Top 12 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Englewood, Punta Gorda

As we've said before, this is arguably the busiest weekend of the year here in the Sarasota area, with multiple annual events making their return, including a three-day music and motorcycle festival featuring a national classic rock or country act headlining each night. (It also marks the return of music festival season here in Florida, with at least two others taking place elsewhere in the state this weekend.)

If neither of those genres (or roaring motorcycles) are your speed, don't worry, as there are plenty of other notable concerts to choose from, spanning blues, jazz, folk, pop-rock, emo and ska, including Grammy-winning or nominated acts. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.

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Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers

Acclaimed blues music married couple Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers will return to our area this weekend, playing Babcock Ranch Seafood & Music Festival as well as headlining Cottonmouth in Bradenton. Houston singer Chambers is a two-time winner of the Soul Blues Female Artist Blues Music Award, and was just recently nominated in the same category this year. Canadian guitarist DesLauriers, meanwhile, is a two-time Maple Blues Awards (Canada's equivalent of the BMAs) Entertainer of the Year. 6:30 p.m. Friday; Babcock Ranch, 42850 Crescent Loop, Punta Gorda; free admission; 941-487-8061; paragonfestivals.com; 7 p.m. Saturday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $15 advance, $20 day of; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul

SIRSY

Another musical married couple, upstate New York pop-rock act SIRSY, will play multiple area shows this week at Cottonmouth and Punta Gorda Irish pub and venue Celtic Ray. Comprising vocalist-drummer Melanie Krahmer and guitarist Rich Libutti, SIRSY has a sound larger than one might expect from the duo, with the pair known to play multiple instruments live. The group's releases include the full-length "Coming Into Frame," with the opening track "Cannonball" appearing on the Showtime series "Shameless." 7 p.m. Friday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $5; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul; 7 p.m. Sunday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

Thunder by the Bay Music & Motorcycle Festival

The 26th annual festival spanning three days of live music and motorcycles will return to Sarasota this weekend, with national musical headliners each day. Topping the bill Friday will be Jacksonville-formed Southern rockers Molly Hatchet of "Flirtin' with Disaster" fame, which has no founding members but has two who've played with the band since the '80s, while headlining Saturday will be Homer Simpson's beloved band, Grand Funk Railroad, which had a No. 1 hit with "We're an American Band" and Top 3 track with their rendition of "Some Kind of Wonderful" and still features original bassist Mel Schacher and drummer Don Brewer. Country singer Creed Fisher closes out the festival Sunday. 5 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday, noon Sunday; Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; $10 advance, $15 day of, free ages 12 and under, limited VIP tickets also available; 941-487-7904; thunderbythebay.org

Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys ft. Westside Andy

Ahead of playing Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival's Feb. 23 kickoff, Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy will perform a string of Sarasota-Manatee-Charlotte dates. The band plays Midwest blues, with the members' ties to the region including Reverend Raven growing up on the South Side of Chicago. The group's shows will stretch into next week, including Feb. 24 at Cottonmouth. 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Friday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; sold out as of press time; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org; 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $10; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com; 8 p.m. Wednesday; Leroy's Southern Kitchen & Bar, 201 W. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-505-2489; facebook.com/leroyspg

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

One of the biggest bands of the 2000s emo/pop-punk era to come from Florida, Middleburg's The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, will play a home state show at Oscura in Bradenton. The group rose to fame with their 2006 platinum-selling debut studio album "Don't You Fake It," featuring their biggest hit "Face Down," and remain active today, releasing 2020's "The Emergency EP" and a symphonic version of "Face Down" in 2022. The Funeral Portrait, Glimmers, Stoned Mary and Up From Here will also perform at this show dubbed Broken Hearts Fest, with photo ops and "emo Valentine's theming." 6:30 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Saturday; Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; $25 advance, $30 day of; 941-201-4950; oscura.live

Chris Botti

Trumpeter Chris Botti, known for releases such as 2012's Billboard jazz album chart-topping, Best Pop Instrumental Album Grammy-winning "Impressions," will return to Van Wezel this weekend. Botti previously received Grammy nominations in the same category for 2007's "Italia" and 2009's platinum-selling "In Boston" (which was also nominated for Best Long Form Music Video), and Best Pop Instrumental Performance for appearing on "In Our Time" by Burt Bacharach. Most recently, Botti made his debut on esteemed jazz label Blue Note Records with last year's album "Vol. 1." 8 p.m. Saturday; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $50-$60; 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org

