Tampa Calling

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, July 23
Nightmare Of You (pictured) w/Plushgun/Brian Bonz/Aushua In Nightmare of You’s single, “I Think I’m Getting Older,” frontman Brandon Reilly laments about aging against jangly guitars and post-punk bounce, and right before it peters to an end, there’s a brief breakdown of lazy, watery dub. Haven’t heard the rest of the Long Island, NY, four-piece quartet’s just-released second album, Infomaniac (Bevonshire), but my curiosity is piqued. Plushgun and Brian Bonz are both Brooklynites; Plushgun does cloying electro-pop (oft-described as “infectious”) while Bonz has a husky vocals and a pleasant ambience to his organic experimental rock. Thurs., July 23, 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $10 in advance/$12 dos (18 and up).

Ex-Norwegian w/The Lighthouse and the Whaler /Pemberley While the name may imply far away origins (or an appreciation of Monty Python’s Flying Circus), Ex-Norwegian hails from Miami Beach and their music has the bright and shiny quality you’d expect with hand-claps, acoustic guitar and cheery vocals. Ohio’s Lighthouse and the Whaler make airy folk rock with percussive trimmings and multi-voice harmonizing that give the music a tender, rustic feel. Thurs., July 23, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7. Read the rest of this entry »

Down the street from The Hold Steady at The Ritz on July 2, 2009, New Granada presented a night of local Florida musicians at New World Brewery including King of Spain, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, and Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England.

King of Spain

Alas, I only caught the last two songs but they were the artfully crafted electro-folk songs that are now synonymous with Matt Slate.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a holiday weekend, which means one extra day of partying down and supporting the local music scene without fear of a hangover-filled workday to follow. Here’s a quick breakdown of your best live music bets. For a more comprehensive schedule of concerts, check out our Upcoming Events page.

Thursday, July 2
Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England (pictured at right)/Will Quinlan/King of Spain Winter Park singer/songwriter Mike Dunn makes music that evokes freedom and wind in your face. His grabby, anthemic tunes send out a whiff of Americana, but at core they are pure, pop-infused rock ’n’ roll. Dunn pulls from a list of 11 confederates to make up his backing band, the Kings of New England, on any given night. No word on how many will show up at New World for this gig, but the safe bet is it won’t be all 11. Atlanta’s Rick Brantley was formerly on the bill but has been replaced by local one-man experimental rocker, King of Spain (Matt Slate). And Quinlan, well, we all know Quinlan, the dour dean of Tampa Bay’s Americana scene. Thurs., July 2, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7. —ES

Michael McDonald + Boz Scaggs Two of the most popular vocalists of the 1970s join together in a co-bill at Ruth Eckerd. My strong preference is Scaggs, with his round, throaty soul croon. His Silk Degrees (’76) is an unmitigated classic. Lately, Scaggs’ has added standards from the American Songbook to his repertoire, so his show will be a compendium of material over several decades. (Concertgoer alert: He’s going on first; to read more about him, check out the CL feature here.) When McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers in 1975, they went from a guitar-oriented bar band (albeit a slick one) to a Grammy-winning pop outfit dominated by McDonald’s keyboards and syrupy voice. He had a solid solo career in the 1980s, despite the blemish known as “Yah Mo B There.” Thurs., July 02, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $62.50-$103. —Eric Snider

Friday, July 03
Starlight Mints/Evangelicals (pictured at left, photo by Sarah Cass) You might want to take a break from the Hot Dog show and stroll up the street for Starlight Mints, a band out of Norman, Okla. (home of Flaming Lips) that would make a proper co-bill with Sunbears!. The quartet of “pop mutants” brings plenty of whimsy and weirdness to their sound, but never strays from tried-and-true rock verities: hooks, tuneful vocals, muscular rhythms. The band is backboned by synthesizers, but adds playful twists — like the cartoon horns on “Zoomba” from their new album Change Remains. Evangelicals are also from Norman, and sound as if they might’ve been to a few barbecues at Coyne’s house. Fri., July 3, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $8. —ES
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A band of Florida traveling bards and minstrels aka the Citrus Circuit Tour made a stop at New World Brewery on Saturday, featuring Lake Worth’s Truckstop Coffee, Daytona’s Lauris Vidal, Gainesville’s The Takers and Bradento-based Have Gun, Will Travel.

