Daily Loaf

If Radiohead and the Beatles had a lovechild that grew up to kick your ass and take your girlfriend, it would be Harry Dash.

Everyone can remember one moment that he/she felt alive, where that one spark fueled a true passion. My personal catalyst was an oddly-named band called Harry Dash.

Harry Dash is a local New Port Richey band that means “flash” or “cool” in British cockney slang. I had heard of the band quite a bit growing up, since they’ve been on the local Tampa band scene since the mid ’90s. Their amazing covers of songs such as Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” and “Muscle Museum” by Muse, and the high energy sound of original songs like “Spies.” Not to forget the soulful, powerhouse vocals behind lullaby ballads and inspirational “get off your butt and do something” anthems such as “Tank.”

I was 16 and like many teenagers, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

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This weekend proved to me once again that I am getting too old to party like a rock star two nights in a row. [All photos by Nicole Kibert.]

The self-abuse began this past Friday night, when I set out to, and I quote myself here, “get Lucero drunk.” [Frontman Ben Nichols pictured at left.] I am happy to report that my mission was a complete success. The trade off, though, is that my recollection of the show is slightly hazy. A lot of the reviews I read leading up to Lucero’s Tampa show were about the crowd, that the frat boy concentration levels were reportedly getting dangerously high. I didn’t really notice it being a problem here, though my only complaint about the show was the crowd — a completely expected complaint all things considered. See, as a band’s popularity and attending crowds grow, the devotion level of the crowd begins to get diluted. While there was no shortage of people at Czar who where there to be seen rather than to see Lucero, they didn’t hurt the quality of what was happening on the stage, so let’s talk about that … and the horns. Read the rest of this entry »

The inspiration for the title track off Eilen Jewell’s 2009 album, Sea of Tears, came to the alt-country songstress while she was sleeping. [Photo of Jewell and her band at right by Jennifer Lucey-Brzoza.]

“I had this dream about these two people in a marketplace, an open air space, and for some reason, they happened into each other,” Jewell explained to me via phone as she was gearing up for a co-headlining tour with friend and fellow Boston-based roots music rocker, Sara Borges. “He pretended like he didn’t see her, and she was saying these things to him, and he wasn’t really hearing her, either. When I woke up, I wrote down the words she’d said to him.”

Jewell stripped away the surreal details of her nighttime vision to reveal the stark, embittered emotion of a woman spurned by her man and trying to make sense of it in a crooning serenade: “You won’t even look my way / Is there nothing I can say / to make us how we used to be? / You won’t even notice me.” Resigned to her imminent loss and loneliness, she declares, “It’s gonna be a sea of tears for me / it’s gonna be a life of misery,” her sultry, forlorn vocals set against vintage rock ‘n’ roll with measured rhythms and the twisted twangy notes of steel guitar. Jewell credits the aesthetic of the Seeds’ 1967 single “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” with influencing the sound of “Sea of Tears” and providing the perfect rhythmic fit for her lyrics. “The song kind of just wrote itself.”

While 2007’s Letters from Sinners and Strangers was considered her breakthrough LP, the delicate pale-haired beauty has made true believers of Americana audiences with her third; Sea of Tears held a Top 10 position on the Americana Radio Charts for more than seven weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

“mc chris” does not capitalize his handle. Googling him, I found he is pretty adamant about it. He also doesn’t even capitalize song titles. [Photo courtesy of mc chris' myspace.]

Whereas some bands put on lackluster performances and call their concerts “shows” for the sake of monosyllabic brevity, I Fight Dragons put on a spectacle of a performance worthy of the term “show.”

The band started off as any good mixtape should — with a fast paced, hit-‘em-with-the-best-you-got opener, “Don’t You.” The song set the tone by showing the band’s appreciation of musicianship as well as showmanship.

As clips from Metroid and Super Mario Bros. were projected on the wall behind them, I Fight Dragons showed they could write catchy pop songs with selections like “No One Likes Superman Anymore.” On “The Faster the Treadmill…,” the band sounded surprisingly like Owen, a side project of Mike Kinsella with similar electronic noodling and emotional lyrics. Read the rest of this entry »

