CL previews upcoming shows
Reel Big Fish, Stevie Nicks, the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz

Published 02.07.07
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Thursday, Feb. 8

CHICAGO In '67, a gaggle of students at DePaul University started
Chicago Transit Authority, a restlessly inventive ensemble known for
its heady horn charts. It wasn't long before the band rechristened
itself Chicago and became a middle-of-the-road pop hit machine with
saccharine singer Peter Cetera as the centerpiece. Chicago scored
its first Top 10 with "Make Me Smile" in 1970 and its last in '89
with "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" -- with nary a drop-off in
between. Cetera left long ago (replaced by a Cetera soundalike).
Chicago's very much a nostalgia act now, but they've got a lot of
nostalgia to choose from. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) --Eric
Snider

REEL BIG FISH These South Cali ska-punkers entered the mainstream
in '97 following the success of similar-sounding acts such as No
Doubt and Sublime. Reel Big Fish's breakthrough and only legitimate
hit single, "Sell Out," is a boisterous party track with punchy
horns, speedy reggae rhythms and lyrics about leaving the fast-food
gig and inking a lucrative deal with a major label. The band is
still jumping around onstage, having recently released the concert
document Our Live Album is Better Than Your Jive Album, which of
course includes a sing-along version of "Sell Out." This is the kick-
off concert for the Florida State Fair. Live music continues on
Sun., Feb. 11 with 1964...The Tribute (to The Beatles, of course),
and Tues., Feb. 13 with Bennie Anderson & the Drifters. (Florida
State Fairgrounds, Tampa)

FOOD WILL WIN THE WAR w/GIDDY-UP HELICOPTER/RED ROOM CINEMA Food
Will Win the War is what Big Apple-based singer-songwriter Rob Ward
calls his band. It's also what he calls his debut album. The disc is
a collection of bleak folk numbers that pair Ward's spooky baritone
with plenty of soft guitars, percussion, keys and a lonesome violin.
Local favorite and Best of the Bay winner Giddy-Up Helicopter crafts
fragile, melancholy tunes tricked-out with lap steel and banjo à la
Sufjan Stevens. Tampa's Red Room Cinema issues mood music that's
sad, spacey and soaked in synths. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

FRIDAY, Feb. 9

STEVIE NICKS If Lindsey Buckingham was the artistic conscience of
Fleetwood Mac and Christine McVie was the pop confectionist, and
Mick Fleetwood and John McVie were the backbone, then Stevie Nicks
was the diva, the witch/goddess frontwoman. She also had, and has, a
shrill, braying voice whose appeal completely evades me. Nicks can
build a setlist from a passel of her Fleetwood Mac songs, as well as
a solid book of solo hits. (Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa) --ES

GINUWINE w/CARL THOMAS/JEDIAH Slow-jam crooner Ginuwine shot to
stardom in '96 by inviting the world to ride his "Pony." He's been
moaning over thumping bass and thick grooves ever since, resulting
in varying levels of success. Carl Thomas does pretty much the same
thing, while Miami's Jediah is a 2Pac acolyte whose lamely named
debut disc Confessionz of a Thug drops in March. (Tampa's Studio
Inc., Tampa)

REV. BILLY C. WIRTZ Boogie woogie piano man/R-rated
preacher/comedian and Skipperdome fave Billy C. Wirtz returns to his
preferred Bay area stomping grounds to delight his faithful
followers with politically incorrect musings about adventures in the
sack and such pop culture prizes as The Velvet Elvis. (Skipper's
Smokehouse, Tampa)