Have Gun, Will Travel

With three new songs and a Tom Petty cover, Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) continues to innovate at each show. Accordingly, HGWT’s set had New World Brewery dancing up a storm and singing their hearts out to old favorites like “When We Were Kings” and “Blessing and a Curse” (affectionately know by fans as “Bop Ba Da” after the chorus that stays in your head all the way home). Read the rest of this entry »

A delightful and talented band of troubadours, Cory Branan, Jon Snodgrass (of Drag the River/Armchair Martian) and Joey Cape (of Lagwagon), stopped in at New World Brewery on a balmy Thursday evening last June 25. The concept behind this tour was to get these three alt-country musicians together on a stage and see what happens in a casual format, kinda like the Revival Tour.

Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan (pictured above) kicked off the festivities by alternating songs and occasionally performing duets – check out “Born Apart.” The audience enthusiastically joined in on their performance, singing along to their favorite tunes like Sondgrass’ “Song for Gibson” and Branan’s “Prettiest Waitress In Memphis.” (MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP.) Read the rest of this entry »

You know what they say, “when it rains, it pours,” and such is the case this week with three shows in four days. While I don’t expect anyone else to adhere to such a rigorous schedule, I do think you can find something you like in one (or more) of these shows. If you do make it out to any, find me and we’ll tell fish tales over a beer.

Wednesday, June 24 @ The Ritz Ybor: Grayson Capps

———–>THIS IS A FREE SHOW<——-—-

I am so excited about this show. Honestly, I just assumed Grayson Capps would never come to Florida. BUT! Here he is and he’s bringing his full band, The Stumppknockers, with him. If the sound of Southern soul mixed with back-country stomp with a little road-house blues sounds like something that might tickle your fancy, you need to get to The Ritz on Thursday night for this show.

When I last wrote about Grayson I said, “I find myself drawn to the drunks, whores and vagabonds that haunt Grayson’s songs. They’re like old friends you keep up with via letters in the mail, and with a new album comes new updates.” It’ll be nice to finally meet this motley crew of characters in person.

Grayson Capps – Going Back To The Country
Grayson Capps – Ike
Grayson Capps – Mermaid
Grayson Capps – Junior & The Old African Queen
(MORE SHOW INFO + MP3s AFTER THE JUMP)
Read the rest of this entry »

Pontiak galloped into New World Brewery this past Thursday, June 11, the exceptional headliner of History’s last show in Tampa supported by King of Spain and Glasgow. Another splendid Thx Mgmt show – thanks Joe.

Pontiak

To get the downlow on Pontiak, check out Eric Snider’s interview with the brothers who make up this band. Live, Pontiak delivers a constantly evolving performance, its members switching instruments (who doesn’t love the impact of double drum sets?) and keeping even the most jaded scenester interested. These mistral brothers are a talented family garnering positive media attention from sources as diverse as Pitchfork and Wired. Read the rest of this entry »

Thx Mgmt brought an all-star Florida rock n’ roll show to New World Brewery last Friday, June 5, featuring Tampa darlings The Beauvilles, Orlando-based Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Jacksonville’s Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies. The master plan was a mini-weekend tour with stops at each of the bands’ hometowns while rotating the headliner spot and introducing the out-of-town bands to new audiences. A grand idea!

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Ed Lowery and friends (which includes the Tampa Two Stroke Scooter Club) threw a benefit concert in support of Mike Formato, a friend injured in a serious scooter accident, at New World Brewery this past Saturday May 30. It was a eclectic evening of music featuring sets by Magadog, Light Yourself on Fire and The Boozers.