With absolutely no idea of what to expect, I headed into the Orpheum this past Thursday night to see Captured by Robots. Now, truthfully, I did take a few minutes to check out the band’s website so I could prepare myself for the performance, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Taking the stage in chains, a leather bondage mask with protruding eyeballs and disemboweled entrails hanging from a bloody t-shirt, robot abductee JBOT conducted his Teddy Bear Orchestra while whipping the crowd into a motivationally-charged frenzy. In addition to JBOT, the band consists of GTRBOT66 (who plays a double-neck Flying V), percussionist AUTOMATON, drummer DRMBOT0110, The Headless Hornsmen, The Ape Which Hath No Name and finally Son of Ape Which Hath No Name.  Bear in mind that JBOT is the only living creature on the stage; the rest are “real” robots. The band’s set consisted of 80’s rock and pop covers, including a decent rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” As for JBOT himself, he was kind of like a cross between Andy Kaufman, Jim Henson and Dale Carnegie. Believe me, it’s a frightening combination. 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, NOVEMBER 12
Pete Yorn [pictured] I’m an admitted fan of Pete Yorn’s 2001 debut, musicforthemorningafter. It’s full of alt pop gems like “Life on a Chain,” “For Nancy (‘Cos It Already Is),” and “Strange Condition,” the last featured on such romantic comedies soundtracks as Me, Myself & Irene, 40 Days and 40 Nights and The Sweetest Thing. The Jersey-based singer-songwriter has released four more albums since then, including his latest, Break Up, a collaborative concept album recorded with actress-singer Scarlett Johansson and inspired by Serge Gainsbourg’s duets with Brigitte Bardot. Yorn performs solo at this Bay area appearance. 9 p.m.,Push Ultra Lounge, St. Petersburg, $17.50.

Captured by Robots A one-human comedy-experimental rock act, JBOT (Jay Vance, actor, comic and former bassist for ska punk bands Blue Meanies and Skankin’ Pickle), is backed/enslaved by inhuman (robot, ape and ambiguous) players: DRMBOT 0110, a severed doll’s head on drums, assistant drummer AUTOMATOM, GTRBOT666 on bass and guitar, The Ape Which Hath No Name on tambourine halo, The Son of the Ape Which Hath No Name on monkey cymbals, and on horns, despite missing the parts that conduct air, the Headless Hornsmen. 7 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $8 advance/$10 DOS.

Home w/Flexxehawk/Insect Joy NYC-by-way-of-Tampa experimental pop quartet Home return to the Bay area with their whimsical psychedelic sounds in tow. The band has self-released 15 albums since 1992 – seven cassettes, one 8-track, an internet-only download, and five CDs; Relativity Records put out the band’s sole major label release, IX, in 1995. 9 p.m.,  New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7. Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves made their Tampa debut at Crowbar this past Friday, November 6, with support from Mike Hale and How Dare You.

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Ritz Ybor’s website boasts a capacity of 1,150 for its concert hall. I would call that a conservative estimate for Brand New and Thrice as I politely pushed through the throng of mostly teenage girls clogging the stairways leading to the pit. All the ”Excuse Me’s” I could muster made no difference when I bumped a girl’s flip-flopped foot and received a flat, condescending “Ow” in reply. Here’s a novel idea — don’t wear flip-flops to rock concerts and don’t stop in the middle of a stairway to watch a band. Unless you’ll permit the rest of us to pee on you instead of pushing through to the facilities.

Following a false start, Thrice (pictured right, all photos by Mike Wilson) hit the stage around eight and overcame some early technical problems to deliver a ten-song set of competent, mostly mid-tempo post-rock with intermittent lite-hardcore breakdowns. Guitarist Teppei Teranishi’s backup vocals created some pleasant harmonies with frontman Dustin Kensrue’s otherwise bland leads. Thrice didn’t perform as if very excited, and aside from a pinch of hardcore fans singing every word they elicited little more than head-bobbing from the crowd. It took a cover of “Helter Skelter” — a song that pre-dates the birth of every bandmember and most of the audience — to finally evoke some movement. “Silhouette” off their major label debut, The Artist In The Ambulance, received the best fan reaction, and enough people caught onto the “We are beggars, all” chant from their new LP’s title-track as Thrice finally forged a connection before ending their set. I heard more than a few Thrice supporters object the lack of ‘hits.’

Thankfully, Brand New (pictured below) left little room for similar complaints. (Setlists for both bands after the jump!) Read the rest of this entry »

You people out there give us
something more than just record sales.
You give us something to hate.
And we hate you,
you brainless mutants.

So begins Dethklok’s traditional closer “Fansong.” I suppose when you’re (fictionally) the world’s seventh largest economy you can take your fans for granted. After all, Dethklok represents creator Brendon Small’s metal nerd wet dreams. He creates the Metalocalypse cartoon series following the end of Home Movies‘ five-year run. He takes his cartoon metal band on increasingly successful tours with the use of touring musicians and a giant video screen. He made death metal history with the release of The Dethalbum, which temporarily became the biggest-selling debut in the genre until The Dethalbum II came along.

