Tampa Calling

I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into Friday’s concert at Mahaffey Theater featuring an un-costumed, un-amplified-to-11 Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. Maybe I was thinking too hard about it? After all, when you go see a band, they play their songs.  When you go see a comedian, he does his material. With Guest, McKean, and Shearer, reality lay in between — a hilarious, two-hour multimedia jaunt down memory lane complete with stories, clips, and songs predominantly from two classic film satires about seemingly disparate genres of music. Read the rest of this entry »

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke (left) leading his British alternative rock band through a spellbinding performance Tue., May 6, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa.

Photos by Phil Bardi.

Radiohead mesmerized a crowd of 17,000 with an edgy sonic and visual presentation unlike anything being offered on the current live music circuit. Long narrow light bulbs that changed colors with every song festooned the stage. Behind the band was a wall of giant screens that alternated between close-ups of the musicians and trippy visuals, which surely enhanced the experience of the kids I saw walking around with pupils the size of pancakes and waving glow sticks.

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Here’s a review (and photo) by Amanda Schurr, events editor/arts writer for Creative Loafing Sarasota.

Honda Civic Tour: Panic at the Disco w/Motion City Soundtrack/The Hush Sound/Phantom Planet, 7 p.m. Tues., April 22, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

By the time I got to Clearwater for the corporate fun fest Honda Civic Tour, I’d already missed Phantom Planet, those “Cal-i-FORN-YA” crooners who once called actor Jason Schwartzman a band member. Drat. That was the only opener for the Panic-headlining bill I was curious about, and I was still two bands out before the Las Vegas dreamo quartet (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out) and unfortunate-for-them Pete Wentz “discovery” would go on.

Hordes of teens, custodial units, and the occasional beer drinker were trickling into Ruth Eckerd Hall to catch second act, The Hush Sound. A promising Illinois (and fellow Wentz find) foursome whose Donny-and-Marie duo, Bob Morris and Greta Salpeter, worked the frenzied crowd with Afterschool Special aplomb. Singer/pianist Salpeter’s dulcet pipes brought to mind The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler, all quirky pop affect and head-bobbing fun. The kids ate it up, but never more so than when hottie Panic frontman Brendon Urie snuck out to sing a refrain.

Minneapolis’ Motion City Soundtrack was next, tearing through the kind of nondescript “indie” power pop that adolescents feel cool listening to and parents don’t find threatening. I was mesmerized by Moog synth player Jesse Johnson’s ass-tingling charisma. His hair buzzed close except for a long swatch in the middle, perfect for tossing about dramatically, he’d plunk down a few notes and then flail over his keyboard as though he was giving himself a spinal tap. “Here’s a new song,” introduced lead singer Justin Pierre, sporting a wonky white-boy afro. “It’s kinda sad… but totally happy.” Cue the patented Blink 182-styled vocals, straight-up major key harmonies, and ferosh four-chord rhythm guitar formula. Terribly earnest, competently performed, perfectly inoffensive (even with the occasional F-bomb), utterly forgettable.
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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Tue., April 22, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa

Springsteen, Danny Federici, and Roy Bittan, Nov. 18, 2007, Boston. Photo by A.M. Saddler/Backstreets.

A preacher of hope and compassion, Bruce Springsteen lifts peoples’ spirits more effectively than any other rocker. Featuring anthemic songs largely focused on redemption, his live performances are marked by a gospel fervor that can transform 20,000 concertgoers into true believers. Following 9/11, Springsteen helped heal an entire nation with his cathartic masterstroke The Rising. After Katrina, The Boss brought his wildly eclectic Seeger Sessions Band to the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, delivering a momentous performance that gloriously addressed both the frustration and perseverance of a populace largely abandoned by its own government. On Tuesday, at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Springsteen and his E Street Band honored one of their own, keyboardist/organist Danny Federici, who passed away after losing a three-year battle with melanoma April 17. Originally scheduled for Monday, Tuesday’s show was Sprinsgteen’s first since his 40-year-long pal and bandmates’ untimely death.