Magadog

Magadog is the band that introduced me to ska at the tender age of 16, opening up a parallel universe to the SXE/hardcore scene. When I moved to DC for college, I was surprised to find that the hardcore and ska scenes didn’t interact in any purposeful way like they do here in Tampa. When Magadog broke up, it was very sad … my friends and I had so much fun through the years with them at shows with Checkered Cabs, Skavoovie and The Epitones, The Toasters, The Pietasters and many others. When Magadog reformed in 2007, we were psyched to have them back and so far, we haven’t been disappointed! With one new record out, Sunrise…, and another on the way, Ybor City, Magadog is firmly back in the skank of things. Saturday evening’s performance had the crowd skanking the night away… who doesn’t love a little skaerobics? Read the rest of this entry »

City of Ships sailed into Ybor City last Friday, May 29, and headlined a New Granada Show at New World Brewery with Tampa favorites Guiltmaker and Gainesville-based Liquid Limbs.

City of Ships

Currently hailing from Richmond, Va., City of Ships produces a unique brand of heavy yet clever post-hardcore rock. Live, the band delivers a mega sound that is LOUD … the last time my ears felt like this (i.e., as if they were bleeding) was after a Deadguy/108 show in the mid-’90s. With long hair, and some strategic fan placement, the headbanging was ON. But to call City of Ships a headbanging rock band means you are missing the point. Their music is complex and incorporates a variety of musical influences all rolled up in a unique package. They are one of the few bands that you love listening to both on disc and live. City of Ships has a new record due out on July 21, 2009, Look What God Did To Us (Translation Loss Records), and they are touring extensively this summer across the US and Europe. In the meantime, check out their myspace page for teaser songs. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, Photographer Phil and I played Heatwave Hopscotch, skipping from stage to stage, pausing longer at some than at others though never staying long enough to get comfortable in any one place, and having a grand old time all along the way.

We cruised into Heatwave around 9 p.m., missing the monsoon and arriving just in time to catch a snatch of blues guitarist Michael Burks at the Bandshell before we landed in the Cantina for Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa. (Kinobe pictured, photo by Phil Bardi.)

We were in our spot two seconds and one sip into our drinks before we were befriended by a pair of jolly 40ish Bradenton gals (I nicknamed them Angel and Curly), who immediately pushed a few Ace’s Lounge cards on us, then admitted to being friends with the owner. Angel went on to extol all Ace’s virtues (she called it the “Skipper’s Smokehouse of Bradenton”) and about the hotel conveniently located right across the street, the Jimmy Buffett-themed Parrot Inn. You could virtually make a night of it – see a show at the famed Ace’s, stumble over to the Parrot and get a room, hit Bradenton Beach the next day if your head’s still attached. (Angel admitted she’d already booked a room for Red Elvises in October.) Then she and Phil started chatting about photography and her husband’s new hobby of taking pics of the sky through his mega-high tech telescope, and how Saturn was so clear right now that you could see its moons. When Phil ducked away to take pics, Angel latched onto me, and told me about how excited she was to see some world music, the greatness of what we were seeing while we were seeing it, the lady who scooted into the huge spot in front of us and whether she was a temporary or permanent stopper. I ran into Van, spotted a dude who was a deadringer for Donald Sutherland, enjoyed a few songs worth of the warm and buoyant Ugandan music, then snagged Phil and dragged him to the Ballroom. (Many more pics and tidbits after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

The early evening monsoon that struck Saturday had the bands at New World Brewery running late. No worries, the music never really stopped, and though the rains would let up, the crowd would not. Packed in on the porch, those in attendance witnessed some of the best central Florida music.

The first set I caught was by the so-called “folk experimental” threesome of Lauris Vidal. The instruments may have been experimental and folk based — Vidal played everything from a homemade, wooden slide guitar to an electric banjo — but these guys are a crisp, blues-rock band. What sets them apart, though, is their use of dub & reggae influences to create a more syncopated sound.

Roppongi’s Ace rocked the mustaches off faces with their style of southern rock. I missed Ted Lukas and the Misled for some Cuban Club acts, but got back to catch the start of Will Quinlan and the Diviners’ set. These guys — simply put — are good shit. GreyMarket changed the pace, breaking out a light show & laptops to turn in a quite excellent guitar & drum driven electro rock set. (Pictured: GreyMarket guitarist Cave McCoy; photo by Phil Bardi, no glow added.)

