Tampa Calling

I’m scheduled to interview Ani DiFranco (pictured in front of the Capitol during the 2004 March for Women’s Lives rally) on Friday to advance her March 11 date at Tampa Theatre. She’s touring in support of her excellent two-disc retrospective Canon (scroll down for my review).

Post a comment if you have a question I should ask her, or could suggest something I might say to the singer/songwriter that will flatter her and help me nail the greatest DiFranco interview ever. Assistance would be appreciated. I’m a bit awed by her, and will need to be thoroughly prepared unless I wish to come across like a stammering, fanboy hack.

In addition to DiFranco, there are scads of praiseworthy artists playing the area in the next several months. Many of the acts will be spotlighted in Creative Loafing’s Spring Arts issue that hits newsstands Wednesday. Pasted below is our latest list of Upcoming Concerts, which can be found here on a weekly basis.

FEBRUARY
14 Scott Imrich w/Brian Repetto Kelly’s Pub
14 The Association Largo Cultural Center
14 Win Win Winter w/Beauvilles/DJ Mega Push Ultra Lounge
15 Kymani Marley Jannus Landing
15 Trisha Yearwood Ruth Eckerd Hall
16 Wanda Jackson w/Unknown Hinson Skipper’s Smokehouse
16 Loretta Lynn Cypress Gardens
16 Geri X w/Will Quinlan/Have Gun, Will Travel/Richard Buckner Kelly’s Pub
17 John Tesh Ruth Eckerd Hall
18 Van Halen w/Ky-Mani Marley St. Pete Times Forum
19 Engelbert Humperdinck Ruth Eckerd Hall
20 Stevie Coyle The Craftsman House
20 Poison the Well w/The Chariot/Dance Gavin Dance State Theatre
21 Kenny Drew Jr. Trio Palladium Theatre
21 Gordon Lightfoot Tampa Theatre
21 Sherwood w/Houston Calls/The Higher/Soulfound/Geri X Orpheum
21 Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons Ruth Eckerd Hall
21 Summerbird in the Cellar w/Mouse Fire/DJ Maynard Push Ultra Lounge
22-23 JJGrey & Mofor Skipper’s Smokehouse
22 Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams Holley Hall (Sarasota)
22 Michael Buble St. Pete Times Forum
22 Nervous Turkey Kelly’s Pub
23 Lucero State Theatre
23 Spooky Greenhill Kelly’s Pub
23-24 Anne Murray Ruth Eckerd Hall
24 Paul Thorn Skipper’s Smokehouse
26 Keb’ Mo’ Tampa Theatre
26 Cobra Starship w/Metro Station/The Cab/We the Kings State Theatre
26 AutoTrain Kelly’s Pub
26 Southern Culture on the Skids Skipper’s Smokehouse
28 Candy Bars w/Trés Bien/Stavros Push Ultra Lounge
29 Pat Green Dallas Bull
29 Deejay Young Blake High School

MARCH
1 Dan Penn and Bobby Emmons Palladium Theatre
1 Rudresh Mahanthappa Quartet Muisc Center, St. Petersburg College
1 Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway Ruth Eckerd Hall
2 Rosanne Cash  Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
2 Paul Potts Tampa Theatre
3 k.d. lang Ruth Eckerd Hall
3 Travis Tritt Florida Strawberry Festival
4 Glen Campbell Florida Strawberry Festival
4 Three Days Grace w/Breaking Benjamin/Seether Ford Amphitheatre
4 Gypsy Kings Ruth Eckerd Hall
5 Tom Jones Florida Strawberry Festival
6 Built to Spill w/Meat Puppets State Theatre
6 Justice/DJ Mehdi Club Firestone (Orlando)
6 Charlie Daniels Florida Strawberry Festival
7 Alejandro Escovedo Palladium Theatre
7 Foreigner PAL Sailor Circus Arena
7 Johnny Mathis Ruth Eckerd Hall
7 The Claire Lynch Band Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center
7 Trace Adkins Florida Strawberry Festival
7 Sean Chambers Group w/Slider Trax
7 The English Beat and RX Bandits w/Fall on Purpose The Honey Pot (formerly The Rubb)
8 Flogging Molly Jannus Landing
8 Billy Ray Cyrus Florida Strawberry Festival
9 Blue Man Group St. Pete Times Forum
10 Pat Metheny Tampa Theatre
11 Ani DiFranco Tampa Theatre
11 Chicago Mahaffey Theater
11 They Might Be Giants w/Oppenheimer Jannus Landing
14 Dierks Bentley w/Bucky Covington/Luke Bryan St. Pete Times Forum
14 All Time Low w/Mayday Parade State Theatre
14 Devil Driver w/Napalm Death/Walls of Jericho/36 Crazy Fists Boomerz Boiler Room
16 Toby Mac w/Jeremy Camp/Matthew West Ford Amphitheatre
19 Chuck Brodsky The Craftsman House
21 Modern Skirts w/Brass Bed New World Brewery
24 Yellowcard (acoustic) w/Secondhand Serenade/Play Radio Play/Treaty of Paris State Theatre
24 Kenny G Ruth Eckerd Hall
25 Avenged Sevenfold w/Atreyu/Bullet For My Valentine/Bless the Fall/Idiot Pilot//Mucc/D’Espairspray/The Underneath USF Sun Dome
27 Moody Blues Ruth Eckerd Hall
28 Connie West The Craftsman House
28 Soulphonics New World Brewery
29 Tony Bennett Ruth Eckerd Hall
30 David Dondero w/Have Gun, Will Travel New World Brewery

APRIL
3 Tribute to Lionel Hampton w/Ricky Lyons/Stan Hunter/John Lamb/Ron Gregg Palladium Theatre
4 Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs Ruth Eckerd Hall
5 Itzhak Perlman Ruth Eckerd Hall
6 Caribou Crowbar
11-13 Tampa Bay Blues Festival w/Los Lonely Boys/Robert Cray/Trombone Shorty/Tab Benoit/Walter Trout/Robben Ford Vinoy Park
11 Craig Morgan Dallas Bull
15 Steel Train Jannus Landing
16 Saves the Day w/Armor for Sleep/Set Your Goals/Metro Station/Lydia State Theatre
19 Avril Lavigne w/Boys Like Girls Ford Amphitheatre
19 Shooter Jennings Cypress Gardens
21 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band St. Pete Times Forum
22 Panic at the Disco Ruth Eckerd Hall
23 Ministry Jannus Landing
25 Bill Staines The Craftsman House
27 Bon Jovi St. Pete Times Forum
27 Santana w/Derek Trucks Band Ford Amphitheatre

MAY
1 Chicago Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
2 B.B. King w/Damon Fowler Ruth Eckerd Hall
12 The Spencer Davis Group Largo Cultural Center

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