A big slate of live music on this Fri., Feb. 27. Check it out below. No word word yet as to whether or not the shows at State Theatre and Local 662 will go on as usual in light of the (sinkhole? burst pipe?) that took a chunk out of the 600 Block. I've included info on both shows nonetheless and will post any cancellation updates here...
Indigo Girls with Symphony The latest fad in freshening up a live show is adding a full symphony orchestra. Activist folk rockers Indigo Girls (harmony-rich guitar-toting singer-songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) are the latest to take the plunge, though the Georgia duo gets credit for first doing it back in ’01 in a series of performances with the Atlanta Ballet, and then again sans ballet in 2012. The roughly two-hour concert (which includes an intermission) touches on “Galileo,” “World Falls” and “Kid Fears” among others. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)–Leilani Polk
New Granada Records Showcase with Alexander & The Grapes, Fistful, MRENC Tampa Bay’s own Alexander & the Grapes released their 2013 full-length debut Hemispheres after years of preparation and fundraising. Let’s be glad they didn’t rush it, because the LP is a folk-rock treasure with top-notch musicality and a melodramatic grit born of frontman Alexander Caros’ resonant pipes. Be on the lookout; the Grapes start mixing a new album next month that’s set for release later this year. Also performing on this night is Fistful, the indie folk project of Joel Davis, who brings an intimate and slightly darker approach his songwriting and is usually joined by an ever-changing roster of local musicians; this night serves as the official release party for a limited Fistful 7". Finally, MRENC delivers a more energetic experimental rock set to balance out the night’s sounds. (Local 662, St. Petersburg) –Adam Hardy
Hot Spring Break Party with Hoodie Allen He’s a college-schooled Jew from Long Island who dumped his Google career to pursue music, and while Steven Markowitz aka Hoodie Allen, started in mixtape underground, he’s carved out a name for himself with good hooks, clever rhymes, a tuneful flow (“I'm not a singer, I just rap pretty”) and high-quality dance-bumpin’ production qualities. Most impressive, his 2014 full-length debut, People Keep Talking, scaled the Billboard 200 and reached No. 8 despite being a self-release. Chalk it up to social media, and fans so devoted they have their own designation: The Hoodie Mob. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg) –LP
Pleasures with Redfeather, Sun Signs Sons of Hippies former Katherine Kelly presented her new experimental/noise rock project, Pleasures, for the first time in Sarasota last week. The quartet – rounded out by Greg Ferris, Morgan Soltes and Michael Murphy – debuts in Tampa on this night. Kelly’s clear angelic vocals twist into strangely-shaped words and bizarre utterances that evoke Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki, her Pleasures' expansive tripped-out music full of spacey wailing and warped guitar sounds, and pulsating bass grooves that, paired with synth sonics that stutter, skitter, flit, fleet and spread in washing torrents, have a definite Krauty/psychedelic appeal. (New World Brewery, Ybor City) –LP
Set It Off with Against The Current, As It Is Roam This night marks the return of “The Glamour Kills Tour,” which kicks off spring break in Ybor with some fresh rising acts as headlined by Tampa-spawned Set It Off. The orchestral pop-rock quintet supports 2014 latest album Duality. Sharing the bill are YouTube sensations Against the Current, their cover of “Uptown Funk” featuring a guest spot by Set It Off and blending together pop-rock and funk in an surprising way. Australian outfit As It Is and UK pop-punk band ROAM round out the bill. (Orpheum, Ybor City) –Seth Peterson
COPE with The Groove Orient Esteemed Tampa jam scene favorites COPE hits the Skipperdome for a Friday night of rock, Americana, funk and electro dance shenanigans as joined by Orlando area quintet The Groove Orient, which doles out high-powered groove-fueled rock n’ roll. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)–LP
The Dirty Spoons & Trash Revue with Robert Wegmann Trio The big band mash-up of Judy Tampa’s Bunko Squad and Natty Moss Bond otherwise known as Dirty Spoons & Trash Revue (which also encompasses John McEwen, George Pappas, Harry Hayward, Anne VanAtta, Sam Bond and Steve Peake), open this evening at the Hideaway before Robert Wegmann Trio hits the stage with their quirky retro-flavored pop rock (accordion included). Special guest Ronny Elliott presides as DJ. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)–LP
Bone Thugs “N” Harmony “East 1999 Eternal” Arguably one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time hits St. Pete on a 20th anniversary tour celebrating their 1995 legendary full-length debut, East 1999 Eternal. The album – which topped the Billboard charts on its release and spawned Grammy-winning hit “Tha Crossroads” – is composed of dark, G-Funk beats and synth melodies interwoven between rapid-fire note-perfect rap harmonies about violence, drugs, and the mean streets of Cleveland. Despite various solo projects and roster shake-ups over the years, Wishbone, Lazybone, Krazeybone, Flesh-N-Bone, and Bizzy Bone will all be in attendance to perform East 1999 in its entirety along with other hits like “Thuggish Ruggish Bone.” (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) –SP
Basement Sessions with Dynasty, Venus Bleu, Endless Flow, Hotbox, Asher, Rahim Samad, Mic Deluxx, DJ Wally Clark Billed as “a finely curated evening of art, funk, jazz, soul, turntablism ad hip hop,” this showcase features performances ranging from the soulful rapped imaginings of Dynasty to the funky rocking of six-piece band Endless Flower. (Crowbar, Ybor City) —LP
ALSO TONIGHT
Florida Strawberry Festival: Scotty McCreery w/Mel Tillis Festival Fairgrounds, Plant City
Ben Prestage w/Ella Jet Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
The Mix Tapes Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa
SevnthWonder The DrYnK Soho, Tampa
DEA + Saint w/Holiday The Bends, St. Petersburg
DJ Sugarbear Emerald Bar, St. Petersburg
The Wet Boys/Panther Camp/Rude Squad/The Scurvy Fubar, St. Petersburg
DJ Three (3-hour set) w/Busto/Lola B/Glen S Hyde Park Cafe, Tampa
Chris Tomlin w/Rend Collective/Tenth Avenue North USF Sun Dome, Tampa
Lyndsey Highlander Dallas Bull, Tampa
The Claudia Quintet SPC Music Center, St. Pete College, St. Petersburg
S.P.O.R.E. Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin
Stick To Your Guns w/The Amity Affliction/Being As An Ocean/'68 In Hearts Wake Orpheum, Ybor City
