THURSDAY, MARCH 29
Jake Shimabukuro He's been called the Jimi Hendrix of ukulele, his nimble fingers and four-string innovation proving that Jake Shimabukuro is worthy of the comparison. He can certainly do a lot with only two octaves. Jazz and rock are his primary influences, although he incorporates elements of funk, blues, classical, bluegrass, folk and flamenco into his compositions. "If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place," Shimabukuro told NPR in an interview last year, fitting with the theme of his latest record, Peace Love Ukulele. The 2011 full-length encompasses original compositions along with covers, like an impressive arrangement of Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody.” (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater) —Leilani Polk

Red Hot Chili Peppers I've been an on again-off again fan of alt funk rock outfit Red Hot Chili Peppers since Blood Sugar Sex Magik, a fact that didn't make my dad happy when he caught me singing "Give it away, give it away, give it away now" and knew exactly what it meant (even though my 12-year-old self really didn't). My crush on Dave Navarro right around his stint with the band on One Hot Minute spurred my renewed interest, Californication deepened it (the return of John Frusciante gets credit for that), and it fizzled out again right around By the Way. I've been out of the loop for the last two LPs, but their 10th, 2011's I'm With You, got a decent rating from CL Writer Joel Weiss, who praised the vocal, textural and rhythmic contributions of new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, and approved of the keys recently incorporated into the Chili Peppers' sound by Klinghoffer and Flea; the vet bassist studied piano at USC during the band's hiatus and applied what he learned to the record. (Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa) —LP

FRIDAY, MARCH 30
Casanova's Blast! Friday: Rick Derringer w/Sound Parlor The second Blast! street party this month features a performance by guitar slinging rocker Rick Derringer, original songwriter of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," first recorded it by Johnny Winter (who won't play it anymore), then released by Derringer himself in 1973 to higher charting success. He's also recorded with Steely Dan, playing slide on songs like "Show Biz Kids" and "Chain Lightning," and produced or appeared on albums by Alice Cooper, Todd Rundgren and KISS, among others. (Cleveland Street, downtown Clearwater) —LP

Squidly Cole and his Central Jamaica Band w/Trinity 7 Direct from Jamaica comes beat-keeping singer, songwriter and producer Squidly Cole, who's been drumming for members of Bob Marley's music-making family for a few decades; Damien, Stephen and Ziggy have all called upon his talents, sometimes for multiple records, including Ziggy's Grammy-winning Conscious Party and One Bright Day. Cole has his own repertoire of tunes fusing the sounds of dancehall, roots reggae, R&B, dub and hip hop. This tour backs his latest, last year's Bloodline. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa) —LP

Sarasota Slim and Nitro Bozeman An evening of blues by a pair of consummate, Florida-based bluesman who work well together. Sarasota Slim (real name Gene Hardage) grew up in Sarasota, earned his longtime handle from Rock Bottom himself (who played with Hardage in The Jungle Bushmasters and The Cuttaways), and released his eighth album, the funky Southern fried Get Up Get Down, last year. Philip "Nitro" Bozeman's instrument of choice is harmonica, and he's wailed on it for upwards of 60 years – he can even play two at once! The musician began his career in Chicago (he got the nickname "Lil Red" for his mean boxing and blowing abilities), but he re-located to the Sunshine State more than 20 years ago and he’s been kicking it around here ever since. (The Carrollwood Cultural Center, Carrollwood) —LP

Blue October w/Girl In A Coma Vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Justin Furstenfeld fronts Houston alt/experimental outfit Blue October. This is the band’s next round of touring in support of the deeply personal sixth full-length, 2011's Any Man in America. (Jannus Live St. Petersburg)—LP

The Human Condition w/ Connor Zwetsch Fresh from a Southern tour that took them to Austin for a run of dates in conjunction with this year's SXSW, Bradenton-based quintet The Human Condition serves up a set of their easy-going roots rock as led by singer, acoustic guitarist and primary songwriter Dean Johanesen. Support by up-and-coming songstress Connor Zwetsch. (Roosevelt 2.0, Ybor City)—LP

Creedence Clearwater Revisited John Fogerty may own the rights to the original Creedence Clearwater Revival name, but bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford – the other two surviving members of the original lineup – have carried on the swampy blues and country rock tradition as Creedence Clearwater Revisited since 1995. Rounding out the "new" CCR is singer/rhythm guitarist John Tristao, lead guitarist Kurt Griffey, and multi-instrumentalist Steve Gunner. (Mahaffey Theater St. Petersburg)—LP

J2K w/The Heavy Pets A trio from Gainesville that crafts humor infused music, like the hilarious accordion-laced rocker "Spaghetti and Meatballs," the title chanted in robust, accented, multi-voice choruses. "Mountain" is a quirky sun-kissed rock ditty with a proggy-menacing interlude in its midst while, "Cosmiaaj" is pure '70s psyche-prog rock while "Laddbatory," "Snark" and "Like Your Face" reveal their jammy discotronica side. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—LP