No one man can fill the shoes, headband and fringe-bedecked vest of James Marshall Hendrix – to say nothing of his famous flaming fretboard.

So a genius idea was born: The Experience Hendrix Tour, an all-star showcase inviting some of the world’s best guitarists to pay homage to the one and only Jimi.

On Thursday, renowned axmen like Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Randolph and members of the Doors, Aerosmith and Los Lobos took the stage at a sold-out Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, each spinning their own electric takes on Jimi’s biggest hits. (That's Randolph with Bootsy Collins above). The 2,180 fans in the house received a rip-roaring stomp through time, hearing songs like Purple Haze, All Along The Watchtower, Voodoo Chile, Hey Joe, Fire and Foxy Lady like never before.

Click here for our review of the show. And after the jump, get more of Luis Santana's photos of Jonny Lang, Bootsy Collins, Eric Johnson, Band of Gypsys' Billy Cox, Aerosmith's Brad Whitford and more. ... Read more

A native of Peru, Ivan B. Mendoza started playing the guitar at age six and began playing professionally in 1985 in New Jersey. Now living in Port Richey, he decided to challenge himself by recording an album of covers of pop, soul and standard American classics -- all in English.

The album, Love Songs ... From My Guitar to You, features folksy, Latin-tinged versions of songs like the Beatles' Blackbird and Yesterday, Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine and Marc Anthony's I Need To Know. He also covers pop standards like Fly Me To The Moon and Feelings.

The last track on Mendoza's album, Reach for the Stars, features his 11-year-old daughter Gloria on piano and saxophone. "She is playing Reach for the Stars," he writes in the liner notes, "which is what I am encouraging her to do."

Mendoza will celebrate the release of Love Songs... at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Land O'Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O'Lakes Blvd., Land O'Lakes. The event is free, but seating is limited; click here to RSVP. ... Read more

Kevin Costner and Modern West have performed in Tampa Bay. So have Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts. Gary Sinise must have seen those shows and thought: Why not me?

So on April 20, Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band will perform a free concert at Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg as part of the seventh annual Sunscreen Film Festival, held April 19-22 in and around downtown St. Pete.

Named, obviously, for for the actor's Oscar-nominated role in Forrest Gump, the Lt. Dan Band performs covers of classic rock and funk tunes as well as modern hits by acts as diverse as Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band, Evanescence and Beyonce. (Oh, to hear Gary Sinise sing Single Ladies...) The group regularly plays benefits for active duty military, and recently performed for troops in Kuwait. They're also the subject of a documentary, Lt. Dan Band: For The Common Good.

Though the concert is free -- and will also feature an appearance by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders -- you can purchase VIP tickets which include front-row access plus admission to an after party at Push Ultra Lounge. For info on those tickets, click here.

No other celebrity guests have been announced for this year's Sunscreen Film Fest, but a few usually show up. Click here for all the details on the festival.

-- Jay Cridlin, tbt*. Photo via Twitter. ... Read more

W.S. "Fluke" Holland was present at one of the most mythical moments in rock 'n' roll history: A Dec. 4, 1956 jam session between Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.

"Nobody knew John and Elvis were coming," Holland says. "They just wandered in. And because it was Cash and Presley, it of course turned into a jam session. Later, it became a big event, but it wasn't a big deal at the time. [Engineer] Jack Clement turned on the recorder and left the building, got himself a sandwich! We were all just playing along. We didn't know what they were going to do next."

The jam session has become immortalized in the Broadway smash Million Dollar Quartet, which is playing at the Straz Center through Sunday. No matter where the show goes, Holland, 76 -- who toured with Cash for 40 years and still has a dedicated fan base -- tries to make it to at least one performance a week. Tonight, he'll be in Tampa, where he'll no doubt be invited onstage as a special guest to play drums during Matchbox.

Click here for Sean Daly's interview with Holland. ... Read more