Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra
Details: Saturday 8 p.m. Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. $35-$55. (727) 791-7400.
Is it possible for a German-born man with Chinese and Hungarian roots to make a huge splash in the world of Spanish-influenced guitar music? If Ottmar Liebert's illustrious 25-year career is any indication, it is. The 55-year-old broke through with a 1990 LP that espoused flamenco and Latin percussion with pop, jazz and rock, and he followed that effort with more than two dozen more albums and collaborations with stars like Kenny Loggins and Celine Dion. Liebert arrives at the Cap with his band Luna Negra in support of two 2014 releases. Barewood is a stripped down retrospective looking back on his first 10 years as a recording artist, and three-oh-five is a new LP of original material featuring Liebert's renowned lyrical flamenco picking as well as touches of funk and jazz.
Roger Sanchez
Details: Saturday 10 p.m. Jackson's Bistro, 601 S Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa. $10-$15. (813) 277-0112.
House music is taking over the bay area in a big way this weekend. On the day before Gervais plays to a beach's worth of fans at Hogan's, Roger Sanchez plays against an equally beautiful backdrop. Sanchez started DJ'ing at age 13, but ended up going to college to be an architect. It's a good thing he quickly gave up on higher education. The 47-year-old Queens-born producer broke into DJ Mag's infamous Top 100 list in 2009 and his name has appeared on tracks by Babyface, Diana Ross and even Michael Jackson. His approach pushes the boundaries of house music, and tracks like Luv Dancin' will sound great at Jackson's, where partygoers get to take it all in with the downtown Tampa skyline twinkling in the background.
Cedric Gervais
Details: Sunday noon. Hogan's Beach, 7700 W Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa. $18.50-$30. (813) 281-8900.
If you've ever felt super-sultry while lip-syncing a remix of Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness, then you owe Cedric Gervais some gratitude. The 34-year-old Parisian export is a longtime staple in the Miami club scene, and while he definitely rides high on his Grammy-winning remix work, Gervais has production credentials and original work that are nothing to yawn at, either. A pair of LPs, Experiment and Miamication, were released on Ultra Records, and his 2012 single Molly is still a house music staple. Gervais may reside just a couple hundred miles away, but this Hogan's Beach show is a great opportunity to get out in the sun and see a legend.
Cage the Elephant
With Bear Hands
Details: Monday 7 p.m. Jannus Live, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. Free with ticket; get details at 97Xonline.com.
At this rate alternative rock lovers won't have to pay to see any big names in concert. It's all thanks to WSUN-97.1 FM, which recently welcomed thousands of fans to Vinoy Park for their free 97X BBQ. This time the party moves a few blocks over and welcomes Cage the Elephant, who arrive at Jannus just two days after a set at famed summer festival Bonnaroo. The Kentucky band's hit single Ain't No Rest For The Wicked is still as dingy and potent as it was when it debuted in 2008. The boys will be supported by one of modern rock's best new bands, Bear Hands, who just rocked Tampa's Big Guava Music Festival with their fever-inducing, schizo-electro-pop breakout single, the inescapably catchy Giants. The only downer about this free show is that it's only for ages 21 and up. Tickets are available at any of 97X's ongoing ticket drops.
Cut Copy
With Classixx, Nile Delta
Details: Tuesday 9 p.m. Ritz Ybor, 1503 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $22 and up. (813) 247-2555.
Bay area fans who can't travel to huge music festivals always manage to get a taste of the party when fest bands play club shows, and this set from Aussie electro exporters Cut Copy is a perfect example. The band is playing both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but their brand of poppy, often '80s-influenced dance rock will definitely steam up the Ritz Ybor for a good hour or so. Originally conceived as a bedroom project through which Dan Whitford could explore his love for marrying samples, Cut Copy has evolved into a four-piece live band that skillfully marries disco to modern dance sounds on songs like We Are Explorers, all while being unafraid to have as much fun as they want to onstage (just listen to Take Me Over from 2011's Zonoscope and try to deny the Men At Work sonic nod).
Times correspondent Ray Roa can be reached at suburbanapologist.com.
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