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

March and its lengthy lineup of local events, including plenty of concerts, kicks off this week. A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted vocal duo still featuring one of its original singers will be among the performers visiting our area, along with multiple Blues Music Award and Latin Grammy-nominated musicians.

Some of those BMA-nominated performers will be playing two separate Sarasota County music festivals this weekend, both spanning three days and featuring free admission. And a concert series featuring up-and-coming artists is set to make its return, headlined this month by a comedic musical group whose fans include Jack Black and his band Tenacious D. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.

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Renesito Avich and Friends

Cuban-born, Sarasota-based musician Renesito Avich, who is known for playing the Cuban-originating tres and has been nominated for two Latin Grammys, will return to Fogartyville for two shows this weekend. Avich earned his latest Latin Grammy nod last year in the Best Instrumental Album category for his 2023 full-length "Tres." His other Latin Grammy nomination came the year before in the Best Traditional Tropical Album category for 2022's "Café con Cariño." 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Friday and Saturday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $30, $26 members, $15 students ages 13 and up; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

Sean Chambers Red Hot Blues Festival

The three-day blues music festival will kick off Friday with its namesake, former Hubert Sumlin band member and solo artist Sean Chambers, performing with the Savoy Brown Rhythm Section. Saturday will feature Sarasota-based bluesman RJ Howson with special guest Les Dudek, who played on the Allman Brothers Band's classic 1973 album "Brothers and Sisters" and its famed tracks "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica," as well as Sarasota blues-rock prodigy Trey Wanvig and Blues Blast Music Award-nominated Bradenton band Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones. The festival will close out Sunday with Damon Fowler and J.P. Soars, two Blues Music Award-nominated solo artists who also play together in the supergroup Southern Hospitality. 7 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; free, $30 reserved seat all three days; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com

Englewood Food Truck Rally & Music Festival

Some of the same musicians playing Sean Chambers Red Hot Blues Festival will also perform this weekend at this other three-day Sarasota County music festival, organized by the locally based Paragon Festivals. Damon Fowler, J.P. Soars and Sean Chambers will all perform Saturday, with Fowler headlining, along with All Fired Up and The Whole Band. The lineup also includes Memphis Lightning, K-Luv and the United Funk Foundation, and Prodigal Sons on Friday and Grateful Dead tribute act Dead Set Florida, Yaya Diamond and the Dream Chasers and Kara Nally Band on Sunday. 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; Pioneer Park, 348 W. Green St., Englewood; free admission; 941-487-8061; paragonfestivals.com

Kenwood Dennard's Grateful Groove

Local Grateful Dead fans will also want to be sure to take note of this show at Birdrock Taco Shack, featuring jazz drummer Kenwood Dennard and other musicians bringing their interpretation of the Dead songbook. Dennard has worked with numerous notable musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius, and is a retired professor from Berklee College of Music. He'll be joined by other performers including Gent Treadly, aka Greg Koerner, who has played with musicians such as late Grateful Dead member Vince Welnick and Dark Star Orchestra. 7 p.m. Saturday; Birdrock Taco Shack, 1213 13th Ave. W., Bradenton; $20 advance, $25 day of; 941-545-9966;  facebook.com/birdrocktaco

Kat Riggins

Meanwhile, Birdrock Taco Shack's sister establishment Cottonmouth in the same Village of the Arts neighborhood will feature a show by blues singer-songwriter Kat Riggins on Saturday. Hailing from Miami, Riggins has become a rising star in the blues scene, recently earning a Soul Blues Female Artist nomination at this year's upcoming Blues Music Awards. She was nominated in the same category the previous two years, as well as Soul Blues Album for 2022's "Progeny" and Contemporary Blues Album for 2020's "Cry Out," her debut on Mike Zito's Gulf Coast Records. 7 p.m. Saturday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $12 advance, $17 day of; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul

Have Gun, Will Travel

Bradenton alt-Americana act Have Gun, Will Travel, whose music has appeared on the TV shows "The Good Wife" and "The Ranch" and covered by outlets such as NPR and No Depression, will play a Manatee County show this weekend. The group recently released "Pharaohs and Kings," a cover of a song by the band The Chase Theory that featured HGWT members and was included on the 1999 compilation "The Emo Diaries, Chapter 3." HGWT previously released the 2022 EP "Silver Sounds" featuring songs including "Our Fair City," which pays tribute to Bradenton with lyrical references to the Riverwalk, Village of the Arts and other local landmarks. 5 p.m. Saturday; Waypoint Bar & Grill, 11000 U.S. Highway 41 N., Palmetto; 941-212-6600; waypoint27north.com

The Righteous Brothers

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted vocal duo the Righteous Brothers — still featuring original singer Bill Medley, now performing with Bucky Heard following fellow founding member Bobby Hatfield's death in 2003 — return to Van Wezel this week. The Righteous Brothers are known for songs such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and their rendition of “Unchained Melody," which were both hits during their initial release in the 1960s and found a revival in popularity after appearing onscreen in 1986's "Top Gun" and 1990's "Ghost," respectively. Around that same time, Medley had an Oscar and Grammy-winning No. 1 solo hit with "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," a duet with Jennifer Warnes that was the theme to the 1987 movie "Dirty Dancing." 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $40-$80; 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org

Igor & Red Elvises

"Siberian surf rock" band Igor & Red Elvises will return to our area this week with shows at Englewoods on Dearborn and Celtic Ray Public House. 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. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $10; 941-475-7501;  englewoodsondearborn.com; 8 p.m. Thursday, March 7; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

J.P. Soars and the Red Hots

In addition to his festival appearances this week, South Florida guitarist/singer-songwriter J.P. Soars and his band the Red Hots will play a headlining show at Englewoods on Dearborn. The group received four Blues Music Awards nominations in 2022: Band of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer and Instrumentalist — Guitar for Soars, and Instrumentalist — Drums for bandmate Chris Peet. Along with leading his own band, Soars also performs in the supergroup Southern Hospitality with Damon Fowler and Grammy-nominated pianist Victor Wainwright. 6:30 p.m. Thursday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

Ringling Underground

The concert series held in The Ringling's courtyard, also featuring up-and-coming artists and free admission for students, returns for its latest installment. March's headliner will be comedic musical group Wolves of Glendale (from the namesake California city), which released its self-titled debut album earlier this year and has opened for acts including pop-rock band Jukebox the Ghost, comic David Cross and fellow music-comedy melders Tenacious D, with Jack Black saying "they sound f---ing fantastic." Treedomm and House of I will also perform. 8 p.m. Thursday; The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota; $15, free students with ID/members; 941-359-5700; ringling.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 10 concerts in Sarasota Bradenton Palmetto Englewood Punta Gorda