Top 5 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice
We're another week deeper into August and its lineup of fun things to do locally, including live music and festivals, with this week's concert picks featuring an event that comprises both. This weekend, Venice will host a three-day festival featuring an array of electronic music acts (co-presented by a Miami cruise featuring some of the same performers), including international and Grammy-nominated artists.
There'll be plenty of concerts featuring musicians closer to home, too — particularly performers from the other side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, including a Tampa punk band, a St. Petersburg singer-songwriter and a rock group whose members include multiple hosts of a popular Tampa Bay radio show. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
More: Festivals, roller derby, light shows and more fun things to do near Sarasota this weekend
50+ fun things to do in August in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties
Biggest concerts, comedians coming to Tampa Bay, Sarasota in July, August and September
Ticket Newsletter: Sign up to receive restaurant news and reviews plus info on things to do every Friday
Pitbull Toddler
Tampa Bay rock group Pitbull Toddler, featuring multiple band members who also appear on radio station 102.5 The Bone's popular "The Mike Calta Show," make their return to Sarasota-Manatee this weekend when they perform at Joyland. Pitbull Toddler's lineup includes the namesake host Mike Calta on bass, along with co-host Galvin playing the drums. The group's previous gigs include a main stage spot at Florida Strawberry Festival in 2019, filling in when Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler had to drop off due to unforeseen circumstances. 10 p.m. Friday; Joyland, 8341 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota; 941-210-4110; joylandsarasota.com
Burn Absolute
After putting out their debut EP "Catharsis" earlier this month, metalcore group Burn Absolute will play a release show at Bradenton's Oscura, kicking off a tour that also includes stops in Atlanta, Charleston and Memphis. In a recent Music Scene Media interview, Burn Absolute vocalist Robby Anttila said the band features members across the United States and Bolivia, starting as an online project before becoming a touring act. The Pine Drape, Chasing Airplanes, The Cunningham Wake and Endurus also perform at the Oscura show, which will be filmed for a music video. 7 p.m. Friday; Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; $10 advance, $15 day of; 941-201-4950; oscura.live
Summer Splash
The 20th annual Groove Cruise, sailing from Miami with some of the biggest names in electronic music such as Tiësto and Diplo, has already sold out ahead of its January dates. However, Groove Cruise co-presents this three-day "resort takeover" of Venice's Hotel Venezia, featuring some of the same musicians later playing the cruise. Headliners include the London-born "Rest of Our Lives" trance DJ Ben Gold, the Miami-based Doc Brown, and the Grammy-nominated group Fatum (for their remix of JES, Shant and Clint Maximus' "Hold On"), along with a slew of other performers. Friday-Sunday; Hotel Venezia, 425 U.S. 41 Bypass N., Venice; $85 weekend, $35 Friday, $50 Saturday, $20 Sunday; additional packages also available; eventbrite.com
Rebekah Pulley and Dean Johanesen
Bradenton restaurant and venue Cottonmouth features a double-bill of talented singer-songwriters on both sides of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge when it hosts Rebekah Pulley and Dean Johanesen. Pulley is a longtime resident of St. Pete (the subject of the opening track "Central Avenue: The City" on her 2019 album "The Sea of Everything") whose songs have also been covered by musicians such as Grant Peeples and Ronny Elliott. Johanesen lives in Sarasota, with the circus city a fitting home for someone whose sound has been described as "circus swing and American roots music," and released the album "Cautionary Tales" earlier this year. 7 p.m. Saturday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $10; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul
Big Sad
Oscura's live music lineup this weekend also includes this show headlined by Tampa punks Big Sad. The group's lineup includes members of various other bands with names that should be recognizable to Tampa Bay punk fans such as The Tim Version, Clairmel and Too Many Daves. Big Sad's releases include the 2020 EP "Send Help," put out by the Dayton, Ohio-based label Rad Girlfriend Records, and the group is set to play the annual punk music extravaganza Fest later this year in Gainesville. Fellow Florida punk bands The Kutoffs, Miller Lowlifes and Drawn Out also play the Oscura show. 7 p.m. Saturday; Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; $5; 941-201-4950; oscura.live
If you would like to be considered for this story, please submit your event to tinyurl.com/SubmitEventHeraldTribune at least 10 days before our Thursday publication date.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 5 concerts near me this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice
