THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18
Steve Vaclavik and The Woeful Ones CD Release Show w/Unpainted Souls Steve Vaclavik has been spreading his brand of twang around the Bay area for many years and this weekend finds the local troubadour releasing his first album with his full band, The Woeful Ones, which currently includes Mike Worrall (bass, guitar mandolin), Tom Stephens (guitar, harmonica), Chris Harmon (lead guitar, bass, mandolin), and Bill LaGrandier (drums, percs). Tattoos and Tattered Hearts was recorded at Pro Star Studio, and while the music is Americana at heart, the band draws heavily on the sounds and spirit of folk, rock, country and blues, bringing full-bodied warmth to Vaclavik’s songwriting. His lyrics ponder the good, bad and ugly moments of life via the perspective of working-class folks, underdogs, old souls, vagabonds and other downtrodden souls with a healthy dose of wisdom and humor. His deep drawling vocals are forlorn, wry or all-knowing, and he waxes on anything from the hardened gun-toting narrator in “Bury Me with My Boots On,” who declares, “There’ll be no need for handkerchiefs, ‘cause no one will be crying,” to a man who has a “Shamrock Tattoo” for luck (but doesn’t seem to have any), to the leftovers of a relationship that has ended, “Broken Heart and a Cat.” The fivesome also play the Barley Mow Brewing Company in Largo on Friday. (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)

Saliva Mainstream alt rock radio hits like “Your Disease,” “Always” and “Click Click Boom” established the rep of Saliva, a Memphis rap-metal outfit active since 1996. The foursome has released seven albums (the last was 2011’s Under Your Skin) and have experienced various lineup changes over the years. The most recent found singer-rhyme shouter Josey Scott leaving Saliva after 15 years to pursue a solo Christian music career. Jacksonville’s own Bobby Amaru has taken his place. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

Assemblage 23 w/Espermachine As Assemblage 23, Seattle-based musician Tom Shear layers synth textures and industrial beats into an atmospheric mix of dark wave and industrial that the kids these days are calling “EBM” (Electronic Body Music); his low droning vocals and brooding lyrics are laid over top. Seventh album Bruise was issued this summer via Metropolis. For fans of Depeche Mode. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19
The Florida Orchestra presents: The Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel The Florida Orchestra kicks off a three-concert symphonic rock series with a program of music by Simon & Garfunkel, the folk-rock twosome with stunning vocal harmonies who enjoyed their heydey in the 1960s. Warm baritone AJ Swearingen and robust tenor Jonathan Beedle have been presenting their own trademark Simon & Garfunkel tribute shows for more than a decade, and join TFO and guest symphonic pops conductor Michael Krajewski for this program that includes cuts like “America,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “Homeward Bound,” among many others. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

Zomboy A UK producer who’s charted on Beatport and adds a heavy dose of sonic drama to his dubstep-infused dance music; this tour supports his just-released EP, The Dead Symphonic. (Amphitheatre, Ybor City)

Blood on the Dance Floor w/Jeffree Star/New Years Day/Davey Suicide Phoenix-by-way-of-Orlando outfit Blood on the Dance Floor has a very specific sound that mashes together elements from two incongruent genres — electronica and crunkcore. Danceable beats and bright keyboard textures clash with skuzzier synth forays, distorted guitars riffs, static-fuzzed bass and vocals that mix clean singing with growls and screams. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

JJ Grey & Mofro w/Nic Cowen The swamp funky blues rocker with the gruff soulfully drawling vocals, howling harmonica, downhome Jacksonville swagger and straightforward songwriting chops makes his annual stop in town, this time serving greasy searing jams and hawking his newly-bottled trademark brand of barbeque sauce (JJ Grey’s Rasselin Sauce) along with copies of 2011’s Brighter Days, his band’s first-ever live DVD/CD release. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Dynasty/Mike Mass/?Nowledge/Geno Lexis/DJ Deacon A bill featuring four stellar local hip-hop acts with varying styles, among them, tough yet feminine Dynasty, an emcee with an unhurried yet tightly calculated rhyming style set against soulful R&B grooves and production by DJ Sandman; and ?nowledge, one-half of Tampa duo Indigenous Ways, his cerebral musings delivered in sleek flowing verses over jazz and rock-fused instrumentals, all on fine display in his recently-released solo debut, ?nowledge Is Infinite. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

GWAR w/DevilDriver/Cancer Bats/Legacy of Disorder What better way to get into the Halloween spirit than a GWAR show? Fans who ride the rails know what to expect when standing so close to the stage — a continuous and generous deluge of faux blood, guts and gore, the musicians performing as their alter personas (Oderus Urungus, Beefcake the Mighty, etc.) and delivering their relentlessly obscene heavy metal satire in monstrous, grotesque sci-fi/horror costumes. Prepare to get down and dirty. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)