In reality, Dethklok exists because of its fans — socially awkward, maladjusted metalheads ignored and derided by most until Metalocalypse came along. The silly plots, vulgar characters and heavy metal parody lured not only metalheads but the rest of the weirdos that find Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup funny. Dethklok also attracts an increasingly improving pedigree of support bands for its tours. This time around they bring stoner-metallers High On Fire, metalcore veterans Converge, and the incomparable Mastodon. (Setlists and videos for Mastodon and Dethklok after the jump!). Read the rest of this entry »

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Fuse will be airing a John Mayer concert on Tuesday, November 17, the same day his new Battle Studies album hits the shelves. The concert, which takes at New York’s Beacon Theatre, will be broadcast live across the country beginning at 9 p.m. Fuse has also partnered with American Forces Network to broadcast the show to troops overseas via AFN Radio’s Hot AC to troops and their families stationed in 175 countries and on 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea. AFN Television’s “Spectrum” channel will also be airing the concert on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. and on New Year’s Eve.

It’s great that Mayer fans, no matter where they are in the world, will be able to listen to his new music and his live performance the very day it’s been made available. Go, John Mayer! Go, Fuse and AFN! And GO, U.S.A.!

Some shots from the Monday, November 2 show at State Theatre.

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The siren wails of ascending notes, the speedy electro hammering of programmed drums and a fat and sinister guitar riff open Blackheart Revolution. And then the bestial growl of Genitorturers frontwoman/namesake Gen aggro blasts onto the track and demands your undivided attention: “Well no one cares about the rock star illusion / No one cares because the mystery is gone / Well, I know it’s time for evolution / Now I’m a savior and I’ve got a solution / I’ve whipped the masses and my legion’s grown strong / So I’m here to lead the revolution now.”

“It gets you, it grabs you,” Gen says about “Revolution,” the first song on her band’s fifth and latest studio release, which was co-produced by Genitorturers bassist David “Evil D” Vincent (Morbid Angel) and Scott Humphrey (Motley Crue, Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne). “That’s definitely one of my favorites because it was a challenge trying to figure out how I was going to approach the vocals — the song needed to have a lot of attitude and it needed to be seething and powerful. David actually tracked a lot of the vocals on the record, and man, he just kept pushing me. He’d say, ‘Nope, not good enough. Nope, not good enough. Do it again.’ To the point where he got me so pissed off … there’s a scream on there that’s very heartfelt.”

Gen is a versatile singer — she can hit high notes, turn on the sweet croon, the sexy snarl, the commanding roar, the ferocious howl, the playful purr. Her vocals are set against big, ballsy industrial rock and electro-metal. The result is brutally seductive mayhem. Read the rest of this entry »

Just when you thought there was nothing to do on a Tuesday night, three quality acts make show stops right here in Tampa Bay.

Pretty Lights Derek Vincent Smith [pictured left] is the producer behind Pretty Lights, his song creations marked by hip hop high drama, pumping beats, swells of electro sonics, and layers of samples – fizzed-out basslines, laser beam shots, the occasional emceed hooks like “Fuck ‘em, I didn’t want to go to heaven anyway.” Smith is joined by drummer Cory Eberhard when playing live and their performances are accompanied by cutting edge lights and LED effects. The latest Pretty Lights album, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, is currently available for free download at prettylightsmusic.com. 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $15.

White Tie Affair w/Every Avenue/Stereo Skyline/Runner Runner White Tie Affair opened for Lady Gaga the last time they came to town; this time around, the electro pop rock foursome headlines. 7 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $15.

The Goddamn Gallows w/Viva Le Vox/Blind Buddy Moody The Goddamn Gallows produce twangy gutter-flavored psychobilly steeped in hardcore-punk. Fishgutz plays fast and furious upright bass, lead singer/shouter Mikey Classic handles riffs, Baby Genius pounds out the beats, Avery scrub-rubs the washboard, and newest member Jayke (formerly of 357 String Band) brings mandolin and banjo action into the mix. 8 p.m., The Emerald, St. Petersburg, $6.

Check out video of all three after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s depressing to think that much of the music I grew up with and love is now considered classic rock. The name “classic rock” evokes an image of elderly rockers, banging out overplayed tunes that can often be heard in the aisles of the local Publix. I suppose I take it a bit personally because I don’t think of myself as old. But, as my daughter once pointed out, most old people don’t. It’s a disturbing trend that goes right along with the recent revelation that my first car, a 1975 Mustang, is now considered an antique and items from my childhood show up on Antiques Roadshow from time to time. Maybe, when I finally give in to old age, these things won’t affect me so much. But don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

Friday night’s triple bill at the Ford Amphitheatre featured REO Speedwagon, Styx and Nightranger, all of whom qualify for the classic rock moniker. Still, despite this branding, these three bands managed to convince thousands of people to hand over their hard-earned money in exchange for a few hours of music and fun. In these tough economic times, that have seen the cancellation of many big name tours, this feat is one that should not be dismissed as a fluke or written off as a trip down memory lane. This was an old fashioned rock show that had the crowd on their feet dancing and screaming all night long. Even the weather held out and offered comfortable temperatures and a cool breeze.

