Top 10 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Englewood, Punta Gorda

We're now in the thick of October, when not only are snowbirds headed back to the Sarasota area in droves, but so are local events, with this edition of concert picks featuring nearly twice as many shows as last week. Some of the notable concerts taking place this week include a 13-time-Grammy-nominated jazz-fusion group, a festival celebrating the music of KISS featuring multiple former members of the famed rock band, and a country musician who'll soon return to our area to play Raymond James Stadium with Morgan Wallen.

This week's concert picks also features performers hailing from as far away as Zimbabwe and Siberia, as well as some of the many talented musicians who call Florida home. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.

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Spyro Gyra

Jazz Club of Sarasota will kick off its new season with a concert by a crossover success in the genre, Spyro Gyra, at Sailor Circus Arena. The jazz-fusion group has earned 13 Grammy nominations over the decades, beginning with a Best Jazz Fusion Performance nomination for their 1980 album "Catching the Sun" (which also reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200) and most recently receiving a Pop Instrumental Album nomination for 2009's "Down the Wire." The band's lineup still features co-founding saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, with its long list of former members including Sarasota resident (and Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock bandmate) Gerardo Velez. Jeremy Carter Quartet will also perform. 6 p.m. Friday; Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota; $60-$150, 20% discount for Jazz Club members; 941-260-9951; jazzclubsarasota.org

Anne Wilson and Josh Baldwin

Sarasota Baptist Church will welcome two big names in contemporary Christian music when it hosts a concert by Anne Wilson and Josh Baldwin this week. Wilson is best known for her platinum-selling, No. 1 Christian airplay hit "My Jesus," the title track to her 2022 debut full-length, which topped Billboard's Christian albums chart and earned a Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Grammy nomination earlier this year. Baldwin is a member of the Bethel Music collective, who appeared on his gold-selling 2018 single "Stand in Your Love," and has released albums including last year's "Where the Glory Is." 6:15 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Friday; Sarasota Baptist Church, 7091 Proctor Road, Sarasota; $25 (sold out as of press time); 941-922-1449; sarasotabaptist.com

KISS Cancer Goodbye II

The music of KISS soundtracks this two-day festival and American Cancer Society fundraiser, taking place in Sarasota this year after its inaugural event in Nashville. Those set to perform include Bruce Kulick, the former KISS guitarist (and current Grand Funk Railroad member), celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1993 live album "Alive III" he played on. Other sets will include KISS' 1983 album "Lick It Up" performed in full, "The Originals" featuring highlights from the band's first three albums, and a salute to the music of KISS founding guitarist Ace Frehley, who will be at the event both days and be a special guest joining several bands for parts of their performances. Friday-Saturday; Harvest House, 3650 17th St., Sarasota; $129 general admission, $395 VIP, $650 "Alive III" section; creaturesfest.com

Sarasota Rocktoberfest

As its name suggests, this free, three-day festival will celebrate Oktoberfest with food and drink, including German favorites, as well as live music. Notable performers will include wife and husband duo Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers, who just recently won this year's Blue Blast Music Award for Soul Blues Album for 2022's "Good Trouble," with Chambers also previously earning multiple Blues Music Awards. The pair will perform Friday night, with the weekend's lineup also featuring some of the Sarasota area's favorite musicians such as Kettle of Fish, Memphis Lightning, Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio and others. 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; J.D. Hamel Park, 199 Bayfront Drive, Sarasota; free admission; 941-487-8061; paragonfestivals.com

Ben Prestage

Florida-raised, self-described "Deep South Swamp Music" performer Ben Prestage will return to Punta Gorda Irish pub and venue Celtic Ray this weekend. Prestage grew up in rural Florida and later lived in Memphis, where as a street performer he started playing drums with his feet while simultaneously singing and playing other instruments, a setup he'd bring back to his home state. His repertoire of instruments he plays includes the diddley bow, which earned him a Blues Music Award nomination for Instrumentalist — Other in 2012. Can't make this show? Prestage will also play Bradenton's Cottonmouth on Oct. 21. 4 p.m. Saturday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

Damon Fowler

Guitarist, singer-songwriter and former Anna Maria Island resident Damon Fowler returns to Sarasota's Big Top Brewing Company (the brewers of Fowler's IPA) for its Blues & Brews Sunday concert series. Fowler's most recent studio album, 2021's "Alafia Moon," topped Billboard's blues chart and earned a Blues Music Award nomination for Blues Rock Album. He followed that up with this year's live album "Live at the Palladium," recorded at the titular venue in St. Pete. Fowler also plays in 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

Nobuntu

Jazz Club of Sarasota will also present, in partnership with Fogartyville, this concert featuring Zimbabwean female a cappella quartet Nobuntu, who Sarasotans may remember from their performance at the Ringling International Arts Festival in 2017, where they played to "an audience in Historic Asolo Theater dancing in the aisles." The group's performances range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to afro-jazz to gospel. Their concerts feature their voices augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the mbira (thumb piano), and dance. 6:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show Tuesday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $40, $35 members, $20 students ages 13 and up; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

Big Al and the Heavyweights

Louisiana blues band Big Al and the Heavyweights returns to our area this week, playing Bradenton's Birdrock Taco Shack as well as Englewoods on Dearborn. The group is led by "Big Al" Lauro, who played in the ’90s with Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule fame as the Unknown Blues Band. Big Al and the Heavyweights often pay tribute to their Louisiana home on tracks like "Cajun Roux" and "Hey, Hey Mardi Gras," and most recently released last year's album "Love One Another." 6 p.m. Tuesday; Birdrock Taco Shack, 1213 13th Ave. W., Bradenton; free; 941-545-9966; facebook.com/birdrocktaco; 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $5; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

Igor & Red Elvises

Englewoods on Dearborn's live music lineup this week also includes the return of "Siberian surf rock" band Igor & Red Elvises. The group is fronted by Igor Yuzov, who grew up in the former Soviet Union, seeking out the forbidden sounds of rock 'n' roll. He later moved to America and formed the Red Elvises, which has released albums including 1996's "Grooving to the Moscow Beat" and 1997's "Surfing in Siberia," and is still going strong today. The band will also play Big Top on Oct. 20. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $10; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

Bryan Martin

Recently announced as one of the opening acts on country superstar Morgan Wallen's tour, including two shows at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, Bryan Martin heads to our area beforehand for this headlining concert at Big Top. The country musician from Louisiana visits the venue and brewery after releasing the new album "Poets & Old Souls" earlier this year, featuring the single "We Ride," which was recently named one of 7 Must-Hear New Country Songs by Billboard and currently has around 70 million plays on Spotify. He played that song while making his debut at Nashville's famed Grand Ole Opry in August. 6 p.m. Thursday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; $20; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com

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Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top concerts near me in Sarasota Bradenton Englewood Punta Gorda