A four-pack of super intriguing live music is occurring this Tues., Aug. 12, and you can jump around and see at least three of these four shows, if you're feeling really industrious.
Kishi Bashi with Tall Tall Trees, Sunbears! Some of the most delightful and surprising music I've heard in a while comes from Kishi Bashi: lush and bright, intricately composed, instantly uplifting and showing off a rather innovative use of classical instrumentation, loops and programming. The visionary behind the sounds is Kaoru Ishibashi, a Seattle-based musician who’s played with the likes of Regina Spektor and of Montreal, and pairs his electro experimentations with an instrumental arsenal driven by violin (his go-to instrument). Kishi Bashi is his orchestral solo project, the sound skewing to folk and chamber pop aesthetics, but also calling on rubber-band bouncy dance pop sounds, lovely sublime balladry, and psychedelia with crazy pitch-shifted samples, strings and pretty McCartney-esque vocal stylings. I’ve been knee-jerk playing “Philosophize in It! Chemicalize With It!" – the first single off 2014 sophomore album Lighght – nearly every day since I first discovered it a few months ago, and can’t wait to hear it live when he and his band hit town this week. 8 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City, $14.
Miniature Tigers with The Griswolds In “Used to Be the Shit” – the third and latest single off Miniature Tigers’ latest LP Cruel Runnings – the breezy melodic prettiness of the instrumentals and cooing intones of frontman Charlie Brand’s vocals belie the uneasy subject matter, about a relationship that’s turned stale (“We used to be free, now she’s just used to me”). The synth pop foursome hits town supporting their fourth and latest with The Griswolds, an Aussie act that infuses their own glowing indietronic dance pop with Afro-tinged percussion and a bouncy party vibe. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Andy T - Nick Nixon Band Iconic Nashville bluesman James ‘Nick’ Nixon and newer school guitarist Andy Talamantez aka Andy T first teamed up on 2013’s Drink Drank Drunk (Delta Groove), drawing on the sax-blown sounds of shuffling blues, bouncing soulful R&B and rambling honky tonk as driven by Nixon’s powerful booming vocals that soar like a rocket launching over top. The pair have released a follow-up this year, Livin It Up, and hit town in support with full backing band in tow. 7 p.m., Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $8.
Big Data The Facebook bio reads “a paranoid electronic music project from the Internet, formed out of a general distrust for technology and The Cloud (despite a growing dependence on them).” Producer/composer Alan Wilkis helms Big Data, the sound mildly reminiscent of Hot Chip but featuring collabs with different vocalists on each track. Daniel Armbruster (from Chicago-bred electro act Joywave) lends his androgynous crooning intones and falsetto peaks to “Dangerous,” its sinister grooving bassline fitting to lyrics about privacy, voyeurism and the NSA. The ear-wormy track – which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Alterative Songs charts – made it onto 97X’s radio playlist rather frequently over the past few months and the station has responded by partnering with Bud Light to bring Big Data to town for free as part of its “Up For Whatever” concert series. As per usual, you had to snag passes in advance at select “ticket drop” locations around Tampa Bay to get in. Not sure how you do it on the day-of, but perhaps you can find some enlightenment at 97xonline.com (ages 21 and up only). 7 p.m., Orpheum, Ybor City; free.
