husband and I can juggle the finances as planned.

But for now, let’s start with something fun — a “What If” of sit-ins that has Phish performing with a select roster of other Bonnaroo artists.

Phish Sit-Ins I’d Like to See at Bonnaroo: [READ MORE]

Eric Hutchinson may be embarrassed to admit that he hit the iTunes Store’s top 10 after he was plugged by gossip blogger Perez Hilton, but the impressive numbers also got him a record deal with Warner Bros. The label recognized that Hutchinson’s infectious, intellectual blend of piano pop and acoustic soul was Top 40-friendly enough to deserve a re-release of his self-produced debut, Sounds Like This. The album sold so well that the NYC-based artist put out a companion EP, Sounds Like This Live, in April. Also featured on the bill is singer/songwriter/guitarist Serena Ryder, who hails from Canada and sets her throaty soprano against rootsy, country-flavored AC rock. 8 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $12.50.

Also today:

Reduce your risk of stroke with free Stroke Awareness Health Screenings at MOSI. Reps from University Community Hospital give body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure screenings for free, in conjunction with the museum’s BODY WORLDS exhibit. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues., May 19, Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, 813-987-6300, mosi.org.

This evening, the Studio@620 stages the area premiere of Toots, Kristi Jacobson’s documentary film that looks at the life and times of infamous Manhattan saloonkeeper Toots Shor (pictured), proprietor of Toots Shor’s Restaurant for more than 30 years, from the 1940s to the 1970s, and a self-made man who welcomed all manner of clientele into his establishment, and served as loyal friend and confidante and good-natured insulter to various politicians, gangsters, sports heroes and movie stars ranging from Frank Sinatra to Joe Dimaggio to Chief Justice Earl Warren. Jacobson gives a talk and Q&A following the screening. 7:30 p.m., The Studio@620, 620 First St. Petersburg, $5.
Also today: Read the rest of this entry »

Catch “Andy mania” this weekend when Museum of Fine Arts debuts Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life and Legends, an exhibit of more than 70 screen-prints by the pop master. Classics including “Campbell’s Soup I (Cream of Mushroom),” “Flowers” and portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Superman and Muhammad Ali go on view, along with several lesser-known portfolios. (Pictured at left: “Andy Mouse,” by Keith Haring, 1986; Keith Haring artwork © Keith Haring Foundation, on loan from Bank of America’s Art in Our Communities Program.) The showcase spans Warhol’s career as a fine artist, from his heyday in the 1960s to the 1980s, when he produced the poignant “Endangered Species” series (included in the exhibit) — four years before his unexpected death of complications from gallbladder surgery in 1987. As a bonus, the show includes portraits of Warhol by Keith Haring, whose perversely Disney-esque “Andy Mouse” strikes the perfect irreverent note, and works by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. May 16-Aug. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m Sun., Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, $12 adults, $10 seniors (65-plus) and students with I.D., $6 ages 7 to 18 (children six and younger enter for free), 727-896-2667, fine-arts.org. (Megan Voeller)

WMNF presents its 28th annual Tropical Heatwave! We have some pretty great coverage thus far — a feature on Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa, a stage-by-stage breakdown of performers, and a 9-question Q&A with The Pack A.D. Stay tuned this weekend for live tweets, video and after-the-fact blogs on Tampa Calling. Sat., May 16, 5 p.m.-1 a.m., The Cuban Club, Orpheum and New World Brewery, Ybor City, $30 full-day pass, $8 per venue NWB and Orpheum.

And speaking of Tropical Heatwave, have you heard about the ACLU of Florida’s new Camerahead Project? The Greater Tampa Chapter and a group of student performance artists from USF’s College of Art and Art History have banded together to draw attention to camera surveillance in Ybor City during Tropical Heatwave. Look out for performers in colorful costumes with oversized surveillance cameras instead of heads. Sat., May 16, Ybor City. Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago punk rockers Alkaline Trio (pictured, photo by Cindy Frey) came into their own right around the time that the emo-punk sound was overtaking the airwaves in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Alk3 (as called by their fans) have carved out quite the niche, with six studio albums (the latest 2008’s Agony and Irony) and much loving ink from publications like Rolling Stone and Spin. The band is supported by Saves the Day. 7 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $21.

Stageworks presents a staged reading of Radio Ball, the most recent winner of the company’s coveted Longjohns Florida Playwright Award, an initiative that seeks out and recognizes emerging Florida playwrights. The story follows a college baseball pitcher on the edge of a professional breakthrough, a Japanese-American girl who pines to be a baseball sensation, and their unlikely adventures. 7 p.m., Shimberg Playhouse at TBPAC, Tampa, $5, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org. (Franki Weddington)

Environmental specialist Joseph Malki presents “Florida is Going Long for Green,” a discussion about Florida’s green achievements, and the global shift to sustainability in cities, businesses and more. 7 p.m., Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum Tarpon Springs, free.

Looking for some way to celebrate your mom, with your mom, but don’t want to deal with the traditional flowers-sentimental card-dinner-kiss on the cheek? Here are a trio of events taking place this weekend that are sure to be a treat for your dear old muddah.

Pinkie-lifting, tea-sipping local ladies can enjoy the MOSI Butterfly Garden Mother’s Day Tea, which includes a special gift from MOSI, museum admission, an IMAX movie, and a proper high tea surrounded by beautiful, free-flying butterflies. May 9-10, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sat.-Sun., Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, $24.95 general/$19.95 children 12 and younger (reservations required), 813-987-6000, mosi.org;

If you’re searching for something with an international flair, look no further than the Indian Groove Mother’s Day event at the India Cultural Center. This dinner and dance features traditional cuisine from Cilantro and Ruchi. The Melody Makers of Tampa Bay spin out tunes from different eras of Indian music, including ghazals, geets and classical. Proceeds support WMNF’s Indian Groove radio show. Sat., May 9, 6 p.m., India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa, $25 general/$20 seniors, 813-238-8001.

Enjoy a complimentary wine bar while choosing a unique gift for the special lady in your life! With pottery, glass and artwork by 70 local artists, there’s something for everyone at Tampa Artist Emporium’s Mother’s Day Art Mixer. Sat., May 9, 5-9 p.m., Tampa Artist Emporium, Tampa, 813-254-3443.

The Florida Institute for Community Studies is well-known for the excellent services it provides to Latino and immigrant populations, its lively center in Town N’ Country a hive of creativity and youthful energy. Case in point: today’s FICS Multicultural Food and Art Show. Adult artists Joanne Osborn, Vivian Fisk, Guillermo Portieles, Aldo Gamez and Tamara Nemirovsky will show work along with 25 of the center’s youth artists, with half of the art sale proceeds to go to the artists and half to the center’s summer programs. DJ Teknique handles the sounds, Rafael “El Shakiro” sings, and the center’s Capoeira students and breakdancers perform. But the biggest draw might be the food: an international array of dishes from Peru, Colombia, Mexico and more, all provided by center parents, plus offerings from Maggiano’s and Chili’s. And all this for just five bucks! A good chance to party and do some Mother’s Day shopping, all at the same time. (Pictured at left: A still from one of Tamara Nemirovsky’s stop-animation video pieces about Argentina.) Fri. May 8, 4-8 p.m., 6704 Hanley Rd., Tampa, 813-249-8100, ficsinc.org, $5. –David Warner

The Florida Orchestra’s Free Pops in the Park concert series continues this weekend, with attendees encouraged to bring canned food donations for Tampa Bay Harvest’s food bank services. Guest conductor Stuart Chafetz leads a program of symphonic and pop hits, including Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, the Bacchanale from Saint-Saen’s Samson and Dalila, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, John Williams’ Liberty Fanfare, and selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s My Fair Lady. Fri., May 8, 7:30 p.m., Lowry Park, 7525 N. Boulevard, Tampa; and a Mother’s Day “Symphony of Life,” Sun., May 10, 7:30 p.m., Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N. Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor. –LP Read the rest of this entry »

Wanna celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the observance of the date of a great battle victory that only managed to delay — not stop — the French invasion of Mexico? (Contrary to popular believe, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated here more than in Mexico, and it is not the date of Mexico’s actual independence, which is September 16.) The Hut offers 2-for-1 specials on Corona, Landshark and Bud Light, Margarita pitcher and food specials, live music by Spy v. Spy, games and prizes, jalepeno eating contests and more. 4-11 p.m., The Hut Channelside, 514 Channelside Drive, Tampa, $5, 813-307-6395. Casa Tina presents a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta featuring the 12-piece Orquesta Infinidad, salsa dancing and lessons, performances by Clearwater’s Dance and Circus Arts, a Sombrero Fashion Contest, and a food tent with specials on ceviche, quesadillas, margaritas, sangria, mojitos and beer. 5-11 p.m., Casa Tina, 369 Main St., Dunedin, free admission, 727-734-9226. And Red Mesa Cantina hosts a happy hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers $3 margaritas, domestic and import beer bucket specials, tequila tastings, and music in the garden by live Mariachi band Invasor de Mexico, and Roberto Debourg and the Flats. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Red Mesa, 128 Third St. S., downtown St. Petersburg, 727-896-8226.

A collaboration between artists Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten and Leslie Fry culminates with STEPS TO HOPE: a visual art project, an Austria-U.S. exhibition and special cross-cultural reception that features guest speakers (like Andreas Stadler, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York), Austrian and American food and drink, videos, dance, a raffle, interactive games and social networking opportunities. 6 p.m., The Studio@620, St. Petersburg, free admisssion. Read the rest of this entry »

Formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, UB40 is one of the most successful and durable of the British reggae bands. The group is a two-tone ensemble that scored dozens of hits in the U.K. and a few major smashes in the States, including two — “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” — that reached No. 1. The name UB40 is a reference to the unemployment form in England, which I’ve always thought was pretty catchy and clever. Sun., May 3, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $35. (Eric Snider)

Celebrate the sights, sounds and tastes of the Far East during Asia Fest, which is held in honor of National Asian Pacific Heritage Month. The event includes cultural performances, a fashion show with native costumes, martial arts demonstrations, the Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races, and authentic cuisine from Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Visit asiafest-tampabay.com for more info. Sat., May 2, 10:30 a.m., St. Pete Times Forum Plaza, Tampa, free, 813-223-1000.

Adrienne Nadeau premieres a new original theater piece, Stereotypes in America, at the Studio@620 this weekend. A diverse cast of green and veteran Bay area actors perform in the play, which covers race, religion and sexuality via a series of monologues told from the viewpoints of a diverse cast of relatable characters. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., May 1-2, Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, $10. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year, mainstream media picks a pop tart to feel the heat of the MTV spotlight, though 2008’s rising star was not a Mickey Mouse Club or American Idol outcast nor was it some annoying bleached-blonde virginity-claiming bombshell. Instead, we saw the rise of a doll-faced, naughty-girl-next-door singer/musician Katy Perry (pictured), who brought the nauseatingly catchy yet somehow edgy “I Kissed a Girl” to suburbia and to the Warped Tour, all in one fell swoop. Her certified-platinum album, One of the Boys, sold 2 million copies worldwide, and she seems to have some staying power (she just performed on The Grammys in February), though tickets for the 1,500-capacity show that’s been lined up for months were still available by the time of this posting. 8 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $20.

