To read past installments of ¿Que Pasa, M.I.A?, click here. Trying to make a New Year’s resolution stick is like trying to get all your friends to call you by a self-appointed nickname. (Dudes, bro, from now on call me Shatterstar. ) This year, I’m gonna buckle down and really…
What’s left to be said about Deadmau5 that hasn’t already been said? Virtually unknown in 2007, the young Toronto prodigy skyrocketed to international stardom by word of mouth, internet exposure, and blessings from commercial giants like Pete Tong, Tiësto, and Armin van Buuren. Saturday’s much-anticipated performance at Mansion came on…
With six Grammys to his name and having sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide, Billy Joel has a pedigree that’s impossible to ignore. And time seems to have done little to dampen public enthusiasm for his oeuvre: Friday’s kickoff gig at the Seminole Hard Rock begins not two, not…
Toronto is known for its cultural mash-ups, and its musical exports are naturally reflective of the demographics. You can hear some of that multiculti genre-fusing in the sounds of the New Deal, an exploratory “livetronica” band that merges house, breakbeats, and electro on top of global drum programming. As a…
Despite being a cool, downtown NYC jazz act with roots in the early ’90s avant-garde scene of John Lurie and John Zorn, no one loves Medeski, Martin & Wood like the patchouli-loving, Birkenstocks-on-the-weekend hippie crowd. MM&W’s supersonic organ funk jams forever cemented their relationship with neo-trustafarians, who first heard them…
Ahhh… the sweet sounds of classic ’70s California pop. No one has ever embodied that sound more than the Doobie Brothers. And now that the style the Doobies perfected has become a musical archetype (see modern artists like the Autumn Defense, Beck, and so on), it’s all too easy to…
VIBE Music Editor Sean Fennessey recently argued that contemporary R&B music has gone soft. He’s onto something — there are too many emasculated, blue-balled crooners on the radio right now with no true identity. (Hell, whispering whiner/platinum sensation Lloyd’s last name is Polite.) But Fennessey overlooked a larger point. R&B…
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m more likely to go to a bar to whine than go to a wine bar. Most of my time is spent at dives bantering with blue-collar types, sipping on dirt-cheap brews. But sometimes even I like to chill somewhere classy and upscale, a…
Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter still looms in the margins of jazz history. Until now, her contributions during the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s were known mostly to insiders, aficionados, historians, and journalists eager to sensationalize her association with the death of Charlie Parker, who famously died in her living room in…
The Matthew Herbert Big Band There’s Me and There’s You matthewherbert.com Despite the name, the Matthew Herbert Big Band has as much in common with Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong as Dave Grohl does with Barry Manilow. Instead of bringing brass to the fore, it’s mined in the mix, creating…
1. CarcassNecroticism (Earache)Arguably grindcore’s finest hour, Necroticism captures Carcass hitting previously unheard-of heights of technical proficiency with such jaw-dropping skill that the album sounds absolutely fresh 16 years after it came out. Rarely has a grind band achieved the thrilling, epic majesty of classical music, but Carcass took the cake…
Logan FazioSouth Floridians tend to complain that they are often overlooked by music tours, but 2008 was definitely a busy and surprising year for the area’s live music scene. Radiohead kicked off their world tour at Cruzan, while Madonna ended the U.S.-leg of Sticky & Sweet tour at Dolphin Stadium…
6. Jesu Why Are We Not Perfect (Hydra Head)Technically not a heavy release, but how can we discount Justin Broadrick, founding member of both Napalm Death and Godflesh? Fed up with the single-minded bludgeoning of those classic acts, Broadrick’s intention from the start in forming Jesu was so that he…
Boris(Photo via Boris’ MySpace page.)Was 2008 another renaissance year for metal? Well, yes — but the point should be moot by now. Whether metal is “in” or “out” during any given year, the music has gone through a creative revitalization every year — especially when you consider heavy music and…
Fallen From the Sky(Photo via the band’s MySpace page.)Pat yourself on the back for attending Saturday’s early-evening, all-ages extravaganza at Revolution. It’s sponsored by Music Saves Lives, a California-based group on its way to nonprofit status that aims to “create opportunities for people to save lives with simple contributions, and…
Ahhh… the sweet sounds of classic Seventies California pop. No one has ever embodied that sound more than the Doobie Brothers. And now that the style the Doobies perfected has become a musical archetype (see modern artists like the Autumn Defense, Beck, and so on), it’s all too easy to…
UltrachicUltrachic (Self-released)www.myspace.com/ultrachicUltrachic stand on a weird crossroad bridge where they sonically span the golden years of Venezuelan rock (Sentimiento Muerto, Dermis Tatu, Desorden Público) with the newer bloods who continue to make the racket (Zapato 3, Los Amigos Invisibles, Caramelos de Cianuro). The funny thing is, Ultrachic bass player Luis…
It’s hard to understand why Jah Cure’s trajectory hasn’t been as strong as many people thought it would be in 2008. He was the hottest name in reggae in 2007 but this year has been sort of a cool-down. In a sense, that’s just setting him up for an even…
To read past installments of Miami According to Brooklyn, click here. Most of these guys who hang out in this club scene crap have no respect for women whatsoever. They’re just out trying to get their dick wet, which is horrible. I see it every day. Women should be treated…
About a year ago, local DJ Induce and his West Coast buddy Sven Barth, under the name Casual Sax, made a funny little song called “Baby, I’m Black,” which was an ode to being blessed in the genital region. Well after Perez Hilton posted it up on his site it…
The Seventies Soul Jam, scheduled for January 14 at the Fillmore Miami Beach, was set to feature the Stylistics, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Main Ingredient, and Miami’s own Heatwave. The show, however, has been cancelled. Those who purchased advance tickets through Livenation.com should contact LiveNation’s ticket line at 888-598-4299. Those…
Crossfade reported earlier this month that Combichrist and Black Light Burns would kick off their tour in South Florida on January 14, at Club Premier in Ft. Lauderdale. That sounded like a weird fit, as the venue usually specializes in hip-hop and reggae dance parties. The event has been moved…