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It may have been the day after Halloween, but thousands of people had plenty good reason to play dress-up this past Sunday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum. One didn’t have to look far to find a Yoda or Princess Leia milling about the concourses. Many congregated toward a makeshift exhibit of original Star Wars props and artifacts, including a Darth Vader costume, blasters and helmets. Nearby, children and adults alike sidled up next to Stormtroopers for photo ops. It was all a prelude to the main event inside the arena, “Star Wars: In Concert.”

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Dee Snider of Twisted Sister

The last time that I saw Dee Snider was during breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. While I was forced to make small talk with some Backstreet Boy (don’t ask me which one), Dee discussed high finance with my wife, who is a bank vice-president. Lacking Dee’s usual makeup and rampant abuse of the English language, breakfast was a less-than-surreal affair. I spent most of the time asking Lance or Kirk or Brad or whatever his name was, why he was wearing fake tattoo sleeves, instead of getting the real thing. He finally got tired of my badgering and left me to enjoy my coffee, while Dee went off to cook omelets or something.

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

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
Revolting Cocks [pictured] w/Jim Rose Circus/Blownload/Left Spine Down Purveyors of down and dirty industrial dance music since 1983, Revolting Cocks have passed the torch of their music, at least temporarily. Three musicians hand-picked by RevCo frontman Al Jourgensen – singer Josh Bradford, guitarist Sin Quirin, and keyboardist / electronics specialist Clayton Worbeck – helped record RevCo’s fifith and latest album, Sex-O Olympic-O (out March 3). Then he sent them on the road for the current “LubricaTour” to play the songs live, with Bradford, Quirin and Worbeck joined by drummer Aaron Rossi and bassist Murv, and “special guest” appearances by Jourgensen in select cities. No telling if he’ll show at the reformed band’s Bay area stop. 7 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $9.

Richard MacLemale and Steve Vaclavik Dual CD Release Party Two local artists unveil their most recent studio efforts at this co-headlining concert – Tampa’s twangy Americana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Vaclavik (with his new band, The Woeful Ones) presents The Roof Needs More, while New Port Richey’s Richard MacLemale’s lays down his soft rootsy rock in Every Single Day. 8 p.m., Pro Star Recording Studio, St. Petersburg, $5.

Junior Boys The Canadian indietronica duo is on their second-ever headlining tour in America and returns to Ybor City in support of their third album, Begone Dull Care. For more info, click here to read this week’s feature. 8 p.m., 18 & up, Crowbar, Ybor City, $12.

EMIT Concert Series: Masik EMIT offers Bay area folks yet another chance to enjoy adventurous music at this concert by Masik, an experimental trio/multimedia hybrid performance ensemble from Gainesville that peppers its off-the-wall free form jazz with samples, electro bleeps, cascading and skipping sonics, and out-of-sync beats, all of it coming together in a deconstructed space transmission from Mars. The improvisations are paired with digital audiovisuals. 8 p.m., doors open 7 p.m., Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, $10 general; $8 for seniors and students; $5 Dalí Members. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, plenty of shows come to town and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about each and every one of them. But, unlike people, all shows are not created equal. Some shows are just more worthy of your unbridled enthusiasm. Scott H. Biram falls into that category. When Scott comes to your town, you need to lock up the womenfolk, drink a few whiskey shots and get your ass to the show. I think my card carrying status in Scott’s Church of the Ultimate Fanaticism Fan Club is well documented on ninebullets, so I am gonna quote a Biram show review a friend of mine wrote after hearing/seeing Scott for the first time ever a few years ago:

“Finally it was time for Scott Biram. I had heard him earlier when he was doing his sound check and the amount of music he can generate all by himself is really staggering. He was really a great performer and musician. He was able to banter with the audience, tune his guitar, work a bass pedal to keep the beat, blow on the harmonica, and growl into his mic/bullhorn. You don’t really know what to expect when the little guy in the green trucker cap sits down on the stage. Biram looks like a guy you’d pass coming out of the bathroom at a Flying J truckstop on I-10. However he attacks honky tonk and blues with a vicious growl and doesn’t let you go until you are stomping your feet and screaming “Whiskey!” Read the rest of this entry »

Will she cry, or won’t she? Will she cry, or won’t she?

That was the third-person sentence running ’round and ’round my head, referencing myself, as I made my way through the hefty crowd of Leonard Cohen fans who’d come to see the grandmaster of songwriting play Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center this past Monday, October 19. [All photos by Sam Goresh.]