The latest doc presented in the fundraising WMNF Film Series is Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug War Failure, about the relation between America’s “war-on-drugs” in Columbia and how it relates to our country’s interest in Columbian oil and natural resources. Screened at two locations: 7 p.m., Tampa Pitcher Show, Tampa, and 7 p.m. at Nova 535 Art Lounge, St. Petersburg. Admission is $8 door.

Black On Black Rhyme concludes its observance of National Poetry Month with the City of Tampa poet laureate, James E. Tokley, who also celebrates his 61st birthday on the occasion. Friends of Tokley, special guests, various area poets and Tokley himself are scheduled to perform readings and give presentations. 9 p.m., Hip Hop Soda Shop, Tampa, $7, 813-244-0535. Read the rest of this entry »

Tampa Theatre continues its run of The Great Buck Howard (pictured below), a dramedy about an aspiring writer (played by Colin Hanks) who goes against his father’s wishes and drops out of law school to search for some meaningful life experience. Enter new employer Buck Howard (John Malkovich), a once-famous mentalist who’s in search of a comeback. Also stars Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn and Tom Hanks. 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre, downtown Tampa, $9 adults/$8 students with ID/$7 seniors, military, members.

I was just listening to Sweet Baby James the other day in the car — randomly, not ’cause of James Taylor’s show — and it’s … y’know, really, really good. Taylor’s full-bodied voice is still the sonic equivalent of fine cognac. This show is sold out, however, member exchanges may open up some seats (call the box office early), or, if that doesn’t pan out, you may find the random extra outside the hall. Good luck. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. —Eric Snider Read the rest of this entry »

Ben & Jerry’s celebrate its 30th annual Free Cone Day today with free scoops of all its favorites — Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia and Chubby Hubby — as well as some of its newest offerings like Fair Trade Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams Swirled Together with Fudge-Covered Macadamia Nuts and Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road, and Triple Caramel Chunk. Participating local stores: Ben & Jerry’s St. Petersburg, 189 Second Ave., Space 104, St. Petersburg, 727-822-2653; USF Tampa, 4204 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 913-974-1185; and USF Student Union, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., MSC 1100D, Tampa, 813-974-4266. Call each individual store for hours.

Florida Holocaust Museum hosts Holocaust Remembrance Day or Yom HaShoah, a day of remembrance, which includes a presentation of the Righteous Among the Nations award by the Israeli Consulate to the Nauta Family. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance of Israel organization, presents the award to those who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust. Rabbi Danielle Upbin leads the service and students from Pinellas County Jewish Day School sing. 6:30 p.m., Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, free, flholocaustmuseum.org. Read the rest of this entry »

Omaha post-prog quartet Beep Beep (pictured at left) just released its sophomore effort, Enchanted Islands, which sets falsetto vocals against music that’s alternately organic and folk-infused, or near dissonant with disjointed tempos. The Show Is the Rainbow is Darren Keen’s one-man electro-rock band. Local support on the bill is provided by Tampa’s Win Win Winter. Definitely a 420-worthy show. For more on TSiTR, click here. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7.

Meet with 30 to 40 local companies who have immediate openings at the “employment event of the season,” the Tampa Bay Job and Career Fair. Many occupations and skill sets are represented, including entry level, skilled trade, health care and top managerial positions. This year also features representatives from local universities. On-site hiring, testing, screening, helpful tips and advice and great job opportunities are the name of the game at this can’t-miss event. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., The Coliseum, St. Petersburg, free admission.

Eckerd College faculty members Yaniro Angulo-Cano (Spanish), David Bryant (Religious Studies), Gavin Hawk (Theater) and Kathleen Keller (History) take part in a roundtable discussion titled, “AfterLives of Marxism,” which focuses on the importance of Marxism in modern culture. 7 p.m. Triton Room at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, free admission. Read the rest of this entry »

The month-long Bamboozle Roadshow lands at several locations across the country U.S., and makes its stop in St. Petersburg tonight. The bill spotlights up-and-coming bands that, for the most part, fall into the power pop-emo-rock realm. Bradenton’s We The Kings (pictured) headline and Forever the Sickest Kids, The Cab, Never Shout Never and Mercy Mercedes provide support. 7 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $19.

The Florida Orchestra stages a premiere, in the form of a public reading session, of original modern-classical music compositions by USF student composers. 7:30 p.m., USF School of Music Theatre I (TAT), USF-Tampa, free admission. Read the rest of this entry »

By Eric Snider.

Admit it, you’ve wondered: Was the Tampa Bay Rays’ fairy tale season last year a fluke? Do we allow ourselves expectations of another playoff campaign? Go ’head and expect a lot: Manager Joe Maddon and his players wouldn’t have it any other way. Still, the idea of the Rays being consistent contenders takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? There’s every reason to anticipate that the team will be high achievers again. They’ve improved, on paper at least. Added power hitter Pat Burrell to the lineup. Their starting pitchers have a year’s more experience, but they’re still young and spry. In fact, the team has a logjam in its pitching staff and may have to trade a guy they would sooner not trade. Leftfielder Carl Crawford (pictured) is over the injuries that nagged him last year. CF B.J. Upton is recovering nicely from shoulder surgery and is expected to miss only a short stretch in the early season. First baseman Carlos Peña had abdominal surgery but is close to full strength. Now for the flip side: Baseball is the hardest of the major sports for teams to contend year in and year out. In the recent past, Cinderella clubs have dropped off the map the year after reaching the playoffs. That is something I do not expect from the Rays, though. The organization seems too sound from top to bottom; the payroll has “ballooned” to $60 million; the nucleus of players is intact and most are under contract. But … the Rays still play in the American League East, where the Yankees went on a spending spree in the off season, the Red Sox are routine challengers, and Toronto and Baltimore will likely improve. By the time the Rays open at home in a series against the Yankees starting this Monday, they’ll have played six games on the road, three each against Boston and Baltimore. Does anyone like the sound of 5-1? Home-Opener Series: Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, April 13-15, 7:08 p.m. Mon.-Tues., 4:08 p.m. Wed., Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg. Next up: Chicago White Sox, April 16-19. Go to raysbaseball.com. (Text by Eric Snider)

Tonight’s edition of Black on Black Rhyme features longtime Bay area spoken word performer Wally B (pictured). 9 p.m., Hip Hop Soda Shop, Tampa, $5 before 10 p.m., $7 after.

Based on the film that’s based on the 2001 novel by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde: The Musical follows underestimated blonde sorority sister Elle Woods, who hits the books at Harvard Law after her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious.” The musical tour stops at Ruth Eckerd Hall beginning tonight for a five-day, -show run. April 7-12, 8 p.m. Tues.-Wed. and Fri, 2 and 8 p.m. Thurs. and Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $40-$60, 727-791-7400.

New York poptronica songstress Lady Gaga has made her way into the collective subconscious far too fast for anyone’s good with her marginal talent and forgettable voice, which usually has some sort of techni-effect so you never get a feel for how she really sings. But the kids like her – she’s got the look and a Madonna sort of appeal. Tonight’s show features support sets by White Tie Affair and Chester French. 7:30 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $21.

Wind That Shakes the Barley, a quartet that plays Irish, Scottish, English, Scandinavian and Klezmer tunes, perform and discuss their rare craft during a special new program, Musicians Off-Stage. Audiences can hear and learn about traditional and unusual instruments, including the hammered dulcimer, fiddle, flute, mandolin, whistle, tenor banjo, percussion and guitar. 7 p.m., Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa., $15 general, $10 members, 813-269-1310.

Flight of the Conchords — the charming, Grammy-winning folk-comedy duo from New Zealand made up of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement (pictured) — are unlikely stars in America. Ironically, their popularity can be directly attributed to their HBO sitcom, Flight of the Conchords, a faux-reality show that follows the pair as they navigate NYC’s musical landscape and attempt to develop an American fanbase. The show’s not only hilarious, but has proven itself a brilliant way of marketing the duo’s eccentric brand of self-deprecating musical comedy. The duo lands at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center tonight. The show’s sold out, but perhaps you can find someone with a spare or two outside the hall. Or, you can snag tickets now to the Choncords’ Wednesday night show in Orlando before it, too, sells out. Good luck in what ever you do. Mon., April 5, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, $38.50 (SOLD OUT); and Wed., April 8, USF Arena, Orlando, $36.50. Read the rest of this entry »

Interior Motives Gallery presents Returniture, an exhibit of sculptural furniture — tables, chairs, lamps, and other accessories — crafted from recycled cardboard by local architects Fred Russell and Dan LeCapelain. (Pictured at right: a chair by Fred Russell.)The opening party is held from 6 to 9 p.m. Fri., April 3, 1110 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-6061.

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg zips through town this weekend. If you’re into car racing, it’s a pretty rad affair. For more info, click here. For Snider’s take on the event, brief interview with ‘Burgian racer Dan Wheldon, and sexy pics of lady driver Danica Patrick, click here. Through April 5, downtown St. Petersburg, prices vary.

With a name like Moving Current Dance Collective, it makes sense that Tampa Bay’s leading modern dance company should be frequently on the move, and this week is no exception. The Tampa-based troupe brings a program of “greatest hits” across the bay to St. Pete’s Palladium for performances on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. A chamber ensemble made up of five fine dancers (Erin Cardinal, Katie Cole, Brian Fidalgo, Shana Perkins & Kelly Rayl) perform an evening of repertory works from artistic directors Cardinal, Cole and Cynthia Hennessy as well as from guest choreographers who’ve worked with Moving Current in the past. Whichever “hit” they perform, audiences can count on seeing movement that’s full of intelligence, precision and grace. April 3 and 5, 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sun., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $16.50 adults, $12.50 students with ID, 727-822-3590. (text by David Warner) Read the rest of this entry »

NYC-by-way-of-Tampa choreographer Claire Porter (pictured at right) returns to town to perform PORTABLES, an hour long work made up of a handful of 12-minute-long solo comedic movement monologues presented individually and in concert in conjunction with the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image. 7 p.m., HCC-Ybor Performing Arts Building, Palm Avenue and 14th Street, Tampa, $10.

Comedian Jim Breuer performs a four-night run of stand-up beginning tonight at the Tampa Improv. April 2-5, 8 p.m. Thurs., 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fri., 7:30 and 10 p.m. Sat., 7 p.m. Sun., Centro Ybor, Ybor City, $22 and $25, 813-864-4000.

Florida-centric suspense writer Tom Corcoran appears for a signing event in honor of the release of his sixth novel, Hawk Channel Chase. 7 p.m., Inkwood Books, Tampa, 813-253-2638.

Today marks the kick-off of the seventh annual Ybor Festival of the Moving Image. Tonight’s event schedule includes the opening of Sideshow with Postage Due, a two-person show featuring mixed-media circus banners by Tampa artist Lori Ballard and postal art by Gulfport graphic designer Steve Smith, and a screening of the Buster Keaton classic, The Playhouse, with live accompaniment by Ray Villadonga and Rick Olson. (Pictured below: “Amazing Insecticycles,” by Steve Smith.) April 1-5, with a free opening party tonight from 6 to 9 p.m., Performing Arts Building, HCC-Ybor City Campus, Tampa.

