Music & Nightlife By Nanette Wiser
Jimmy Griswold: From Crabby Bill’s to Sea Riders, this popular musician excels at playing tribute to artists like T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan with an original singing and guitar playing style all his own. With four national and international critically acclaimed albums, Griswold has played at Clearwater Jazz Festival and opened for national acts including Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Jimmy Vaughn, Pat Travers and Dave Mason. A transplant from New England to Florida, Griswold can also find him playing at the Angry Pepper Taphouse, Ale & The Witch and The Hideaway Café.
The Frank & Dean Experience: Based in St. Pete Beach, the Rat Pack era comes alive when these two hip songsters hit the stage, singing, joking and bantering with the audience. Nick Conrad (Frank Sinatra) grew up in the Washington, DC, area and was introduced to music at an early age playing the clarinet. His mother sang and played piano and both parents were huge fans of Sinatra. Nick majored in music and has performed as a soloist for orchestras, fronted rock bands and has performed with The Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center.
Steven Moretti (Dean Martin) was born and raised in the city of Chicago but lived and performed in Las Vegas. Once he got his hands on an Elvis record at 6 years old, his music passion never wavered as he mastered trumpet, guitar and piano. After singing and playing guitar in rock bands, he discovered his inner Dean and became a crooner. Once the two met and shared their love for this era’s hit tunes, The Frank & Dean Experience was born. The duo will play at Wine Knot 9/25.
The Shaun Hopper Trio is one of my favorite Tampa Bay groups. Shaun Hopper’s fingerstyle acoustic guitar performances will dazzle you both on his original and cover songs (Chet Atkins, Andres Segovia, The Beatles, Queen). Accompanied by Chris Barbosa, a dynamic instrumentalist and composer with 20 years of experience, Barbaso has played as the first chair violist with several orchestras and has performed in Carnegie Hall. Singer/songwriter Jessica Rose’s smooth melodies and captivating and lyrics cover jazz and trendy pop, from Sinatra to Rihanna. Catch them at Ringside Café, The Hideaway, Stirling Wine and other songster hangouts.
Get Your Groove On: Lots of great music during the Dog Days of Summer. Jannus Live features Schism – Tool Tribute Band with Humanity Gone (8/21), Bryce Vine – Miss You A Little with Blanco Brown (8/28), The Struts (8/31), Beartooth – The Below Tour with Wage War and Dragged Under (9/8) and Jack Harlow Crème de la Crème tour (9/9), The Black Keys with Robert Finley (9/21). Ask about their VIP Experience.
Ringside Café hosts Jan and Dan on Tuesday, Tony Tyler on Wednesday and Roots Reggae on Sunday. Floridian Social Club’s jazz, rock, DJ concerts and amazing cocktails rock Central Avenue, truly a fantastic update of the State Theater and a world-class small venue. Pure Martini will be a welcome DTSP small concert venue featuring DJs and local bands in a 3,400 square foot space featuring 150 indoor and outdoor, bar top, and lounge seats. We can’t wait. Catch The Big Brother Band rock and pop extravaganzas at local haunts such as most Fridays at Ricky T’s, Daiquiri Shak Raw Bar & Grille, Ka’Tiki, Jimmy B’s and Salty’s Gulfport.
FYI: For concert dates, follow these artists and these venues on Facebook and their websites.