The Sheiks played a solid, but ultimately unmemorable post-rock set giving way to a surprise late-night show featuring Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apacolypso. They opened up Heatwave at the Ballroom stage — I’m not sure how that set went over, but 1:30 a.m. at a still raging New World felt like a better time slot for the high-energy — and highly dirty — ska band. Read the rest of this entry »

CL’s choice picks for this weekend in music.

Friday, May 08
What was it that Deiter said on Sprockets? Oh yeah … “Your story has grown tiresome.” I can see this gimmicky show — Unwigged & Unplugged: An evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, which features the three now-silver-haired comedians who made up Spinal Tap performing acoustic — as getting real old real fast. Let’s hope the trio doesn’t think that just the songs can carry the day; they’d better have some funny shtick in there, or I could see this thing being a waste of time. Then again, I could be wrong. Still, one wonders: What happens when you run an acoustic guitar through an amp and turn the amp up to 11? Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, $36.50-$49.50. —ES

Post rock meets experimental electronica by instrumental Los Angeles duo El Ten Eleven (pictured). Made up of Kristian Dunn (fretless bass, guitar/bass doubleneck) and Tim Fogarty (electric drums, acoustic drums, synthesizers), El Ten Eleven employs heavy looping and much effects pedal-pushing to create its fuzzified, lively brand of dance music. Also performing: Surly, The Tape Delay and Ghost of Gloria. Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City, $8 in advance/$10 DOS. —LP

It’s only fitting that Nashville’s Kings of Leon have graduated to playing arenas — although the Sun Dome is pretty small in that regard — because their sound has morphed from a garage-y immediacy to, yup, more of an arena-style bombast. “Sex on Fire,” the first single from KoL’s current album, Only by the Night, casts a U2-ish hue. The shift must be working: Only by the Night ascended to No. 5 on the Billboard 200, besting 2007’s Because of the Times by 20 slots. For more, read CL’s interview with guitarist Matthew Followill here. Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., USF Sun Dome, Tampa, $35.50 and $43. —ES Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday found a distilled presence at New World Brewery!

Whiskey & Co. headlined a fine evening of Americana along with Will Quinlan & The Diviners and Matt Butcher this past Saturday, April 25. The show was hosted by Thx Mgmt. (More pics and info about the show after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

Austin-by-way-of-Orlando’s New Roman Times were on their best game this past Saturday, April 18, at New World Brewery as they celebrated the release of their full-length, On The Sleeve, on New Granada Records. Frequently compared with indie greats like The Pixies, Versus and Sonic Youth, NRT successfully fuses quality songwriting with dance-worthy guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll.

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t give stoners an excuse to stay home, they’ll take you up on it just about every time. Exams approaching, play-off basketball, a sluggish economy and, well, it was Monday night on 4/20 after all.  Those who ventured out to New World Brewery Monday night were treated to the awesomeness that is The Show Is The Rainbow.

TSITR’s compact set was comprised entirely from his new album Wet Fist, including “Made of Cardboard,” “Roar Means Run,” “Who He Say He Is” (with Kurt Cobain and Slash video), “Come Dry Your Flower” and “Whisper At Once.” Darren Keen is the one man, tour-de-force behind TSITR. He grew up on classic rock and Frank Zappa, moving onto punk rock and gangster rap as a teen. Now, he’s making an exhilarating mix of tripped-out, indie hip-hop. His shows — often just him with a guitar, computer and video projector — are a captivating, sweaty solo dance party.  Shirtless, uncut and sporting long locks, Keen refuses to submit to the unspoken line between performer and fan. Running up and down the covered porch of New World, Keen spent most of his time directly in the faces of the sparse crowd, encouraging dancing, banter and on-your-knees guitar and/or air guitar solo’s that stretch your belly flat. (Photo by Phil Bardi.)

Fellow Nebraskans Beep Beep followed, with Keen (also a member of Beep Beep) taking up duties on bass and keys. Seeing Beep Beep was like watching my new favorite blog — lookatthisfuckinghipster — coming to life. They were good enough, but if they were as good as they were awkward, then their set could have been special.

This Monday, April 20 (yes stoners, it’s 420), AES and New World Brewery welcome Omaha’s Beep Beep and The Show is The Rainbow along with Tampa’s own Win Win Winter and DJs Mini Horse and 2C opening. The electro-rock of Beep Beep alone is worth a trip to Ybor, which is now touring in support of its second album Enchanted Islands. Hell, Win Win Winter and the NWB bartenders are worth the drive.

