THURSDAY, AUGUST 16

Tampa Bay Tech Jam Tampa Bay Technology Forum Foundation — a nonprofit membership association committed to connecting and growing the local tech community — presents its 11th annual summer party and fundraiser, “Tech Jam 2012: Behind the Music.” Hundreds of community leaders, business professionals and techies gather to enjoy food, cocktails, a silent auction with upward of 50 unique items, and live music by Chris McCarty and the Underground Movement, Woody and the Nutcrackers, and Christie Lenée. Proceeds support the foundation’s programs and scholarships for at-risk youths. (Pepin Hospitality Centre, Tampa)

Rebelution w/The Expendables/Passafire Reggae stoner band Rebelution must be really proud of their third studio album, 2012’s Peace of Mind. They wrote and recorded a dozen songs, then recorded a disc of acoustic versions of the songs, then put together another disc of dub remixes of those same 12 songs, likely catering to whatever funky high you happen to be on that day. Peace of Mind was released in January as a three-disc set and seems to follow a formula of off-beat guitars, ultra-catchy vocal hooks and grooving backbeats. “Just soak in music and relaxation,” lead singer Eric Rachmany croons on 2007 hit “Feeling Alright,” and fans at Jannus will be surely be doing a lot of it. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg) —Miles Parks

Brian Culbertson and David Sanborn: The Dream Tour Brian Culbertson is a contemporary R&B-fused jazz instrumentalist with a light funk edge who plays piano and trombone, and is currently supporting his 13th album, 2012’s Dreams, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. His inspiration was a series of vivid dreams he had last summer that prompted him to write songs “that made me feel like those dreams.” Tampa native David Sanborn is a much called-upon commercially successful alto sax player whose aesthetic is similar to his tourmate’s but leans more to pop; he’s got six Grammys under his belt, has done session work or sat in with a wide range of artists, from David Bowie to Paul Shaffer to Todd Rundgren. (Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg)

School Boy Humor w/The Drive/Voted Most Random Phil and Anthony Evans are twin brothers who serve as the foxy muscleheaded frontmen of School Boy Humor, a heavy-on-the-electronics Top 40-ready pop music outfit that produces tracks with titles like “7 Minutes in Heaven” and “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes.” Likely both will be on setlist tap for their current “Hoes Before Bros Tour.” (Orpheum, Ybor City)

Steve Vai w/Beverly McClellan Frank Zappa helped shape many a formative young musicians and he had a hand in virtuoso Steve Vai’s early professional guitar-playing career — after Vai had already taken lessons with Joe Satriani, played gigs in a few local bands, and clocked student hours at Berklee College of Music. Vai went from transcribing and overdubbing guitar for Zappa to actually touring with him in the early ’80s. Probably means he picked up some good tricks that he honed over the years in stints with David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and Joe Jackson. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17

Dave LaRue Band w/Acme Jazz Garage LaRue played bass for the Dixie Dregs and the Steve Morse Band, and has done session work and touring with a huge roster of others — Joe Satriani, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci and Planet X among them. He’s generally kept a low profile all the while, and only recorded a single solo record, Hub City Kid in 2007. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18

Chris Duarte w/Sandy Atkinson Seminal Texas axeman Chris Duarte has been slinging rock and jazz-infused blues since the mid-1980s. His most recent outing, 2011’s Blues In The Afterburner, show off Duarte’s fret prowess and sonic reach, from the standard progressions of “Bottle Blues,” to the swinging dance appeal of “Make Me Feel So Right” to the acrobatic Hendrixian feats and rapid fire runs of “Prairie Jelly.” (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

Amy Winehouse Tribute Show with Gwan Massive One thing you can always count on from Gwan Massive is a raging good time. The rotating ensemble is made up of DJs and instrumentalists who build brass-fused grooves and jams, and a hodge-podge of emcees and singers who flow, croon, spit and howl over them. Expect a throwdown at The Hub for this redux tribute to Amy Winehouse — a songstress who died too young but made a huge mark in her short soulful time on earth — and a setlist of cuts like “You Know I’m No Good” (now a regular part of the Gwan repertoire) and “Back to Black.” (The Hub, Tampa)

PBR&R: Florida Kilos/Bambery/Tidal Wave/Archaic Interest It’s a PBR&R “Summer Classic” Party! THX Management invites locals to come out and celebrate to the sounds of high quality local surf rock by Florida Kilos, a throwback band that plays vintage Fender guitars through tube reverb amps and is currently gearing up for a fall tour with the Growlers while working on releasing a four-song 7” EP recorded and mixed by Drew Vandeberg (Toro Y Moi, Deerhunter, Camper Van Beethoven); Bambery, a melodic pop rock outfit with boy-girl harmonies and slight retro tendencies; Tidal Wave, a straightforward instrumental surf rock trio; and Archaic Interest, which purveys a spooky-dreamy sort of garage rock. (Crowbar, Ybor City)