SoundCheck: Geri X farewell show, Less than Jake, Cage, Crystal Antlers, Trey Songz, John McKutcheon

Geri X farewell show

With Jimmy Gnecco (of Ours), James Hall, the Biters, Sara Haze

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $8-$10. (727) 895-3045.

Singer-songwriter Geri X is moving to Atlanta (sigh). The Bulgarian-born singer-songwriter has lived in St. Petersburg for about five years, during which she traveled away from Florida for long stretches of time. But "this is the first time we're selling all of our stuff," Geri said in October. "We're about to go through the door, and hopefully good things will come out of it." She'll work with Atlanta indie label Underrated Records to put out an album early next year.

Less Than Jake and Cage

With the Swellers

Details: 7 p.m. Sunday. Ritz Ybor, 1503 Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $20-$22. (813) 247-2555.

From Tom Petty to Tim Tebow, Gainesville has produced some beloved figures over the years. If you're a fan of ska-punk, that list also might include Less Than Jake. The group had a modest hit with The Science of Selling Yourself Short and even landed a couple of opening dates on a Bon Jovi tour. As for opener Chris "Cage" Palko, he seems about as out of place on this bill as Judi Dench might be on Cops (or something like that). Cage, whose storied past includes drug addiction, mental anxiety and a self-destructive feud with Eminem, vents through the use of eerie electro raps and dark narratives.

Crystal Antlers

With Audacity

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N, Ybor City. Cost unavailable. (813) 241-8600.

Crystal Antlers rehashes the sounds of the late '60s — from the Doors' organ-fueled psychedelia to Captain Beefheart's baffling musical innovations — to create a modern maelstrom of progressive rock, blues, garage, punk and "other." Like fellow Californian lo-fi act Waaves, the band's blog buzz is high. Fortunately, so is its technical proficiency. Guitars emit noisy, swirling jams. Organs go untamed. Dueling drums pound out odd time signatures. Top all of that off with cinematic, scratchy-throated wailing and you've got a wild ride.

Trey Songz

With Sophia Fresh, Brian O'Neal

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Mirage, 3605 W Hillsborough Ave., Tampa. (813) 673-8835.

Ladies love him. Petersburg, Va.'s Trey Songz (who, in case you didn't know, "invented sex") lays down steamy, unashamed R&B and playful pop with one goal in mind: moving the party from the club to the bedroom. Songz's September release Ready, which includes R. Kelly-like bottle popper Say Aah, Drake-collaboration Successful, and flirty, emoticon-inspired LOL :-) with Soulja Boy, is up against Beyonce's I Am . . . Sasha Fierce for the best contemporary R&B album Grammy.

John McCutcheon

With Kevin So

Details: 8 p.m. Friday. Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. $20. (727) 822-3590.

A folk musician, historian and master of the hammered dulcimer (a stringed instrument that produces a rich, sweet tone when struck properly with a spoonlike mallet), John McCutcheon has produced more than 25 albums since the 1970s. It wasn't until his days as a dad in the early '80s, however, that he'd try his hand at children's music (a genre he found to be "unmusical and condescending" at the time). His kids' audio book Christmas in the Trenches was a Grammy nominee.