Some of us couldn't resist the allure of Chris Cornell at the Tampa Theatre, many of Tampa Bay's most ardent music fans were out in full force at Tropical Heatwave 2012, which spread more than 70 bands across 13 venues all over Ybor City.

WMNF's annual indie/funk/jam/folk/country/alternative music bacchanal took place Saturday at the Cuban Club, the Ritz Ybor, Crowbar and just about every other place with electricity in Ybor. (We heard varying reports about the crowd at this year's Heatwave -- some said it was less-than-impressive; others said some venues, like Crowbar, were packed. What would you say, dear readers?)

Photographer Andrew Carlton was on hand to snap shots of acts like the Wooly Bushmen (above), Black Taxi, Boom Chick, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, He's My Brother She's My Sister, the Revelations featuring Tre Williams and more. "Just about every show I saw was great," he writes, "from the Garbage-Men (kids using musical instruments made out of toys and cereal boxes), to Black Taxi, which killed it at The Ritz."

Get more of Andrew's photos of Tropical Heatwave 2012 after the jump... ... Read more

As the saying goes, all things must come to an end. Saturday was the evening that hometown favorites Nasty Savage played their last show ever. Crowbar in Ybor City packed in a standing-room-only crowd of longtime Tampa metalheads who were there not only to see one last performance, but to wish their longtime friends farewell.

Nasty Savage trace their routes back more than 30 years in Tampa, to the old Sunset Club and beyond. You probably know that Tampa was once the death metal capital of the world, and Nasty Savage was a key ingredient in forming that great reputation. In the crowd for their last show were members of many national and local acts: Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse, Pete Sandoval of Morbid Angel, and all members of Obituary were present, among many others. ... Read more

Another stellar lineup for A Taste of Pinellas hits St. Petersburg this weekend, with headliners like Sheryl Crow, Dashboard Confessional, All-American Rejects ... and Ziggy Marley, above, who provided sunny reggae jams to the hungry throngs at Vinoy Waterfront Park.

Click here for Dan Sullivan's story about Saturday's Taste of Pinellas festivities. And get more of Melissa Lyttle's photos of Ziggy Marley and the rest of the scene at A Taste of Pinellas after the jump. ... Read more

As industrial enthusiasts are well aware, Rammstein was in Tampa Saturday night to kick off their North American part of their "Made In Germany" tour, and the Tampa Bay Times Forum was happy to be their host.

Anyone that is familiar with Rammstein's live performances knows they are known for pyrotechnics, and it's a show that would make Kiss nervous. Tickets should have been sold with a warning sign reading, "No hairspray allowed." And while I am struggling to get my Doberman Pinscher insured, somehow these guys have enough liability coverage to produce a show like World War III in front of a few thousand onlookers. Go figure.

From the start of the show, Rammstein didn't disappoint. Flames were thrown 30 feet above the stage, and it just got better from there. Vocalist Till Lindemann took the stage with six microphones strapped to his chest like a soldier wearing grenades into battle, and a battlefield-like show is what we received. Missile-like objects were zinging over the crowd; flames shooting from any available orifice on stage. Even microphone stands were victim to flame. And with stage show antics throughout the night that GWAR would aprove of, (including slaves on chains, soaking the crowd with foam and blood-like matter), no one on the floor was safe from a good dousing. ... Read more