But I have a feeling the second act is going to steal the show. For a sneak peek and some wicked videos, check out TSiTR’s YouTube channel. Last fall, The Show is The Rainbow came to St. Pete and opened for The Faint at Jannus Landing. Here’s what I to say about that particular performance: Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the pick of the litter from our Upcoming Concerts pace. To see the complete list, click here.

Friday, April 03
The Zou w/Bang Bang Boom/The Pauses. The Youngstown, Ohio-brewed Zou (pictured) makes progressive alt-meets-art rock with a bluesy grittiness and dark lyrical stylings like “I will feel the same until they lower my pine box.” Fat n’ fuzzy basslines, two guitars alternating between heavy distorted riffs and thin, jagged ribbons of siren-piercing licks, a trill of keys or blast of synths, and a vocalist who alternately sings, rap-chants, and hits powerful, affected high notes ala Serj Tankian of System of a Down. Pretty great stuff. Fri., April 3, 8 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7. —LP

Bay Area Beat Maiden Showcase feat. Ronny Elliot/Rebekah Pulley/Blind Buddy Moody. A local showcase presented in celebration of the release of a new local-centric music rag, Bay Area Beat. Fri., April 3, 8 p.m., Pro Star Soundstage, St. Petersburg, $6. —LP

Ben Folds W/Jukebox the Ghost Ben Folds has a knack for producing some of the most catchy-without-being-saccharine, dry-humored piano-driven pop ballads out there, though he has his share of maudlin and melancholy moments. He’s released three full-length solo albums since his amicable break from Ben Folds Five in 2000, including last year’s Way to Normal. Funny story about that album – it was leaked a few months before the actual release date on a fan site. All those who heard it thought it to be a legitimate copy, but the joke was on them; Folds revealed in a radio interview a few weeks later that he and the band had recorded fake versions of all the songs from Way to Normal in a single overnight session in Dublin and then “leaked” the fake to the public. (I’ve actually heard debates about whether the fake is better than the real.) Folds is one hell of a dynamic showman – I saw him hold a crowd of 10,000 in thrall at Langerado last year – and he hasn’t stopped in town solo for quite some time, so this is a performance you don’t want to miss. Folds-influenced upbeat indie pop rock trio Jukebox the Ghost opens. Fri., April 3, 8 p.m., The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City, $31.50. —LP Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not every day we’re lucky enough to see a veritable folk legend at New World Brewery — especially not one with a career as illustrious as Country Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin. On Friday, Mr. Louvin and his band graced New World Brewery with a special performance. At 82, Mr. Louvin tours regularly, releases new records and continues to inspire a new generation of musicians. He effortlessly connects with an all-ages audience by weaving stories and running commentary in between songs in a manner that most musicians can’t even dream of pulling off. Most of us can only dream of being this cool at any point in our lives — let alone at 82.

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Lucero played a long, raucous set Friday night at New World Brewery, plowing steadfastly through their extensive catalog while managing to thoroughly engage a sold-out audience. Lucero’s regular band members are Roy Berry (drums), Ben Nichols (vocals/guitar), John C. Stubblefield (bass) and Brian Venable (guitar). On this tour, they are joined by Todd Beene (pedal steel) and Rick Steff (keyboard/accordion).

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A relatively new indie outfit from Louisiana, Brass Bed crafts sprightly folk-infused psyche pop flavored with ‘60s rock textures (tambourine, garage fuzzy riffs, mellow rolling interludes, Beach Boy harmonies). The songs are quirky-catchy and easy to enjoy, and 2008’s Midnight Matinee is a nice slice of upbeat. I hear they put on a pretty good show, too, and tonight’s probably perfect for some courtyard musical enjoyment. Mumpsy and The Junkyard Kings provide open the show. 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Tampa, $9 (21 and up).