The concert began on a somber note with a video montage of Federici displayed on a large screen draped above the stage. The musicians, all dressed in black, stood like statues with their backs to the audience and watched. Accompanying the archival footage was a recording of Springsteen’s moving tribute to friendship, “Blood Brothers,” which debuted as a new track added on his 1995 Greatest Hits album.

Following the Federici homage, the band launched into a fiery “Backstreets.” From the 1975 classic Born to Run, it’s an emotive tale of boys spending time together on the Jersey shore in the summer, which found Springsteen looking teary eyed at the song’s conclusion. The set list largely eschewed hits, and songs from the new album Magic, for deep tracks and fan favorites like “Backstreets,” “No Surrender,” “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),” “Growin’ Up,” “She’s the One,” “The Promised Land” and “Racing in the Streets.” The performances varied little from the original recordings — save for “Atlantic City, which was transformed from an acoustic solo number, the version heard on 1982’s Nebraska, into a full-tilt E Street barn-burner — but were injected with abounding power and glory, even by Springsteen’s high standards. Popular singles such as “Hungry Heart,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Glory Days,” “I’m on Fire,” and “Streets of Philadelphia” were shelved. Judging by the at times deafening audience reaction, the 20,000-seat Forum appeared filled to capacity, few went home feeling shorted. In addition to spot-on, supercharged treatments of the old stuff, Springsteen offered strong renditions of newer material like The Rising title-track and Magic’s “Radio Nowhere” and “Livin’ In the Future,” a song that resembles and ranks with his best-known work of the 1970s and ’80s.

In honor of Federici, the band also debuted a stirring cover of the traditional hymn “I’ll Fly Away.” Casual fans hoping for a “Glory Days” sing-along may have been disappointed but for the rest of us, it was an evening of rock ’n’ roll salvation, an opportunity to witness Springsteen and his band honor their friend the best way they know how — by delivering a soulful performance of which Federici would have surely been proud.

Left to right: Me (seated) watching Nate Oliver and Matt Burke of Have Gun, Will Travel. Photos by Tesha Sulli.

Bradenton alt-country ensemble Have Gun, Will Travel made the most of its CD release party this weekend, turning in a jubilant, loose, crowd-pleasing performance that displayed the band’s brilliance and versatility. HGWT didn’t take the stage at Crowbar, Ybor City, until 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The advertised starting time for the show was 9 .m., which usually means 10 p.m., but the first supporting act, Baron Von Bear, didn’t start until about 10:30 p.m. HGWT leader Matt Burke voiced concern that the late hour might affect their performance when I spoke to him around 10:15  — sitting around and drinking for four hours isn’t the best way to prep for most anything — but the musicians pulled it off much to the delight of the dozens of people crowded at the lip of the stage, singing along to both the songs from HGWT’s excellent self-titled, 2006 EP and the new, equally gripping and more dynamic full-length, Casting Shadows Tall As Giants.

Whereas the HGWT’s rock side is slightly downplayed on the freshly minted CD — which emphasizes the outfits’ rich, acoustic-guitar-based melodies marked by banjo, fiddle, and harmonica; and Matt’s intimate vocals and evocative lyrics — on stage, early Sunday morning, the band offered a boisterous set that bordered on cow punk at certain moments. Thanks to the addition of a second lap steel player for the performance (I failed to catch his name), multi-purpose guitarist/backup vocalist Nate Oliver was able to wield his electric ax stage-front next to Matt, ox-solid bassist/backup vocalist/Matt’s younger brother Danny Burke and dexterous viola-player Josh Hernandez, who made the show despite his car breaking down on his way from Tallahassee. Propelling HGWT with machine-like precision throughout the night was drummer JP Beaubien, perhaps the man most responsible for the band’s ability to effortlessly alternate from breezy, Byrds-y tempos to more driving rock forays.

Left to right: Josh Hernandez and Matt Burke.

