Top 5 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Punta Gorda
As August comes to a close and we await September and its new lineup of events, it'll be an unusually quiet time for concerts here in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Yet that doesn't mean we'll be completely bereft of live music locally, with this week offering a good opportunity to see some of the many talented musicians who call Florida and the Suncoast home.
This week's notable concerts include a Blues Music Award-nominated performer's latest show at a Charlotte County pub and venue he regularly plays. You'll also find musicians in other genres including country, folk and ska, playing local venues such as a waterfront park in downtown Sarasota or a Bradenton winery and brewery. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
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Derek Lersch
Though it hosts a variety of live music these days, Joyland's name remains most associated with country, and it features a performer from that genre and this area Saturday evening with Derek Lersch. The Bradenton country musician released his debut EP "100 Proof" in 2021, featuring songs including the season-appropriate "My Baby's Summertime" and "Girl Dad," a tribute to his daughter that earned a write-up by Parade magazine. Lersch released his most recent single, "Long Time Coming," earlier this year. 9 p.m. Saturday; Joyland, 8341 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota; $8 cover ages 21 and up, $30 ages 18-20; 941-210-4110; joylandsarasota.com
Dean Johanesen
After serving as one-half of a double-bill at Bradenton's Cottonmouth with fellow singer-songwriter Rebekah Pulley last week, Dean Johanesen will play Fiorelli Winery as part of its Music in the Vines series this weekend. Originally from Long Island, New York, Johanesen now lives in Sarasota, with the circus city proving a fitting home for the performer whose sound has been described as "circus swing and American roots music." Johanesen has released multiple albums, most recently this year's "Cautionary Tales." 1 p.m. Sunday; Fiorelli Winery, 4250 Waterbury Road, Co Road 675, Bradenton; 941-322-0976; fiorelliwinery.com
Foolish Relics
Bradenton brewery Motorworks Brewing, which regularly hosts live music in its beer garden, welcomes the Friendly City's own Foolish Relics this weekend. The ska group released the album "Too Old?" last year, featuring collaborations with other musicians in the genre such as Brittany Luna of Philadelphia group Catbite, who appears on the track "Words on Bathroom Walls," and California's Eichlers on the song "Thank You 4 Skankin'." Earlier this year, Foolish Relics released the single "Ghosted," featuring Craig Yarnold from San Diego ska-punk outfit Buck-O-Nine. 3 p.m. Sunday; Motorworks Brewing, 1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton; 941-567-6218; motorworksbrewing.com
The Wandering Hours
Sundays at the Bay, the weekly free outdoor music and performance program in downtown Sarasota waterfront park The Bay, continues with The Wandering Hours. The Tampa Bay-based Americana string band features banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and upright bass. The group won Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Best of the Bay Readers' Pick for the best local band performing original music in 2020, releasing its most recent full-length "From the Mountains to the Sea" the following year. 6 p.m. Sunday; Sarasota Garden Club at The Bay Park, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota; 941-955-0875; thebaysarasota.org
Ben Prestage
Florida-raised, self-described "Deep South Swamp Music" performer Ben Prestage returns to Punta Gorda Irish pub and venue Celtic Ray this week. 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. 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top concerts near me in Sarasota, Bradenton, Punta Gorda