Danny McGuire
Polk City is damn far from Tampa and it’s further from St Petersburg. Somehow, the only person I know who lives in Polk City, Danny McGuire, makes it to more shows in the Tampa/Orlando metropolitan area than anyone who lives in either town. Whether playing shows in any of his many bands, hawking genres for beer, or just attending and documenting with a little digital camera, Danny gets around. His main vehicle, the weirdo rock Pixies meets Ween juxtaposed by some Nirvana/Butthole Surfers action, Waterdigger, hasn’t played a show in a while because of drunk drama between the members. Volatile and out-of-control (rumor has it they’re banned from the New World Brewery), Waterdigger remains the only band that covered “Sweet Home Alabama” and turned it into a song I liked.

It’s not like McGuire sits around and waits for his mates to stop hating each other and get together — he just plays his songs in one of his five or 10 other bands. Improv crap guitar noisemakers turned repetative songsters (and usually still both), Thee Heidlecrumbs shock as much as they entertain.

Reworked Waterdigger songs, cosmic freak outs and other sounds comprise their latest sets. This band’s main other contributing member, Kat(hleen) Magyar, embodies an inspiring punk aesthetic — the confidence to play in front of people without any formal training and very little (but growing amounts of) experience. Their music should make school-learned musicians hang up their flutes and take up accounting. Insulting, hilarious songs about your granny and mother mixed with heartfelt introspection and anger explode out of McGuire’s unusual brain.

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Like Joe Hawley (of Tally Hall), I’m also fond of the classic yet progressive rock ‘n’ roll band, The Parlor Mob (Pictured).

Their album And You Were A Crow was released March ‘08, the band’s first under the moniker “The Parlor Mob.” This New Jersey five-piece may share a record label with Nickleback (Roadrunner Records), but please don’t hold that against them. They are not creating song after hokey song that all sound the same. They are genuinely expressing themselves and enjoying every minute. Guitarist Dave Rosen explains their performance style quite well:

“At no point are we going through the motions. We don’t concentrate on making things sound like the record. It’s free-form for us. We consider ourselves a live band. People are going to get all of our energy.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Cigar City Tattoo Convention took over Ybor City’s Cuban Club this past weekend and brought much more than tattoos, including some special musical guests. Friday night’s lineup included Drag The River, Joey Cape, Whiskey & Co, Tim Version and Nessie. Murphy’s Law meant there was also a great show at New World Brewery featuring Life of Pi, Military Junior and Blast and The Detergents. I bounced back and forth between the venues and captured some fun moments. Links to complete photo sets are at the bottom of the post.

Nessie at The Cuban Club

Nessie is Joey Neill (bass/vocals), Joe Going (drums) & Scott Harrell (vocals/guitar)

Tim Version at The Cuban Club

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Have Gun, Will Travel performing at New World Brewery Sat., Dec. 27.

After the Radon show , I skedaddled over to New World Brewery just in time to catch Have Gun, Will Travel in another fine Thx Mgmt-hosted bill. HGWT is consistently one of my favorite live acts because they continue to innovate each time I see them with fresh improvisations on their material and inevitably a new song or two. Read the rest of this entry »

In Commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day, when everyone commonly gathered together and celebrated in various ways. (When I lived in Dublin, Ireland, I got to see Mummers perform on the post-holiday holiday.)  Sadly, in Tampa, we don’t have Mummers but thanks to THX MGMT, we were treated to a great night of local music featuring Geri X, Rec Center, Sons of Hippies, and The Actomatics. Read the rest of this entry »

Hankshaw & Friends

The annual New Granada Christmas Show at New World Brewery featuring King of Spain, Davey von Bohlen, Hankshaw and Jarvik 7 was a splendid night of reunions with a grand soundtrack.  The show has a reputation for unique elements (including in past years the reunions of Scrog, Pohgoh and appearances by elusive bands like The Blackwoods Orchestra) and it’s a place to meet up with friends from near and far.

King of Spain… Read the rest of this entry »

1. Catatonic Youth – Piss Scene 7″ (HoZac Records): A scaberous three-track debut with fuzzed-out vocals, chunky basslines, garage guitar and weird noises to boot! This underground band pressed 500 copies of their single and sold out already; pressure them to make more! I am always attracted to boredom lyrics like “Nothing in this town nothing in this town nothing in this town.” The best rock n’ roll lyrics are 100% indispensable and 100% throwaway garbage at the same time.

