Live Motown, Rock and Drink Specials This Weekend

Step back in time with the sweet, soulful sounds of Motown and other classic ballads this Friday when Verceal Whitaker and Allen Holland join the Dan Toler & Steve Tucci Band this Friday at , 4343 Palma Sola Blvd.

The show starts at 7 p.m. Cover: $20.

Whitaker and Holland have performed with The Platters, a Motown group that started in the 1950s and continues to tour with various members today. Whitaker is lead vocalist for the Powerhouse Group, a Florida-based band that covers everything from rock, R&B, Motown, and Disco through the 1960s-90s. Holland is an accomplished cellist, keyboardist and vocalist.

Rounding out the weekend is feast fit for a king at Pier 22 on Saturday, a benefit at Cortez Clam Factory and more. See below:

• , 4310 S.R. 64 E., has an Ultimate Happy Hour with drink specials all day, every day from open to close including 2-for-1 well cocktails, margaritas, martinis, frozen drinks and house wines. Reduced prices on draft beer, too. Thursdays are even more special for the ladies with $3 Pinnacle martinis, $3 for a glass of wine or $12 for a bottle of wine from 5 p.m. until close. There’s also live music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Thursday.
• David Ralston Band, a blues-rock-Americana-jam band, is playing at 8 p.m. Thursday at Joe’s Bar, 5254 S.R. 64 E. This bar opened March 30. Its Thursday hours are 3:30  p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The bar accepts cash only, but you won’t have to spend any money to get through the door: No cover!
• It’s a feast for a king at on the marina in downtown Bradenton. The restaurant-bar is hosting a luau and pig roast from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday in its restaurant, outside patio and upstairs ballroom with live tropical music, a limbo contest, fire dancers and all kinds of food and drinks. Reservations are required. Call 941-748-8087. Cost: $24.95.
• , 10104 Cortez Rd., is hosting a benefit this Sunday for Nicole Babette Rinaldi, who was seriously injured in an accident that left her with a broken neck and wrists. The benefit is from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and features live music from Hunnert Proof, a high-energy rock band from Sarasota that lists as some of its influences Motley Crue, Ozzy, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Lynch Mob and ZZ Top. There also will be a live performance from Cellfish, a Bay-area rock band with a “fresh, ever expanding library of popular music (that’s) adaptable to any venue,” according to its website. The Clam Factory has a full liquor bar and fresh seafood available all day and night. Cover: $5 at the door.
• Remember this when you're hungry on any Tuesday night: , 5606 14th St. W., celebrates Taco Tuesday from 8 p.m. until midnight with $1 tacos and $1 wells and drafts.