MxPx, from Washington state, has caught the ears of kids - and a fair amount of adults - with poppy punk since 1997's supercatchy Chick Magnet. Since then, the trio of tattooed hooligans has been delighting the skateboard crowd and its friends with tunes such as I'm Okay, You're Okay; The Downfall of Western Civilization and other quick three-minute bursts of melodic punk.
The Ever Passing Moment in 2000 took the sound from Green Day-ness into a bit of experimentation that included some forays into waltzy time signatures. (Okay, just a little.)
An MxPx show is guaranteed to be spunky, not bawdy. These three are wholesome punks - yes, it's true, MxPx was, once upon a time, a Christian punk rock band. The live set is filled with adrenaline, lots of power chords and frivolity.
MxPx performs with Autumn to Ashes, Sugarcult and Billy Talent at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. $18.50 advance, $20 day of show. (727) 896-2276.
- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
Big sounds from Little Milton
Blues and soul man Little Milton plays a mean electric guitar and wails like the devil when his woes get the best of him. But he also can sing soulfully and get gentle sounds from his ol' six string.
Milton, who turns 70 this year, got his start on the legendary Sun Records label and grew up in Mississippi, learning to play Delta blues while living on his father's farm. While Ike Turner was strolling through his hometown of Greenville in the early 1950s as a talent agent for Sun's Sam Phillips, Milton caught his ear. Turner got Milton his first record deal. (Milton would go on to score his hits with the famous Chess and, later, Stax labels.)
It wasn't until 1965, with the breakthrough We're Gonna Make It, a No. 1 tune that jibed with the civil rights movement, that Milton had big success. Later hits followed in the 1960s including Grits Ain't Groceries, If Walls Could Talk, Who's Cheating Who?, and in the 1970s, Annie Mae's Cafe, Little Bluebird, and That's What Love Will Make You Do.
Little Milton performs with Ronnie Baker Brooks and Roger "Hurricane" Wilson at 8 p.m. Saturday at Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $15 advance, $20 at the door. (813) 977-6474.