2. Pierced Arrows – In My Brain/Caroline 7″ (Tombstone): The latest from ex-Dead Moon husband-and-wife duo with a different drummer still unrelentlessly encourages everyone and their sister to start a band with lo-fi rock n’ roll voodoo magic. Fred Cole has been putting out records since 1964 or so, making him the only figure from the ’60s garage rock scene to hear punk rock, understand it and do his own thing with it.

3. The Hospitals – Hairdryer Peace (self-released): The Hospitals’ second record combines sheer noise and cacophony with echoey vocals that are run through more processors than I’d like to think about. Not immediately accessible (but not snobby either), The Hospitals bash out their version of rock n’ roll like a post-apocalyptic mutant stepchild of the future throwing a shitfit, but somehow taking the time to ask some questions at the same time. Not looking back, Hairdryer Peace formally picks up the unenviable task of destroying music left over from their last record. A little more cohesively this time, I might add. Read the rest of this entry »

After several days of family togetherness and gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers, Saturday evening at New World Brewery was a welcome respite brought to us by THX Mgmt.  The show featured a diverse group of Florida bands: Beardsley,  Incredible Crisis, Zillionaire, and Sunbears! I got there a bit late after being distracted playing trucks with my friend’s three year old so I missed Beardsley… but I did manage to capture the rest of the bands.

Incredible Crisis

This was my first time seeing this band and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.

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Dumbwaiters, Woven and Kingsbury @ New World Brewery 11/22/08

On a rather chilly Saturday night, Tampa’s New Granada Presents put together a show like only they can. Orlando’s Kingsbury drove over to serve up a most excellent set of atmospheric rock. Woven, from Los Angeles, brought more effect pedals on tour than most bands would know what to do with. And last but not least, Tampa’s long-running and highly reclusive Dumbwaiters came out of hiding just long enough to remind us why they are (and have been) one of the area’s best bands.

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New World Brewery on a Saturday night boasts a healthy built in-crowd of conversationalists and music lovers.  Even with the threatening cold snap on the horizon and very little local media coverage, quite a few people made it out to support the local post-punk rock band Dumbwaiters and show promoter New Granada Presents.

With the audience drinking cold beer while huddling, humping or gyrating near conveniently located space heaters on the New World patio, I wondered how many people got drawn away from this local show to see the moldy blues rock of Johnny “I played at Woodstock” Winter at Jannus Landing or Guns N’ Roses’ heroes Nazareth crust rocking at the Largo Cultural Center.  Probably none, but our continued cultural emphasis on these old bohemoths roaming the lands and garnering top dollar for performances of contrived, dated music marketed for the sake of nostalgia gets under my skin…

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Thursday was a busy night for the Tampa music scene with pre-Gainesville Fest shows taking place at New World Brewery, Crowbar, Transitions Art Gallery at SPOT and The Springs Theater… it was tough to choose just one show but Drag The River, Two Cow Garage, Nessie and Brahm Bones at New World Brewery won out.

Drag the River

Two Cow Garage

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Editor’s note: Pictures and text by Nicole Kibert.

Palantine’s Melee CD release party at New World Brewery in Ybor City on Sat., Oct. 18, proved a bit frightening (see haunting Halloween decorations).  Luckily, the evening did not turn into an actual melee, affray or fracas. Rather, it was a night filled with some of the best rock Tampa Bay has to offer.

The Gleaming Amoebas opened the show (sadly I missed their set – I heard they were good and really how could a band that mixes flamenco and indie rock not be?).

Next up, The Semis (Billy Summer, Matt Simmons, Don Butler and Cristian). The foursome delivered a high-energy set of rad hair metal and winningly dirty power pop!

As Palantine (live: Vinnie Cosentino, Brian Johnson and Jeff Fox) took the stage, people gathered around in expectation of a catchy, melodic-yet-guitar-heavy set.  As their MySpace suggests, the band is best enjoyed at full volume, and this act showed they were well worth the effort to make it out on a drizzling Saturday evening, even while the Tampa Bay Rays battled in the playoffs.

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