THURSDAY, APRIL 11
Chasco Fiesta Presents: Southern Hospitality Easy Livin’ is the debut full-length from Southern Hospitality, the new project by three biggies of the Southern blues scene: consummate Bradenton-Tampa Bay area axeman, slide dripping lap steel player and brassy-toned singer Damon Fowler; booming resonant-voiced keys-banger Victor Wainwright, from Memphis; and South Florida’s deep and grizzly-toned singer, guitarist and two-stringed Diddley bow wailer, JP Soars. Tab Benoit oversaw the production of Easy Livin’ in his New Orleans studio, and in addition to co-writing some of the tracks, he managed to capture the organic feel of three friends enjoying a fruitful collaboration via an all-live recording process. The resulting album — which dropped on Blind Pig Records last month — is a warm mix of funky grooving, get-you-moving Delta blues, boogie woogie, Memphis soul, and easy going roots music marked by the vocal howls, croons and support harmonies of all three men. This performance is presented as part of the long-running Pasco County festival, Chasco Fiesta. (Sims Park Amphitheater, New Port Richey)
Nonstop Swing A Side Door Jazz program of swinging sounds that “salute the music of the great piano trios” as delivered by guitarist Nate Najar, bassist John Lamb and pianist Kenny Drew, Jr. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Forever Came Calling w/Heart To Heart/Last Call Before they join the 2013 edition of Warped Tour, driving punk-pop outfit Forever Came Calling headlines some dates on this “Road to Mixtape Tour.” Last year’s Contender delivered forceful eruptions of power chord riffage and hollered-sung choruses in that snotty youthful tone typical of mainstream emo-pop. Support by Pure Noise Records labelmates Heart to Heart, from California, and Las Vegas indie punkers Last Call. (Epic Problem @ Skatepark of Tampa)
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
Exodus w/Riptorn/Volcanic Slut/Maverick Hunter/Arbitration San Francisco thrash metal vets Exodus temporarily part from the Anthrax-headed “Metal Alliance Tour” to headline this one-off date. Though nothing new has been released since dark and epic 2010 full-length, Exhibit B: The Human Condition, bassist Jack Gibson told Peek from the Pit that a new album was in the works; the only thing holding it up is busy tour schedules and the current temporary gig of guitarist/songwriter Gary Holt, who’s been playing with Slayer while regular axeman Jeff Hanneman recovers from a flesh-eating disease. (Orpheum, Ybor City)
Harry & The Potters w/Iji/In Glove with Bach Brothers Paul and Joe DeGeorge (aka Harry & The Potters) sing cheeky-witted wizard rock over a bed of guitar and keys, and have three LPs, various EPs, holiday albums and remixes filled up with ditties all based on the Harry Potter books — “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock,” “In Which Draco Malfoy Cries Like a Baby,” “The Economics of the Wizarding World Don’t Make Sense,” “Diagon Alley” and the like. This is the second stop on their five-date Florida tour; they also hit The Venture Compound in St. Petersburg on Tue., April 16. (Epic Problem @ Skatepark of Tampa)
Corey Smith The cult-popular singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist from Georgia — who regularly sells out shows and has grossed millions as an indie artist — plays a hooky mix of country, folk, blues and rock; last year saw the release of a live album, Live in Chattanooga. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)
The People's Temple w/Luxury Mane/Cassolette Two pairs of brothers make up The People’s Temple, the trippy, hazy, loose songwriting that pours from their collective consciousness full of rocking guitar riffs and watery warped solos, steady plowing beats, and an overall rock aesthetic that gets the 1960s psych-garage treatment ala Love on sophomore LP More For The Masses. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)
SATURDAY, APRIL 13
Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour The touring version of the exalted Monterey Jazz Festival — which supports jazz education and performance programs in local, regional, national and international venues — stops in 40 cities (Tampa included) with its all-star band of jazz talents. The 55th Anniversary on Tour Band members are vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, bassist/musical director Christian McBride (both three-time Grammy winners), pianist Benny Green, sax player Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Lewis Nash. The sextet performs classic jazz tunes by the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday along with some of their own original compositions. (Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, Tampa)
Umphrey’s McGee w/Break Science Chicago prog-rock sextet Umphrey’s McGee (est. 1997) makes their first return to St. Pete in more than six years, bringing their high-octane technicality, multi-voice harmonies, absurd humor, and huge repertoire of genre-hopping sounds (which jump between and mix elements of jazz, funk, reggae, metal, hip-hop, classic rock, and electronica) to Jannus. For more about UM, check out my interview with singer/guitarist Brendan Bayliss on p. 43. Warm-up by Brooklyn electro glitch-hop duo Break Science, which backs 2012 Pretty Lights Records EP, Monolith Code. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