For a couple numbers, Matt brought the room to a whisper with just his voice, acoustic guitar and harmonica — or with Hernandez accompanying him on viola while Nate and Danny set down their instruments to deliver close-knit vocal harmonies. For the finale, fellow local alt-country luminary Will Quinlan joined HGWT to recreate the emotive spoken-word piece he did with the band for “Pins & Needles,” from Casting Shadows tall As Giants. By this point in the night it’s pretty fair to say everyone in the room — musicians, promoter, attendees, me, Quinlan — had a good buzz going and after Quinlan gave his speech, which the audience loved, HGWT went into rock mode, prompting Quinlan to jump along with the musicians, which led to him falling down. But he leaped right back up and grabbed the mic to sing along with the band for another chorus. It was a rock ‘n’ roll moment and a great way to wrap an exceptional showcase of local music that also featured performances by Baron Von Bear (of Orlando), Nessie and Quinlan, who sent chills up my spine with his poignant, whiskey-breathed rendition of the ancient bootlegger’s lament “Moonshiner” (aka “Kentucky Moonshiner”).

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, left. Photos by Chris Boulanger.

The day couldn’t have started any better. Early this afternoon, genre-defying New Orleans music sensation Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews turned in what may have been the greatest opening slot performance in Tampa Bay Blues Festival history. The trombone-and-trumpet-virtuoso and his four outstanding backing players — guitar, saxophone, bass, drums, percussion — took the stage at 1 p.m. sharp and by the end of their 70 min. set had the crowd of several thousand blues lovers offering an impassioned standing ovation.

The 22-year-old Andrews coerced the typically sedate, lawn-chair-sitting, baby boomer attendees on their feet, had ‘em dancing, and waving hands in the air like they just didn’t care — another likely first in blues fest history. The singer/horn-player accomplished this rare feat with a precisely paced set of boisterous French Quarter funk, sizzling jazz instrumentals and Andrews’ groove rock originals, which were judiciously laced with fierce trombone blasts.

Having seen Andrews perform three times now in the past year, it’s clear that he’s consciously evolving from charismatic, wildly talented bandleader into a polished frontman capable of achieving mainstream success. When I saw him play at Tropical Heatwave last May, Andrews relied on horn-infused covers of classic rock favorites like AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and popular rap numbers such as Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray” to delight the crowd. Today, the first 45 min. of his set were almost all originals, songs that found Andrews singing, quite soulfully, rather than chanting or rapping the lyrics like he did in the past. And his stage presence, which he’s been honing since first performing in public as a grade-schooler, harks back to soul greats like James Brown. Andrews’ addressed the audience warmly in between and during songs, initiated call-and responses, spun, flailed his arms, clapped, grinned, egged on his saxophonist and guitarist during their respective solos — the young man knows how to work a crowd, even if the vast majority of them were his parents’ age or older.

“Now we’re really gonna take y’all back to New Orleans,” Andrews announced five minutes past when his set was scheduled to end. The band then launched into an exuberant, rock-and-funk version of the Big Easy gospel anthem “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

For the third time in 12 months, Andrews had done more than just impress me as a critic — he lifted my spirits. He’s a natural star, probably the only person capable of bringing the latest and finest incarnation of New Orleans party music to the masses.

Here’s the interview I did with Andrews that ran in December, “Musical muscle: From jazz to pop to funk, Trombone Shorty flexes his chops.”

The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, which is being held at Vinoy Park in downtown St. Petersburg, continues today through Sunday. Senior editor Eric Snider reviewed Friday’s performances by James Hunter and Robert Cray, see previous post.

Concert review
Al Green w/George Benson/Soulive
Sat., April 5, Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa

UPDATED APRIL 8: Pics from the show posted here.

Al Green, wearing a black three-piece suit and looking at least a decade younger than his age of 61, struts across the stage during a slow-burning rendition of the sexually-charged “Tired of Being Alone.” After making eye contact with women in the first several rows of the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa Saturday, he returns to the mike and unleashes one of his famously wild and seductive wails, prompting ecstatic cheers from the crowd. “What, you thought I couldn’t do it again?” the smiling soul great playfully asks.

