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Concerts, Nov. 28-Dec. 4.
by Leilani Polk
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Heffron Drive feat. Kendall Schmidt w/Eric Dash/Ariana & The Rose Not much happening on Thanksgiving Day, because once your tummy’s full of turkey and trimmings, it’s damn difficult to budge from that cozy spot on the sofa. But if you start feeling antsy, the Steelers-Ravens game isn’t doing it for you, or (more likely than both of those), your daughter's a diehard fans of Nickelodeon’s soon-to-be-canceled show Big Time Rush and the boy band of the same name it spawned, Orpheum presents Heffron Drive. BTR lead singer Kendall Schmidt — who has a high youthful vocal quality with an emo-nasally tone — and BTR touring guitarist Dustin Belt comprise Heffron Drive, named for the street they both lived on when they first met back in ’08 and re-launched this fall after four years of inactivity. The duo plays early material and fresher pop-tronic rock odes on their first U.S. tour. High-class showmanship courtesy of Kendall. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
A$AP Ferg & The A$AP Mob w/Joey Fatts/Aston Matthews/OverDoz Yes, it’s another A$AP — there’s a whole mob of them, dontcha know? (The acronym actually stands for ‘Always Strive And Prosper,’ the outlook of the Harlem-based A$AP Mob hip-hop collective.) A$AP Mob’s current rising rhyme-slinging star (after A$AP Rocky) is gold-grill sporting A$AP Ferg, aka Darold Ferguson Jr., a 25-year-old rapper who just issued a well-regarded debut through RCA, Trap Lord. This is his first headlining tour, and he’s joined by his Mob compadres. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Love & Life Party w/The Freestylers/DJ Lace/Funk Lab/Mike Nice/MC Cles1/many more A new presence has taken up residence in the nightclub space formerly occupied by Empire. Pressure Ybor has been serving the EDM-loving public since opening its doors in September. The rave-up party planners of Love & Light present this latest event, billed as “A celebration of love, life, friends and family.” London-bred production outfit The Freestylers (Matt Cantor and Aston Harvey currently joined by third member Chris Bishop) head up the festivities, backing fifth and latest album The Coming Storm, and firing off mixes that draw on bass music, urban electro house, breakbeats, dubstep and lightly discofied dance. (Pressure Nightclub, Ybor City)
Mindless Behavior Surfing atop the waves of boy band groups spawned from the ‘00s is Mindless Behavior, more in the vein of Another Bad Creation than Backstreet Boys with their electro-bouncing hip-pop tendencies and high-toned sweet harmonies crooning sticky lovesick tracks like R&B charters “My Girl” and “Mrs. Right.” (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Nofucksgiving w/Abortion Twins/Fall on Purpose/Jormundgandr/Stereo-Type/Architect Of Infinity Some of us are giving thanks for the holiday weekend; others are exclaiming, “Fuck giving, let’s rock!” (Or, this is what I imagine when I see bills like this on the calendar.) Leading the thankless festivities are Abortion Twins, a cheeky raging five-piece spewing songs like “Cocksucker in a 3-Piece Suit” and “Portuguese Breakfast” (if you knew what it was, you’d be disgusted); this is the last show featuring drummer-bassist team Spaz and Jonny. Other highlights include the ska-fused variety show rock of Fall on Purpose, and the self-styled “melodic Viking Jedi death metal” of Jormundgandr (their material touches on Star Wars and Vikings, sometimes simultaneously). (Brass Mug, Tampa)
Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus After a memorable set warming the stage for piano howler Jason D. Williams, Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus makes their way back over from Florida’s East Coast to deliver a full-scale Skipperdome showing. Their blend of jumping blues, jiving swing and retro shuffling rockabilly twang is marked by dual Gresch guitar tones and the rich throaty drawl of the quintet’s leading lady as joined by the smokier masculine harmonies of her axe-wielding on-stage counterpart. Material includes classic vintage tunes by Eddie Cochran, Slim Gaillard and Wanda Jackson as well as numbers by more modern artists like Squirrel Nut Zippers and Imelda May. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones Detroit-bred, Bradenton-based Deming plays a mean blues guitar and belts out resonant vocals over his band’s shuffling, harp-blasted sound, which also draws on elements of Texas swing, country roots and rockabilly. (Hideaway Café& Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)
James Tristan Redding w/Troy Petty With just an acoustic guitar, breathy warm croons or ragged howls, and solo material full of poignant and profound lyrical musings ala debut full-length Walking Into Brooklyn, James Tristan Redding has been reeling in fans beyond those drawn from his late alt-country band Union Pulse, whether he’s listing all the reasons why “My Dad is a Bad Ass” or waxing poetic about the nature of women (“A Girl Name Elizabeth”). (The Hub, Tampa)
The Florida Orchestra Presents the Music of Pink Floyd This year marks the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and The Florida Orchestra honors the occasion with a revival of the most popular program in its Rock Concert Series arsenal. A full band led by Zebra guitarist/vocalist Randy Jackson plays tunes from Dark Side as well as select cuts from The Wall and A Momentary Lapse of Reason, with full symphonic backing by TFO. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)
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Koffin Kats w/New Cathedral/Housebroken/The Upshots/Redliners Combat boot-kicking street punk collides with cheeky rowdy psychobilly in the fast, hard-driving, hell-raising sounds of The Koffin Kats. The Detroit three-piece (fronted by booming vocalist/upright bass banger Vic Victor) infuses some riffy metal flavor into seventh and latest studio album, Born of the Motor, a sonic homage to their hometown and its blue-collar roots. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Zulu Wave/Hussar/Mountain Holler/Kyle Chason and The Swindlin’ Hearts/Madame Albatross A five-pack of locally-brewed talent featuring darkly experimental/avant alt rock quartet Zulu Wave; eerie howling, acoustic guitar battering roots rocker Mountain Holler (Mark Etherington, of set and setting and RedFeather); alt country-folk rock group Kyle Chason and The Swindlin’ Hearts, its namesake also the bassist in Can’t Do It; indie prog/post-rock quartet Hussar, featuring the fiercely magnetic vocals of frontwoman Emily Turnage; and soulful jazz trio Madame Albatross. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30