Sunscreen Film Festival hosts a “Film and Guest Lineup” launch party in honor of its fourth annual event, which is set to occur April 29-May 3. Locals are invited to come and find out more about the 2009 program — which films have made it in, the schedule of parties, and the roster of special guests, judges and celebrities expected to attend and take part. Attendees can also snag advance passes to the fest, meet filmmakers, and win various prizes throughout the night. 6-10 p.m., Nova 535 Art Lounge, St. Petersburg, free admission. Read the rest of this entry »

The fourth concert in the Encore Chamber Series features the Wilson, Hsu and Hunsberger Trio, who perform works by Alec Wilder, Francis Poulenc and others. 7:30 p.m., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $10-$20, 727-822-3590.

Flamboyantly hilarious Aussie comedian Barry Humphries (pictured) is hanging up the lilac wig and rhinestone glasses for good, but first, brings his Dame Edna Farewell Tour to Clearwater. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $47-$80, 727-791-7400.

Also at Ruth Eckerd Hall: Late Nite Catechism, an interative comedy presented like an adult catechism class by a fictitious Catholic nun, with the audience members of the nun’s school “class.” 8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 2 and 8 p.m. Fri., 1 and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., March 31-April 5, Murray Studio Theater @ REH, Clearwater, $35, 727-791-7400.

MOSI presents Beetle Collection, a series of images featuring beetles from the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Entomology Museum by renowned photographer Steven Katzman (pictured, a millipede, through April 30). Also on display is BODY WORLDS: The Story of the Heart, Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ traveling exhibit on the human body and disease, with a special focus on the heart and how it nourishes, regulates and sustains life (through June 28). This week’s IMAX Dome Theatre films selections are Extreme, Animalopolis, Under the Sea, Watchmen and Van Gogh: Brush with Genius. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily,  Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), Tampa, $25.95 adults (13-59)/$22.95 seniors (60-plus)/$19.95 ages 2-12 (includes IMAX film and entry to all exhibits), 813-987-6300. mosi.org.

Also tonight:

Comedian Joe Piscopo performs at Show Palace Dinner Theatre as part of the “Ruth Eckerd Hall on the Road” series. 8 p.m., Show Palace Dinner Theatre, Hudson, $49.

Award-winning Phoenix-based architect Will Bruder gives a talk as part of USF’s “Building into [Place]: Spring 2009 Architecture Lecture Series.” 7 p.m., ULH 101, USF Tampa, free admission.

Singer-songwriter Matt Wertz brings his warm, Top 40-friendly acoustic rock to town. 7 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $13.

In a traditional world, mechanics and Cirque du Soleil acrobats aren’t usually beer buddies. But the Birdhouse Factory isn’t exactly typical, and the Cirque Mechanics acrobatic troupe (pictured) is anything but ordinary. In the troupe’s death-defying spectacle, performers fly, climb and contort their way through rotating gears, trampoline walls and aerial hoops. This stunning combination of engineering and human agility also features machines that were built to test acrobatic limits — and performers who rise to the challenge every time. The evocative storyline of factory workers who have a few tricks up their sleeves also incorporates elements of circus and theater. Clowns, mimes, jugglers and contortionists round out the cast. Tues., March 24, 1 and 7 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $35-$50, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com. (Franki Weddington)

Also today: For its annual LGBT Community Gala, USF welcomes keynote speaker Betty Castor, who presents “Global Diversity in Action,” an address on the importance of inclusionary practices and USF’s role in a global environment. The event also features the PRIDE awards and the presentation of the newly-endowed USF LGBT Scholarship. 5:45-8 p.m., Gibbons Alumni Center, USF-Tampa, 813-974-5468.

Last chance to see: Electronics Alive V, University of Tampa’s biennial exhibit that features experimental computer animations, interactive 2D and 3D digital art, and multimedia computer graphics and installations by artists from here and around the world, among them, Corey George, Greg Perkins, Doug Sutherland, Sally Grizzell Larson, Viktor Koen, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Masakazu Takano, Mark Stock, Carlos Franklin, Roque Rivas and Jeff Whipple. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Scarfone/Hartley Gallery at R.K. Bailey Art Studios-University of Tampa, 310 N. Boulevard, Tampa, 813-253-6217, utampa.edu.

Now in its second year, Tampa Theatre’s traveling outdoor picture show, the Sunset Cinema Series, continues this Saturday evening. The event brings free movie screenings to parks and neighborhoods throughout Tampa, presenting the films outdoors on huge inflatable screens and serving concessions – popcorn, candy, soda and bottled water – as they would at any other film presentation. Bring a blanket or a few lawn chairs and enjoy a this month’s event at River Tower Park, a showing of 1981’s Harrison Ford- Steven Spielberg-George Lucas classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the Indiana Jones franchise and arguably the best. Will Indy find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis and keep the German army from becoming invincible? We all know the answer, but it’s always fun to find out again, especially when it’s under the stars. Sat., March 21, gates open at 6 p.m., with the movie to start at 8 p.m., River Tower Park, 701 E. Bird St., Tampa, free admission, tampatheatre.org. (Michelle Stark)

Mastering the business side of a career as an artist is never easy — and it’s especially challenging in the context of a recession. On Saturday, the third annual Self-Employment in the Arts Conference at University of Tampa aims to give practitioners in the visual, literary, performing and film arts a leg up on the climb to self-sufficiency. Attend sessions in marketing, networking, work-life balance and intellectual property during the daylong event; presenters include professional artists, writers, filmmakers, professors and an attorney. The conference kicks off with a keynote address, “Work By Day, Paint By Night,” by Portland, Ore., artist Susan Harlan, and a reception and networking session brings it to a close. Sat., March 21, registration begins at 8:15 a.m., keynote address 9:15 a.m., presentations throughout the day, reception and networking session 5:45 p.m., 9th Floor Vaughn Center, University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., $25 students/$45 general, 813-257-3782, ut.edu/seaconference. (Megan Voeller) Read the rest of this entry »

An Irish singer performing on Saint Paddy’s Day? Who’d-a thunk it? Theoretically, Michael Londra Londra is a Celtic-influenced “classical crossover artist” like Enya or Loreena McKennitt, but all I hear is adult-contemporary smooth — it’s sincere but cheesy as hell. The former Riverdancer will do a bit of dancing, too, and he’ll be backed by a full Celtic band. 8 p.m., Largo Cultural Center, Largo, $35.

As part of its After Hours programming, American Stage welcomes Bay Area Improv Theatre (BAIT) for a series of shows featuring BAIT’s long-form improvised scenes and skits, which change night by night and kick off with a one-word suggestion from the audience. March 17-April 11, 8 p.m. Tues., 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., American Stage, St. Petersburg, admission is on a “pay-what-you-can” basis.

Tune into WEDU-Ch. 3 today for some special St. Patrick’s Day programming: 1 p.m., Daniel O’Donnell: Hope and Praise, the ninth public television special spotlighting the Irish singer from Branson, Missouri, who performs hymns, up-tempo gospel songs and pop tunes with a young adult choir, a children’s choir, an orchestra, his band and his longtime performance partner, Mary Duff; 8 p.m., Chris Botti in Boston, a showing of the acclaimed trumpeter’s PBS special with the Boston Pops Orchestra and guests like Sting, John Mayer, Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Tyler and Lucia Micarelli, as well as a live appearance by Botti at WEDU Studios for its annual pledge drive; and 10 p.m., Celtic Woman: The Greatest Journey, about the contemporary Celtic music group and made up of highlights taken from three separate PBS specials.

Tonight, Pangea Cafe hosts a “How to Survive a Trainwreck Economy” seminar by P. Christopher Music of Wealth Advisory Associates, who talks about how to invest longterm assets with no market risk and still get competitive returns, how to get out of debt, and more. 7-9 p.m., 34 N. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater; RSVP to 727-588-1540 or 727-278-6757.

Bay area fashion designer and CL ‘07 Best of the Bay winner Ben Chmura presents his new “Venom” collection of vibrant handmade cocktail dresses inspired by venomous snakes this Saturday night at Czar Bar. (Pictured at left: A diamond back dress made of gunmetal silk taffeta with black cotton nylon overlay; modeled by Soleil.) Sat., Mar. 14, 9 p.m., Czar, Ybor City, $10 ages 21 and up/$15 ages 21 and under.

For this weekend’s Dance Ybor Series, HCC Student Choreographers showcase original dance works in an hour-long program. 7 p.m. Fri.-Sat., March 13-14, HCC Dance Studio 1505 E. Palm Avenue, Ybor City. Also scheduled is NYC choreographer/dancer Karen Fuhrman’s Grounded Aerials, an evening-length work that combines modern dance with uniquely rigged aerial elements. 8:15 p.m. Fri.-Sat., March 13-14, HCC Mainstage Theater, Palm Avenue and 14th Street, Ybor City; $10 for both concerts.

ARTpool stages its second annual Local Film Festival & Hollywood Fashion Show. Sat. March 14, 8 p.m.-midnight, ARTpool, St. Petersburg, $10.

While not billed as a CD release party, tonight’s gig by The Mojo Gurus coincides with their new disc, Let’s Get Lit with … The Mojo Gurus, out on the Canadian label True North March 24. The disc builds on the Bay area band’s blend of rowdy country, Skynyrd-esque boogie and Stonesy rock. Good-time music delivered with party-hearty verve in a shoulder-to-shoulder club. It’s the third date in a March tour that takes the band through Texas, Louisiana and up into Michigan. Fri., March 13, 9:30 p.m., Dave’s Aqua Lounge, St. Petersburg, $5. —Eric Snider

Sweetwater Organic Community Farm stages a screening of Food Matters, a doc abotu food and health, as part of its Outdoor Movies Series. Fri., March 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, Tampa, $5 suggested donation per person.

Comedian Brian Posehn (Mr. Show, NewsRadio, Just Shoot Me!, pictured at right) performs at Tampa Improv this weekend. March 13-14, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fri., 7:30 and 10 p.m. Sat., The Tampa Improv, Ybor City, $20.

Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries continues its “Florida Humanities Council Road Scholar” series with award-winning columnist Jeff Klinkenberg, who discusses encounters between man and alligator from the 16th century to the present. Afterwards, the writer will sell and sign copies of his book, Pilgrim in the Land of Alligators and Seasons of Real Florida. Sat., March 14, 1 p.m., Jan Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa.

freeFall Theatre Company stages Charles Way’s entertaining adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, the classic tale about Briar Rose, who becomes the sleeping center of the battle between “bright witch” Branwen and her sister, dark witch” Modron. The play is part of a project that provides underprivileged children and families who’d otherwise be unable to experience live theater the opportunity to see the production for free. Visit freefalltheatre.com for more info. March 13-29, 7 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 and 6 p.m. Sun., TECO Theater, Patel Conservatory @ Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, downtown Tampa, $18, 813-229-7827.

Black on Black Rhyme — one of the Bay area’s longest-running spoken-word and open-mic events — continues its Women’s History Month observance with another lady wordsmith: Tasha Jones (pictured). 9 p.m., Hip Hop Soda Shop, Tampa, 813-810-3582, free.

