Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 8, 2009, at 5:10 pm
Here’s a quick breakdown of your best live music bets for the upcoming weekend. Yes, we count Thursday, because that’s when the weekend really starts, right? I mean, for those of us who pretend it’s just a second Friday… For a more comprehensive schedule of concerts, check out our Upcoming Events page.
Thursday, July 09 Don Chambersw/Urbane Cowboys/Roppongi’s Ace/Al TorchiaDon Chambers (pictured) sings in a raspy drawl, plays banjo with electric guitar aggression, and writes Southern gothic narratives about death, heartbreak, and other grim topics set against slinky Southern-fried roots rock that crackles and burns with a fiery intensity. Last September, with his Athens, Ga.-based band GOAT, Chambers released his fourth album, Zebulon, which was co-produced by the Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood and featured on NPR’s Second Stage. Chambers has been likened to Tom Waits and Johnny Cash, and both are adequate, if not accurate, comparisons. Chambers performs solo (sans GOAT) at two shows on either side of the Bay: at New World Brewery on Thursday with Urbane Cowboys, Roppongi’s Ace and Al Torchia, and on Friday at The Garage in St. Petersburg with support acts TBA), and also appears on Studio 10 Friday morning. Thurs., July 9, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City; and Fri., July 10, The Garage, St. Petersburg. Both shows are $6. —LP
Friday, July 10
PBS (Porter Baptiste Stoltz) Ever since The Meters, New Orleans has had a tradition of turning out funky trios. PBD includes stalwarts of the Crescent City: bassist George Porter Jr., drummer Russell Batiste and guitarist Brian Stoltz. Their vocals are serviceable, but their musicianship and way with a groove are really the reason to see them. Standback opens. Fri., July 10, 8:30 p.m., Ace’s Lounge, Bradenton, $15 in advance/$18. —ESRead the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on May. 7, 2009, at 11:12 am
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. —ESRead the rest of this entry »
Leilani joins Stephen and Joran in the studio to welcome Jim Morey and his band as they perform two tracks live and talk about their strange brand of Neo-ragtime, NOLA jazz, stumblin’ roots rock.
Yes, they brought in a monkey, and yes, we got it on video.
Download the MP3s of Gypsy Wind and Wishing Well after the break.
It was a long time coming for session number six, but well worth it, as Clearwater-based hard rockers Soulfound join Joran and Stephen in the studio to talk about playing locally and nationally, recording and playing together for a decade and their decision to go on hiatus. They also bring their amps and put them to good use. MP3s of Temper Temper, Occupation and Looking For Me can be downloaded below the jump, along with pics.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 25, 2009, at 4:20 am
For this week’s forthcoming Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing maps out the best of the best of the Bay area’s Internet community. Here is one of our featured music sites; to see the rest, click here.
Aestheticized Presents, State Media, THX MGMT
Who runs them: Aestheticized is owned and operated by longtime indie scene promoter and stalwart Jack Spatafora, who books shows at Crowbar but also works with State Theatre, Czar and New World Brewery. State Media (aka No Clubs Productions) is managed by area show-promo veterans Tony Rifugiato and Dave Hundley; State Media promotes and stages shows at State Theatre, Orpheum, The Ritz Ybor and, less frequently, Jannus Landing. And the newest to the scene, Joe D’Acunto and THX MGMT, has been bringing some noteworthy, taste-of-the-moment acts to Tampa venues like Crowbar, New World Brewery and Orpheum.
