Say Anything
With Eisley, Moneen, Miniature Tigers
Details: 6:30 p.m. Friday. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $17-$20. (727) 895-3045.
Will a happy marriage curb Max Bemis' signature sneer? Considering the first single off Say Anything's new record is Hate Everyone, don't count on it. On the impish Weezer-esque pop-rocker, singer Bemis, who's now married to Eisley's Sherri DuPree, declares his hate for "everyone upon this cursed earth" (including "the rapper in the Lexus" and "pills he ate for breakfast"). The man Spin once called "emo's greatest disaster" has turned his battle with bipolar disorder (delusion once had him running in the middle of a busy New York street) into satirical, operatic thrill music — the kind that salutes everyone from Woody Allen to Sunny Day Real Estate and Rivers Cuomo.
Lucero
With Ramblin' Roadshow and Memphis Revue, Cedric Burnside and Lighting
Details: 8 p.m. Friday. Czar 1430 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. (813) 247-2664.
Lucero's move to a major label had some longtime fans sweatin' it. Would the beloved country punk band's gristly tunes become polished for radio play? Singer Ben Nichols, often dubbed alt-country's Kurt Cobain, says no way. The only real change to the leathery Lucero sound (which recalls the Replacements and the Hold Steady) looks to be a welcomed one: a little horn-infused Memphis soul.
Laura Izibor
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. $27.50. (727) 791-7400.
Like Corinne Bailey Rae, Alicia Keys or Chrisette Michele, Nigerian-Irish singer-songwriter Laura Izibor has a flair for piano-based soul and hip-hop beat backing. Rolling Stone dubbed Izibor an "artist to watch," calling her debut Let the Truth Be Told, "with its you-go-girl pop (Shine), slow-rolling funk (Yes) and gospel-tinged ballads (Mmm), a sunny, chick-flick-worthy take on vintage soul."
Beat Wars
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. Good Luck Café, 1910 E Seventh Ave., Tampa. $7 for spectators. (813) 248-5453.
We've seen guitar wars, drumoffs and break-dance fights, so why not an electronic beat battle? Aspiring producers and beatmakers go head to head in front of Grammy-winning production team the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, JMB Entertainment, Nappy Boi Digital, Ivy Box and host DJ Headbussa. The beats will be judged on creativity, mixing, musicianship and crowd response.
Jeremy Gloff CD release
Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. Ritz Ybor, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $1 donation. (813) 247-2555.
Tampa Bay gay and lesbian community luminary Jeremy Gloff is a sassy advice columnist, lover of cheesy '80s grooves and all-around funnyman. But on 21st Century Love Songs, he's straight-up serious. Ominous sounds abound on Depeche Mode-ish Oh Sweet Boy, in which Gloff tackles depression and suicide. Gloff describes the album as "one that gives a voice to people who are disappointed and skeptical of happy endings, but ultimately hopeful."
Deadmau5
Details: 9 p.m. Sunday. Ritz Ybor, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $20. (813) 247-2555.
When Move For Me starts in with "another night out, another dance floor," you'd think Deadmau5 was bored with the club scene. Turns out, he's giving it life. The Canadian DJ, who comes costumed in a giant red mouse head, is packing clubs and breaking fire codes with thick bass lines, spellbinding synths, whimsical bleeps and alluring electro-house lullabies.
Cannibal Corpse
With Hatebreed, Unearth, Born of Osiris, Hate Eternal
Details: 6 p.m. Sunday. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $27. (727) 895-3045.
The reliably loud and disconcerting Cannibal Corpse returns to bludgeon fans with oinking, feverish rhythms, hefty guitars and lyrics about cyanide and disembowelment. The group remains one of the Tampa death metal scene's most enduring acts.
Tech N9ne
With Slaughterhouse, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Big Scoob, Stevie Stone, Glasses Malone
Details: 8 p.m. Monday. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $20-$25. (727) 895-3045.
He's the bestselling indie rapper in the game. He may also be the most unstable. On new K.O.D., Kansas City lyricist Tech N9ne reflects on his marriage-ending promiscuity and questions God in the face of his mother's terminal illness as spooky, overcast tones pulse in the background. Expect the unexpected here — we're talking anything from Dean Martin and Falco sampling and backward rapping to disturbing horrorcore, grunting and guitars.
Times correspondent Carole Giambalvo can be reached at carole.giambalvo@gmail.com.
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