Formed in Gainesville in ’92, Less Than Jake has been one of the more durable acts to reside in the realm of ska-punk. Perhaps that’s because the band never strictly adhered to the subgenre, and thus didn’t become obsolete when the kids moved onto something else. Much of their more recent material downplays the ska and horns in favor of grabby punk. The Expendables out of Santa Cruz, Calif., bring a less aggro sound that leans toward reggae and dancehall. 7 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $21. —Eric Snider

Our own PoHo Wayne Garcia joins St. Petersburg Times columnist Ernest Hooper, Tampa Tribune senior political writer William March, WMNF assistant news director Mitch Perry, and Tampa Bay Business Journal editor Alexis Muellner for a public media panel discussion hosted by Democratic Professionals Council of Tampa. 11:30 a.m., Mise en Place, Tampa, free admission to event ($25 with lunch), 813-367-7178.

The Encore Chamber Series continues tonight with a “Viva La France!”-themed concert. A 12-piece chamber ensemble is joined by special guest violinist and former Florida Orchestra concertmaster Ellen dePasquale; an artist talk-back with coffee and dessert follows. 7:30 p.m., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $10-$20, 727-822-3590.

LocalShops1.com in collaboration with Gulfport Chamber of Commerce hosts a “Branding and Marketing Seminar” with Intensity Academy hot sauces founder Michele Northrup. 6 p.m., Gulfport Neighborhood Center, 1617 49th St., Gulfport, 727-637-5586, free.

Editorial Assistant Franki Weddington attended the opening night performance of Spamalot last night. Here’s her wrap:

Last night, I went to Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center’s opening performance of Monty Python’s Spamalot, the Tony-winning Broadway musical ripped off from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like most people, I thought that Grail had perfected the fart jokes, killer bunnies, and not-yet-dead schtick, but that was before I saw Spamalot — and that shit was downright side-splitting. Maybe even better (gasp!) than the movie. Pictured: Richard Chamberlain as King Arthur, and Jeff Dumas as Patsy; photo by Joan Marcus

My boyfriend, who is regularly dragged along to various theater events and musicals, even liked it. Which just goes to show that even if you don’t get all the Broadway-people-are-stuffshirts jokes, you’ll still appreciate the irreverence, candor, and modern humor Spamalot has to offer.

The musical borrows heavily from Monty Python’s most popular scenes, including a number called “I Am Not Yet Dead,” where a stack of plague victims leap from their cart into a rip-roaring song and dance. Later, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” becomes a pep talk to King Arthur, who is having terrible trouble finding a shrubbery for the Knights Who Say Ni. Read the rest of this entry »

Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, 60 (pictured), is so wholesome that her 1981 smash, “Physical,” was considered risqué by her squeaky-clean standards. Quiz: How many of her other No. 1s can you name? OK, I’m not going to print this upside down on the bottom of the page. The answers: “I Honestly Love You” (1974), “Have You Ever Been Mellow” (’75), “You’re the One That I Want” (’78, with John Travolta) and “Magic” (’80). 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $39.50-$74.50. —Eric Snider

Indie synth-rockers Lovedrug are currently touring in support of their third album, The Sucker Punch Show, which came on Militia Group this past October. The quartet plays Orpheum in Ybor City tonight. Terra Terra Terra, Leone and Claiborne open the show. 8 p.m., $10 (all ages). —Leilani Polk

When country music started making blockbuster commercial inroads in the late 1980s, Travis Tritt was on the bandwagon with the likes of Randy Travis, The Judds, Clint Black et al. He plays the headlining slot at the Florida Strawberry Festival. Connie Smith’s career took off in 1964, concurrent with rock’s British Invasion. She’s paired on the early bill with Marty Stuart, who looks like the Liberace of country, but brings plenty of legit twang to his country-meets-gospel sound. Smith and Stuart, 3:30 p.m. ($10 and $15), Tritt 7:30 p.m. ($15 and $20), Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City. —ES

Ian and Evan Koteles, the main dudes in 10th Concession, stopped by the office to drop off a press kit the other day, and I couldn’t help needling them a bit, asking if they were the next Jonas Brothers. They disavowed any such aspiration, although admitted that they wouldn’t mind trying on that sort of popularity for size. I’m happy to report that the cute guys’ music, while very guitar-poppy, is not the insipid drek that Jonas’ spew — and that Ian and Evan can really sing. 8 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $5. —ES

As part of USF’s Black Emphasis Month series of events, Freethinkers@USF host “Superstition Ain’t the Way: Secular Movements in Africa,” a presentation on how scholars, activists, and educators contribute to contemporary African life by providing secular alternatives to belief systems. The evening’s guest speaker is foremost African philosopher and retired USF professor Emeritus Dr. Kwasi Wiredu. 7-9 p.m., Marshall Student Center, Room 2709, USF Tampa, free admission.

Canadian/American singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka, 20, writes poppy tunes and sings them in an effete tenor. Missy Higgins (pictured at right), a more substantial artist than Nozuka, hails from Australia; her music alternates between moody, intimate post-folk and livelier acoustic pop. Also on the bill is cutie Aussie folkie Lenka. 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $25. (Text by Eric Snider)

In honor of Black History Month, several Hillsborough County libraries welcome retired Tuskeegee Airman Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Hiram E. Mann to share his experiences as one of America’s first black military airmen during WWII. 7 p.m., Jan K. Platt Regional Public Library, Tampa;free admission.

Free pancakes at IHOP! Today, IHOP restaurants across the country celebrate National Pancake Day with a free short stack (three) buttermilk pancakes for each guest. In return, the restaurant asks for a donation to Children’s Miracle Network or other local charities. Find your closest local IHOP by clicking here. 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Scarfone/Hartley Gallery stages a single-night open house with African-American abstract painter Sam Gilliam, who’s visiting UT to experiment with printing, painting and assembling of monoprints at STUDIO-f. Tues., Feb. 24, 6 p.m., R.K. Bailey Art Studios-University of Tampa, Tampa, 813-253-6217.

USF Public Administration and Political Science Professor Dr. Susan MacManus gives a talk on the political election process in Florida titled, “Based on the 2000 Florida Election: A Look Back at the 2008 Election and Forward to the 2010 Election.” 7 p.m., Lutz Branch Library, Lutz, free admission.

Tampa Bay Symphony, the 90-plus volunteer orchestra, presents George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Edvard Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, Ravel’s Alborada del Grazioso, and with guest soloist Corinne Puchalla, von Weber’s Andante & Hungarian Rondo for Solo Bassoon. 8 p.m., Progress Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, $20.

Eckerd College’s Visions Of Nature, Voices Of Nature Environmental Film Festival continues with a screening of John Sayles’ Sunshine State, a 2002 dramedy about the encroaching gentrification of a small coastal Florida town and the intersecting lives of the locals trying to deal with it; starring Angela Bassett (pictured), Edie Falco, Jane Alexander and Ralph Waite. 7 p.m., Miller Auditorium-Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, free admission.

The next play featured in the Jobside Project Staged Reading Series is P.J. Gibson’s Magenta Sunsets and Brown Silk. 7:30 p.m., Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, downtown Tampa, $5 general (free for season ticket holders), 813-229-7827.

It’s not often you find a UK electro outfit that can combine elements of Can-style Krautrock (Britain-meets-Berlin accents, slinky minimal beats, hypnotic repetition) with sly, witty songwriting that references Hans Christian Anderson, ice cream flavors, Reebok, pickpockets and various other nonsensical subjects. Fujiya & Miyagi bring their U.S. tour to Orlando, with support by Brooklyn’s Project Jenny, Project Jan. 8 p.m., Back Booth, Orlando, $10.

Also worth the Monday night drive to O-town is Austin’s thunderously art rockin’ …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, which is currently on tour in support of their sixth and latest album, The Century of Self. Funeral Perty opens the Orlando gig. 9 p.m., The Social, Orlando, $15.

As part of the opening reception for Electronics Alive V — University of Tampa’s biennial exhibit of experimental computer animations, interactive 2D and 3D digital art, and multimedia computer graphics and installations — UT art professor Lew Harris and retired UT music professor Terry Mohn present an original, “mind-expanding” performance piece featuring live and pre-recorded visual images and a soundtrack created by Harris and Mohn. Fri., Feb. 20, 7-9 p.m., works on display through March 24, Scarfone/Hartley Gallery located in the R. K. Bailey Art Studios, Tampa, free admission. Pictured below: From the short animated film, “Tarboy,” by James Lee & Hania of Australia, on display at the gallery.

You’ve heard Johann Strauss Jr.’s On the Beautiful Blue Danube in anything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Airplane II to countless commercials with clean, triumphant finishes. Danube is a quality waltz and it’s performed along with other Strauss waltzes during The Florida Orchestra’s Austrian-German night program. For Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, German pianist Markus Groh and German conductor Klauspeter Seibel sit in as guests. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 20, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa; 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 21, Progress Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; and 7:30 p.m. Sun., Feb. 22, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $19-$65. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Museum of Science and Industry commemorates the International Year of Astronomy 2009 — a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo first using a telescope — with an unveiling of new mural-sized images of Messier 101 (aka the Pinwheel Galaxy) taken from all three of NASA’s Great Observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The images (including the one pictured below) will be displayed permanently inside MOSI’s Saunders Planetarium.

The finale of the fourth annual Robert Helps Composition Competition and Festival is a presentation of Paul Revere’s Ride by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici, who conducts the performance (which features the USF Symphony Orchestra, USF Chamber singers, the St. Petersburg College Chorale and the Clearwater Christian College Choir), then sits in as pianist in a program dedicated to his music. 8 p.m., Ferguson Hall-Tampa Bay Peforming Arts Center, Tampa, $15.

Also that night at TBPAC, all-female acoustic roots trio Red Molly — made up of three singing, string-plucking-and-strumming songstresses with Appalachian folk leanings, pictured at right — perform in the Jaeb Theater. 7:30 p.m., $25.50.

Tampa Bay Writers Network honors the life, words and activism of Florida native Johnson with God’s Trombones: A Celebration of James Weldon Johnson. Local actors, poets and ministers perform dramatic readings from his important poetic work, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse, trombone player Buster Cooper provides the musical interludes, visual renderings of the Aaron Douglas images from Johnson’s 1927 edition of the text are on display, and a discussion with Humanities scholar Dr. Julie Buckner Armstrong follows the performance. 7 p.m., The Studio@620, St. Petersburg, free admission (donations of canned goods for area food banks appreciated), 727-895-6620.

Collecting art is an extravagance that too many people are willing to do without and when the economy is floundering, artists are among the first ones to feel the squeeze. As a result, more and more of them are turning to printmaking, a process that allows artists to produce multiples of the same piece and sell them as original editions since they aren’t actually reproductions but impressions. Artists save a great deal of time, energy and money to make prints and the savings are passed on to consumers. The recession-conscious PrintReady is held to entice these potential consumers. Presented by Bessie Art Productions – made up of co-curators Nessie Fernandez and Becca Nelson – the show includes new and previously created printwork, photography, and apparel items by Brandon Dunlap, Chris Parks, Daniel Williams, Joel Cook, Nick Gomez, Bask, Pat Fatica, Andrew Spear, SmileMaker, Mike DeLach, Erik Jones, Heather Dykstra and Melisa Taylor. An opening is held 6 p.m. to midnight Thurs., Feb. 12, with complimentary hors d’ouevres until 8 p.m. and spins by DJ Mega throughout. Presented through March 12, Nova 535 Art Lounge, 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg, free admission. Pictured: “Back in the Woods, Under Ashes, There Are Stones,” by Patrick Fatica.

