Top 8 concert picks for shows this week in Sarasota, Bradenton and Englewood

Sarasota and Manatee counties continue to recover from Hurricane Ian, with many area businesses back up and running, including local music venues. (Although plenty are still feeling its effects; a benefit show was announced after print deadline for area musician Berry Duane Oakley, whose house was damaged by the storm, Monday night at Joyland; more info here.) Downtown Sarasota's The Bay Park is still set to kick off its 10 Days at the Bay grand opening celebration this weekend, including a free concert by Bradenton-formed, nationally successful pop-rock band We the Kings on Saturday.

Other musicians set to visit Sarasota-Manatee this week include bachata singer and recent Billboard Latin Music Award nominee Luis Vargas, and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lilly Winwood, daughter of Steve Winwood. And of course, there will be plenty of shows featuring some of the many talented musicians who call Florida home. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.

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Lilly Winwood

Lakewood Ranch brewery and venue Big Top Brewers Collective, formerly known as Naughty Monk, is set to host Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lilly Winwood as part of its live music lineup this week. If Winwood's last name sounds familiar, it's because she's the daughter of Grammy-winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Winwood of Traffic and solo career ("Higher Love") fame. Lilly is an accomplished musician herself, showcasing an Americana-infused singer-songwriter style on this year's album "Talking Walls" and 2021's "Time Well Spent." Dana Lawrence and Vital Humor will also perform. 7 p.m. Friday; Big Top Brewers Collective, 2507 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton; 941-708-2966; bigtopbrewing.com

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Luis Vargas

After recent visits by other well-known bachata musicians such as Monchy and Joe Veras, another big name in the genre originating in the Dominican Republic, Luis Vargas, comes to Sarasota. Performing bachata since the 1980s, Vargas was also the subject of the 2005 documentary "Santo Domingo Blues," and earned a Billboard Latin Music Award Tropical Album of the Year nomination last month for "Grandes de La Bachata: Vol. IV" with Frank Reyes. Vargas has also collaborated in recent years with bachata superstar Romeo Santos, who headlines Tampa's Amalie Arena later this month, appearing on his albums "Utopia" and "Formula, Vol. 1." 10 p.m. Friday; Bombón Restaurant & Lounge, 1118 N. Washington Blvd., Sarasota; $50; tickeri.com

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We the Kings

Formed in Bradenton (their band name comes from Martha B. King Middle School) before finding national success, We the Kings return to the area to play a free concert as part of The Bay's 10 Days at the Bay grand opening festivities. The pop-rock group rose to fame in the '00s with songs such as the platinum single "Check Yes Juliet" and Demi Lovato collaboration "We'll Be a Dream." They still remain active today, releasing the EP "SAGA" last year, and regularly pay tribute to their home, with their 2018 holiday album "Season's Greetings from the Sandbar" featuring a tropical rendition of "Silent Night" with the sound of crashing waves on Anna Maria Island. 8 p.m. Saturday; The Bay, 655 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; free, but reservations recommended; 10baysatthebay.org

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Have Gun, Will Travel

Big Top's Sarasota location, meanwhile, will host Americana group Have Gun, Will Travel this weekend. Hailing from Bradenton, the band is one of Sarasota-Manatee's most successful musical acts, earning coverage from outlets including NPR and No Depression and having their music appear on shows such as "The Good Wife" and "The Ranch." The group released its latest EP "Silver Sounds" last month, featuring previously released singles "Buyer's Remorse" and "Melancholy Moon (Everything Dies)," as well as "Our Fair City," paying tribute to Bradenton with references to landmarks like the Riverwalk and Village of the Arts. 7 p.m. Saturday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com

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Paul Gavin & the Writer's Corner

Jazz Club of Sarasota's Monday Night Jazz Cabaret series, featuring concerts by musicians in the genre held in Florida Studio Theatre's John C. Court Cabaret, continues with Paul Gavin & the Writer's Corner. The Tampa-based drummer's project showcases the original music of area composers, with saxophonist Zach Bornheimer, pianist Zach Bartholomew and bassist Mauricio Rodriguez also performing. Attendees will hear the stories behind the music from the composers as well as the music performed by the composers themselves, spanning straight-ahead jazz, funk, Latin and jazz rock. 6:30 p.m. doors, dinner/drinks, 7:30 p.m. show Monday; John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St., Sarasota; $34-$39; 941-260-9951; jazzclubsarasota.org

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Igor & Red Elvises

Sarasota County restaurant and blues venue Englewoods on Dearborn is set to host a return by Siberian surf rock group Igor & Red Elvises this week. Growing up in the former Soviet Union, Igor Yuzov fell in love with the forbidden sounds of rock ‘n’ roll and founded Red Elvises after moving to California, releasing albums like 1996′s “Grooving to the Moscow Beat” and 1997′s “Surfing in Siberia.” The group is still going strong, releasing new albums throughout the 2010s, with this Englewood show kicking off a string of Florida tour dates that includes Sarasota, Bradenton and Punta Gorda shows in late October and early November. 7 p.m. Wednesday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

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Big Al and the Heavyweights

Englewoods on Dearborn's live music lineup this week also includes Louisiana blues band Big Al and the Heavyweights. The group is led by "Big Al" Lauro, who played in the ’90s with Warren Haynes of Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule fame as the Unknown Blues Band. Big Al and the Heavyweights often pay tribute to their Louisiana home on their records, including tracks like "Cajun Roux" and "Hey, Hey Mardi Gras," and most recently released this year's album "Love One Another." Can't make this show? The group is also set to play Bradenton's Cottonmouth on Oct. 21 and Sarasota's Big Top on Oct. 23. 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $5; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

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Walter Parks

Along with celebrating the completion of its patio renovations, Fogartyville will host a show by guitarist, vocalist and Florida native Walter Parks this week. The musician was invited by the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center in 2020 to perform the folk music of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp region. Parks' resume also includes performing with Richie Havens of Woodstock fame, both while his band The Nudes toured with him, then later as Havens' guitarist. 6:15 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Oct. 20; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $18, $15 members, $9 students ages 13 and up; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

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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: Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Englewood concerts near me