I tend to get sentimental when it comes to music anyway, and my husband had just left town for a month-long journey across America to shoot his Routes Music documentary, so I was feeling rather blue. This was one of the few concerts I’d attended without my other half since we met more than eight years ago, and considering that he was the one who turned me onto Leonard, I wasn’t sure how the music would hit me.

But the longtime troubadour allowed me no opportunity to dwell on my loneliness and managed to lift me up from the gloom in my heart, even making me laugh at various points in the evening.

Debonair as always in his grey pinstripe suit and matching fedora, the 75-year-old held the audience mesmerized with his deep breathy baritone and occasional witty stage banter. He sang against his rootsy, jazz-flavored, gospel-tinged folk rock with his hand alternately cupped around his face or around his mic, at times bending into a crouch to deliver his lyrics from the floor with his trademark self-possessed passion. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s another Tuesday night and there’s not one, not two, but three shows to choose from featuring three very different artists.

Outlaw country music icon and good-natured, pot-loving, bandana-wearing Willie Nelson kicks out so many albums that it’s hard to keep up — 31 the last time I checked, the most recent a collaboration with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. This show makes up for a canceled date back in March, and is Nelson’s first show in the Bay area in four years. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater; call for ticket info.

The rapid-rising all-girl Brookyn trio Vivian Girls combine surf rock, Ramones-raw punk and jangly garage pop with three-part vocals that drone in girlish harmony. The two-year-old band just released their sophomore album, Everything Goes Wrong, in September. Sleepy Vikings open. 8 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $10 (all ages).

The Nashville singer-songwriter and harmonica rager Jason Ricci [pictured] brings his fiery, blues-infused roots rock back to the Skipperdome; rumors are his last show was “un-fucking-believable” and he’s sure to tear the roof off the sucker at this one, too. 8 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $10.

Video of all three after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

You catch the mid-tempo beat as the night fades to black and the lights on the dance floor fall in saturated reds and blues, your body slipping into a supple, hip-shaking groove, ass grinding lightly against the anonymous partner moving at your back, then not so lightly as he draws you closer, and suddenly his breath is on your neck and in your ear and you can smell the musk of invitation on his skin. The music has loosened you up, made you comfortable in your sensuality, so maybe you’ll accept. Or perhaps you’ll realize it’s the hypnotizing effect of the Junior Boys’ indietronica, a heady fusion of electro-pop, R&B, disco and UK garage buoyed by the falsetto caress of singer Jeremy Greenspan, his tender whispery tone seeming to encourage the mating dance. [Photo by Joe Dilworth]

“I definitely don’t do that on purpose,” Greenspan laughed after I asked him about his music’s inherent sexiness when I interviewed him last week. “I’ve always wanted my music to feel like pop songs, and the easiest way to make a pop song is to put it within the context of love or relationships or sex or whatever. But most of the themes of our music and most of the lyrics have very little to do with sex.” Read the rest of this entry »

Today, the Bay area’s 93.3-FLZ announced the lineup for its holiday concert, 93.3 FLZ’s Jingle Ball, set to takes place on Sun., Dec. 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Pete Times Forum. Among the featured Top 40 acts scheduled to perform thus far are piano rock quartet The Fray, R&B pop singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks [pictured], Miami rap artist Pitbull, electro pop purveyors 30h!3, reggae lovin’ hip-hopper Sean Kingston, emo rock four-piece Boys Like Girls, and British electro rock duo the Ting Tings. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, October 24. The first 1,000 tickets sold in person, at the St. Pete Times Forum Box Office, will be offered for $9.33. Regular-priced tickets start at $33.

Leonard Cohen’s subject matter tends toward the morbid and the veteran Canadian singer-songwriter delivers his dark messages in a deep, gravelly baritone that drapes itself inside your subconscious like a warm but not quite comforting blanket. His songs about marriage and infidelity, Judaism and Christianity, depression, suicide, the facade of U.S. Democracy, the gaping disparity between the rich and poor, abortion, war, and the underdog are dosed with humor and irony, his rambling roots and folk tunes marked by the dulcet-toned vocals of gospel-style backup singers. (You know him from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, which features a few of his songs.) Cohen took a fall on stage while performing in Spain several weeks back (doctors cited food poisoning), but he should be perfectly well-rested for tonight’s show in Tampa. I’ll be there, flying solo; my husband hits the road today and will be away for a month, driving across America and recording his music documentary, Routes Music. I have a feeling I’m gonna be feeling a bit lonely and depressed tonight, so I’ll likely shed some tears at this show, although Cohen’s dry banter between songs will hopefully bring some cheer to my soul. I’ll give you the full breakdown tomorrow… [Photo by Lorca Cohen.] Mon., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., Carol Morsani Hall at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, downtown Tampa, $74.50-$252.75 ($19.50 and $49.50 tickets sold out).

