Top 10 Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte concert picks, March 24-30 – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Where to watch performances by musicians who live in or are visiting the Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte area.
Peter Asher
One-half of the British pop duo Peter and Gordon who later became a successful producer, Peter Asher will visit Sarasota’s Fogartyville with “A Musical Memoir of the ’60s and Beyond.” After his time in Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was the 1964 Paul McCartney-penned track “A World Without Love,” Asher went on to produce some of the best-known albums by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, winning two Producer of the Year Grammys. The show will span the earliest days of Asher’s career to the present day, with VIP tickets including a pre-show Q&A with Asher. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $40, $35 members, $75-$80 VIP; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org
Brandon Santini
Harmonica player and singer-songwriter Brandon Santini visits two of the area’s top blues venues, Englewoods on Dearborn and The Blue Rooster, this week. Santini is up for an Instrumentalist – Harmonica Blues Music Award this year, a category he’s been nominated in multiple times. Prior to his solo career, Santini played in the band Delta Highway, which earned a Best New Artist Debut Blues Music Awards nomination, and later formed the group Tennessee Redemption with fellow blues artist Jeff Jensen. 7 p.m. Thursday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com; 8 p.m. Friday; The Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth St., Sarasota; $15; 941-388-7539; blueroostersrq.com
Saving Abel
Sarasota’s Big Top Brewing Company welcomes two national touring artists this weekend, starting with hard rockers Saving Abel playing the brewery on Friday. The Mississippi-formed group scored a platinum hit with the single “Addicted” from their 2008 self-titled debut album, which they followed with 2010’s “Miss America,” featuring the No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay hit “The Sex is Good.” Founding lead singer Jared Weeks rejoined the band last year after departing in 2013, and the group is currently at work on new material. Sonica opens. 7 p.m. Friday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; $17 advance, $20 day of; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com
Have Gun, Will Travel
The Music in the Park concert series, which returned last week to Bradenton Riverwalk, continues with The Friendly City’s own Have Gun, Will Travel. The group is one of Sarasota-Manatee’s most acclaimed musical acts, earning write-ups from NPR and No Depression, and having their songs appear on the TV shows “The Good Wife” and “The Ranch.” Have Gun, Will Travel’s most recent studio album was 2019’s “Strange Chemistry,” but the band has continued releasing music since then, including new single “Buyer’s Remorse” and the song and music video “Our Fair City,” which pays tribute to Bradenton and mentions the Riverwalk by name. 6 p.m. Friday; Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion at Rossi Park, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton; free; realizebradenton.com/mitp
The Resonant Rogues
Asheville, North Carolina roots band The Resonant Rogues, featuring songwriting duo Sparrow (banjo, accordion) and Keith Smith (guitar), will return to Fogartyville this week. The band’s musical influences span the globe from Appalachia and New Orleans to Paris and the Balkans. The group has recorded numerous releases, including both the full-length “The Magnolia Sessions” and EP “Straight to Tape at Bigtone Records” last year. 7:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Friday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $20, $15 members, $10 students; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org
LoCash
After headlining Ed Smith Stadium in 2018, country duo LoCash returns to Sarasota for a show at Big Top. Comprising Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, singer-songwriters who’ve also penned hits for Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, LoCash scored hits of their own such as “I Know Somebody” and “I Love This Life,” which respectively reached No. 1 and 2 on the Country Airplay chart. Recent songs of theirs include “Cloud of Dust,” featuring Tampa Bay Buc Rob Gronkowski and his brothers, and “Beach Boys,” featuring the titular group’s Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and referencing their classic track “I Get Around.” 7 p.m. Saturday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; sold-out; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com
MJR Latin Project
Fogartyville’s live music lineup this week will also include the Tampa Bay-based Latin jazz ensemble MJR Latin Project. Cuban bass player and composer Mauricio J Rodriguez created the band to release his album “Luz” at the 2021 St. Petersburg Latin Jazz Festival. The group also includes saxophonist Zach Bornheimer, an associate producer on the Maria Schneider Orchestra’s Grammy-winning 2020 album “Data Lords”; trumpeter Richie Viruét; pianist Pablo Arencibia; drummer Andy Fornet; and conga player Dimas Sanchez. 7:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Saturday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $20, $18 members, $10 students; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org
Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin
After playing on the Cayamo cruise along with artists like Emmylou Harris and Richard Thompson, Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin will play a show hosted by Listening Room of Sarasota. The pair have performed together and separately, with Rose formerly fronting the cow-punk band the Midnight Walkers and Kaplin having performed in the bands of musicians like Jack White and the late great John Prine. Those interested in attending the show, or future shows showcasing musicians in a similar singer-songwriter style, are asked to email lrsrq@yahoo.com and request being added to their email list. 5 p.m. Sunday; Music Compound, 1751 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; $25 suggested donation
Damon Fowler
Big Top’s live music lineup this weekend will also include guitarist, singer-songwriter and former Anna Maria Island resident Damon Fowler for its Blues & Brews series. Fowler is up for a Blues Rock Album Blues Music Award this year for 2021’s “Alafia Moon,” which takes its name from the Alafia River in Fowler’s Hillsborough County home and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s blues album chart. Along with his solo career, Fowler has also played in the bands of founding Allman Brothers Band members Dickey Betts and the late Butch Trucks, and the supergroup Southern Hospitality with Grammy-nominated pianist Victor Wainwright and fellow Floridian J.P. Soars. 3 p.m. Sunday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com
Review: Damon Fowler shines on gripping new swamp blues album ‘Alafia Moon’
Paul Thorn
After headlining Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre on Saturday, blues/roots singer-songwriter Paul Thorn will play two shows at The Blue Rooster, the first performing solo acoustic and the second night with a band. After a boxing career where he once faced world champion Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán in a televised 1988 match, Thorn moved onto a successful and long-running music career, most recently releasing last year’s album “Never Too Late to Call.” As of press time, there were still tickets to Thorn’s solo acoustic show Sunday, but Monday’s band show was sold out, according to the venue. 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday; The Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth St., Sarasota; $75 each show (sold out Monday); 941-388-7539; blueroostersrq.com
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Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.