Jennifer O'Connor
With Geri X, Haley Bonar
SATURDAY 9 p.m. New World Brewery, 1313 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City. $8. (813) 248-4969.
Singer-songwriter Jennifer O'Connor worked at Tampa record store Vinyl Fever a few years back. Now signed to Matador, she's among the label's favorite artists (along with Cat Power, Lou Reed, Yo La Tengo). Collaborations with the Hold Steady, Spoon and the Ben Folds Five only add reason to name-drop, though that's clearly not O'Connor's style. The hometown girl shares even the most tragic events (including the deaths of her two sisters) through folk-pop that's never gushy or self-pitying, but rather simplistic and soothing. Her songs have been favorably compared to those of Liz Phair and Aimee Mann.
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
FRIDAY and SATURDAY 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $49.50-$95. (727) 791-7400.
Why opt for Jersey Boys when you can get the real thing? Though their Broadway biography remains a hot ticket, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons deliver the hits and high notes firsthand. The guys from the Newark projects hit big by way of doo-wop and falsetto (Big Girls Don't Cry, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, December 1963, Sherry) at a time when organized crime would have been the easier career choice.
J-Dilla Musical Benefit
Featuring Laws, Eyeznpowa, Dynasty, Da Goldminerz, Mic Deluxx, Superiority Complex, Spon
SATURDAY 9 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N, Ybor City. $5 donation. (813) 241-8600.
Saturday marks the birthday of influential hip-hop producer James "J-Dilla" Yancey (Pharcyde, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest) who passed away after a long battle with Lupus. Some of the Bay's biggest hip-hop talents unite to raise money for Dilla's mother, who's also struggling with the disease, and for the Lupus Foundation of America.
The Basiqs listening party
With D'Visitors
THURSDAY 9 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N, Ybor City. $10. (813) 241-8600.
Alternative emcees the Basiqs preview their first national release, This Lie, a slick indie, hip-hop, pop and soul effort. Among other topics, the disc outlines issues that arise when artists "sell out." The guys will open for Ghostface Killah and Raekwon at the Tampa Pro Party in March.
Millionaires
With I Set My Friends On Fire, Cash Cash, Watch Out There's Ghosts
WEDNESDAY 6:30 p.m. Orpheum, 1902 Republica de Cuba Ave., Ybor City. $12. (813) 248-9500.
You go see the Millionaires for the same reasons you rubberneck in traffic or look at the bug you've squished under the newspaper — something crappy has happened, and you just need a peek. Three valley girls squeak and swear their way through songs like Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid. At least the ladies address their critics head-on, acknowledging they're "no-talent, just lucky," "so annoying," and "totally ruining music." Opener I Set My Friends on Fire's screamo version of Crank Dat got so many MySpace plays that its account was once flagged for play forgery and deleted (or so the legend goes).
Old Crow Medicine Show
With the Felice Brothers
WEDNESDAY 7:30 p.m. Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St., Tampa. $26.50 (813) 274-8981.
Itchin' for a jugband sound with YouTube-era swagger? A dose of Old Crow Medicine Show will do the trick. The Tennessee boys play a mix of old-time folk, country, bluegrass and gospel and inject it with lyrics like "Huff paint, cocaine, playing chicken with a train, smack dab, meth lab, mellow out, rehab" (Alabama High-Test). The band picked up lots of jam-band fans at Bonnaroo as well as NPR listeners on A Prairie Home Companion, so expect an eclectic crowd.
Jon Secada
SUNDAY 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive, Largo. $30-$35. (727) 587-6793.
Contrary to the lyrics he serenaded us with in the early '90s, it seems Latin pop artist Jon Secada left the biz for awhile without saying goodbye. (If you were a "Power Pig" listener, surely you remember him). In addition to penning songs for Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez, Secada has sold some 20 million albums worldwide thanks to hits Just Another Day and If You Go. More recently, Secada served as a judge on Latin American Idol.
Loading...