Advertisement

This week in Tampa: Funshine Music Festival, Funk Fest, Crosby, Stills and Nash and more

 
Published May 1, 2013

It's a dynamite weekend of music in Tampa Bay, highlighted by two big new festivals in Tampa: The Funshine Music Festival at the Florida State Fairgrounds and Funk Fest at Curtis Hixon Park. (Technically, Funk Fest isn't new, but it is new to Tampa, having moved from Vinoy Park in St. Pete.)

Many eyes will be on the Funshine Music Festival, where a huge slate of mainstream-heavy acts will perform: Train, Smashing Pumpkins, Phillip Phillips, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Styx, the Wallflowers, New Found Glory, Gary Allan, Tonic, Kix Brooks, the Lone Bellow, Youngblood Hawke, We the Kings, Bad Books, Kevin Devine, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba and more. For all the details on the inaugural Funshine Fest, click here for Sean Daly's preview.

As for everything else -- Funk Fest, the Joy Formidable, Crosby Stills and Nash, Ben Taylor, Rodriguez, Armin Van Buuren, Boz Scaggs, Olly Murs, Slightly Stoopid, Jon Secada, El Gran Combo, Clutch, Fozzy, Nic Cowan and many more -- Ray Roa and others have the details.

Funk Fest
With Anthony Hamilton, Salt-N-Pepa, Keyshia Cole, Doug E. Fresh, S.O.S. Band, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Jagged Edge
SATURDAY-SUNDAY Gates open at 5 p.m., shows start at 8 p.m. $40 and up per day, $65 and up both days. funkfest2013.com.
Classic hip-hop and soul acts will open for contemporary R&B stars at this weekend's Funk Fest in Tampa's Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. The concerts span two evenings, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and showtime at 8 p.m. in the park at 600 N Ashley Drive. On Friday night, rap pioneer Doug E. Fresh is slated to perform before reality TV star and R&B belter Keyshia Cole. Saturday night's lineup is jam-packed with classic acts Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, the S.O.S. Band and Salt-n-Pepa. To close out the weekend, soul singer Anthony Hamilton, whose most recent album Back to Love was nominated for a Best R&B Album Grammy this year, will perform. -- Robbyn Mitchell

Ben Taylor
With Emily Kopp
SATURDAY 8 and 10 p.m. (8 p.m. show is sold out). Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. $25. rutheckerdhall.com.
Growing up the son of two pop-rock icons hasn't always been easy on Ben Taylor. But over the past decade and a half, the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon has forged a respectable career as a singer-songwriter, with more than a half-dozen albums and EPs. Touring both with his father and his own band, Taylor has cultivated a small but dedicated fan base. His show this Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall's Murray Studio Theater sold out so quickly, the venue had to add a second. Expect a set filled with catchy, rootsy, autobiographical songs. "My music is a huge amalgamation of things and influence and styles, but it's very much made up of music that my parents made that I heard growing up," said Ben. "It's ingrained in me." -- Jay Cridlin

One More Time: A Daft Punk Tribute
With DJ Kensi, Youth Revolt
FRIDAY 9 p.m., Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $15. (813) 248-9500 or theorpheum.com.
The chances of a Daft Punk show happening anywhere near Tampa Bay are just about as good as the chances of seeing the legendary Paris duo perform without their trademark spacesuits. But his tribute act dons those aforementioned cosmic fatigues, utilizes a full-scale replica of DP's LED-encrusted pyramid and knits together two decades of songs to recreate the vibe from Daft Punk's tour supporting their Grammy-winning album Alive 2007. It's not the real thing (and One More Time's controller and sampling rig probably isn't half as complex as the original), but when you're talking about two dudes in robot suits playing electronic music, this is probably as close as you're gonna get.

Soulfound
With Weaksauce, Elevated, The Gita, Pete Berwick
SATURDAY 7p.m., State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $8. (727) 895-3045.
Soulfound used a MySpace page to announce their own demise three years ago, and while a lot has changed in the world of music consumption since they were all on stage together, things look ripe for a reunion. The Clearwater outfit is set to bring their blend of progressive, punk and indie rock back to the stage for a one-off show, and the icing on the cake is that they'll also be joined by a pair of once-revered Bay area bands: The Gita (who have already played a handful of reunion shows) and Weaksauce, who were once purveyors of central Florida's most potent mixture of rowdy ska and reggae.

Ramones Tribute 9
With Between Bluffs, Doll Parts, The Scurvy, El Groundscoro, Boney Fiend, Saginaki Bomb Squad, more.
SATURDAY 7 p.m., Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. Free. (727) 736-0606.
The effect that the Ramones had on the greater scope of rock music is probably immeasurable, but something that anyone can relate to is the way that frontman Joey Ramone brought a counterculture attitude into living rooms across the country. On Saturday, Florida's oldest microbrewery celebrates the legacy of the band by welcoming an eclectic mix of 10 local acts, including riot grrl outfit Doll Parts, to celebrate punk rock classics like Rockaway Beach, Blitzkrieg Bop and Sheena Is A Punk Rocker with a wallop of a free show.

