Daily Loaf

Tech N9ne’s K.O.D. tour rolled through State Theatre this past Monday night, turning St. Petersburg’s reputation as a sleepy little city on its ear both figuratively and literally. The undercard lineup included Tech’s Strange Music label mates Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, and Big Scoob as well as Glasses Malone. BC performed joints from his new album, “Time Pieces” to open the show. And while Tech certainly lived up to the expectations of his, at times, overly enthusiastic juggalo followers, the highlight of the night for me was definitely Slaughterhouse. [All photos by Tracy May.]

Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5’9”, all heavyweights in their own rights, joined forces to create a lyrical Slaughterhouse. The result was a self-titled album that they say is the top-selling independent hip hop album of the year. I say it is one of the best hip hop albums I’ve had the pleasure of purchasing in a long time. Their live show was every bit as impressive. [More + photo galleries of Slaughterhouse and Tech N9ne after the jump.] Read the rest of this entry »

Just in time to miss Halloween (thanks, Steve) the master of macabre, Stephen King, visits Sarasota to promote his new novel, Under the Dome, in an on-stage interview with the Sarasota Harold-Tribune’s Susan Rife. The author, who imbues many of his characters with his personal bad habits (think Jack Torrance in The Shining, but minus the attempt to hack up his family), has scared the bejeesus out of millions of fans – I’ve never been back to the circus since reading IT. The first 250 horror-heads in the door also get a voucher to buy a signed copy of Under the Dome, and unsigned copies are also available for purchase. Mon., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, $15-$20, vanwezel.org. – Franki Weddington 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 »

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

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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 »

The Studio@620 has collaborated with more people than Kanye West, now teaming up with The Florida Orchestra for An Intimate Collaboration, an up-close, once-monthly, themed performance on the Studio’s cozy stage. Tonight’s entertainment is based on “Rhythms of Life,” and includes a combo of “dance, song, rhythm, poetry and music” under the steady baton of conductor Stefan Sanderling, accompanied by rich, sultry-voiced mezzo-soprano, Jennifer Hines (pictured). Tues., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., The Studio@620, 620 First Ave., S., St. Petersburg, $10, studio620.org.

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The crowd was moving from the moment the ginormous “Almost” sign lit up the stage, lead singer Aaron Gillespie pumping up the crowd and urging them with challenges like “Come on St. Petersburg, I know you can do better than that. I grew up here! I wanna see you moving!” (Gillespie first made a name for himself in Tampa’s own Grammy Award-nominated metalcore sextet, Underoath; The Almost, which played State Theatre on Wednesday, September 23, is his newish side project.)

The band surprised us with a new number, “Lonely Wheel,” off their forthcoming album, Monster, Monster (out November 3 on Tooth & Nail ). The song included all of the good stuff we’re used to from The Almost: crunchy guitars, powerful drums, and lavish vocals. It’s music you can head bang to but it can also slow down and give you tingles down your spine. Read the rest of this entry »

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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
JJ Grey & Mofro w/Shooter Jennings/Earl Greyhound [pictured] A good ol’ boy from the backwaters of Jacksonville, JJ Grey is the creative force and frontman of Mofro, their music swamp-stomping, finger-licking, funked-out rock ‘n’ roll with a solid R&B groove marked by Grey’s husky soulful drawl. LA alt-country rocker Shooter Jennings (the sole spawn of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter) just released his first compilation, Bad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings and the .357’s, which includes select tracks from his first three studio albums, a few live recordings and a cover of Hank Williams Jr.’s 1976 single, “Living Proof.” And NY’s Earl Greyhound features afro-thrashing bassist/singer Kamara Thomas, who brings charismatic energy to the power trio’s fiery, heavy-handed blues rock. 8 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $20.

