This week in Tampa Bay area live music: Delta Rae, Todd Snider, Nicki Bluhm, Mike Dillon Band & more

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10
Delta Rae Three musical siblings — Ian, Eric and Brittany Hölljes — started collaborating with longtime family friend Elizabeth Hopkins several years ago, and became the current Delta Rae line-up in 2010 with the addition of drummer/percussionist Mike McKee and bassist Grant Emerson. The brothers play guitars and keys, Brittany delivers big velvety lead vocals and pretty support to Hopkins’ raspier piping call or Ian’s straightforward tenor, and all four voices come together in harmonic stretches of soulful beauty. In 2012, the Durham, N.C. sextet was signed to Sire Records by iconic A&R rep Seymour Stein (who originally launched the careers of Talking Heads and Madonna among many others), and full-length debut Carry the Fire was issued last summer. The 12-song set is modern Americana studded with elements of blues, pop and gospel, their sound alternately dark and haunting or bright and hopeful, from the Southern gothic appeal of "Bottom of the River” with its chain-gang stomp and gospel choir intones, to the soaring bittersweet melodies about leaving a lover behind in “Holding on to Good,” to the urgent pulsing drive of “Is There Anyone Out There,” which finds Ian howling about feelings of disillusionment: “My body doesn’t fit me, my dreams are like great ships lost at sea / and this heart grows tired, so far from where I started, so far from where I want to be.” (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)

Blah Blah Blah II - The Sequel It’s an evening of trap, dubstep, moombahton, drum n’ bass, glitch hop and other breakin’ beats when Low Pass Records unites with Tampa’s long-running EDM Fusion Night at GBar to celebrate a year of dedication to "All Things Bass." This free party spotlights the sounds of Low Pass-repped talent on the speakers and features live spins by uAnimals, a special appearance by Thee Joker & TL Jentgens, and support from Sirkit and Redstar. (GBar, Ybor City)

Rick Springfield The Aussie power pop rocker with the raspy-toned vocals generated several international hits in the early ‘80s (“Jesse’s Girl,” “I've Done Everything for You”), and in the midst of recurring stints as Noah Drake/Eli Love on General Hospital, Rick Springfield has kept plenty busy writing music, selling more than 25 million records worldwide and releasing his 15th studio album, Songs For The End Of The World, in October. (Hard Rock Café, Tampa)

Grateful Dead Nite Deluxe: Uncle John's Band w/Christopher Hawley The ongoing Dead night festivities presented by the Bay area’s longest running tribute act open with a set by California-based roots rock singer-songwriter Christopher Hawley, who has slide guitar chops and an upbeat delivery. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

Justin Townes Earle w/Cory Chisel It's hard to believe all the quirks that define Justin Townes Earle are contained within one lanky body. He's a recovering addict, no stranger to the inside of a holding tank; one of GQ's best dressed subjects in jaunty fedoras, bow-ties and three-piece suits; a Southerner taking inspiration from New York City; the namesake of not one but two Americana legends (his father, Steve Earle, and his father’s hero, Townes Van Zandt); and he’s quickly becoming a musical heavy-hitter in his own right. It comes as no surprise, then, that his music can't fit cleanly into any one genre. By blending Memphis soul, Southern gospel, rollicking country and western, and indie rock with unabashed, unapologetic lessons about hard knocks and hard living, JTE appeals to those who grew up listening to Hank Sr. just as much as those who prefer Hank III. He hits Orlando supporting his latest LP and my favorite album of 2012, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now. (The Social, Orlando) —Shae Krispinsky

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11
Todd Snider w/Shannon McNally Alt country and folk music troubadour Todd Snider is known for his clever rambling and talk-sung commentary on the human condition, but his wry wit carries a more scathing tone in 2012 album, Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables. “And ain't it a son of a bitch / To think that we would still need religion, to keep the poor from killin' the rich?” he supposes in opening track “In the Beginning,” dark trains of thought he continues to explore throughout the album in his rusted drawling style. Snider also recorded and released a record last year dedicated to one of his principal influencers, Time As We Know It: The Songs of Jerry Jeff Walker. WMNF welcomes the station favorite on his return to the Skipperdome backing both LPs. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

Southern Hospitality Three rising stars of the Southern blues scene cook up a blend of funky, grooving, get-you-moving Delta blues, Memphis soul and boogie woogie as Southern Hospitality: Bradenton-Tampa Bay area slide guitar whiz Damon Fowler; Boca Raton-based JP Soars, another string-sliding axeman whose gear includes a homemade two-stringed cigar box Diddley bow; and Memphis keys-banger Victor Wainwright. All three can howl or croon, lead or offer support, and are backed by bassist Chuck Riley and drummer Chris Pete for their Friday and Saturday night Palladium performances. (Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

