SoundCheck: Mobb Deep among top live music picks – Tampa Bay Times

Mobb Deep
With Rival
Details: Friday 8 p.m., Jannus Live, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. $20. (727) 565-0550.
It seems like we’re writing about a ’90s-era rap reunion every other week, and this booking is just another page in that wonderfully nostalgic story line. Queens MCs Havoc and Prodigy, collectively known as Mobb Deep, lay claim to being two of the genre’s most influential individuals, and they’re on the second leg of a reunion tour that came together after Prodigy’s short stint in jail and an interpersonal Twitter spat that temporarily made their BFF status null and void. They’ve put out more than a dozen releases over their storied career, but expect this show to lean heavily on a classic debut LP, Juvenile Hell, which hit the streets 20 years ago.
Wolfgang Gartnern
With Winta, Nerd Rage, Mr. Saturn
Details: Friday 9 p.m., Amphitheatre, 1609 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $15-$20. (813) 873-8368.
Wolfgang Gartner’s introduction to dance music involved being 13 years old and getting rides from his mom so he could stand at the back of a room and soak up the music that would eventually become his way of life. So it’s fitting that he’s headlining this installment of Amphitheatre’s “#Friday,” where young fresh faces (it’s an 18-and-up party) dominate the sea of strobe-light-illuminated revelers. The 31-year-old Californian (real name Joey Youngman) has released music under several monikers (Bosco & Terrell, Mario Fabriani and Spyro Pappadopoulos, to name a few) to satisfy his need to create different strains of EDM, but this set will feature the Gartner brand of populist house music that has made him a required booking at festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo.
Hank & Cupcakes
Details: Saturday 10 p.m., Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $10-$25. (813) 248-9500 or theorpheum.com.
The Orpheum’s Retro Red Square Recall party has been a staple of Ybor City nightlife for more than a decade now, and while the weekly could surely float just fine on its own, Orpheum isn’t afraid to add a little extra buoyancy by throwing quirky dance acts into the mix. On Saturday they welcome husband-and-wife duo Hank & Cupcakes, who come to town from Brooklyn (by way of Tel Aviv and Havana, mind you) with a new EP of kinetic indie-pop in tow. The effort’s title track, Ain’t No Love, is a propulsive blend of disco synth and ’70s funk that should take flight when the pair (known for jumping offstage and dancing amid the audience) present it live.
98 Rock Presents: Big Night Out.
With Fuel, Hoobastank (shown), Alien Ant Farm, Local H
Details: Sunday 11 a.m., Vinoy Park, 701 Bayshore Drive NE, St. Petersburg. 98 cents-$29.50. (727) 893-7441.
Historic St. Pete, a group dedicated to saving the historic YMCA at the corner of Fifth Street and First Avenue S, is getting a little help with the bills when 98 Rock brings a handful of soon-to-be-classic-rock acts to that sunny patch of grass we call Vinoy Park. “Big Night Out” is a fundraiser where attendees pay 98 cents (VIP reserved seating is available for just under $30) to see Fuel get their Shimmer on while Hoobastank looks for The Reason and Alien Ant Farm gives ’em some Attitude and throws down their epic Michael Jackson cover, Smooth Criminal. Local H (Bound for the Floor) is a late replacement for Lit, but still, you’d have to be the crustiest of curmudgeons to have a bad time at this ridiculously low-priced concert for a cause.
New World Brewery Acoustic BBQ
With Joe Popp
Details: Wednesday 7 p.m., New World Brewery, 1313 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City. Free. (813) 248-4969.
Joe Popp now calls Harlem, N.Y., home but Tampa should forgive their native son for jumping ship as he’s done pretty well for himself since skipping town. He’ll be fresh off a trip composing music using the Eiffel Tower as an instrument (you have to Google it to believe it) when he arrives back in the 813 for a solo acoustic show, and while he will be alone for the gig, don’t expect him to forsake the past. As the leader of bands like Dogs On Ice, the Hornrims and Plasma In The Ukraine, Popp’s musical endeavors have landed him spots opening for Green Day, Social Distortion and even Joan Jett. He’s known for attacking the acoustic guitar when he plays, so don’t come looking for coffee shop fare if you make your way out to this one.
Times correspondent Ray Roa can be reached at SuburbanApologist.com.
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