Change is in the air for Brazilian-born bossa nova vocalist Daniela Soledade and her partner, guitarist, arranger and bandleader Nate Najar, St. Pete residents both. There’s a new song out this week, “Brasileira,” which is more uptempo and pop and R&B-sounding than any of their previous music (shades of classic-era Sergio Mendes). Hear the rhythmic dance track at this Spotify link.

“Brasileira” (translated from Portuguese, it means “a woman of Brazil”) is the first single from Soledade’s next album, Space Age Bossa Nova, coming in April.

She and Najar will introduce their all-new Amazon Soul band Friday in performance at Bayboro Brewing. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are at this link.

They call the show Carioca Nights. A Carioca, Soledade explains, is “a person born in Rio de Janeiro – the Carioca lives life to the fullest, spending days at the beach and dancing samba late into the night.”

 

Walk this way to Largo

Check out Close Enemies, the rock band playing Friday at Largo’s Central Park Performing Arts Center in Largo. The name may not be familiar, but the credits can’t be denied: Tom Hamilton, Aerosmith’s founding bassist (and co-writer on “Sweet Emotion” and “Janie’s Got a Gun”) is in the ranks, along with longtime Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan lead guitarist Peter Stroud, and drummer Tony Brock, a founding member of the Babys, that great, but short-lived, British pop/rock band of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

The vocalist is Chasen Newborn, and Trace Foster is second guitarist. Tickets for Friday’s 8 p.m. show are at this link. Have a listen here:

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Take a load off, Fanny

Friday brings The Weight Band to the Capitol Theatre. Guitarist Jim Weider actually played with The Band in the years after Robbie Robertson’s departure, which makes this so much more than some tribute act. Here’s our interview with Weider from Tuesday’s Catalyst.

Gaelic Storm, the Irish/Celtic band that appeared in the movie Titanic (they were playing at the “real party” in steerage, where Jack brought Rose to cut a rug) is at the Capitol Theatre tonight. Find tickets for the 8 p.m. show at this link.

In performance at 8 p.m. Friday at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center: REV20, an anniversary concert performance by REVolutions Dance Company – a nonprofit Hillsborough County dance company “that specializes in uniting diverse communities of individuals with and without disabilities through movement, creativity and artistry.” Find tickets here.

Friday at Ruth Eckerd Hall is the annual bay area concert appearance by jazz chanteuse and pianist Diana Krall. She’ll be accompanied by Matt Chamberlain on drums and Tony Garnier on bass. Tickets are here.

Heavy duty ‘80s rockers Great White and Slaughter share the bill Friday at Ferg’s Concert Pavilion. Truth in advertising: Great White’s founding singer Jack Russell died in 2024; Slaughter’s singer/guitarist Mark Slaughter continues to front the band that bears his name. Tickets for the 7 p.m. Friday show are at this link.

Sunday at 1 p.m., at Ruth Eckerd Hall: The Barricade Boys, Great Britain’s theatrically-inspired vocal quartet. All four performed on the West End (and elsewhere) in Les Miserables, and if you know that show, you understand why they call themselves Barricade Boys. Tickets for the matinee performance are at this link.

 

Where’s the orchestra?

This weekend, The Florida Orchestra performs Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2, as well as the composer’s Piano Concerto (the latter featuring soloist Georg Li). William Eddins conducts the program, which also includes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Dukas) and The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan (Griffes). 8 p.m. Friday, Straz Center Morsani Hall; 8 p.m. Saturday, Mahaffey Theater; 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Ruth Eckerd Hall. All tickets are at this link.

 

In ‘Drilled!” at The Studio@620: Quint Paxton, left, Jonathan Dacres and Bailee McQueen. Photo provided.

On theater stages

Drilled! – The Final Term?, a musical political satire by Bill Leavengood and Constantine Graeme, opened Wednesday and continues with five performances between tonight and Sunday afternoon at The Studio@620. Tickets are here. Leavengood, Graeme and actress/singer Bailee McQueen guest on Friday’s edition of our Arts Alive! podcast.

The Scarlet Letter is entering its opening weekend at American Stage. Here’s a Catalyst story about the production. Showtimes and tickets are at this link.

Stageworks Theatre’s ambitious production of the mountain-climbing drama Touching the Void continues this weekend, through Feb. 1. Here’s a Catalyst story about it. Showtimes and tickets are at this link.

Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is a color-splashed, madcap romp in the capable hands of Jobsite Theater. Here’s a Catalyst story about the production. Showtimes and tickets are at this link.

Continuing this weekend with intimate shows in private homes is the one-woman drama The Pink Unicorn, with Samantha Marti Parisi. Next weekend, it will be mounted at The Studio@620 – find all performances (and tickets) at this link. Here’s a Catalyst story about the production.

Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section. 

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