WMNF hosts two film screenings featuring two environmental films: Kilowatt Ours, about practical ways to save energy, and Mountain Top Removal, which looks at the destructive effect the coal industry’s practice of blowing up the tops of mountains in Appalachia is having on communities and the rivers of the Eastern U.S. Both screenings are followed by a discussion with local environmental leaders. 7 p.m., The Globe Coffee Lounge, St. Petersburg, 727-898-JAVA, and Tampa Pitcher Show, Tampa, 813-963-0578, $7.

Also tonight:

The World-renowned conductor Philippe Entremont leads the Munich Symphony Orchestra through an all-Beethoven program. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, 727-791-7400.

Nova 535 Art Lounge hosts a screening of Food Matters, which looks at our nation’s current state of health and ways to improve it with conventional medicine and nutritional therapy. 7-10 p.m., St. Petersburg, free admission.

In the ’70s, Bernadette Peters (pictured) carved out a niche as a pouty, girlishly sexy, mouse-voiced comedic actress who could sing some. Now 60, she concentrates on the singing, mostly lush ballads and arms-outstretched, old-style pop numbers. She’s the kind of performer who falls under the rubric “multi-talented.” 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $49-$100. —Eric Snider

Also tonight:

Comedian Kevin Meaney performs at Floyd’s at Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Tampa. 8 p.m., $20.

Hillsborough County NAACP celebrates its 100th Birthday at the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Tampa. 5-8 p.m., $5 general (discounts for students with valid ID), 813-234-8683 or 813-205-8384.

Among Cartoon Network’s diversity of Adult Swim programming is Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The 11-minute program created by and co-starring actor/comics Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (pictured, photo by Pamela Littky) takes the live-action material from their animated show, Tom Goes to the Mayor, and expands upon it with sketches, songs, and faux commercials in the humor-meets-absurdity style of Kids in the Hall or Mr. Show. For a couple of recently famous dudes, they’ve snagged some pretty good celebs guests for cameos, like David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, John C. Reilly, Paul Reubens, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jeff Goldblum, Rainn Wilson, John Mayer and Elisha Cuthbert. The 2009 “Tim & Eric: Awesome Show Great Job! Tour” makes its way down to St. Petersburg on Saturday. The live show will likely incorporate characters and recreate skits from the ’08 Awesome Show season. Feb. 7, 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $24, 727-895-3045.

Also this weekend:

Mosaic presents “A Collective of Modern Dance” featuring companies from across Florida in TBPAC’s TECO Theater. This eclectic modern dance program includes innovative and avant-garde choreography by USF Dance alumni, Moving Current Dance Collective, Moving Ethos, and Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre. Feb. 6-7, 7 p.m., $10, 813-229-7827.

Perpetual Groove plays the second round of a two-show stand tonight. Fri., Feb. 6, 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $15.

Get drunk, throw beads, and Twitter us all about it: Gasparilla. Invasion begins at 10:30 a.m., parade starts at 2 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7, Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa, free admission for spectators ($26 bleacher seating); also broadcast live on NBC-News Channel 8.

Norm McDonald brings his super dry schtick to Side Splitters Comedy Club (Feb. 6-7, four shows, $27-$32 each) while over at Tampa Improv, Joe Rogan does this dark sarcastic thing (Feb. 6, two shows, $25).

DC’s Scythian (named for antiquity-era nomadic herders) is among the resurgence of old-timey music makers, an acoustic quartet that fuses Americana with Celtic, klezmer, Irish, and Eastern gypsy influences. Poetry n’ Lotion opens the band’s Tampa show. 8 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $8.

Last chance to see A Celebration of Diversity at Studio@620. This Alternative Visions of Peace exhibit includes works by 30 local artists, and chairs decorated by local artists and non-artists who took part in a special community craft project. In conjunction, the studio presents an experiential workshop, “”Transformative Conflict Resolution,” this afternoon and an “East Meets West: A Happening” presentation this evening. Erhu player Betti Xiang and conductor David Alan Miller — both guests who perform with The Florida Orchestra this weekend — talk about Chinese composer Chen/He’s The Butterfly Lovers and offer an erhu demo. (Pictured at right: “Boy and Woman,” by Kirk Wang.) Noon-4 p.m. exhibit, 4:30-7 p.m. workshop, 7:30 p.m. lecture, St. Petersburg, free admission to all.

Avenue Players present a staged reading of Zebras, a play that focuses on the affair between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, his black mistress/slave/mother of his seven illegitimate children; actors perform the readings in period costume. A talkback with refreshments follows. 7 p.m., Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art Auditorium, St. Petersburg College-Tarpon Springs Campus, Palm Harbor, free.

The Great Rubber Ducky Race at Karl Reef is race is both a fundraiser for the two Honorary Governor of West Pasco candidates and the Healthy Families Pasco-Hernando Program. Buy a $20 duck, take part in the race, and enjoy an after party with food and drink. The first place winner get $1,000 in cash; second and third place winners receive $500 and $250, respectively. 5:30 p.m., The Karl Reef, New Port Richey, 727-967-7509.

Rachel Getting Married, that indie drama that’s getting Anne Hathaway mucho props for her turn as an on-again, off-again drug addict (pictured), continues its run at Tampa Theatre. Through Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m, Tampa Theatre, downtown Tampa, $9 adults/$8 students/$7 seniors and military.

Sankofa: African-American Museum on Wheels makes its rounds at colleges across the country in honor of Black History Month; the traveling museum offers facts and info about African-American history from 1860 through the present. Feb. 2-3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, USF-St. Petersburg Campus Activities Center, St. Petersburg.

O’Death fuses elements of roots music — fiddle playing, ukulele strumming, banjo picking — with anything from high-speed metal to swingtime jazz to Gothic gypsy-punk. 8 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $10.

You know the news stories about the Super Bowl feed in Tuscon, Arizona that got interrupted by 30 seconds worth of pay-per-view porn? I found some video that’s being touted as the alleged telecast; I have doubts about its authenticity as it cuts back in right as John Madden is saying “the right guy, in the right situation.” But who knows, maybe it is real; click here to see it at your own risk and judge for yourself. But beware — this is not safe content for work.

Have a better headline for this news bite? I want to hear about it.

Pepsi to run a Super Bowl commercial that features Dylan’s “Forever Young,” hip-hop star Will.i.am, and iconic images connecting the past to the present.

The Good Life Experience celebrity guest list just keeps growing and growing and growing.

(For those in the dark, the Good Life Experience is a trio of star-studded Super Bowl XLIII parties hosted by hip hop superstar Diddy; for more info, check out our celebrity events list.)

Here’s the release I received today: Read the rest of this entry »

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts celebrates the Super Bowl with a new exhibit, NFL HISTORY from Getty Images. The 32 iconic photographs illustrate great moments in NFL history and are on loan from one of the country’s largest collections of sports imagery taken by award-winning photographers. Tonight, the museum welcomes former NFL star placekicker Martín Gramática for “Martinis with Martín”, a sip and mingle reception (Fri., Jan. 23, 6-8:30 p.m., $100). FMoPA also hosts a gourmet, wine-included, four-course “NFL History Dinner” and after-dinner talk by special guest Sports League Manager for Getty Images Mario Prosperino (Wed., Jan. 28, 8:15 p.m., The Tampa Club, located above FMoPA, 101 E. Kennedy Blvd., #4200, Tampa). The works are on display through Feb. 28, 200 N. Tampa St., downtown Tampa, $4 suggested donation, 813-221-2222.

Pictured: David Tyree, No. 85 of the New York Giants, catches a 32-yard pass from Eli Manning as Rodney Harrison (No. 37) of the New England Patriots attempts to knock it out in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images).

The final featured event in our planner series is the biggest NYE bash in the Bay.

First Night
The Bay area’s booze-free NYE extravaganza takes over the streets of downtown St. Pete for its 16th year in a row. All manner of family-friendly diversions abound — art- and mask-making activities for kids, ghost tours, zydeco and cajun dance lessons, a temporary tattoo parlor, a “Labyrinth of Eating Green,” storytelling, tai chi demos and instruction, live entertainment by fire eaters, breathers and dancers, a community drumming circle, “ice” skating and live music and performances by the Blind Willie and Allen Moffatt Blues Allstar Review (featuring the Raiford Starke Band), the Mt. Zion Progressive Drum Line, Pickford Sundries, Freddy Montes y su Son, O Som Do Jazz, Tampa Bay Steel Drum Orchestra, Dundu Dole Urban African Ballet, T-Broussard & the Zydeco Steppers, St. Petersburg Opera Company, harpist Anna Kate Mackle, Florida West Ballet, Lutheran Church of the Cross Bell Choir and several others. Fireworks are set off every hour on the hour, with a climactic finale at midnight. Wed., Dec. 31, 5 p.m.- midnight, at various locations throughout downtown St. Petersburg, $10 adults/$5 children, 727-823-8906, firstnightstpete.com.

For info about other NYE events taking place across the Bay area, click here.

The NYE event planning series is drawing to a close as the holiday fast approaches, but we have a few more events to bring to you yet. Today’s include dazzling fireworks and belly laughs.

Fireworks at Channelside
See the Channelside fireworks display for free at midnight from the Channelside courtyard, sipping a drink at any of the Channelside area bars (Margarita Mama’s, Wet Willies, Bennigans, Hooters), or while celebrating with the fishies at Aqua Eve. You can also reserve a spot aboard the Yacht Star Ship Cruise and view the pyrotechnics from the deck while enjoying an open bar, food, live entertainment, party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight. New Year’s Eve Celebration Cruise, Wed., Dec. 31, 10 p.m. boarding, 10:30 p.m. departure, 603 Channelside Drive, Tampa, $99.95 per person, 813-223-7999, yachtstarship.com.

Laugh In 2009 with Carl Labove
Ring in the New Year with former Sam Kinison co-hort and current veteran comedian Carl Labove. In addition to a set of stand-up, admission includes an all-you-can-drink open bar, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight, post-show music and dancing, and a complimentary continental breakfast buffet. Wed., Dec. 3110:30 p.m.-1 a.m., Side Splitters Comedy Club, $60 in advance/$65 day of show, 813-960-1197, SideSplittersComedy.com.

For info about other NYE events taking place across the Bay area, click here.

Salute to Vienna
This annual New Year’s Even celebration is billed as “an evening inspired by the famous New Year’s concert in Vienna, with all the splendor, charm, inspiration and beauty of the music of Vienna’s ‘Waltz King,’ Johann Strauss, Jr.” Viennese maestro Gerhard Track conducts the Strauss Symphony of America with special guest soloists Ute Ziemer (soprano) and Joachim Moser (tenor) through the program, which also features waltzing performers from the Vienna International Ballet. Wed., Dec. 31, Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, $39-$65, 727-791-740, rutheckerdhall.com.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

The latest recommended events in our planner series.