Four decades into his career, Green’s voice — one of the most distinctive and expressive ever recorded — isn’t the sultry, resilient force of nature heard on classic 1970s albums like Call Me. But it’s still a potent instrument, one that the charismatic singer used to great effect Saturday with the support of a 14-person backing band that included a three-man horn section, organist, female backup vocalists and male dancers wearing matching white blazers.

Green turned in a winning, 60-minute performance under conditions far from ideal. The 20,000-capacity venue only looked to be about one-tenth full. The last day of the two-day PAETEC Music Tour, it was a gorgeous afternoon for instrumental organ trio Soulive, which I missed, and George Benson. The latter impressed me with his guitar chops and a funky, blowout of “On Broadway,” but nearly lulled me, and several others seated in my section, to sleep with his synthesizer-heavy smooth jazz numbers.

When Green and his small army of backing players took the stage at 9:20, fierce wind and rain whipped through the venue as if on cue, even managing to sprits the thoroughly covered stage area. Credit the Ford Amphitheatre staff for allowing everyone to move into the center and front of the pavilion where the elements were minimal, and Green for soldiering on in high spirits. “If you start getting a little wet, don’t worry,” he says. “Some things are worth getting wet for.”

Green opened the show with several of his best-known hits including “Let’s Get Married” — songs the singer wrote or co-wrote with producer Willie Mitchell in the early ‘70s, a fairly uncommon practice for R&B singers of the era. The ordained pastor, who refused to perform secular music during the ‘80s, then took a pause from the worldly music (and handing out long-stemmed roses to the women in the front rows), to lead the crowd in a celebratory sing along of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Next came a solid take on his most recognizable hit, “Let’s Stay Together,” which was followed by a killer “Here I Am.” The hard-hitting, horn-fueled declaration had Green jogging in place, embracing himself and even getting down in a crouch to bust out a couple old-school dance moves that caused the grateful audience members to respond with wild yelps of their own.

The medley of R&B hits by Green contemporaries like Sam Cooke, The Four Tops and Otis Redding featured a powerhouse performance of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” The singer closed the show with lively renditions of three classics: “Tired of being Alone,” “L-O-V-E (Love),” and an extended “Love and Happiness,” which found Green offering some of his hottest wails. The finale also featured the trumpet, saxophonist and trombonist relocating to center stage to flawlessly recreate the song’s signature horn parts. While the band continued to play, and the audience roared for an encore, Green discretely grabbed a black leather overnight bag hidden by the drum kit and walked off the stage — just another night of work for one of the last great soul singers still with us.

Kimya Dawson
Cuban Club, Sat., March 22

Photo by Katie Silbiger (who kindly responded to my request below)

You’d think a lone performer with nothing but a busted-up acoustic guitar and a clutch of “message” songs wouldn’t stand a chance in front of an all-ages skater crowd squeezed together in the rain. Especially when a sizable chunk of that audience wasn’t necessarily waiting for her — 30something folkie and married mother Kimya Dawson — but huddled near the front of the Cuban Club patio stage in Ybor City Saturday for indie act of the moment, headliner Band of Horses. Obscure singer-songwriter-turned-Juno-kinda-star Dawson won over the audience, though, with witty songs about suburban ennui, politics and self-image issues delivered in an endearing, talky vocal style. Plus, she exuded plenty of coffee-shop charisma.

Dawson appeared genuinely surprised by the crowd’s enthusiasm when she took the stage at 9: 10 p.m., more than an hour late due to the weather. The rain came down in a steady drizzle —sometimes harder. “Wow, you guys are crazy,” said a bemused Dawson. “I feel bad under here while you guys get wet.”

Despite the dreary weather, a significant portion of the crowd of reportedly 2,500-plus braved the wetness for Dawson’s quirky tales. The performer wore her hair in a big, unruly fro, had on a grey hoodie and cut-off, floral-print shorts. Basically, she looked like many of the tweenage concertgoers gazing up her and screaming: “I love you.” Interestingly, Dawson, who is a gifted lyricist, surveys some extremely dark subject matter — drugs, alcohol, sexual harassment, suicide — but laces her songs about “how living in a small town sucks ass” with just enough juvenile and absurdist humor not to scare away the kids who shop at Hot Topic. The parents in attendance? Maybe they didn’t notice. But one mom did look concerned when Dawson mentioned cocaine in a song and it received such a loud, positive reaction from one concertgoer that the singer giggled mid-song and had to start the verse again.

