Top 5 concert picks for shows this week in Sarasota, Bradenton and Englewood
Biscuit Miller
Acclaimed blues bassist and singer-songwriter Biscuit Miller visits Sarasota-Manatee for back-to-back shows at Englewoods on Dearborn in Sarasota County and Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen in Bradenton. Among the accolades Miller has received are two Blues Music Awards wins in the Instrumentalist – Bass category, in 2012 and 2017. Miller has also released albums including 2010's "Blues with a Smile," a fitting record title for the charismatic performer, and 2019's "Chicken Grease." 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com; 7 p.m. Friday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; $10; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul
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Jah Movement
Local reggae favorites Jah Movement are also set to play two shows in the area this week, first at their regular spot Gator Club in downtown Sarasota, followed by Rodney's Jamaican Grill in Palmetto. Along with soulful singer Shantel Norman, the group features Damie Caines, who formerly played in fellow popular reggae band Democracy with his father, the late Oswald "Ham" Caines. Along with their weekly shows, Jah Movement hosts the annual OsFest reggae block party, held in front of Gator Club. 9:30 p.m. Thursday; Gator Club, 1490 Main St., Sarasota; 941-366-5969; thegatorclub.com; 10 p.m. Saturday; Rodney's Jamaican Grill, 814 Eighth Ave. W., Palmetto; 941-981-3214; facebook.com/rodneysjamaicangrill
The Divebombers
Cafe in the Park, located in downtown Sarasota's Payne Park and featuring live music on Friday evenings, is set to welcome Sarasota roots-rockers The Divebombers for its next show. The group includes New York Blues Hall of Famer George Worthmore among its members, and plays the music of artists such as Merle Travis, Chet Akins and early Elvis Presley. The band also recently went on a tour of Mississippi and Tennessee that included a gig at Rum Boogie Cafe on the historic music mecca of Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. 7 p.m. Friday; Cafe in the Park, 2010 Adams Lane, Sarasota; 941-361-3032; cafeinthepark.org
Grateful Dead tribute shows
Are you bummed that Dead & Company's summer tour hasn't announced any Florida dates yet? You still have the chance to hear the Grateful Dead's music performed live locally. First, popular Tampa Bay-based tribute group Dead Set Florida return to Sarasota's Big Top Brewing Company on Friday. Then on Sunday, Sarasota's own Ship of Fools, which play the music of the Dead and their contemporaries, will perform at fellow local brewery and venue Motorworks Brewing's expansive beer garden in Bradenton. 7 p.m. Friday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com; 3 p.m. Sunday; Motorworks Brewing, 1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton; 941-567-6218; motorworksbrewing.com
The Applebutter Express
Also set to visit Cottonmouth this weekend is self-described "uncut ukulele funk" group The Applebutter Express, who recently played the Village of the Arts venue as part of its Village Bluegrass Festival. The group is based in Tampa but has Sarasota-Manatee ties, with married band members Shannon and Kyle Biss meeting at a Bradenton record store. The Applebutter Express has earned national recognition as well, getting tapped to play massive music festival Bonnaroo in 2012 and having their track "Hey My Brotha" appear in the 2014 Reese Witherspoon film "The Good Lie." 7 p.m. Saturday; Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, 1114 12th St. W., Bradenton; 941-243-3735; facebook.com/cottonmouthsoul
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 5 Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte concert picks, July 7-13