Seminole Hard Rock New Year’s Celebrations
The casino hosts promotions, live entertainment, free party favors and a champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight at the Center Bar, a “Naughty New Year’s Party by the Pool,” and the “West Coast Toast” at Floyd’s, a live broadcast of the ball drop from Los Angeles at 3 a.m. and dance party with Miami Club Space resident DJ Ivano Bellini (pictured) along with Floyd’s resident DJs Santana and Chris Craze. Wed., Dec. 31, 10 p.m.-6 p.m., 5223 N. Orient Road, Tampa, $50 ($40 with poolside admission), 813-627-7625.

Rewind: The WMNF Tribute to the Music and Songs of 1968
WMNF welcomes a diverse lineup of Bay area bands for an evening of songs from a groundbreaking era of music. The performers — Talk to Mark, boon, Crabgrass Cowboys, Rancid Polecats, Midnight Bowler’s League, Ted Lukas, Christie Lenee, Johnny Zoom, Chadun, Lush Progress, and Roppongi’s Ace — perform three songs each from ’68; guests also enjoy a champagne toast and breakfast. Wed., Dec. 31, 7 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa, $25 in advance/$30 at the door, 813-238-8001, wmnf.org.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center New Year’s Eve Party
Looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve and you also happen to want to see Spring Awakening (picture by Joan Marcus)? A NYE presentation of the Tony Award-winning musical begins at 7:30 p.m. at TBPAC. In-venue restaurant Maestro’s offers a NYE dinner package with champagne, an appetizer, soup or salad, an entrée and dessert. Or, skip the dinner and a show, and attend the “after party” with live music by the Vodkanauts, a cash bar and two drink tickets, party favors, a large screen TV featuring the ball drop, a champagne toast at midnight, and coffee and gourmet cookies. Wed., Dec. 31, dinner seating at 5 and 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. after party, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $49 per person dinner/$39 after party, 813-222-1072, tbpac.org.

Featured happening number five in our plan-ahead series is a throwdown with the fishies.

Aqua-Eve
The Florida Aquarium throws its traditional New Year’s Eve party with live music, food, beer and wine, a champagne toast at midnight, and a prime view of Channelside’s extra-large NYE fireworks display. Pictured at left: Then-Penn State Seniors Jamie Weiler, Jessica Horne and Kara Houck toast the New Year at the Coral Reef panoramic window during Florida Aquarium’s Aqua-Eve ‘06. Wed., Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, $100 general/$75 members through Dec. 23 (today), 813-273-4030, flaquarium.org.

The fourth featured happening in our plan-ahead series is a comedy party.

New Year’s Eve with John Pinette
Belt-busting, buffet-loving comedian John Pinette is the headliner for a pair of New Year’s Eve shows at Tampa Improv — one for the dinner crowd, one for the late-night NYE revelers. Wed., Dec. 31: “Back to Buffet” Dinner Show, buffet seating starts at 5:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m., $55 per person (dinner buffet includes chicken, beef and fish selections); and New Year’s Eve Celebration Show, 10 p.m., $48 per person (includes assorted cheeses and crackers, or mixed berries and whipped cream, as well as a champagne toast, party favors and post-show dancing), 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Centro Ybor, Ybor City, 21 and up only, 813-864-4000, tampaimprov.com.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

The next event in our series is brought to you by that other local music rag.

REAX Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party 3
REAX presents its third annual free NYE dance party. (That’s right, I said free.) This year’s headliner is Jacksonville’s latest buzz band, pop psychedelia duo SUNBEARS! (pictured, photo by Jeremy Coverdale). Also on the bill are Tampa experi-hip-hop twosome The Basiqs, Orlando DJ Pauly Crush and surprise special guests. Wed., Dec. 31, 8 p.m., Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N., Ybor City, free admission for ages 18 and up (champagne toast at midnight for ages 21 and up), thxmgmtlive.com.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

The countdown of the best New Year’s Eve parties around the bay continues, with a new event idea each day leading up to NYE. If you have any ideas about additions I should make to my listings, please shoot me an e-mail, leilani@cln.com.

Sister Hazel New Year’s Eve Bash
Although not quite a hometown band, Gainesville adult contemporary rockers Sister Hazel have managed to cultivate a rather dedicated Bay area fanbase with frequent tour stops and the occasional New Year’s Eve concert. This year’s NYE shindig at Jannus Landing is an all-ages affair with party favors, a champagne toast at midnight and a buffet provided by Harvey’s 4th Street Grill. Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. Wed., Dec. 31, 16 Second St. N., downtown St. Petersburg, $39.99 in advance.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

I’ve been scouring area calendars, message boards and websites, making phone calls to all manner of area establishments, and even fielding ideas from you, dear readers, to find the best of the best New Year’s Eve parties for your party planning convenience. We will post an event idea each day leading up to NYE; if you have any ideas about additions I should make to my listings, please shoot me an e-mail, leilani@cln.com.

Swingin’ the New Year.
Swing Time and Swing Gang stage an all-ages party with music, dancing, a midnight countdown and balloon drop, party favors and chocolates, a vintage fashion contest and photo shoot, prize giveaways and a cash bar (champagne available). Vintage wear is encouraged. Swing lessons are offered from 8 to 9 p.m., with dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wed., Dec. 31, The Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $15 in advance/$20 at the door, 727-892-5202. For more information, visit tampabayswing.com or stpete.org/coliseum.

For a complete list of New Year’s Eve events, click here.

Manchester Orchestra (pictured) returns to Tampa for a gig at Orpheum; Dead Confederate, Kevin Dine and All Get Out provide support. For more info, see this week’s Upcoming Concerts page. 8 p.m., Tampa, $13.

Comedian Flip Schultz kicks off a three-night run of stand-up at Side Splitters Comedy Club tonight. 8:30 p.m., Tampa, $12.

Chef Marty Blitz pairs a special featured cocktail with a tasty dish during this month’s Mise en Place Cocktail Club event. 6-8 p.m., Mise en Place, Tampa, $35 per person.

Opera baritone and educator Sherrill Milnes reads the Clement C. Moore classic Christmas story, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and VOICExperience singers perform traditional holiday carols during a “‘Twas the Night before Christmas Concert.” 7:30 p.m., Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, $20 general/$18 members/$12 students.

Museum of Fine Arts and Sunscreen Film Festival co-host “MFA at the Movies,” a screening series in the museum’s Marly Room. This week’s selection is Saturday Night Fever. The presentation kicks off at 7 p.m., with the galleries open from 6 to 7 p.m. for early arrivals, St. Petersburg, $10 per person.

Push Ultra Lounge hosts a Ladies’ Night Fashion Show featuring Absolut vodka drinks, clothing by The Shop and a Tiffany necklace giveaway. 9 p.m., downtown St. Petersburg, free admission.

Up-and-coming Bay area designer Dali Hernandez unveils her Fall/Winter ‘08 “Dark Sinister” Collection during tonight’s House of Dali Fashion Show. 10 p.m., The Kennedy Boutique Lounge, Tampa, free admission. Pictured at left: A House of Dali original modeled by Soleil C with make-up by Stephanie Mir. Photo credit Maria On3Photographics.

Giordano’s Italian Restaurant welcomes authors/photographers Brenda Shoupe and Margo French for a book release party and signing of their new limited edition book, Kenya: A Photo Safari, July 2007. 6-9 p.m., 11310 Causeway Blvd., Brandon, free admission.

Tre Amici presents an open mic community talk titled “HOPE ‘09: Hope for the Coming Year” with Adam Fritz of Urban Charrette. Locals are invited to come out and express thoughts on topics like mass transit, SDAT, homelessness, and neighborhood connectivity, and share hopes, dreams and goals for the area in the new year. All attendees should bring a canned good item to be donated to Metropolitan Ministries. 7:30-9:30 p.m., Ybor City, free admission.

Smooth, smooth jazz meets seasonal melodies during “A Peter White Christmas with Mindi Abair & Rick Braun,” an annual holiday concert. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $36.

NOVA 535 hosts a holiday party with first call drinks on Nova, complementary hors d’oeuvres and a raffle ticket for each purchased drink for Bottles of Happiness. 6 p.m.-midnight, St. Petersburg, free admission.

If you missed this weekend’s opening for Dobre Den — a new exhibit of paintings, prints and installations created over the past year by Czech-born artist Ales “BASK” Hostomsky — you still have several more days to check out his creations at Pale Horse Gallery. On display through Dec. 20, noon-6 p.m., St. Petersburg, free admission. Pictured at right: “Chicken Hawk.”

Reno Beach Surf Shop holds a “25 gifts for under $25″ holiday sale with refreshments and spirits for all shoppers. 5-10 p.m., 1031 Fourth St. N., 727-896-7873.

Chefs on the Loose present a holiday culinary class, “Bad Santa: For All the Young Hipsters — Entertaining 101.” Participants learn how to make Edible Spoons with Goat Cheese and Truffle Salsa, Dirty Martini Jello Shots, Adobo Rubbed Beef Tenderloin Tostados with Charred Pepper and Voo-doo Barbecue Sauce, Papaya and Shrimp Salads with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, Salmon Sashimi with Hot Sesame Oil, Sweet Spicy Bacon and Tomato Flat Bread Pizza with Gorgonzola, and Chocolate Pot du Crème. Call 813-835-7300 to reserve a spot. 6:30 p.m., 3401 Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa, $55.

Grab a late dinner at Ceviche in St. Petersburg and dance off the calories to some good time swingin’ jazz by Lounge Cat. Dining room open 5 p.m.-midnight; Lounge cat goes on at 10 p.m., Beach Drive and Central Avenue, 727-209-2302.

This weekend, I celebrated my 29th birthday and received all manner of good wishes from friends, family, and a few randoms on my Facebook page. My favorite, however, was an e-mail “card” from the Doug Stanhope fan site, exactly the sort of kick in the rear I needed. Check it out:

Hello Leilani,

So, you’ve made it another year, huh? Impressive. Well, impressive if you consider your festering stagnant life clicking over another year an accomplishment. I bet you woke up today feeling a little bit excited still, huh? Despite all your misanthropic bullshit, a little part of you – that little part that dime-store psychologists like to refer to as the “inner child” – perked up a bit. “Hey, today is my birthday!” you thought.

Well no one fucking cares. That’s why this email is automated. It’s completely impersonal just like every other relationship in your terrible, worthless, and now one-more-year past-it’s-prime life.

So go ahead, eat your cake, play with your new iPod knockoff, try on your new fucking sweater while you add another notch on the social odometer of age that we use to validate your existence. You gonna go out and drink tonight? Shouldn’t you put some of that money in savings? Fuck, you don’t have many working years left, pal. The whole “Live Fast, Die Young” mentality doesn’t fit into the picture so much anymore when you’ve got man-tits and you’re putting Dr. Scholl’s in your Crocs; your time to quit while you were ahead is over.

Anyhow, Happy Birthday.

Love,
Jesus Loves Doug Stanhope

Tomato Culinary Art Tour, a small-scale East Coast traveling festival spotlighting Florida-grown tomatoes, features a tomato-wrapped vehicle, cooking demos by local chefs, a tomato art exhibit, free tomato recipe books and reusable grocery bags, tomato samples, and more. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sweetbay, 5570 N. U.S. 41, Apollo Beach, free. Pictured at left: An original tomato-inspired piece by Tampa resident artist Eileen Switzer, a finalist in the national tomato art contest.

