Leave it to ever-smiling 24-year-old Valerie Poxleitner to turn an album titled Siberia into a joyfully danceable, sunlit adventure. That's exactly how it played out Friday night when Poxleitner, commonly and legally known as Lights (eat your heart out, Chad Ochocinco), debuted tracks off her latest disc and more to a glowing St. Pete crowd.

Siberia, currently nominated for a Juno Award (a.k.a. Canadian Grammy) in the "Pop Album of the Year" category, is for the most part, heavier than Lights' previous efforts, with its dubstep-like breakdowns, pulsing beats and snowy imagery.

But when the skinny, soft-spoken singer/guitarist/keyboardist unveiled the tunes at State Theatre (her first appearance at the venue since 2008, when she performed with Lakeland's beloved and now defunct Copeland), the vibe never turned cold or dark.

On the powerhouse anthem Flux and Flow, Lights went bigger and harder with throbbing keys, strobe lighting, and an arena-worthy belt ... not without words of encouragement, though. Through the ups and downs in life (the "flux and flows"), Lights urged us to adjust our plans and keep moving. ... Read more

In an music world obsessed with Lanas and Lykkes, Fionas and Florences, it's odd that Zola Jesus seems to have slipped through the cracks. She's a darling of the indie goth-pop scene, and as you might expect, her live show is just as darkly fascinating as her.

When Zola took the stage Monday night at Crowbar, the venue was almost completely dark, save for a very dim blue square in the center of the stage. People were warned not to use flashes, and some people who did were threatened with removal from the venue.

Tbt*'s Andrew Carlton was in the house to capture some ghostly images of Zola Jesus. See more after the jump. ... Read more

In front of the main stage at the 2011 DeLuna Fest is a chasm of a pit filled with VIPs and media, separating the band from most of the audience by a good 30 feet.

It took Rivers Cuomo all of two songs to bridge the divide.

The Weezer frontman hopped from the stage early in his band’s headlining set on Day 1 of the DeLuna music festival in Pensacola Beach, then climbed not one but two barricades, high-fiving fans all the way, and clambered to the top of a sandy dune to give many fans the best view they’d had all day.

And why not? The opening day of DeLuna Fest was blessed with good vibes all day – easygoing crowds, relaxed and accessible performers and spectacularly cloudless weather on the Gulf of Mexico’s northern rim. If you were bummed about the last-minute loss of Sunday headliner Linkin Park, Friday’s festivities likely went a long way toward easing your pain. ... Read more

The Venue in Clearwater had a big weekend, bringing in DJ Jazzy Jeff and Flo Rida (above) on back-to-back days.

DJ Jazzy Jeff performed on Friday to a nearly sold-out crowd. The Venue tweeted that they were at 2500-plus in attendance, not nearly as packed as DJ Pauly D in my opinion, but still very packed. I would say there were about 100 more people for DJ Pauly D when he came a few months ago.

Nevertheless, DJ Jazzy Jeff had the crowd rockin to his '90s throwback set. Unlike many other performers I have photographed, DJ Jazzy Jeff appeared on stage at the time he was supposed to go on, which was 1 a.m. He came along with rapper Skillz, who was sort of the MC of the show and kept the crowd dancing while Jazzy Jeff remained behind the turntables. Skillz is famous for his year-end wrap-up songs about the year's news in the hip-hop world. ... Read more