HOT TOPIC PRESENTS THE TAKE ACTION TOUR FEAT. EMERY/THE RED JUMPSUIT
APPARATUS/SCARY KIDS/A STATIC LULLABY/KADDISFLY Seattle-based Emery
is a popular Christian melodic hardcore unit that spends as much
time on record probing relationships as it does extolling the
virtues of the Good Book. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is a Jacksonville-
area punk-rock quintet that blew up last year with their gold-
certified debut album Don't You Fake It, whose banality pretty much
disgusted critics -- but their teenage fanbase digs it, you know.
Scary Kids arrive from Arizona with a rather bland offering of snot-
nosed punk kissed with '80s-style keyboards. Cali screamers A Static
Lullaby growl and sing over standard three-chord mayhem. Portland's
Kaddisfly peppers its post-millennium rock with prog touches.
(Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg)

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC/52nd STREET Sir Elton and the Billy "Piano Man"
Joel get the tribute treatment -- bring your mom. (Largo Cultural
Center)

LAST DAY ALIVE CD RELEASE PARTY w/WOODALE/ARCHERS NEW REVIVAL/
SELECT START The Brandon-based trio Last Day Alive will rock-out in
standard screamo, slow-then-fast, sweet-then-abrasive fashion to
celebrate its new CD Wear You Like a Curse. Joining in the
festivities will be Woodale, from Lakeland, which performs an
earnest, occasionally poppy brand of alternative rock that sets the
band apart from the other acts in the lineup. Archers New Rival is
another sing-then-growl band from Orlando that takes audiences into
very familiar terrain. Tampa quartet Select Start should have no
trouble making bodies move with their synthy backbeats, power-pop
overtones and anguished "to hell with love" lyrics. (Crowbar, Ybor
City)

LESS THAN JAKE It's a guaranteed good time when this veteran ska-
punk band decides it's time again to drive down from Gainesville and
entertain members of its loyal Bay area fanbase. The group's two-
night stand continues on Saturday at the same venue. (State Theatre,
St. Petersburg)

THIRD SOCIETY/THE SUPERVILLAINS The Sarasota rock quintet has an
unapologetic early-'90s grunge sound, complete with big melodies and
various quantities of facial hair. I like to poke fun at grunge
(flannel just doesn't look good on me), but I can't deny that when
the genre's matched with hooks like Third Society's, I don't mind it
at all. (The Tavern on Main, Sarasota) --Cooper Levey-Baker

SATURDAY, Feb. 10

NEW EDITION There was a time two decades ago -- long before Bobby
Brown snorted his first line or bedded Whitney Houston -- when
posters of New Edition were mandatory wall decorations for any self-
respecting seventh-grader. A boy band in the mold of the Jackson 5,
the group matured to usher in the New Jack Swing era, with Brown
then hitting pay dirt as a solo act with "My Prerogative." The
remaining members of New Edition formed Bell Biv Devoe and had a
banner year in 1990 with the sexed-up smashes "Poison" and "Do Me!"
Fast-forward to 2007, and New Edition (minus bad-boy Brown) is five
years into a reunion tour that will find them crooning "Candy Girl"
to women who must now be in their 40s if they dug this lightweight
radio favorite in 1983. (St. Pete Times Forum)

THE GIPSY KINGS The French band benefited from impeccable timing. In
the early '80s, as world music was being marketed intensively to
American consumers, the Kings cropped up, offering a decidedly pop
take on flamenco music. The band's wildly emotive vocals and
relentless acoustic guitars made them international stars, even
though they were scorned by flamenco purists. Clearly, Gipsy Kings
have stood the test of time. (Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center,
Tampa) --ES

CHUCK OWEN & JAZZ SURGE w/special guest RUSS FERRANTE Part of the
USF Jazz Masterworks Series, Chuck Owen conducts his big band Jazz
Surge through the music of saxophonist/composer/arranger Bob
Mintzer, who leads his own big band and is also a member of the
crossover fusion group The Yellowjackets. This program will touch on
both aspects of Mintzer's artistry. Ferrante, The Yellowjackets'
longtime keyboardist, is on hand for the fun. The same program is
repeated at Tampa Theatre on Mon., Feb. 12. (Palladium Theater, St.
Petersburg Tampa) --ES

