While the calendar for live music and other local events may start to slow down in Sarasota-Manatee during the summer, that doesn't mean we won't have any notable musicians performing. In fact, this week alone will feature Grammy, Tony, Juno, Latin Grammy and Blues Music Awards-winning or nominated artists.
A Broadway actress and nominee at this year's Tony Awards that were held just days ago will visit our area this week, as will several of the best-known bands in the regional Mexican music known as Duranguense that've been nominated for both Grammys and Latin Grammys. Meanwhile, winners of both Blues Music Awards and Juno Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Grammys) will return to one of our area's top blues spots. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
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Durango Fest
Duranguense, a type of regional Mexican music that takes its name from the Mexican state of Durango, will be celebrated at this concert featuring some of the biggest names in the genre. Those include Alacranes Musical from the Chicago area, who have multiple No. 1 Billboard Regional Mexican albums to their name such as 2008's "Tu Inspiración," which was nominated for a Best Banda Album Grammy and won a Latin Grammy in the same category. K-Paz de la Sierra, who are also from Chicago and received a Best Banda Album Grammy nomination for 2006's "Conquistando Corazones," will also perform along with Grupo Montéz de Durango, Patrulla 81 and Conjunto Atardecer. 7 p.m. Saturday; Strobes Event Center, 3251 17th St., Sarasota; $60; 1-800-668-8080; ticketon.com
Victims of Circ*mstance
Celtic Ray, the Charlotte County Irish pub that also features live music over a variety of genres, will welcome Clearwater ska-punk group Victims of Circ*mstance this week. The band's releases include 2007's "Do It Yourself," produced by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton, and 2009's "Roll the Dice," produced by former Big D and the Kids Table member Steve Foote. They've also released three "Decades" EPs featuring ska covers of songs from throughout the decades, ranging from Del Shannon's 1961 hit "Runaway" to Taylor Swift's 2019 track "You Need to Calm Down." 9 p.m. Saturday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115;celticray.net
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer
Just days after this year's Tony Awards, where she was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Lady of the Lake in "Monty Python's Spamalot," Hermitage Artist Retreat fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer will visit the retreat's Englewood beach for "Stealing the Show: Broadway, Beach, and Beyond." Along with her role in the recent "Spamalot" revival, where the New York Times said she "essentially steals the show," Kritzer has appeared on Broadway in "Beetlejuice" and "Something Rotten!" She has also developed her own original projects as a writer/composer/lyricist at the Hermitage, with this program to feature both "the songs you know and the next great work of American theater." 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood; $5 registration required; hermitageartistretreat.org
Biscuit Miller
Sarasota County restaurant Englewoods on Dearborn, also one of the top spots to see live blues music locally, will welcome back bassist and singer-songwriter Biscuit Miller this week. A two-time winner of the Blues Music Award for Instrumentalist — Bass, Miller has released albums including 2019's "Chicken Grease" and 2010's "Blues with a Smile," a fitting title for the charismatic performer. Along with leading his own group, Miller performed for years in the bands of other blues musicians such as Lonnie Brooks and Anthony Gomes. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $10; 941-475-7501;englewoodsondearborn.com
Crystal Shawanda
Englewoods on Dearborn's live music lineup this week will also include Canadian blues musician Crystal Shawanda. She started out in country music, landing on both Billboard's country albums chart and the Billboard 200 with her 2008 debut studio album "Dawn of a New Day," before switching to the blues with 2014's "The Whole World's Got the Blues." She won one of her two Juno Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Grammys) for Blues Album of the Year for her 2020 full-length "Church House Blues," and was nominated in the same category last year for her 2022 album "Midnight Blues." 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501;englewoodsondearborn.com
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Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism bysubscribing.