Diego Figueiredo

Another acclaimed jazz instrumentalist, Grammy-nominated Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo, will visit Sarasota this weekend for a show at Glenridge Performing Arts Center. Area residents may already recognize Figueiredo from his previous performances at Sarasota Jazz Festival and other venues, performing by himself or with other musicians including Italian singer Chiara Izzi. It was one such collaboration that earned Figueiredo his Grammy nomination, in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals category, for a rendition of "Marry Me a Little" with French singer Cyrille Aimée. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Glenridge Performing Arts Center, 7333 Scotland Way, Sarasota; $20-$25; 941-552-5325; gpactix.com

SRQ Ska Fest II

Sarasota brewery and music venue Big Top Brewing Company will host this free day-long festival featuring several ska bands. Among those performing will be Brooklyn reggae rocksteady ska group Stop the Presses, who've toured with such big names in the genre as Mustard Plug and The Slackers, whose member Agent Jay has produced multiple releases of theirs. Long Beach 8-bit ska-punk musician Lo(u)ser, who orchestrated a Reel Big Fish reunion on his track "No Hope," will also perform along with Fort Myers' The Freecoasters, Gainesville's Now Leaving Space, Bradenton's Foolish Relics and Sarasota's Neverless. 5:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; free admission; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com

Diana Krall

Van Wezel's live music lineup this week will also feature the return of Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall. Along with releasing multiple Billboard jazz chart-topping albums, Krall has also won two Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammys, for 1999's "When I Look in Your Eyes" (which was also nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy — the first jazz album to earn that nomination in 25 years) and 2002's "Live in Paris." She most recently released 2018's "Love is Here to Stay," a collaboration with the recently departed Tony Bennett, and 2020's "This Dream of You," named after the Bob Dylan song that's among the album's covers. 7 p.m. Sunday; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; sold out as of press time; 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org

G.E. Smith

McCurdy's Comedy Theatre's ongoing foray into occasionally featuring music as well as comedians will continue with guitarist G.E. Smith, who's performed with some of the biggest names in pop and rock of the past several decades. Those include serving as a lead guitarist for Hall & Oates throughout the early 1980s, Bob Dylan from 1988 to 1990, and Roger Waters during his The Wall Live tour in the 2010s, as well as being the bandleader and musical director for "Saturday Night Live" from 1985 to 1995. Smith will be interviewed prior to his performance, where'll he be backed by a band including Berry Oakley Jr., Mike Kach, RJ Howson and Garrett Dawson. 7 p.m. Monday; McCurdy's Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; $44; 941-925-3869; mccurdyscomedy.com

Steve Forbert

Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert will return to Sarasota for two nights of shows at Fogartyville. Forbert had his biggest hit with the 1979 earworm "Romeo's Tune," which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later covered by country star Keith Urban and appeared in the 2007 Noah Baumbach film "Margot at the Wedding" along with his other song "Goin' Down to Laurel." Forbert also earned a Best Traditional Folk Album Grammy nomination in 2004 for his album "Any Old Time" paying tribute to country pioneer Jimmie Rodgers. 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Thursday, Feb. 22 and 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Feb. 24; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $30, $27 members, $15 students ages 13 and up; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

Albert Castiglia

After recently earning his latest Blues Music Award nomination in the Blues Rock Album category for last year's "Blood Brothers," the self-titled debut album of the duo comprising him and fellow blues-rock favorite Mike Zito, South Florida guitarist and singer-songwriter Albert Castiglia will visit Englewoods on Dearborn for a solo show. Castiglia has received numerous other Blues Music Award nominations and won four, including dual wins last year for Blues Rock Artist and Album, the latter for his 2022 solo album "I Got Love." Along with his solo career and Blood Brothers, Castiglia also had a stint as guitarist in the late blues great Junior Wells' band. 6:30 p.m. Thursday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $10; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.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 12 concerts near me in Sarasota Bradenton Englewood Punta Gorda