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SoundCheck: Michael Bolton, the Baseball Project, Talib Kweli among top live music picks

 
Michael Bolton brings his extensive song list to the Capitol Theatre on Wednesday.
Michael Bolton brings his extensive song list to the Capitol Theatre on Wednesday.
Published April 1, 2015

Michael Bolton

Details: Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. $74-$130. (727) 791-7400.

The chiseled face, golden (fading) locks and boy-he's-got-a-great-dentist smile are still as good as they were when he was featured in People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue in 2012, so you'll have plenty to look at when Michael Bolton returns to the area Wednesday. You'll have plenty to listen to and sing along with, too. His latest album is literally A Tribute to Hitsville (he covers Tracks of My Tears, Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing and more on the 10-track effort), and his extensive body of work — which he's been working on since 1975, when he first came on the scene — has plenty of pop prowess, too. He's a jolly dude with a comedic side (check out his Funny or Die Office Space "screen test"), philanthropic streak (Michael Bolton Charities is a godsend for at-risk children and women), and one heck of a crooner.

The Baseball Project

With the Ditchflowers, DJ Gabe Echazabal

Details: Saturday 9 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $15. (813) 241-8600.

There are countless stories of people putting their real lives on hold to spend an extended amount of time in sunny Florida for Grapefruit League spring training games. The Baseball Project — a supergroup featuring R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, the Minus 5's Scott McCaughey, Dream Syndicate's Steve Wynn and Wynn's wife, Linda Pitmon, on drums — takes that obsession to a whole new level. They threw out the first pitch Wednesday at a game in Port St. Lucie between the Cardinals and Mets, but they'll spend Saturday night in Ybor working through three albums of indie rock that pays homage to the great American pastime by immortalizing its nuance (the first LP is titled Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails), its legends (The Babe, Ted F---ing Williams) and its villains (Pete Rose Way, scathing A-Rod kissoff 13) in grand slam fashion.

Love Axe

With the Vesper Bell, Empire Cinema

Details: Friday 9 p.m. New World Brewery, 1313 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City. $8. (813) 248-4969.

It's hard to put your finger on what's most exciting about this show. Is it the fact that scene staple (and one of the region's finest songsmiths) Will Quinlan is bringing fresh, new project the Vesper Bell to a venue he's played so many times in the past? Or is it the appearance by Love Axe, a California quartet with Tampa ties (bassist Joelle Barrios played in Quinlan's Pagan Saints project)? Love Axe's new LP (South Dakota, released last week via New Granada Records) is a 10-track example of pristine power-pop perfection, complete with gorgeous melodies (Please, The Water), gigantic riffs and flawless chord progressions (Baby to Bed), plus a whole lot of bright and shimmery leads (Only Gonna Tear You Apart).

Fuzz Fest

With Teach Me Equals, UFO Sex Scene, Golden Coastal Grizzlies, Poster, Ask for Tiger, Redfeather, Other Organs, more.

Details: Saturday 4 p.m. at the Amsterdam, 1049 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $10. (727) 623-4950.

The early February closing of Gulfport's Fuzz Factory was a huge bummer for stalwart supporters of the bay area's DIY/underground scene. While Fuzz's caretaker John Freda was unable to overcome code enforcement and fire marshal visits, the community of artists he helped build isn't going away. On Saturday, he takes to one of Central Avenue's coolest bars to host more than a dozen of Florida's best up-and-coming bands on two stages for a few hours. Golden Coastal Grizzlies (a fresh-faced hybrid of psychedelic indie and grunge) and Miami's Jellyfish Brothers (also grunge-loving, with hints of Black Sabbath and macabre metal) stand out, but every band on the bill is worth seeing and supporting for their willingness to play for Freda, a true champion of the arts.

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Talib Kweli

With Niko Is, Infinite Skillz

Details: Tuesday 7 p.m. Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $20-$40. (813) 248-9500.

Talib Kweli's most legendary Tampa appearance will always be a late-night DJ set at Ybor's Ol' Dirty Sundays, where he was joined, impromptu, by Black Star bandmate Mos Def. Kweli and Mr. Def were fresh off a show at the Straz Center, and while it'll be hard to top the magic of that night, this midweek appearance from the extremely versatile 39-year-old hip-hop icon should be a fantastic demonstration of the poetic and lyrical gift that's garnered Kweli immense critical applause and enough commercial success to still be doing it all on a grand scale two decades after he broke through on the underground rap circuit. Rio de Janeiro-born, Orlando-based Nikolai Pavia (a.k.a. Niko Is) will open for Kweli.

Find more music at tbtim.es/allmusic. Contact Ray Roa at subap.com.