Tom Goss w/Mara Levi Goss is an out-of-the-closet singer-songwriter who abandoned seminary school and impending priesthood to pursue social justice issues and his love of music. His vocals are high and pleasantly emotive, his acoustic pop touching and uplifting. He’s currently touring in support of his 2009 release, Back to Love.  4:30-6:00pm, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg,  free (students only). Read the rest of this entry »

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

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Depeche Mode (pictured) w/Peter, Bjorn and John English electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode have influenced anyone from Radiohead to Rammstein to Crystal Method, and are among the too-few bands that emerged from the 1980s with dignity intact and more than a just few charting singles (45 in the UK, 18 in the U.S.). I enjoyed a brief but torrid love affair with Violator in high school during a period when all the music I wanted to listen to had to be dark and intense and danceable. DM’s simple yet weighty lyrics — “Words are meaningless and forgettable” “Because when you learn / You’ll know what makes the world turn” “Never before is what you swore the time before” — were just what I needed at that moment in my life and to this day, frontman Dave Gahan’s affected vocals evoke very specific memories. The band just released their 12th full-length, Sounds of the Universe, and are supported this tour by Peter Bjorn and John (read my feature on PBJ here). 7:30 p.m., Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa, $43.50-$83.50

REAX Rent Party w/Glasgow/Geri X/Nessie/Memphis Train Union/Will Quinlan & The Diviners/Military Junior/King of Spain/The Basiqs/Vera Violets/Life of Pi The print industry is experiencing some rather dark times right now, with newspapers across the country desperately trying to figure out how to survive in an era where the general public consume their news and information for free via the internet. Grassroots publications have been hit hardest, including Florida’s own REAX, which is hurting so bad it won’t go to press this month and is actively seeking donations of money and supplies to stay afloat. A bill of quality local acts have banded together to help by playing this benefit show, and the music ranges from the introspective roots rock of Will Quinlan & The Diviners, to the psychedelic fuzzed-out shoegaze of the Vera Violets, to the experimental dancetastic hip-hop of The Basiqs. Admission is cheap, so dig deep when the donation bucket is passed. 6 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $5 (ages 18 & up) Read the rest of this entry »

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 don’t know about you, but I am a huge Sick Puppies fan. Maybe it’s the Australian accents, or maybe it’s just the bad-ass music, or maybe it’s both. This love affair started in 2007 when the threesome debuted with Dressed Up as a Life. Songs like “World,” “Pitiful” and “All The Same” brought out all of those teenage emotions in all the right ways. The band was formed in 1997 when frontman Shimon Moore met future bassist Emma Anzai in the music room at Mosman High School in Sydney. The duo met and played covers of Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, and Silverchair songs, which likely influenced the band’s crunchy, alt rock sound. Drummer Mark Goodwin joined after they signed to Virgin Records.

Angst-driven vocals, loud, distorted guitar and bass, and drums that rattle your soul — what’s not to love? Their music pumps you up. I saw them perform in the summer of 2007 at 97X’s Backyard BBQ, when they were still not very well-known. They were straight off of the charts and brought more energy than all of the other bands combined. It didn’t hurt they were all extremely sexy, right?

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Tampa’s own Not Tonight Josephine played to a sold out crowd at State Theatre last weekend when they dropped their new EP, This Orphan Heart. The stylish quintet had a very well-put-together event, complete with solid opening bands (Drew Street Mary, Ghost of Gloria, Claiborne and Look Right Penny), an enthusiastic crowd and a top-notch stage presence.

More photos and a video below the jump…

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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 »

Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s looking-forward event might be the first local show to unite theater buffs with grungy rock hipsters: Richard III, a hybrid theater and rock ‘n’ roll performance.