Why you need them: These three are powerhouses when it comes to bringing the hottest up-and-coming Pitchfork.com-beloved indie and major label pop and rock acts to the Bay area’s smaller (1,500 or less) venues. Anyone who considers themselves music followers should probably check their sites on a regular basis. As added bonuses, Aestheticized bills certain shows as “essential” and usually offers details as to why these shows should not be missed, while State Media hosts MP3s by all of its upcoming acts on its website.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Mar. 24, 2009, at 2:36 pm
For this week’s forthcoming Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing is mapping out the Bay area’s Internet community. Here is one of our featured music sites:
The Merry Andrews
Who runs it: A 20-something trio of passionate but playful Bay area indie rock aficionados: Aly Carr (whom we’ve recruited as a contributor to our own music blog, Tampa Calling), Ashley Renee and Marc Karimi. They co-host a weekly internet radio show and a website that spotlights underground and indie bands with interviews, tour info, in-studio performances and MP3s. (Proof they don’t take themselves too seriously: A “Merry Andrew” is an Old English synonym for clown.)
Why you need it: If you want to know anything about up-and-coming indie rock and pop groups, this is the site for you. Though Aly, Ashley and Marc don’t limit themselves to acts that are coming through town, you can count on finding something about said acts (and music clips) on the Merry Andrews site. (Pictured below: Ashley, Marc and Aly; photo by Kenzie Shores.)
If you’re having a difficult time spotting Artur Dyjecinski in a crowded room, just look for the guy in the cowboy shirt with the super bad-ass mustache. Then, once you find him, ask him to tell you about all of the places that you want to travel to, because it’s almost guaranteed he has been to them and can tell you where the party is at.
Artur was born in Poland, moved to Canada when he was two, then later relocated to England and is now pondering the idea of moving to Australia after touring the United States and France.
It all started when Artur picked up the guitar for the first time at age eight. He booked his first gig covering Bob Marley songs at age 13, and to this day has still never had a formal music lesson.
If he isn’t interesting enough to you yet, get this: Artur’s day jobs include creating and selling his art and using his Masters degree in Mathematics to run statistics for banks.
Ultimately, Case says, the songs on Middle Cyclone are more about the universal need for love, regardless of what form it may take.
“What other people might call ‘love songs,’ I think of as homages,” she says. “They can be to a person, a region, a feeling, even sad feelings.”
In addition to 12 new tracks, Case also covers two songs on Middle Cyclone: “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” by Sparks, and “Don’t Forget Me” by Harry Nilsson.
Middle Cyclone was produced by Case, with Darryl Neudorf, and recorded in Tucson, Brooklyn, Toronto and Vermont. It features Case, backed by her core band: guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, and drummer Barry Mirochnick. She’s also joined by a number of guests, including M. Ward, Garth Hudson, Sarah Harmer and members of The New Pornographers, Los Lobos, Calexico, The Sadies, Visqueen, The Lilys and Giant Sand.
For session #4, Joran and Stephen welcome Tampa’s Hat Trick Heroes into the studio to talk about their new album Push It Forward, recorded in Nashville with producer John McBride. The band also perform three tracks: Cemetery Lane, Stuck in a Hole and Wild Turkey.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jan. 9, 2009, at 12:54 pm
Friday, Jan. 09 Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, one of two self-monikered jazz-funk ensembles led by West Coast flutist/saxophonist/vocalist Karl Denson, brings the dance party to State Theatre. The fun kicks off with Ft. Lauderdale jammers The Heavy Pets.
The multi-day Cigar City Tattoo Conventionhas filled the many floors of Ybor City’s Cuban Club in with all manner of diversions, including a packed bill of live music. Tonight, it’s alt-country ensemble Drag the River, a twangy project of punk-rockers Chad Price (singer and bassist of ALL) and Jon Snodgrass (former guitarist and singer of Armchair Martian). Support comes from San Francisco singer/songwriter/Lagwagon frontmanJoey Cape. Orpheum hosts a Saturday evening Tattoo Convention After Party with locals Rude Squad, Surly, Party Time and The Redliners.
Saturday, Jan. 10 Music day two of the Cigar City Tattoo Conventionfeatures North Carolina rockabilly troubadour Unknown Hinson (aka Stuart Daniel Baker, pictured), a freaky solo artist who offers a sort of onstage B-horror-movie shtick; Red Rocket Deluxe provides support. Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, July 09
It was a long time coming for session number six, but well worth it, as Clearwater-based hard rockers 