For the finale, Dawson invited female audience members on stage to dance. While they grinned and twirled blissfully Dawson smiled and sang: “Fuck Bush and fuck this war.”

We had camera issues Saturday night during Dawson’s set, so if anyone has pics of her from the Cuban Club that they are willing to post here please email me at wade@cln.com (and also “cc” me at wtatangelo@hotmail.com, we’ve also been having email issues lately.)

Reunited hard rock heroes play nice — but predictability proves boring.

Van Halen w/Ky-Mani Marley
Mon., Feb. 18, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa

Photo by Shanna Gillette.

Diamond Dave displayed a giant grin for nearly two hours straight. Eddie melted faces with ferocious guitar exploits. Alex bashed away on a fortress of drums. And Wolfie managed a fine job on bass. The famed feuders maintained a friendly façade throughout the evening but the concert didn’t exactly erupt at any point into hard rock utopia.

The highly anticipated reunion of the Van Halen brothers and original lead singer David Lee Roth arrived at Tampa’s St. Pete Times Forum on Monday. What appeared to be a capacity crowd of 20,000 seemed delighted just to witness the almost classic lineup (Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang has replaced founding bassist Michael Anthony) run through the old hits without former enemies Roth and Eddie hitting each other. Sadly, the dearth of surprises proved rather boring. Van Halen’s set list hasn’t varied since the tour started months ago and the performances Monday were close facsimiles of the ones recorded decades ago.

The house lights went down at 8:30 sharp and the crowd jumped to its feet, thanks to an offstage guitar solo by Eddie. The axe man then appeared front and center with Roth coming into view on a walkway above the stage singing “You Really Got Me.” Drummer Alex Van Halen was positioned in the back with bassist Wolfie Van Halen (Eddie’s 16 year-old son) stationed off to the side.

The bad blood between Roth and Eddie never surfaced. The two men hugged and leaned on each other during workmanlike renditions of early crowd-pleasers such as “Running with the Devil” and “Beautiful Girls.” Eddie would unleash a scorching solo while Roth egged him on with hand gestures that occasionally looked like karate moves. Van Halen’s original singer sounded rough, but the vintage voice remained recognizable — although it grew raspier as the show progressed.

Roth, sweaty and shirtless under an open jacket that revealed washboard abs, continued with the charisma cranked to 11 during the concert’s duration. Eddie’s finger-tapping fierceness was awe-inspiring, but the virtuoso has never played with discernible feeling, his tone failing to ever mimic a human emotion other than adolescent glee. Ultimately, there’s only so much shredding you can take before even the most technically difficult accomplishments sound pedestrian.

The boisterous, beer-swilling, male-dominated crowd of 40somethings sang along and pumped their fists dutifully to faves like “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” “And the Cradle Will Rock” and “Hot For Teacher.” Even Alex’s extended drum solo kept the majority of attendees standing, cheering and hollering. Roth, though, nearly lost the crowd with a way long introduction to “Ice Cream Man” — only reeling ‘em back in with a shout-out to weed smoking.

Before the reunited band offered an encore of “Jump” I made a beeline for the exit. Van Halen has always been an act I respected for Eddie’s chops (and to a lesser extent Alex’s) and Roth’s unrelenting showmanship. But they never moved me, never connected with me in a meaningful way. Seeing the band live, in seats that put me four rows up from the floor and about 75 ft. from the stage, didn’t change my decades-old opinion of Van Halen.

See previous post for the real time blogging I did during the concert.

Van Halen w/Ky-Mani Marley
Mon., Feb. 18, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa

I’m at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa tonight attempting real time updates on the Van Halen concert. My Internet connection is shaky so I can’t promise much but we’ll see. I’ll post a full review later tonight under a separate title.