Check out a video of Cohen performing “Democracy” from the new PBS special/DVD release Leonard Cohen Live in London, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Jason Bonham, who was set to appear at State Theatre tonight, has canceled his appearance. To be honest, I really kind of thought this would happen. When I wrote up this show in the Music Week calendar, I found virtually no info about what John’s prodigal son was doing right now, no info on his band, no reviews of recent shows. So when I got the notice about the gig not happening, I was not surprised in the least.

Although, it is kind of weird considering that Bonham put this statement up to his Myspace page on Wednesday:

If you are one of the Jason Bonham fans that happen to be luck enough to live in CA or FL, be sure to go check him out taking part in his latest project. Jason has assembled a group of friends…old and new…and they are playing a few shows to honor his friend, the late Daniel MacMaster, lead singer of Bonham. It sounds like they will be playing a wide variety of songs from his whole career. What fun! Check out the article for more info.

The cancellation release had no further info as to why Bonham bailed. Here’s a link to the aforementioned article. Said article was printed after this week’s paper was printed…

The grainy black-and-white imagery in The Bravery’s new video is meant to disturb. A smudge of spotlight allows glimpses of a scantily-clad woman — a flash of her legs and gas mask-covered face, a pale arm drawing a bath that fills with inky water, hands mixing noxious cocktails into clear plastic party cups, cracking eggs and sprinkling salt and garnishing each one with a little mermaid before pouring her voodoo cocktails out the window and into the bathtub.

The same smudge of light shows glimpses of various band members rocking out and falls on the unshaven face of frontman Sam Endicott, his blank-eyed stare a stark contrast to anguished singing and probing lyrics: “If I put my hands around your wrists, would you fight them? / If I put my fingers in your mouth, would you bite them? / So many things that I would do / If I had my way with you…”

A man wearing a devil mask with a cruel black smile leads the woman through a door and into the next scene, and the two begin taking off each others’ clothes, pressing their ugly masked faces together in an dreadful imitation of a kiss, and engaging in a grotesque sort of sexual foreplay. He pushes her onto a bed to the driving chorus: “And there will be no tenderness / No tenderness / There will be no tenderness / No tenderness / I will show no mercy for you / You have no mercy for me / The only thing that I ask / Love me mercilessly.” (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP.) Read the rest of this entry »

The Skipperdome was packed this past Sunday, October 11, for WMNF’s Woodstock Flashback. Having been to Skipper’s Smokehouse more than anywhere else in Tampa, I was shocked to find so many people there, both in the restaurant and the outdoor venue. The parking lot was packed to overflowing.

Due to the lack of parking and the fact that we had to pay $5 for the spot we found, we didn’t see the opener, Soul 2 Earth, playing Jimi Hendrix, though we heard it the tail end of their set on our way in. We got our wristbands as they were exiting the stage.

It was practically standing room only at the ‘Dome, patrons with drinks and food in hand, and wearing smiling faces. Indeed, the WMNF regulars I’d spotted at previous events were in full attendance, but like always, the audience was a diverse bunch, ages ranging from infant to senior, and everyone was there to have an amazing Woodstock Flashback experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Just when you thought there was nothing to do on a Tuesday night, two hot acts — psyche rock pioneers and an electro indie buzz band — stop right here in Tampa Bay.

Merging elements of ’60s psychedelic rock and pop with traditional Brazilian rhythms, Os Mutantes (“the Mutants”) carried the Tropicália movement torch after leaders Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso were jailed on a false charges, then exiled to London in 1968. The band’s distinctive, riotous sound was marked by unorthodox song structures, lyricism tending towards cultural irony and political activism, and experiments that incorporated distortion, feedback, Musique concrete recording techniques (looping, mixing, filtering), field recordings, and various other avant-garde sonics that have influenced anyone from Nirvana to Flaming Lips to Beck and David Byrne. Os Mutantes released seven albums and went through several lineup changes from 1968 to 1976 before calling it quits in 1978. But after playing a string of dates with Os Mutantes in 2006, founding frontman Sergio Dias Baptista found himself revitalized and ready to write. His new incarnation of the band signed with ANTI- and released the first new Os Mutantes studio record in 35 years, Haih or Amortecedor, in September. Their Tampa appearance, which is supported by Brooklyn world music quintet, DeLeon, is a rare treat and this show has definite sell out potential. Get your tickets ASAP. Tues., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, $25. Read the rest of this entry »

All photos by Phil Bardi.

Upwards of 70,000 people were crammed into Raymond James Stadium, waiting for musical liftoff, and were rewarded with a colossal production spectacle steered by the voices, instruments and magnetic charismas of the Irish mega-foursome.

