Lots of diverse live music happening on both sides of Tampa Bay. A breakdown for Saturday and Sunday below...SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
Crosby, Stills & Nash I’ve never been filled with as much delight, amusement and downright love from a Late Night bit as I was when David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash joined Jimmy Fallon-as-Neil Young for a CSNY-ified rendition of Iggy Azalea’s rap anthem, “Fancy” The songwriting trio delivered the usual tight vocal harmonies on the chorus and more hilariously, on the bridge (“Trash the hotel, let’s get drunk on the mini bar, feels so good getting what I want”), all of it eventually devolving into a riff on “Suite Judy Blue Eyes.” Just shows that three aging hippies still touring on the strength of material released several decades ago can still be relevant and hip to modern music, even if credit is probably due to Fallon. On CSN’s return to Ruth Eckerd, the folk rockers are joined by a full five-piece backing band and perform songs from their extensive group catalog along with select cuts from each respective members’ solo repertoire. This show will sell out, if it hasn’t by the time of this printing, so get your tickets now. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)
Second Saturday: Tampa Invasion with The Ruckus, Breakdown, Jinx & Kenosobi, Mike Mass, Queen of Ex, Logic for Beatz, Crush Capital, Slick Worthington A giant and rather impressive conglomerate of Tampa-based hip hop talent invades downtown St. Pete’s delightfully dank watering hole for its Second Saturday hip hop party to throw down some smooth-rolling flows, meticulous spoken words, fierily uttered spits, flung-out rhymes and all the beat-vibing you could ever ask for as dished out by some of the best from the other side of the Bay. (Fubar, St. Petersburg)
Linkin Park / Thirty Seconds To Mars with AFI George M. Steinbrenner Field will likely get some good foot traffic flow when it makes its big debut as a concert venue with two platinum-selling mainstream-beloved rock bands, even if said bands are trite as hell in their own respective genres. Linkin Park mixes industrial nu metal programming and blasts with raps and post-hardcore howls (and you’ve most assuredly heard one of their stupidly catchy hits). The Jared Leto-led Thirty Seconds to Mars does that emo-shaded quasi-experimental electro-alternative arena rock thing, and so far, they’ve sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The two bands co-headline the “Carnivores Tour” with warm-up from AFI. (George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa)
Ellis Paul Boston-bred folkie Ellis Paul brings his warm, literate acoustic guitar-driven songwriting back to town in support of his 19th album, Chasing Beauty, recorded with financial help from his fans via a $100k fundraising campaign, and produced by Kristian Bush (of Grammy-winning Sugarland). He also plays at Painted Fish Gallery in Dunedin on Sunday. (The Hideaway Café, St. Petersburg)
Big Smo with Demun Jones The so-called “hick-hop rapper” has a gritty drawling growl and pretty tame/grade school rhyme style informed by his blue-collar work ethic (sample off “Workin’”: “I woke up this morning, tied my boots up, ‘cause I knew it’s gon’ be a long day / Fire my truck up, grab my coffee, kiss my baby, got on my way / ‘cause I’m working, ‘til it’s hurting, that’s the only way to make an honest day’s pay…”). He’s also the subject of his own reality TV series that debuted on A&E this year. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Night to Howl: Benefit for Animal Coalition of Tampa In April, ACT’s brand new 10,000-foot animal clinic was destroyed by an arsonist, causing $300k in damages, taking the life of three animals who called it home, and putting 50 employees out of work until it reopens. This fundraiser hosted by the Central Florida Bluegrass Association raises money to go towards the reconstruction with a day of music from Little Girl and The Dreadful Snakes and Trail Dogs Bluegrass. The festivities – which also include games, raffles and an open jam – kick off at 5 p.m.; admission is a suggested donation of $10. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
Feed Me Every time I see the name of UK EDM producer Feed Me (real name: Jon Gooch), I hear Audrey II demanding “Feed me!” in his deep muppety grow. While the pulsating musical odysseys that Feed Me delivers are definitely not Little Shop of Horrors quality, they are an LSD-dropping blend of bright and glittering atmospherics mixed with big pounding block-rocking beats and infusions of dirty nasty fuzz and unexpected, eye-crossing sonic flotsam and samples. His current road show behind his new Psychedelic Journey EP comes replete with a light-dazzled “magnified teeth installation,” described as “harnessing the power of silhouette and theatre ahead of instant gratification LEDs and screens.” (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)
Ol’ Dirty Sundays: DJ Spinna The Ol’ Dirty Sundays crew brings another noteworthy DJ to the decks for its latest edition of the weekly dance party: DJ Spinna, who infuses his hip hop jams with pulsing house music, thumping electro-funk and luscious soulful grooves, and has remixed a range of artists, among them, De La Soul, Mary J. Blige, and Stevie Wonder. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Foxing with The Hotelier The debut from St. Louis quartet Foxing, 2013’s The Albatross, dances the line between angular lightly mathy post rock and lushly orchestrated chamber rock with its instrumental embellishments (trombone, saxes, accordion, violin, cello, flute) and rising choral of guest backing vocals. Still, the album feels poignant and delicate amid the propulsive moments and even with the strained, wildly emotive vocals of singer Conor Murphy soaring over top. The Albatross was named a sleeper hit of 2013 by AV Club, and based on what I’ve heard, I tend to agree. (Epic Problem, Tampa)
A Slap Lesson with Black Milk The Detroit hip hop producer and emcee otherwise known as Black Milk (aka Curtis Cross) has maintained an underground presence since he emerged from the Midwest scene in the early ‘00s. He’s worked with a range of gamers – J Dilla, Canibus and Pharoahe Monch among them – along with issuing a respectable catalog of solo LPs. This month he embarks on his first “Loop Don’t Lie Tour,” which finds him performing live beat sets, essentially looping and beat-matching on the fly with some locals Cambatta, MC Fanotch, Mike Mass, AMiAM, Rude 100, Lord Khep and OP Supa warming the stage and potentially rhyming over top. (Orpheum, Ybor City)