SoundCheck: Hank Williams III, David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera, Tears for Fears, Summer Jam 6

David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera

Details: Friday 9 p.m. Ritz Ybor, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $43. (813) 247-2555.

It's a rare appearance by one of Cuba's top bands, David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera. Far from a traditional Cuban ensemble, the group plays Timba, the hopped-up modern salsa sound popularized during sticky Havana club nights. Charanga Habanera features synchronized bumping and grinding and multiple lead vocalists (though the crowd sing-alongs have been known to get louder than the band itself).

Hank Williams III

Details: Saturday 7 p.m. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $24.50. (727) 895-3045.

You know defining country music man Hank Williams for his nasal croon, lovesick yodel, hayseed pride and refreshing candor. You know Hank Jr. as the outlaw country compadre to Jennings, Haggard and Coe (and in more recent years, the musical face of Monday Night Football and Republican rallies). Now, meet Hank III, the pasty greaser who plays by his own rules. In a modern country music market overrun with Nashville-groomed country-popsters, Hank III is breaking the mold with a blend of cow punk, honky-tonk, "hellbilly" and twang metal. It's grimy, it's mangled, and it's best served with a case of PBR and a 12-gauge.

Summer Jam 6

Featuring Look Mexico, the Matt Kurz One, O'Brother, Anonymous, Mother Night, Bobby Treacherous, Awesome New Republic, Sleepy Vikings, Laws, Poetry 'n Lotion, Mike Mass, Florida Night Heat, the White Kids, Lil Daggers, the Zou

Details: Saturday 5 p.m. Three locations: New World Brewery, 1313 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City, (813) 248-4969. Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N, Ybor City, (813) 241-8600. Czar, 1420 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City, (813) 247-2664. $8-$12.

As in years past, Summer Jam offers an eclectic crop of national and local acts — rappers, rockers, poets, shoe gazers and the ambidextrous — performing across multiple venues. For eight bucks, we doubt you'll find such musical diversity at another show all year. Acts include Spring Hill's rising hip-hop star Laws, shown above, who signed to the Warner Bros. imprint J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League last year; Florida Night Heat, a muggy, instrumental crew playing Southern psychedelia; and Matt Kurz, a one-man garage band (eat your heart out, Jack White).

Times correspondent Carole Liparoto can be reached at carole.liparoto@gmail.com.

Tears for Fears

Details: Wednesday 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $45.70-$86.15. (727) 791-7400.

Few groups have ever tackled such somber subject matter with such infectious, effervescent synth-pop quite like Tears for Fears. Take Everybody Wants to Rule the World, where tender keys give way to lyrics about power struggle and narcissism, or the therapeutic Shout, with the words "in violent times, you shouldn't have to sell your soul." With 22 million albums sold worldwide, the balancing act seems to have paid off. Additionally, after Gary Jules covered the contemplative Mad World in the early '00s, and Adam Lambert followed suit during American Idol, the group picked up a new crop of millennial fans.