The stage was a four-legged spaceship and U2 was central command.

I was among the thousands, a diverse crowd composed of every sort imaginable from families (kids included) to groups of ladies in their night-on-the-town best, some in heels I’d never wear out, let alone to a concert, to jocks and goths and tattooed types, to fathers and their adult sons, to scattered groups of non-English speaking tourist types (which made me wonder how many people had flown in from other countries to see the show, and why they chose Tampa), to middle-age couples attending their sole concert of the year. Some were mega-fans, other curiosity seekers and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

The 360 Tour four-legged spaceship monstrosity (which had a huge spire in its very middle that reached into the sky and had a disco ball at its very top) was set-up at the Galley end of the stadium. A huge 360-degree screen hung over the round main stage, which was located in the very middle and was encircled by an outer platform connected to the round with moving bridges for crossing back and forth, and a crowd jammed in between the platform and stage in a half-circle of bodies where the “front” of the stage was set up. (I imagine these were the $250 tickets.) Rather than try and clumsily explain the layout in any detail, I’ve included pictures and some interesting facts at the end of this post. (In case you’re wondering, the 360 Tour has its own comprehensive Wiki page. For real.)

U2 set the mood for the evening with David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” the song blasting through the sound system speakers and heralding the band’s entrance — drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. coming across one of the “bridges” to sit behind the drums in the round, bassist Adam Clayton and guitarist The Edge appearing through “holes” in the round, and Bono bursting onto the round with much fanfare and to a screaming, enthusiastic crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

I have always had a very on-again, off-again relationship with 97x’s Next Big Thing. The first one I attended was NBT 3 back in 2003, when the mini-outdoor music festival was held at Clearwater’s Coachman Park. It was the year after my first Warped Tour and I was in need of something to hold me over until the summer came again. That year the lineup included A.F.I, The Ataris, Dashboard Confessional, Fuel, Hoobastank, Less Than Jake, Smile Empty Soul, Something Corporate, Switchfoot, and Yellowcard – also the Airwalk BMX team. I made attempts to attend a few other NBTs here and there, but my interest was not really sparked again until 2007 when, in my opinion, 97x put together their best bill to date.

As of today, the line-up for NBT 9 has been announced and, I must say, this group contains enough good artists to make me want to dole out the cash for another go ‘round. This year’s line-up consists of a mixture of NBT veterans and newbies, bands that are already very big names and a couple that a lot of people will not be familiar with prior to the show.

Though I admit I haven’t listened to the radio in quite a few years, I always look out for the year’s Next Big Thing lineup and follow the crew of 97x on Twitter. Over the past few days, they’ve been announcing NBT bands in groups of threes to the salivating hoards of Xers just dying to know who’s going to be hitting the stage at Ford Amphitheatre this coming December. A couple of months back, I read along as the search for Next Big Thing 9 bands was underway. I remember a particular tweet asking followers if they knew and liked Metric, and I went nuts! At that point I was certain they were going to be on this year’s line-up and that single band was enough to make me decide I was going.

I was very pleased to see today that I would not have to settle with enjoying just one band this year and I think there might be a little something for everyone at NBT 9. The line – up is as follows: 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, OCTOBER 8
Johnny Winter w/Damon Fowler Group Progressive blues guitarist Johnny Winter, brother to “Frankenstein” keytarist Edgar, was ranked 74th in Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” for taking blues into hard rock territory and producing a series of Grammy-winning albums for Muddy Waters. In recent tours, Winter performs seated due to various health issues, and avoids playing rock music all together to focus solely on the blues. Don’t expect a “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo” (one of his few hits), though you might hear his renown blues-out rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.” 8 p.m., State Theatre, St. Petersburg, $25 dos.

Afroman The “Because I Got High” tongue-in-cheek rap artist has released 11 albums in 11 years; his most recent, Frobama: Head of State, dropped in May. 8 p.m., Bourbon Street Night Club, New Port Richey, $15.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
U2 w/Muse There’s no denying the sheer superstar power and awesome dynamism of U2, the foursome’s longevity earned after years of solid hits and a consistent effort to evolve without losing their distinguishing Dublin-brewed alt rock sound. Aside from the shady 12-year $100 million deal with Live Nation (which gives the live events company control of U2’s merchandise, sponsorships and official website), the band has been pretty good about retaining a sense of decorum and integrity, donating some of their billions to charitable causes around the world, bringing global issues of poverty, disease, and social injustice to light via performances, appearances, campaigns and fundraisers, and even starting their own nonprofits or backing initiatives to help those in need. No Line on the Horizon is their 12th and latest studio album, and critics (myself not included) are falling all over the thing like it’s Irish gold. But when has U2 ever really disappointed? The current “U2 360° Tour” features a 360-degree staging/audience configuration, which should make for quite the RayJay spectacle. Not sure who can afford the $250 seats in this economy, but someone’s gotta pay for that stage show and it ain’t the $35 nosebleeds (those go towards Bono’s wardrobe). 7 p.m., Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, $35, $55, $95 and $250. Read the rest of this entry »