Giles Davies in "Richard III"

Often recognized as Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, the Secret Theatre Company puts a new spin on the old ultraviolence with their production of Richard III. Quick to point out that this hybrid of theater and rock ‘n’ roll is “not to be confused with a rock musical” (we’re not talking Andrew Lloyd Webber here), the performance fuses a live show by local rock band Sobriety with “stylized period design and graphic deaths,” all in a smoky, sinister setting that’s sure to mold the mood for Richard’s epic rise to power. Witness Richard’s evolution from the oily antihero to a prey of gloom, self-doubt and paranoia after his coronation, gained through murder, betrayal and foul play. The ever-popular State Theatre is an ideal venue to host the bevy of bands that open the show with original music and a score of six songs written just for Richard. Aug. 8, Sat., 8 p.m., State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, $20, $15 students, 727-895-3045, statetheatreconcerts.com.—Franki Weddington

Photo: Tracy May

For nearly an hour last night, the New York Dolls played to type as an aging, reunited rock ‘n’ roll band living off their legacy: solid but not inspired, willing but a little fatigued. Then something kicked in.

“Muddy Bones,” from their new album Cause I Sez So, a song pulled from the early Stones playbook, seemed to energize David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and the other, newer, Dolls. The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd on the floor of the State Theatre picked up on it.

For the show’s remaining 40-or-so minutes, the New York Dolls conjured up their rambunctious early-’70s selves, sans the drag attire and the heroin and with far better chops. Extended versions of early tunes “Jet Boy,” “Personality Crisis” and “Trash” — which alternated between the early punk version and the reggae take on Sez So — brought the set to a loud, satisfying crescendo.

Read More (with more pics)

Check out CL’s one-stop, all-encompassing music site

Rock history is rife with bands whose legendary status is all out of proportion with the amount of tangible success they had in their heyday.

New York Dolls @ State Theatre, Tues., July 9. $25.

There is no better example of this trope than the New York Dolls. They are revered as proto-punks, early players on the lower Manhattan scene that produced The Ramones, Television, Talking Heads et al. Their look fell somewhere between androgynous and full-out drag, and for that they are credited as a major influence on glam-metal.

The Dolls released only two albums during their initial run: 1973’s self-titled LP and the following year’s Too Much Too Soon. Both were critical darlings and commercial stiffs. The band broke up in ’75.

The original Dolls were plagued by abject drug abuse — the late guitarist Johnny Thunders was a classic junkie — and dysfunction, but, according to frontman David Johansen, the main reason the Dolls packed it in was that they were broke and hungry.

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Check out CL’s one-stop music site

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).

Rebecca Tinsley, journalist and director of human rights group Waging Peace, is the first guest in USF Libraries’ Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center 2009 Lecture Series. Tinsley draws on her experiences reporting on war-torn countries and serving as a Waging Peace advocate during her talk, “Genocide in Darfur: Lessons from Rwanda and Uganda.” Tinsley’s visit coincides with Lost Voices of Darfur, an exhibit of enlarged reproductions of drawings by Darfuri child refugees ages six to 18. The drawings came after Waging Peace researcher Anna Schmitt — who was gathering testimonies from Darfuri refugees and displaced Chadians — was encouraged to talk to the refugee camp’s smallest and most impressionable witnesses, who were given paper and pencils and asked to sketch their strongest memory and their dreams for the future. In November of 2007, the children’s graphic drawings were accepted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague as contextual evidence of crimes committed in Darfur, and will be used as a graphic illustration of the atrocities in the trials against the accused. (Pictured: Tinsley with Darfuri children.) Wed., Jan. 28, 4 p.m. (lecture), USF Library Grace Allen Room, fourth floor, with the works on display now through January 31, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, free admission, 813-974-2729. (Leilani Polk)

Other things to do today:

• King Hedley II: August Wilson drama at American Stage, 211 3rd St. S., St. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m., 727-823-PLAY.

• The NFL and Getty Images, football photo exhibition the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 200 N. Tampa St., Tampa,  timed to coincide with you-know-what. Exhibit hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; dinner event tonight at 8:15 at The Tampa Club.

• “Secret” Fall Out Boy concert at State Theatre, St. Petersburg, around 9 p.m. By invite only, but you may be able to find a way in; see Leilani Polk’s post here.