THURSDAY, JULY 19

The Chop Tops w/Danny B Harvey/The Strikers/Radio Threat Hailing from the town I was born, Santa Cruz, Calif., The Cop Tops formed in 1995 as a pomade-sporting rockabilly three-piece (drums, guitar, upright bass) with crystal-clear psycho, surf and punk tendencies as displayed in the frenetic-paced “Chicks Smicks, Food Smood, Beer Yeah!,” its only lyrics delivered in the shouted call-and-return chorus, or the more traditional Elvis Presley-styled stomp of “Hard Luck,” with wildly drawling vocalist and upright drummer Sinner backed by a rah rah multi-voice chorus. Vet Texas axeman Danny B. Harvey infuses blues and country-jazz into his own vintage sound, The Strikers’ aggro brand of psycho has heavy metal thrust, and Radio Threat adds a little skatepunk to their billyness. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)

Ultimate Band Series Semi-Finals The Ritz Ybor’s third annual battle of the bands competition continues with the second round of semi-finals. Winners from each of the three rounds are determined by audience applause and a panel of music savvy judges, and the band who takes home the title stands to earn $5k worth of prizes that includes four guaranteed gigs. Five more bands face-off in this round, with a TBD theme: Khora, Marvlec, Perfect Flaw, SowFlo, and VANE. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)

Man or Astro-Man? A science fiction backstory, space suit-wearing instrumentalists with bizarre aliases (Birdstuff, Star Crunch, Coco the Electronic Monkey Wizard), and a cult of fervently devoted fans drawn to sample-spliced outerspacey surf punk and loud, high-powered performances featuring audio visual displays on Theremin and tesla coil — yes, it’s Man or Astro-Man?, slinging music from Alabama in on-again off-again spurts since their early 1990s inception. Definitely worthy of a Thursday night trip to O-town. (The Social, Orlando)

FRIDAY, JULY 20

Eliot Lipp w/Sir Charles/Soft Rock Renegades Brooklyn-based producer Eliot Lipp uses a mix of laptop sonics, vintage synths and Wurlitzer electric piano to get to his glitch and hip hop-influenced sound, which is marked by grimy shades of dubstep and slinky electro-funk grooves. Lipp signed to Pretty Lights’ label PLM earlier this year to release his latest full-length, Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Toubab Krewe The fluid melodies of guitar and African kora or kamelengoni swirl together in the buoyant instrumental Mali-rooted jam rock of Asheville sextet Toubab Krewe, their upbeat rhythms accompanied by rich percussive textures and thick lowend grooves. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Paul Oakenfold His career spans more than three decades and encompasses collabs with Madonna along with a few dozen DJ mix albums and hundreds of remixes, though British house music pioneer Paul Oakenfold has only released two proper studio albums. The third, Pop Killer, is currently in the works, features confirmed guest spots by Cee Lo Green and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and is expected out sometime later this year. (The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City)

Jammin’ in Wonderland w/The Roundhouse Social/John Q/Bambooda/Savii There’s no subtlety in the title of this multi-band live art showcase featuring St. Pete talent, like guitar-driven prog-jam rock quartet The Roundhouse Social and heavy, gritty slide-steeped roots and blues makers John Q. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)

311 w/Slightly Stoopid/The Aggrolites Mainstream reggae rockers 311 hit town on the front leg of their “Unity Tour,” an annual multi-band showcase headed up by 311 and originally established in ’06. The quintet hasn’t brought the tour to Tampa since 2008 when they were joined by Snoop Dogg. This time around, they bring an act with a less impressive resume but the same passionate love of cannabis: Slightly Stoopid. The San Diego dub-psych-reggae rock band will release a new album, Top of the World, on August 14. (1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa) —Miles Parks

Anders Osborne w/The Lee Boys Black Eye Galaxy, the 2012 ninth studio album by Anders Osborne, opens with the potent guitar-fuzz stomp of “Send Me a Friend,” segues into the slow-burning blues rock of “Mind of a Junkie,” takes a radio-friendly pop rock slant in “When Will I See You Again?,” turns raw, heavy and dark in “Black Tar,” makes a wet psychedelic post-jazz stopover in the meandering, 11-minute title track, and brings a warm countrified sway to the mix with “Tracking My Roots.” The balance of styles adds up to yet another strong Alligator Records release from the shaggy-haired New Orleans singer-songwriter. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

SATURDAY, JULY 21

Bride of Chaotica w/The Wrenchers Tight instrumental three-piece Bride of Chaotica — guitarist/arranger/producer Bill Bechtel, bassist/synths man Robert “Red” Redmond and drummer Tim Tuthill — draw on influences ranging from Mahavishnu Orchestra to Miles Davis in their fusion of progressive rock and psychedelic jazz. This is the next show marking the release of their debut full-length, Bamboo Transistor; the 10-track LP was recorded at Pro Star Studios in St. Pete and features some original material along with a few new takes on old classics like The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).” (The Roosevelt 2.0, Ybor City)