As Thievery Corporation, DC-based DJ/producers Rob Garza and Eric Hilton (pictured) have taken electronica to new heights of international appeal. The duo’s richly textured mid-tempo dance grooves are spiced up with elements of lounge, trip hop, acid jazz, dancehall and dub reggae, Indian classical, psychedelia, afro-beat and bossa nova. Thievery’s 2008 album, Radio Retaliation, was spurred by election season and is a politically-charged suite of songs, from the anti-establishment tone of “Sound the Alarm” to the Darfurian metaphors used in “Vampires.” A new cast of musical collaborators were brought on to give the album its kick, among them, Brazilian vocalist/guitarist Seu Jorge, Nigerian afro-beat prince Femi Kuti, Indian sitar virtuoso Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse/violinist Jana Andevska, and DC’s own “Godfather of Go Go,” Chuck Brown. Thievery Corporation’s live show incorporates a dynamic 15-member multi-cultural ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists, with Garza and Hilton spinning in the middle of it all to create the music’s soundscape of rhythms and hues. Read the rest of this entry »

An evening of something new (Chris Tolan), something borrowed (Mr. Vidal and Mr. Zipf) and something blue (stage lighting – though in truth it was mainly pink) was enjoyed by all at Crowbar on Friday, October 2, the bill featuring Chris Tolan & Friends (pictured below), Lauris Vidal, Andy Zipf (who replaced Old North East) and Philip Pietri & the Manatees. (I was running late so I missed out on their set!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Rocktober started off with a bit of twang with tunes by Greenland is Melting, Rebekah Pulley and Jon Gaunt at New World Brewery this past Thursday, October 1.

Greenland is Melting with Jon Gaunt

Greenland is Melting

Greenland is Melting plays simply splendid soulful roots rock, music meant for listening to while you’re kicking back on the front porch or sitting around the kitchen table. Greenland is Melting channels old timey bluegrass with lines like “My grass is blue,” but with a chorus of “I know, I know, if there’s blood on the banjo tonight, then I really must have done something right,” you know they also bring a bit of ruckus. Read the rest of this entry »

Baltimore’s Wye Oak (made up of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack) produces big beat ’60s-influenced indie folk rock with dreamy melodies, washes of swirling symphonics and electro-psychedelia, and vocals rising in blissful choral harmony. The duo signed to Merge Records (Neutral Milk Hotel, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Camera Obscura) last year and released their Merge debut and sophomore effort, The Knot, this past July.

The band is currently on tour with Blitzen Trapper but stages a free acoustic in-store at Vinyl Fever today, and plays a special one-off set (their only headlining show of the tour) later tonight at New World. Locals Zillionaire and The Holy Slow Train (Will Quinlan’s new Diviners side project) provide support.

Wed., Oct. 7: 5:30 p.m. in-store at Vinyl Fever, 4110 Henderson Blvd., Tampa, 813-289-8399, and 9:30 p.m. show at New New World Brewery, 1313 E. 8th Ave., Ybor City, $8.

He’s a hefty backwoodsman type with dark, merry eyes, a thick black beard, working man’s suspenders, worn pork-pie hat, and a booming Hoosier-country drawl that howls to the heavens or digs deep into the earth.

Josh “The Reverend” Peyton is the driving force of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, a family trio featuring vocalist/fingerstyle guitarist Peyton, his washboard playing wife, Breezy, and his younger brother/drummer Jayme. Peyton’s music is straightforward, rough-hewn country blues with a punk rock stomp and a folk heart. He writes about what he knows — the people, the places, the problems, the potatoes — and says exactly what he means, coloring his simple truths with humor to keep things light.

“I find that when I’m the most honest and the most truthful, it seems like people respond the best to it,” Peyton told me in a recent interview from his Indiana home. “And for me, it makes it that much easier to play the songs, when I don’t hold anything back.”

The wild romping “Mama’s Fried Potatoes” was penned while Peyton was on tour and pining for a favorite comfort food [quality video below]. “Your Cousin’s on Cops” relates the amusing but too-true tale of seeing his wife’s cousin get busted on TV. Peyton says the song has taken on a life of its own at the band’s live shows. “I had no idea that people’d be so into that song. It’s kind of a silly song but at the same time, you know, it’s a true song — her cousin was on Cops.” Read the rest of this entry »