Photographer/activist Skip Schiel presents, “In the Steps of the Magi,” a photo presentation about his Christmastime by-foot pilgrimage across the Judean desert from Jericho to Bethlehem, and examination of Israeli occupation in Palestine. 6-7:45 p.m., First United Church of Tampa, 7308 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, free.

English progressive rock veterans Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes bring their “In the Present” tour to Clearwater. They are joined by keyboardist Oliver Wakeman and vocalist Benoit David. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, $35-$75.

IMAX Dome Theatre at Museum of Science and Industry opens a digitally remastered and digital surround sound copy of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. 2:15, 4:55 and 6:40 p.m., MOSI, Tampa, 10.95 adults/$9.95 seniors/$8.95 children.

American Stage Youth Ensemble presents Proof/This/Steel/Lion, an evening of scenes from award-winning dramas Proof, Burn This, Steel Magnolias and The Lion in Winter. 7 p.m., American Stage, St. Petersburg, $5 (cash only, to benefit the American Stage Scholarship Fund).

Gasparilla International Film Festival returns with a day-long Global Lens Film Series Mini-Fest featuring five foreign films: Opera Jawa (pictured, Indonesia), Kept & Dreamless (Argentina), Let the Wind Blow (India), Luxury Car (China) and The Custodian (Argentina). Sat., Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., University of Tampa-Reeves Theater, $8 one film/$12 two/$15 three.

The Salvador Dalí Museum volunteers, staff and Mayor Rick Baker invite the public to “Surrealize the Dream,” a groundbreaking for the new museum, which will nearly double in size to 66,450-square-feet. After the ceremony, attendees can take a free guided tour of the current museum. Fri., Dec. 12, 10:30 a.m., just south of Mahaffey Theater within the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, First Street S., St. Petersburg.

Rebekah Pulley, Ronny Elliott, Tommy McCoy, Chris Moriarty, and the Sandy Atkinson jam band play a Children’s Home Society of Florida Holiday Benefit Concert at Dave’s Aqua Lounge. Sat., Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m., St. Petersburg, $5. Read the rest of this entry »

Gourmet magazine executive chef and Sara’s Weeknight Meals host Sara Moulton (pictured at right) whips up her favorite holiday dishes and shares tips and secrets during a special live appearance in the ballroom at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 8 p.m., Tampa, $35.

Art Institute of Tampa students present Black and White Gallery: Winter ‘08 Exhibition, which includes clothing, photographs, charcoal and pencil drawings, and other works in black-and-white. An opening reception with finger foods and drinks is held from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight; the works are on display through Dec. 23, AIT Gallery, Tampa, free admission.

The Kennedy, a posh South Tampa boutique lounge, hosts a Bebe Holiday Fashion Event celebrating Bebe’s fall/winter line; ladies enjoy an open Grey Goose bar from 10 to 11 p.m., and the first 500 receive a special Bebe gift and entry into a drawing for Bebe gift certificates. 9 p.m., 2408 W. Kennedy Blvd., free (21 and up only).

Austin’s rowdy, singin’ and songwritin’ “Dirty Old One-Man Band” Scott H. Biram brings his blues-soaked jams to The Garage. 9 p.m. doors, St. Petersburg, $10 ages 21 and up/$12 under 21.

Corey Avenue merchants stay open late, host live music, and offer food and wine samples for “Ladies Night Out – Holiday Style,” a holiday shopping event. Shoppers are asked to bring a canned good, non-perishable food item, or personal hygiene item to donate to local families in need. Drop boxes are located at several merchants on Corey. 5-8 p.m., Corey Avenue, St. Pete Beach, free.

This month’s socially-conscious Indie Film Cafe selections are a short featuring a beloved comedian, A Conversation with Bill Cosby, and the feature-length documentary, The Boys of Baraka, about a group of “at risk” 12-year-old boys from inner city Baltimore who attend an experimental boarding school in Kenya, East Africa. 8 p.m., the Studio@620, $5 general/$3 members.

Singer/songwriter Phoebe Snow plays a show at Tampa Theatre. For more on Snow, see Upcoming Concerts. 7:30 p.m., $30.50-$35.50.

Tampa Bay Chapter members of the United Nations Association for the United States of America (ain’t that a mouthful) invites the public to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th Anniversary Party. Attendees enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres and a presentation by Pius Nyamora, an internationally-recognized Kenyan journalist and UT Communications professor who talks about his experiences publishing revolutionary articles about his government and his need to flee the country as a result. A holiday party follows. 6:15-11 p.m., Plant Hall-University of Tampa, $15.

Another nod to the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is hosted by Globe Coffee Lounge in St. Petersburg and features poetry readings by various Bay area word artists. 7 p.m., free admission.

St. Petersburg Audubon Society and Florida Native Plant Society stage a Holiday Conservation Celebration with environmental exhibits, a silent auction of holiday gift items, door prizes, and a presentation and book signing by nature photographer James Valentine. 6:30 p.m., Pinellas County Extension, free admission.

This hip multi-media swap shop – the only one of its kind in Tampa – is nestled in one of the USF area’s abundant strip malls, its interior made cozy by the organized clutter of too much stuff crammed into a space not quite big enough to house it all. Though it only opened in January ‘07, Mojo has already garnered a reputation for its generous, varied selection of vinyl (rare, obscure and collectible included), DVDs, new and used CDs, books – nonfiction and popular fiction, classical lit, current textbooks, Cliffs Notes – and all manner of pop culture goodies: posters of famous works by Ralph Steadman and Salvador Dalí, of Michael C. Hall as serial-killing Dexter, the Rolling Stones, Sid Vicious and The Goonies; lit posters featuring Dorothy Parker, Catcher in the Rye and Things Fall Apart; unique alternative t-shirts for The White Stripes, Funkadelic, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Sonic Youth, Flight of the Conchords, Edgar Allan Poe, the Pixies and 2001 A Space Odyssey; gaudy New York Dolls and Blondie handbags, kitschy-cute Yellow Submarine figurines, “action figures” of Kiss and Kirk Cobain, even a talking Ed Grimley doll. The prices are reasonable, the used merch is in fair to pristine condition, and Mojo even has a frequent-buyer rewards program – every $10 you spend gets you a stamp, with a $10 store credit after stamp numero 10.

Gift this: Little Thinker dolls. “They’re not stuffy intellectuals — they’re stuffed intellectuals!” Pictured: Frida Kahlo, Nietzsche, Gandhi and Charles Darwin, $15.99 each. Mojo Books & Music, 2558 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-971-9717, mojotampa.com.

See other stops on CL’s Indie Holiday Shopping Spree here.

Repo! The Genetic Opera is a new horror movie musical set in a near-future earth where an epidemic of organ failures brings big business to a biotech company that offers organ transplants for a price — those who miss their payments are earmarked for repossession and hunted by evil Repo Men. 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre, $9 adults/$8 students with ID/$7 seniors and military. Pictured below: Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet in Repo! The Genetic Opera.

Of Montreal brings their intellectual synth-pop and outrageously theatric stage show to The Ritz Ybor, the second half of a national tour in support of Skeletal Lamping, the band’s ninth and latest studio album. New York brother-and-sister-led indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces open. 7 p.m., Tampa, $17.

Henry B. Plant Museum welcomes author Les Standiford, who gives a talk about and signs copies of his new book, The Man Who Invented Christmas: The True Story of How Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits. A champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception kick-off the events. 6 p.m., Plant Hall, University of Tampa, $20 Henry B. Plant Museum members/$25 general (includes admission into the Victorian Christmas Stroll).

Dr. John Bannon leads the St. Petersburg College Band through a program of works that includes Bach/Moehlmann’s Prelude and Fugue in g minor, Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze, Paul Dukas’ Fanfare to precede La Peri, Haydn Wood’s Mannin Veen, “Dear Isle of Man”, Howard Hanson’s Dies Natalis II and Victor Herbert’s “March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland. 7:30 p.m., SPC Music Center, free.

Business coach and fourth-generation business owner Tom Shay offers tips on marketing, sales, customer service and how to survive and thrive in the current struggling economy. Noon-1 p.m., the Courtyard on Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, free; to RSVP, e-mail specials@localshops1.com.

For its 16th Anniversary Bash, Skatepark of Tampa welcomes the latest band from Brooklyn to generate a buzz, Les Savy Fav (pictured below); also on the bill are No Age and How Dare You. For more info, see Upcoming Concerts. Sat., Dec. 6, 9 p.m., Czar, Ybor City, $10.

Another area institution, Jobsite Theater, also celebrates an anniversary this weekend with its annual fundraiser-cum-wrap party. Jobsite’s Rockin’ 10th Birthday Party features the Jobby Awards, sets of music by Bay area bands Nessie, Poetry n’ Lotion, and The Vodkanauts, and raffle drawings throughout the night. Sat., Dec. 6, 8 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $10.

Event number three in Ybor City this Saturday night is Virgin 2.0, a Square One Creative multi-disciplinary fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Guests enjoy live music, dance performances, a fashion show, an exhibit of works featuring 85 or so artists and food. Sat., Dec. 6, 7 p.m.-midnight, The Ritz Ybor, free admission. Read the rest of this entry »

National speaker Patti Digh reads from and signs copies of her inspirational new book, Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally. 7:30 p.m., Barnes and Noble-Carrollwood, free.

Athens, Ga. foursome Perpetual Groove brings their heavy, electronica-infused jams and saturated light show to State Theatre. 8 p.m., St. Petersburg, $20.

Gavin Hawk performs John Walch’s one-man play, Circumference of a Squirrel, about a young man with many obsessions, among them, his father, his mother, his ex-wife, the virology of rabies and squirrels. 8 p.m., the Studio@620, $20 general/$10 students and seniors.

Every college kid’s favorite piano-playing, dirty songwriting comedian, John Valby (aka “Dr. Dirty”) makes his single-night stop in Tampa. 8:30 p.m., Side Splitters Comedy Club, $20-$27.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff hold a public meeting in Crystal River today to discuss environmental issues that the agency should think about when reviewing a Combined License (COL) application for two new reactors proposed for the Levy County site near Crystal River. The community is invited to attend and offer input. 1-4 and 6-9 p.m., Florida National Guard Armory, 8551 W. Venable St., Crystal River.

At a total loss for ideas on what to do, where to shop, and which local charities to donate your hard-earned dollars to this holiday season? Check out my rather lengthy Holiday To Do list.

Spend for charity.

Want to enjoy a delicious homemade pie but don’t have the patience (or know-how) to bake it yourself? Uhuru Foods offers apple crumb, pumpkin, sweet potato, and blackberry pies made fresh by professional and volunteer staff. Proceeds support the Uhuru Movement programs, like the African People’s Education and Defense Fund and its youth basketball program, community gym and monthly alternative health newsletter. Dec. 17-24; available at the Wednesday Midday and Saturday Morning Markets in downtown St. Petersburg, and Mon.-Wed. at Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg.