Kanye West w/Kendrick Lamar Whether you think his music is an act of God or preposterously overblown, you can’t deny that rapper, producer, fashionisto and overall hip-hop superstar Kanye West has staying power and he’s maintained enough public interest to keep his multi-million dollar career in check, despite any questionable or downright controversial life choices “Kimye” may make. He might be self-assured to a fault, but his platinum album sales give him good reason to be, with five out of six topping the Billboard charts (including this year’s Yeezus), and his artistic integrity is ostensibly intact, even if his attempts to evolve and outdo himself (bringing on Daft Punk to produce some tracks, incorporating Chicago house and trap music sounds while sampling artists ranging from Nina Simone to Beenie Man, tapping unexpected guests like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon) aren’t always embraced. For a little while, it seemed like his Tampa date might not happen after a tour bus accident destroyed an essential component of Kanye’s stage show (a 60-foot LED screen and its truss). But everything is back on track and the “Yeezus Tour” will land as scheduled. High caliber warm-up comes courtesy of Kendrick Lamar. Check out his guest spot on Big Sean’s “Control” to hear just what I’m talking about. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
COPE w/Savi Fernandez Tampa Bay’s favorite jam-rock stalwarts, COPE, have been playing around town for more than a decade, though the current lineup was only solidified this year, with brothers Kenny and Dennis Stadelman, and keys and sax player Juan “Juanjamon” Montero joined by drummer Brad Elliott in March following Dave Gerulat’s departure. Seems to be working out well; the foursome have been gigging pretty regularly since the personnel change, and even played their third Bear Creek Festival a few weekends ago. Keep up the good work, guys! (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
Genitorturers “20 Years of Depravity” Anniversary Show If you’ve been around long enough to remember when Orlando-spawned Genitorturers first burst onto the scene with their heavy industrial sounds and X-rated sadomasochistic stage show, then you just might want to come out and raise a glass to Gen, the petite Mistress of Depraved Ceremonies, as she celebrates the 20th anniversary of 120 Days of Genitorture. Gen is joined by original 120-era players (including shred maniac Jerry Outlaw) and dusts off some old school pain-wreaking implements (like ‘The Rack’) for this exclusive one-night show, which will encompass the entirety of 120 Days as well as select tracks from other recordings. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)
Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour Smooth jazz saxman Dave Koz returns for his yearly holiday stop in Clearwater, and this go-round, the ‘friends’ who join him include a few distinguished R&B-gospel artists — soulful singer Oleta Adams and South African guitarist Jonathan Butler (who just issued his first seasonal LP, Merry Christmas To You) — along with Japanese born pianist/composer/producer, Keiko Matsui. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 01
Trans Siberian Orchestra Lasers, light shows, pyrotechnics, video projections, theatric guitar and violin gymnastics, Broadway-style narratives, holiday tunes transformed into symphony-backed prog odysseys — yep, it’s the annual stop of Trans Siberian Orchestra. This year, TSO marks 15 years on the road with one last encore presentation of their Charles Dickens-inspired NYC-set multi-platinum rock opera, The Lost Christmas Eve, which includes the infamously shredded instrumental, “Wizards in Winter.” Cuts from last year’s Dreams of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night) EP and TSO’s debut, Christmas Eve & Other Stories, are also on tap for the two (3 and 7:30 p.m.) shows. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa)
Angel Olsen She has odd-lovely vocals with a light vibrato and phrasing that sometimes sounds as if she’s gulping her words or regurgitating them up. Missouri indie folk singer-songwriter Angel Olsen last hit Mojo supporting Bonnie 'Prince' Billy’s Cairo Gang in 2011. She returns for another free in-store, solo, hyping a forthcoming second full-length, Burn Your Fire for No Witness. (Mojo Books & Records, Tampa)
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 03
Bonnie Raitt w/Paul Brady The rusty-drawling, red-headed blues songstress with the slide guitar chops won the Best Americana Album award at the 2013 Grammys for her first new full-length in seven years, 2012’s Slipstream, made up of songs written by other artists and delivered with Bonnie Raitt’s usual relaxed class. In addition to receiving across the board accolades (Rolling Stone called it “a loose and adventurous reminder of everything she does well” and named it one of the 50 best albums last year), Slipstream was also the best-selling blues LP of 2012 and its support tour earned Bonnie Raitt a whopping $11.3 million; she hits Clearwater on her next go-round. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 04
Yanni The world’s most illustrious purveyor of contemporary pop-classical music (he’s rejected the ‘New Age’ label though it fits him so snugly) — Greek composer, producer Yanni brings his lush arrangements and full backing orchestra to the Hall, playing on two consecutive nights (Wednesday and Thursday). (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Needle to the Groove w/DJs Casper, LeSage and Charlie Chase Ol’ Dirty Sundays’ resident DJs Casper and LeSage have united with Cold Crush Brothers former Charlie Chase to deliver a hump-day vinyl throwdown of funk, disco and boogie, set to occur every first Wednesday of the month; this is the inaugural edition. (The Social Club, Ybor City)
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