Beautiful Corpses w/Escape Tonight/The Best Day Ever/Rick Tokyo/Lights Out Lemmings I imagine the live debut of Beautiful Corpses will be a high-octane affair purely based on the musicians who make up the quartet, originally the studio project of Ascending to Avalon singer/multi-instrumentalist Ryen Gerson and now filled out by A2A bandmate and longtime collaborator Eric Bourne on guitar, and two Rise of Saturn heavy-hitters, drummer Pablo Liparoto and bassist Ivan Peña; the latter has described their sound as “a powerful mix of Zeppelin blues rock and swamp heat.” An eclectic lineup of locals fire up the stage, among them, grinding punk-fused alt rock trio Escape Tonight, and The Best Day Ever, their conceptual dance pop telling a transcendent love story one "chapter" (set of songs released as EPs) at a time. (Gasoline Alley, Largo)

King Django w/The Snail and Matt Mcleod/The Apes New Jersey’s King Django (born Jeff Baker) has been kicking around the NYC underground ska/reggae scene since the mid-1980s, and has an impressive resume to prove it. The singer, songwriter, emcee and multi-instrumentalist has toured internationally as a solo artist, fronted NYC bands Skinnerbox and Stubborn All Stars, played trombone for the likes of Rancid, The Toasters, and Murphy's Law, recorded with The Slackers and Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones among many others, started his own label (Stubborn Records), and opened his own boutique studio, Version City, where he produces and engineers multi-artist collections. He stops through town on his “Version City” tour of ska, rocksteady, soul, dancehall and dub acts. Warming up the stage is local eight-piece The Apes, which features players from Magadog, Rude Squad, and Gwan Massive. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)

Tom Rush The prolific singer-songwriter has been going at it for more than a half-century, was among the leaders of the ‘60s folk revival, and shows no signs of letting up soon. Tom Rush stirred the pot last fall with his response to Mitt Romney’s anti-47% caught-on-tape comments to potential millionaire donors — his own clever “hidden camera” clip that finds Rush performing the mocking ode, "What's Wrong with America,” at a faux fundraiser (“I’ll tell you what’s wrong with America, I’ll tell you why times are tough / The poor have too much money, and the rich don’t have enough.”) (Largo Cultural Center, Largo)

David Bromberg Quartet Three important reasons why you should care about David Bromberg. 1) His guitar style is steeped in the blues but his musical career really started in the mid-’60s Greenwich Village folk scene, where Bromberg became a much called-upon session artist who played hundreds of recordings by the likes of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Carly Simon. 2) A random encounter with The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia at Woodstock (they both hid from the rain in a tepee) eventually led to four Dead members (Garcia included) playing on his second and third solo albums. 3) From 1980 through 2007, Bromberg only performed and recorded sporadically, instead turning his attention to violin making. His official return came in 2007 with Grammy-nominated solo album Try Me One More Time — only after he’d settled in Delaware and opened a violin sales and repair shop. His more recent sound encompasses elements of country, bluegrass, ragtime, and world music. His quartet includes Mark Cosgrove (guitar, mandolin, vocals), fiddler Nate Grower, and bassist Butch Amiot. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12
Feral Babies/Wolf-Face/Permanent Makeup A punk rock triple header encompassing the hardcore, eardrum-blasting thrash and furious gut-wrenching punch of Feral Babies, a foursome that’s currently gearing to release a split EP with Chemical Ache on Kiss of Death Records. Hairy Teen Wolf bedecked foursome Wolf-Face brings songs like “I’m a Son of a Bitch!” and “Pubes on My Face!” to the bill while Permanent Makeup classes up the joint with their avant jangly surf-garage fuzz and reverb. (New World Brewery, Ybor City)

PON SITE DJs Casper and LeSage of Ol’ Dirty Sundays have put their tune-filled heads together again and the result is this day of island vibes and culture held on the outdoor patio at Martini Republic. From 2 to 8 p.m., DJs Blenda and Shafiq spin all-reggae 45s in between sets by Bay area groove and sway purveyors Tribal Style, Badda Skat and Rocksteady@8. (Martini Republic, Tampa)

Grant Peeples & Grant Livingston Friends of Florida Folk serve a double helping of Floridian Grants on the intimate Hideaway stage — the Panhandle’s completely nostalgia-free twangy folk-roots singer-songwriter Peeples, who issued a new album, Prior Convictions, last year; and South Florida acoustic music maker Livingston, who sets his offbeat observational humor against a sound reflecting elements of blues, ragtime and swing. (Hideaway Café & Recording Studio, St. Petersburg)