7:30 p.m. UPDATE:

Opener Ky-Mani Marley (son of reggae legend Bob Marley) took the stage shortly before 7:30 and had the crowd roaring when he launched into his dad’s killer ballad “No Woman, No Cry.” Ky-Mani, backed by a full band that includes a pair of female singers, went into rap mode for the compelling single “The March.” Culled from his new album Radio, it’s a catchy number that manages to condemn war while supporting our soldiers.

It’s now 7: 45 and Ky-Mani has launched into his dad’s hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” Like “No Woman,” it’s a close facsimile of the original. Looks like that’s it for his set, up come the lights. Time for me to leave the laptop in the press box that’s located only a few feet beneath the rafters and check out Van Halen from my seat on the lower level. I’ll be back to blog in a few.

9:05 UPDATE:

The lights went down at 8:30 sharp and the crowd jumped to its feet thanks to an offstage guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. The axe man then appeared front and center with David Lee Roth soon appearing on a walkway above the stage singing “You Really Got Me.” Drummer Alex Van Halen is positioned in the back with bassist Wolfie Van Halen (Eddie’s 16 year-old son) off to the side.

So far, the bad blood between Roth and Eddie appears nonexistent. The two men hug and point to each other during hits like “Running with the Devil” and “Beautiful Girls.” It’s just past 9 p.m. and Eddie’s now unleashing a scorching solo with Roth egging him on. VH’s original singer sounds a bit rough but the vintage voice is definitely recognizable and by no means shot.

Eddie’s playing might be as good as before. I overheard a Forum employee mention the guitar great had the flu but it sure doesn’t appear that way. Credit to Wolfie, he’s holding his own just fine.

10:02 UPDATE:

Roth, sweaty and shirtless under an open jacket that reveals washboard abs, continues with the charisma cranked to 11 – but his voice gets raspier as the evening progresses. Maybe the sound man has wisely lowered the vocals on the mix, he clearly can’t be heard at times over the exploits of Eddie, Alex and Wolfie. Eddie’s finger-tapping fierceness is awe-inspiring. At this point in the concert, though, it’s getting repetitive. The virtuoso never played with feeling and there’s only so much shredding you can’t take before even the most technically-difficult accomplishments sound pedestrian.

The crowd, which appears to have filled each of the Forum’s 20,000 seats, remains on its feat and elated. They sing along and pump their fists dutifully to faves like “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” “And the Cradle Will Rock” and “Hot For Teacher.” Even Alex is left alone behind his gigantic drum kit for an extended solo, the audience largely remains standing, cheering and hollering. Meanwhile I can’t help but check my watch. Roth is now center stage by himself picking an acoustic guitar and offering a way introduction to “Ice Cream Man.” Yawn. He loses the crowd, then mentions smoking joints and the concertgoers are back applauding.

10:08 UPDATE:

After continuing his story and revealing it’s about a Saturday night in 1972 — and then waxing nostalgic about an ex, Roth finally performs “Ice Cream Man.” The rest of the band comes back on stage and leaps in at the exact same point they did on the original version from their ‘78, self-titled debut record. My interest in the show is waning considerably.

10:16 UPDATE:

Roth’s dusty pipes can’t carry “Panama” but at this point in the show the crowd is mouthing every word at such a level it’s irrelevant. Eddie’s solos still are stinging but the sameness is bordering on annoying. Van Halen has performed the same setlist ever since they started their much ballyhooed reunion tour last autumn. Tonight’s is no different. After “Panama” comes Eddie’s time to put his naked torso under the spotlights and engage in a little autoeroticism with his beloved six-string. He starts off slow, with a couple of distorted blues licks but then comes the trademark finger-tapping and, yep, you guessed it, here’s “Eruption.”

10:29 UPDATE

Eddie just wrapped his outsized guitar solo with a marathon finger workout up and down the fret board. Dudes thrust devil-horns. Wild cheers. I’m gathering my things. Here comes Roth and co. with “Ain’t Talking About Love.” Time to pack up the laptop. I’ll catch the “Jump” encore on the way to the exit.