My picks of the best concerts of the week:
Patterson Hood: Landing the Drive-By Truckers frontman for the first of only two Florida dates is as big a shot across the bow as Tuffy's has fired so far this year, now that the Sanford spot has its own proper live venue. This solo engagement is a chance to be up front and intimate with a certified A-lister and modern Americana master. (7 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, Tuffy's Music Box, $30-$65)
SET, Syn Nine, DJ Maus: OK, so all your black leather has been gathering pandemic dust over the past year. I feel you, I think. Here's a prime opportunity to strap it on again with a bill that's tailor-made for the cyber freaks. Between the witch house of Arizona's Set, the industrial drive of Orlando's Syn Nine and the dark sounds of Tampa's DJ Maus (of Communion After Dark and Obscura Undead), this one's worth getting decked out for. Best masks in town tonight, guaranteed. (8 p.m. Friday, June 25, Will's Pub, $12)
Teenage Bottlerocket: Their name's been popping up in the news lately because of their St. Pete show three days before this Orlando date. The pop-punk stars are on their "Safety First, Party Second" tour, and that sentiment was sensationally amplified by promoter Paul Williams of Leadfoot Promotions when tickets were being sold at $18 for vaccinated people and $999.99 for those who aren't. Well, the Orlando show's $3 cheaper for the vaccinated and $100 more expensive for the unvaxxed. Only the first part of that sentence is actually true but the second should be, too, because this is Florida. Oh well, go get the GD shot already, people. There is a mask requirement for this show, so there. And definitely show up early for Fat Wreck Chords labelmates MakeWar and Orlando punk standouts Debt Neglector. (8 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, Will's Pub, $15)