TERRY GARLAND Garland ditched playing the blues with a band after
his first solo gig opening for Leon Russell. He realized that most
of the blues masters he loved (Robert Johnson et al) didn't need
much more than their fingers, their throat and their gut. He plays
both acoustic and slide guitar in concert, honoring blues tradition
with some covers and throwing in originals as well. (Fogartyville
Café, Bradenton) --CLB

SUNDAY, Feb. 11

THE MATCHES/ESCAPE THE FATE/I AM GHOST/THE HIGHER The Matches are an
Oakland-based foursome that largely expanded their fanbase last year
with their second Epitaph LP Decomposer, a collection of well-
executed pop-punk. The band sprinkles its songs with dashes of
electronica and gritty rock grooves. The night's roster also
includes fellow Epitaph acts Escape the Fate (screamo), I Am Ghost
(punk/Goth) and The Higher (emo). (Orpheum, Ybor City)

WINGER Hair metal has-been Winger enjoyed a nice run starting in the
late '80s. It lasted until some band called Nirvana came along and
made their music seem a bit silly. Will area hipsters attend, offer
ironic applause, observe how the other half lives and have some fun
in the process? We'll see. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

IRA SULLIVAN In the '80s, Sullivan -- who plays saxophones, trumpet,
flute and (I think) clarinets -- led one of jazz's most going
concerns with the late trumpeter Red Rodney. A couple of years ago,
Sullivan played a Gorilla Theatre matinee and charmed the small
crowd with his wit, anecdotes and, of course, playing. For this
show, which starts at 3 p.m., he'll be backed by top-rank local
players. (Gorilla Theatre) --ES

TUESDAY, Feb. 13

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW This Nashville folk/bluegrass/country band
sounds a lot like Bob Dylan circa The Basement Tapes thanks to the
nasally delivery of leader Willie Watson. (Skipper's Smokehouse,
Tampa)

PSYCHOSTICK/INDORPHINE Arizona metal band Psychostick plays for
laughs with songs about shitty cars ("Two Ton Paperweight") and
their love of cheap suds ("Beer!"). Indorphine is a mean-sounding
prog-metal act from Orlando. (Bourbon Street Concert Club, New Port
Richey)
http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=191603
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Billy Joel sets the tone, but Cirque mucks it up

Adam Graham / Detroit News Pop Music Writer

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Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Billy Joel pounds the keys as the rain pounds him and his piano. The
singer performed the National Anthem before Super Bowl XLI. See full
image



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B illy Joel brought his New York state of mind to Super Bowl XLI in
Miami on Sunday, singing a classily restrained rendition of the
National Anthem before the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears took
the field.

If "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson was watching Joel sing the
Anthem, he may have described several of the Piano Man's notes
as "pitchy."

But Joel deserves credit for delivering the song in a
straightforward manner, without any showboating or over-the-top
dramatics. He certainly wasn't done any favors by the rain that
poured down inside Dolphin Stadium, soaking him and his piano.

Joel has been in semi-retirement for more than a decade, but is
mounting a comeback this year. Joel has written mostly instrumental
pieces in the years since 1993's "River of Dreams," but will be
releasing a new single, "All My Life," this month. He performs at
the Palace of Auburn Hills on May 4.

The entertainment portion of the Super Bowl was kicked off earlier
in the evening by venerable French Canadian entertainment troupe
Cirque du Soleil, who presented what emcee Gloria Estefan described
as a "high energy fusion of south Florida and football."

Whatever that means.

What viewers saw was a confusing, conceptually muddy mish-mash with
no central theme or message, with the hard-to-follow action spread
out all over the football field. If a story was being told through
the dozens of on-field performers, no one bothered to tell the
control booth where to point their cameras to help move things along.

With its multiple drum lines, excitable cheerleading squads and face-
paint sporting crazies, it all unfolded like a Gwen Stefani video
directed by Federico Fellini.