Ryan Montbleau Band w/Sarah Borges The second WMNF-hosted Skipperdome show in a row showcases the warm moseying Americana, bluesy R&B sway and funky striding grooves of Ryan Montbleau Band, all tied together by the satiny soulful purrs and resounding howls its Boston native namesake. Montbleau’s 2012 studio LP, For Higher, was recorded in New Orleans and is imbued with Crescent City flavor via strong support by a session ensemble featuring some fine NOLA players — Ivan Neville, George Porter, Jr., Simon Lott and Anders Osborne. His usual crew joins him on his support tour. Sarah Borges opens with her ‘90s alternative-tinged roots rock. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13
Mike Dillon Band w/Nervous Turkey/Skull n’ Bone Band Mike Dillon showed off his ridiculous musical prowess and shared his infectious energy when I saw him perform with Dead Kenny G's at Crowbar last year. He delivered gruff vocals, played on drums and vibraphone simultaneously with seeming ease, and added texture on tablas and percs to the avant punk-jazz cocktail of mostly instrumental tunes. The New Orleans musician has served as session man for Ani DiFranco, and plays with Les Claypool's Fancy Band, Garage A Trois and several other fully or half-formed solo and collaborative projects. Currently, he’s helming his Mike Dillon Band with help from Adam Gertner (drums), Cliff Hines (guitar, bass and keyboards) and Carly Meyers (trombone, vocals). Doors at 7 p.m., with Ol’ Dirty Sundays kicking off in the Beer Garden afterwards. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Ol’ Dirty Sundays w/DJ Shortkut/DJ Illo A legend in some circles and an active staple of the DJ/turntablist circuit for more than 25 years, decks expert Shortkut has scratched, spun and mixed up jamz as a member of three innovative, well-respected turntable-toting hip-hop crews: The World Famous Beat Junkies, spear-headed by “Funky President” J Rocc (Stones Throw Records); Invisibl Skratch Piklz with DJ Q-Bert and Mixmaster Mike; and the Triple Threat DJs alongside world DJ champions Apollo and Vinroc. The San Francisco native combines a love of old soul, funk and R&B records with his diverse taste in modern music and turntablist roots, a mix of hardcore skills and dancefloor thrills sometimes visually augmented by Shortkut’s latest hobby: video mixing. Bonus trap and hip hop spins by Canadian DJ Illo (Eh! Team DJs). (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers w/Roadkill Ghost Choir Nicki Bluhm’s vocals have a warm husky-soulful timbre that can be tender or demanding against a sound that ranges from the warm ‘70s sway and groove appeal of Tapestry-era Carole King to a more dynamic and forceful style of twangy roots rock. Bluhm and The Gramblers (which includes musical counterpart/husband Tim Bluhm) became viral YouTube sensations with their "Van Sessions" videos, which found the foursome playing covers while driving their tour van; a cover of the Hall & Oates song "I Can't Go For That" drew more than 1 million views the week it was released. This latest set of dates with The Gramblers falls after a re-release of 2011 album, Driftwood, last summer. (Local 662, St. Petersburg)

The Return Of Bootleg w/Kayavibe/Bumpin Uglies/Gary Dread & Jahmen/Trigger City Trio Sarasota’s roots reggae rock foursome Bootleg has been taking breaks and re-assembling for the past few years as band members have focused on other projects, solo pursuits and familial obligations. The last “last” show was in March, and 2013 heralds a Bootleg return — at least for this night of jams, anyway. Filling out the schedule are bands of similarly island-hued sonics, including upbeat pop-melodic South Florida quartet Kayavibe. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

MONDAY, JANUARY 14
Tina and Her Pony w/Jun In Tina and Her Pony, the deep, rich, sorrow-tinged croons of Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar) are balanced by the lighter silky intones of bandmate Quetzal Jordan, who grew up in the Tampa Bay area and is classically-trained on cello, though she has improvisational chops, and also plays mandolin, bass, and guitar. The duo's poignant and pretty harmonies rise over a warm backdrop of finely-textured instrumentals in their 2012 eponymous full-length debut, original songwriting imbued with Appalachia and folk musical traditions, and breezy odes from one woman to another or about another influenced by the vibrant modern artist colony spirit of their Taos, New Mexico homebase. (Ale & the Witch, St. Petersburg)

Black Veil Brides w/William Control Hot on the heels of releasing a conceptual third LP, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, Hollywood's Black Veil Brides hit town on their “The Church of the Wild Ones” tour, treating locals to their prog-technical prowess and glam hard rock style — caked-on pale faces, heavy black eyeliner dripping tears or geometric flourishes, jagged jet black hair, blasé hip wardrobe, etc. (State Theatre, St. Petersburg)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16
Hot Water Music w/La Dispute/The Menzingers Amid a packed schedule of recording solo material, heading his acoustic revival tours and collaborating with artists like Austin Lucas and Gaslight Anthem'S Brian Fallon, Chuck Ragan fronts seminal Gainesville punk/post hardcore outfit Hot Water Music. Last year saw the release of Exister, the quartet's eighth full-length and first album of new material since 2004's The New What Next. This much buzzed-about tour supports. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

CLICK HERE to see a complete rundown of shows taking place this week and in the coming weeks.