The Joy Formidable
With IO Echo
SUNDAY 7 p.m., State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $16-$18. (727) 895-3045.
Believe us, The Joy Formidable want to be back in Tampa Bay. The last time the Welsh alt-rock impresarios came through Central Florida, they tweeted that they were rubbing manatee bellies in Homosassa. Fans should want frontlady Ritzy Bryan and her band back in Tampa Bay, too. Their brand of manic, powerful, jubilant rock is as catchy as it is sweeping, and Bryan's stage presence makes it nearly impossible to look away from her impassioned delivery and sky-blue eyes. She's backed by the equally captivating duo of Rhydian Dafydd on bass and Matt Thomas on drums. Support on the bill includes a similarly buzzworthy act: IO Echo, who fuse elements of Far East auxiliary composition with willowy atmospherics and propulsive electronica.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash
TUESDAY 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen-Booth Rd., Clearwater. $62.50-$214.50. (727) 791-7400.
Not many songwriters can say they've been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, but that particular accomplishment has been collecting dust on the shelves of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash for a while now. Songs like Helplessly Hoping, Carry On and Our House are forever etched onto the hearts of any baby boomer with a working set of ears, and that same demographic has helped the trio sell out Ruth Eckerd Hall an impressive eight times in a row. Yeah, the boys will be missing a famous fourth voice (consult Google to find out what the "Y" in "CSNY" stands for, young'un), but expect nothing less than a packed house giving new meaning to nostalgia when CSN return for this special evening.

Rodriguez
With Jenny O.
THURSDAY 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N. McMullen-Booth Rd., Clearwater. $33.50 and up. (727) 791-7400.
Only the most directionless consumers of classic American music are still searching for the one known as "Sugar Man." Cult sensation Sixto Rodriguez should've been basking in this kind of praise and unanimous acclaim back when he released a pair of classic LPs in 1970 and 1971, but he's making the most of all the newfound glory being tossed his way thanks to an award-winning documentary about his obscurity and elusiveness, Searching for Sugar Man. His songs — rollicking, often heartbreaking folk gems rife with social commentary surrounding his hometown of Detroit — have been met with adoring applause on his current tour, and another generation of music lovers are finally fully realizing the scope of 70-year-old tunesmith's stunted, yet splendid, catalog.

Armin Van Buuren
THURSDAY 8:30 p.m., Amphitheatre, 1609 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. Sold out (some VIP tickets may be available). (813) 873-8368.
Barring some kind of EDM miracle, there is no hope of you getting in to witness Dutch export Armin Van Buuren do his thing. Tickets to see the 36-year-old producer have been sold out for weeks, and VIPs can expect to fork over close to $2,000 for a table and drinks. That's what happens when the world's No.1 DJ (better than Tiesto, David Guetta and Avicii, according to DJ Mag) schedules just over a handful of U.S. dates supporting his long-awaited fifth studio LP, Intense. Put it this way: Van Buuren is the pope of trance, and his most devoted pilgrims have already packed the chapel to the gills.

Also playing

Eliot Lipp Fri. With Redstar, Spies On Bikes. 10 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $8-$11. (813) 241-8600.

Boz Scaggs Fri. With Pablo Cruise. 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N McMullen-Booth Rd., Clearwater. $49-$85. (727) 791-7400.

Slightly Stoopid Fri. With Tribal Seeds. 6:30 p.m. Jannus Live, 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg. Sold out. (727) 565-0550.

Ghetto Blaster Fri. With Victims Of Circumstance, Lemon Law, High 5 Go. 8 p.m. The Local 662, 662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $8. Facebook.com/thelocal662.

Donna The Buffalo Sat. 7 p.m. Jannus Live, 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg. $23-$25. (727) 565-0550.

Bangarang Sat. With Death Starsky, Samurai Shotgun, Heights NS, Indigenous Ways. 8 p.m. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. $7. (813) 241-8600.

Orange Blossom Jamboree Kickoff Show Sat. With The Funky Nuggets, Shoeless Soul, Free Range Roosters, more. 3 p.m. Blueberry Patch, 4923 20th Ave. S., Gulfport. $5 donation. (727) 327-4224 or blueberrypatch.org.

Jon Secada Sat. 9 p.m. The Club at Treasure Island, 400 Treasure Island Causeway, Treasure Island. $50. (727) 367-4511.

El Gran Combo Sun. 3 p.m. Busch Gardens, 10165 N McKinley Dr., Tampa. Free with park admission. 1-888-800-5447.

Jon Davidson Sun. 7:30 p.m. Sacred Grounds, 4819 E Busch Blvd, Tampa. Free. (813) 983-0837.

Nic Cowan Sun. 7 p.m. The Local 662, 662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $8. Facebook.com/thelocal662.

Lori McKenna Mon. 7:30 p.m. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa. $28.50 and up. (813) 229-7827.

Olly Murs Wed. With Before You Exit. 7 p.m. The Ritz, 1503 Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $23.50. (813) 247-2555.

Clutch Thu. With The Sword, Lionize. 7 p.m. State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $25. (727) 895-3045.

Fozzy Thu. 8 p.m. Club Detroit, 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg. $10. (727) 673-2949.