There were referees riding on flamingos, oversized crocodiles, high-
flying acrobats and -- why not? -- salsa dancers.

It was excessive, meaningless and confusing, much like the spectacle
that surrounds the Super Bowl itself.

A clad-in-black Stevie Nicks also performed during the Super Bowl's
pregame festivities, because -- let's face it -- nothing says "Super
Bowl in Miami" like a clad-in-black Stevie Nicks.

You can reach Adam Graham at (313) 222-2284 or agraham@ detnews.com.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070205/ENT02/702050356
*******************************************************************
Stevie Nicks To Release Live Australian Tracks On Compilation
by Paul Cashmere - February 3 2007
photo by Ros O'Gorman


Just a few songs from Stevie Nicks' live show with the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra have been delegated to an upcoming compilation
album for the white witch.


Nicks will include MSO versions of 'Edge of Seventeen'
and 'Landslide' on 'Crystal Vision … The Very Best of Stevie Nicks'
in March.

The mysterious absence of the MSO live album and DVD now suggests
that the project didn't quiet work out.

Nicks recorded show in Melbourne, Australia in 2005 for a DVD that
never eventuated.

Instead, a 13 track DVD of her greatest hits will be released at the
same time as the compilation CD.

The album will feature her cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll',
her duet 'Sorcerer' with Sheryl Crow, a Deep Dish remix of 'Dreams'
and the fan fav 'Silver Springs' that was originally the b-side to
the Fleetwood Mac single 'Go Your Own Way'.

'Crystal Visions…The Very Best of Stevie Nicks' will be released
through Warner Brother Records on March 27th.
http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=1487
*****************************************************************
Posted on Sun, Jan. 28, 2007email thisprint thisreprint or license
thisSinger goes his own way in styleBy ROBERT PHILPOT
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/D.J. PETERS
Lindsey Buckingham rocked Bass Hall on Saturday. The former
Fleetwood Mac member successfully walked the line between the old
and new.FORT WORTH -- When you're essentially a cult artist who has
sprung from a mega-selling band, sometimes you have to strike a
balance in concert. For Lindsey Buckingham, that tightrope is strung
between 30-year-old Fleetwood Mac songs about a relationship gone
awry and present-day ones about finding peace in the marriage he's
in now.

In his show Saturday night at Bass Hall, Buckingham pulled off the
high-wire act and then some, playing several songs off his excellent
new CD Under the Skin and his biggies from 1977's Rumours -- Go Your
Own Way, Second Hand News, Never Going Back Again -- but also
touching on many other aspects of his Fleetwood Mac tenure and his
solo career.

The show's best moments came when Buckingham messed with the old
stuff. When he pulled out an explosive, eardrum-rewiring guitar solo
on I'm So Afraid, he may have risked self-indulgence -- except that
he seemed to lose control, becoming possessed by the screaming tones
that filled the hall. That was the high point, but it wasn't the
only highlight.

Space doesn't permit listing all the examples, but another wild solo
to climax Go Your Own Way and a malevolent take on the 1984 solo hit
Go Insane, which sounded more like something from a spaghetti
Western than the bouncy original, were among the many peaks.

Sometimes playing solo, other times with a band (guitarist Neale
Heywood, percussionist Taku Hirano and bassist/keyboardist Brett
Tuggle), Buckingham may have shocked anyone who still thinks of
Fleetwood Mac as '70s soft-rock.

Rippling through finger-picked guitar runs, modulating his vocals
from near-whispers to full-throated bellows, leading the group in
the oddball sonic experiments he so loves, Buckingham showed why
some people call him visionary even as his opening number Not Too
Late indicated that he's uncomfortable with the term.

If the show had a flaw, it was in the momentum-threatening
interruptions that occurred because the concert was being filmed for
Mark Cuban's HDNet. But even with those minor glitches, Buckingham
danced all over the tightrope, when he could have settled for just
walking.

GRADE: A
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