18-07-2025
Top 5 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda
This week's local music lineup feature concerts spanning an eclectic range of musical genres including blues, reggae, electronic, and even improv comedy hip-hop.
When it comes to the Sarasota area's favorite genre, the blues, we have a pair of Florida-based, nationally acclaimed acts with Blues Music Awards wins and nominations to their names, each playing two local shows this weekend. Another Sunshine State-based, nationally touring band headlines a reggae concert, while this year's Sarasota Improv Festival features a group that creates hip-hop songs on the spot and "Swamp Bass" returns to Charlotte County. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
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Kash'd Out
Kash'd Out, who hail from Orlando but are a nationally known name in the reggae-rock genre, will return to Big Top Live on Friday. Kash'd Out released their latest album "Butter" in 2023, featuring guest appearances from fellow reggae rockers Pepper and rapper Shwayze, and recently put out the single "King of the Coop" with reggae/hip-hop/funk band Tropidelic. Brooklyn MC Jarv — who'll soon head out on tour with Tropidelic and Shwayze, coincidentally, along with playing a show with "'93 'til Infinity" rap group Souls of Mischief — and Treasure Island reggae pop-rockers Seranation will also perform at Big Top Live. 7 p.m. Friday; Big Top Live, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; $26.78 general admission, VIP sold out as of press time; 941-371-2939;
Selwyn Birchwood Band
Another musician who's from Florida but has a national following in his genre, blues guitarist/singer-songwriter Selwyn Birchwood will play two nights of sold-out shows at Sarasota's Fogartyville. Signed to esteemed blues label Alligator Records, Birchwood earned four Blues Music Award nominations in 2024: Band of the Year, Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Contemporary Blues Album for 2023's "Exorcist," and Song of the Year for "Horns Below Her Halo" from that album. Birchwood has previously won two Blues Music Awards: Song of the Year for "I'd Climb Mountains" off 2021's "Living in a Burning House," and Best New Artist Debut for 2014's "Don't Call No Ambulance." 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Friday and Saturday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $35, $30 members, $16 students ages 13 and up (indoor seating sold out, general admission patio seating available at and 941-894-6469;
J.P. Soars and the Red Hots
After playing Englewoods on Dearborn the night before, Boca Raton blues guitarist/singer-songwriter J.P. Soars and his band the Red Hots will play two more area shows at Bradenton's Cottonmouth and Punta Gorda's Celtic Ray. The group was nominated for four Blues Music Awards in 2022: Band of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer and Instrumentalist — Guitar for Soars, and Instrumentalist — Drums for his bandmate Chris Peet, who scored another nomination in the same category this year. Soars also plays in the supergroup Southern Hospitality with Grammy-nominated pianist Victor Wainwright and fellow Floridian Damon Fowler. 7 p.m. Friday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $10; 941-243-3735; 8 p.m. Saturday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115;
North Coast
The lineup for this year's Sarasota Improv Festival will include the return of "hip-hop improv comedy team" North Coast from New York City. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs in a show that "blurs the line between comedy show and concert." Other musically inclined improv acts playing the festival include Shitzprobe and HERE: The (Improvised) Musical, both of which create musicals on the spot. 8 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday; Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota; $10 each show, festival passes also available; 941-366-9000;
Sarasota Improv Fest returns to FST for 15th year with new troupes and old favorites
Hostage Situation
Swamp Bass — which, as its name suggests, puts on electronic music concerts in Florida — will return to Charlotte County Fairgrounds with a show headlined by Hostage Situation. The Denver-based trio don ski masks and mainly focus on heavy-hitting dubstep/riddim, though they also incorporate other types of bass music. Other performers will include Star Monster, Stupid Thick, Redakted, DJTOOTANN, URMOM and Infinite Collective B2B, with the event also featuring food vendors, a full bar and a "mechanical alligator." 7 p.m. Saturday; Charlotte County Fairgrounds, 2333 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte; $23.18 and up general admission, VIP options also available;
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 5 concerts this week Sarasota Bradenton Port Charlotte Punta Gorda
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