Looking for gifts for your four-legged friend? Steer clear of Pet Smart and Petco, and put your money towards the needs of homeless and abused animals during the Holiday Pet Present Sale at SPCA-Tampa Bay’s new Edward D. Foreman Adoption Center and Pet Boutique. Every weekend in December, pet goods are discounted from 20 to 50 percent off. Locals can also pick up adoption and pet supply gift certificates or drop off donations of necessities like canned cat food, blankets, crates, and kitty litter. Through Dec. 30, Largo.

Peruse an assortment of handmade ornaments ($5 each), holiday accessories and gifts created by artists from all over Florida during the 21st Annual Deck the Halls Sale. All proceeds benefit The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast. Dec. 13, Artlofts at Florida Craftsmen Gallery, St. Petersburg.

Truly interested in giving? Hyde Park United Methodist Church hosts its third annual Alternative Christmas Market. Among the charitable gifts available for purchase are Christmas dinners for needy families via Cornerstone Family Ministries, school supplies for troubled girls at Steppin’ Stone Farm, and diapers and formula for families affected by natural disasters via Disaster Relief and Recovery. Dec. 7 and 14, Tampa. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder ’bout the big pink building on Central Avenue next to Ferg’s? Perhaps you were intimidated by its giant size or the Pepto-Bismol paint job, or perhaps you assumed that since you don’t collect antiques, Gas Plant Antique Arcade isn’t a practical place to shop. Whatever your preconceptions, we suggest a trip straightaway. Gas Plant is an antique outlet with a blessed lack of pretension, its four vast floors and 33,000 square feet of space housing more than 150 dealers and consigners. The employees are genuinely happy to serve and won’t try to upsell you on some other priceless [insert luxury item here] to go with whatever you’re already buying, nor will they hover around and make sure you’re not touching any of the vast array of merchandise. Among the offerings is an abundance of antique furniture – armoires, dressers, dining sets, heavy carved wooden chairs, headboards, chandeliers, wardrobes and the like – as well as retro furniture, stained glass, pop culture and war memorabilia, toys, fine china, pottery, cases upon cases of jewelry (fine and flash, vintage and fun), knickknacks, baubles of all varieties, fine art, scarves and much more. Prices range from super cheap to exorbitant, but the majority of dealers are currently offering discounts on some or all of their stock, which means plenty of opportunities to get fair prices on one-of-a-kind gifts.

Gift this: Set of five hammered metal Christmas tree ornaments (right) circa 1982, 1983, 1984, 1989 and 1990 by Wendell August Forge of Grove City, PA. $10 original; $7 with 30 percent discount.

Gas Plant Antique Arcade, 1246 Central Ave., St Petersburg 727-895-0368.

Check out other stops on CL’s Indie Holiday Shopping Spree here.

The Salvador Dalí Museum’s latest exhibition, Wilfredo Lam in North America, includes a selection of paintings by the 20th-century Cuban-born artist, who’s known for incorporating Cubism, Surrealism, “primitivism,” Négritude (Black Identity), Afro-Cuban history and the African-derived Santería religion into his art. A related Avant-Garde Lecture Series presentation, “Lam and Contemporary Art & Letters in Cuba,” is led by Noel Smith, Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Art at the USF’s Institute for Research in Art. 6:30 p.m., free with $5 museum admission; the works are on display through Jan. 11. Pictured at right: “Le Sombre Malembo, Dieu du Carrefoure (The Dark Malembo, God of the Crossroad),” by Wifredo Lam, 1943. From the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Rudman, ©2007 Artists Rights Society, New York/ADAGP, Paris; courtesy Miami Art Museum.

American Stage kicks off its latest After Hours production, The Santaland Diaries, David Sedaris’ drolly acidic radio essay-turned-one-act, one-man play about his experiences working as a NYC Macy’s Santaland elf during the Yuletide season. 7 p.m., St. Petersburg, “Pay-what-you-can-admission.”

OPUS, University of Tampa’s musical theater ensemble, stages a free concert that includes medleys from Les Misérables and Ragtime, and other solos and duets from Broadway shows as well as a chorus about debauchery from Opera Buffet, and “O Holy Night” with soprano soloist Hein Jung. 7:30 p.m., Fletcher Lounge in Plant Hall, free.

The “Stay Wierd” tour brings its bill of heavy experimental music to Tampa; the featured bands are Colorado’s Fear Before, Heavy Heavy Low Low of California, and Illinois-based Dr. Manhattan. 6 p.m., The Brass Mug, $7.

Celtic Crossroads — a seven-member Irish roots group that fuses traditional Irish music and its lively percussive rhythms with bluegrass, gypsy and jazz — bring their songs and dances to Clearwater. 1 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $16. Pictured below: Johnny Berrill, Michael McClintock & David Neylon of Celtic Crossroads.

The Henry B. Plant Museum opens the 27th edition of its annual Victorian Christmas Stroll. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily Dec. 1-23, Tampa, $10 adults/$4 children 12 and younger ($6 adults/$3 children Dec. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16).

In honor of World AIDS Day today, two separate events are held in St. Petersburg in support of one important Pinellas organization. AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP) stages a World AIDS Day Prayer Breakfast in the morning; and in the evening, American Stage in collaboration with Suncoast AIDS Theatre Project present “Reflections: A World AIDS Day Concert,” a one-night musical retrospective of songs and poetry commemorating World AIDS Day, with all proceeds to benefit ASAP. Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., Sirata Beach Resort, St. Pete Beach, $15 per person, 727-328-3264; and concert, 7:30 p.m., “Pay-What-You-Can” admission, 727- 823-7529.

St. Petersburg College Orchestra performs the “Christmas” Concerto by Archangelo Corelli, Thomas Albert’s Devil’s Rain, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 27 K. 199. 7:30 p.m., SPC Music Center, St. Petersburg, free.

There’s lots of glossy flyers in the paper, an abundance of advertisements on TV, and websites like BlackFriday.Net, BlackFriday.Info, and Black Friday Ads to guide you on the big box retailers. But what about the indies? I mined my inbox and scoured sites far and wide to bring you the following nine.

Enjoy a free Black Friday drink with your purchases at Buffalo Gal Vintage, which is holding a storewide post-Turkey Day sale — 15 percent off vintage sweaters, 20 percent off vintage coats, purses and hats, and much more. Plus, the place also carries some pretty killer looking reproduction vintage clothing by Stop Staring (like the emerald dress pictured at right), sassy rockabilly clothing by TVK and other fun lines. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., St. Petersburg.

ARTpool Gallery and Boutique holds a Black Friday Sale, with 50 percent discounts on men and women’s vintage clothing and $50 gift certificates for $25. Noon-5 p.m., St. Petersburg.

Mojo Books and Music opens early and offers 20 percent off all used merchandise and 10 percent off new merchandise (books, music, CDs, vinyl, DVDs and pop culture goodies — posters, figurines, t-shirts and more). Surprise buy-1-get-1-free and buy-2-get-1-free deals are scattered in random sections throughout the store, and all Mojo punch cards used between 9 a.m. and noon get an early shopping bonus — instead of the usual one stamp for every $10 you spend, you get two. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Tampa.

Second Image Thrift Store is also getting in on the Black Friday sales bug with half-off sales on all clothing except boutique items, 25 percent off shoes, and 25 percent off jewelry; sales on books and other items TBA. You can also print out a $5-off coupon at the website. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Tampa.

Perfume World, a family owned and operated designer fragrance retailer in Westshore Plaza, offers 20 percent off select fragrances with a special Black Friday ad that’s actually good through Dec. 10. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Tampa.

A new store in St. Petersburg, Higher Self Gifts and Tea, stages its grand opening celebration today and offers a storewide sale on its merchandise — oraganic teas, blown glass, local art, jewelry, footwear, oils and incense, clothing and more. Regular Friday hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; tonight’s party with a tea tasting, live art demos and music takes place from 5 to 9 p.m.

Today and tomorrow, Twice as Nice — a quaint upscale ladies boutique located in a bungalow in downtown Dunedin — offers 40 to 50 percent discounts on apparel and gifts throughout the store. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Dunedin.

The Designer’s Consigner offers various in-store specials, including 20 percent off the current price of all black items. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., St. Petersburg.

Hula Hula hosts a Holiday Sale of tropical gifts — retro flamingo pattern tablecloths and napkins, lotions, bath gels, Hawaiian perfumes, and plenty elses. Mention you heard about the sale on LocalShop1.com and get a 10 percent discount. (Thanks to LocalShop1 for this one.) Noon-6 p.m., Gulfport.

Who’ve I forgotten? I’m certain there’s places I’ve left out. If you know about a sale at a local indie store that takes place today or even this weekend, leave your suggestions below.

Crowbar teams up with Reax for a Pre-Turkey Day Throwdown with a solid bill of quality Florida bands — Deland’s Dish (pictured), Tallahassee’s Fantome, and Strangers Family Band of Orlando. 8 p.m., $6, ages 18 and up, Ybor City.

Nervous Turkey and Poetry n’ Lotion play a food and booze Thanksgiving Eve party at Stoney’s Lounge, with NT’s Ernie’s manning the grill at 7:30 p.m. and PNL to start the show at 9 p.m. $7 (ages 21 and up; includes Ernie’s famous grill food), Tampa.

The 13 Ugly Men Foundation presents “Get Roasted Thanksgiving Eve,” Bevedere vodka specials throughout the night, live spins by DJ Gemini , Proceeds benefit Mary Lee’s House. 9 p.m.-3 a.m., $10 ladies/$15 men (includes one free drink), The Kennedy, Tampa.

Soulfound plays a pre-Thanksgiving show with with One Night Crush (featuring members of Suburban Tragedy) and New Violation at Gasoline Alley. 8 p.m., $10, Largo.

Comedian Roy Wood, Jr. kicks off a run of stand-up at Side Splitters Comedy Club tonight. 8:30 p.m., $12-$14 (free admission with the donation of one non-perishable food item for Metropolitan Ministries), Tampa.

Bay area hip hop trio T.M.P. (Too Much Pride) stages a red carpet album release party to mark the release of Business Before Pleasure, their debut full-length (pictured). 9 p.m., Hip Hop Soda Shop, Tampa, $10 (bring a canned good for Metropolitan Ministries, get $2 off).

Skipper’s Smokehouse continues its monthly femme-centric Girlie Show concert series with host/local songstress Freight Train Annie. Tonight’s show features sets by Clearwater folk singer Stephanie Anderson and Tampa folk duo Morgan and Wildflower. 8 p.m., $7, Tampa.

On the hunt for a job? Tre Amici @ The Bunker hosts a gathering where unemployed locals can get help prettying up their resumes, develop job-seeking skills, learn how to better prepare for interviews and job fairs, and network with other similarly employment-afflicted locals. 7-9 p.m., free, Ybor City.

A new one-man off-Broadway show, Dixie’s Tupperware Party, makes a stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Murray Studio Theatre for a four-night run of shows that begins tonight. 8 p.m., $35, Clearwater.

The USF Percussion/Marimba ensembles — which generally perform classical music written by living composers from around the world — present their Fall Concert. 8 p.m., College of Visual and Performing Arts Theatre II, $15 adults/$10 students and seniors, USF Tampa.