Jazz singers do ’em often (too often, but that’s another harangue entirely). We’re talking albums of great American songbook standards, that perennial body of material composed between the 1920s and early ’50s. When redone in the modern area, these “standards” affairs tend to be boring, but not Loverly, and not…
Transitioning from overhyped buzz generator to perpetual powerhouse ain’t easy, even for figures as charismatic as the Party men, and on their third long-player, the strain shows. “Ares” is the sound of a band trying too hard, albeit with assists from some pretty interesting elements: screaming sirens, kinetic beats, and…
You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter (Epitaph) Hmmm. It seems this local duo has renamed itself appropriately. If you’ve never heard of I Set My Friends on Fire before, it’s the same two Miami homeboys — Matt Mihana and Nabil Moo — who used to play around town as We…
Suffice it to say Sarah Brightman is one class act. Known for her soaring soprano and waif-like demeanor, she’s musical theater’s leading lady… a diva deluxe… and, it might be noted, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s ex. She’s also a pop princess, with credits that include more than 26 million albums sold…
Although it would be a misnomer to define Bright Eyes as a pop sensation, in recent years, its musical mainstay, Conor Oberst, has moved his ever-shifting ensemble more toward the mainstream. Their last album, Cassadaga, proved to be their most accessible yet, an apt follow-up to the band’s true breakthrough…
Within Miami’s Latin music scene is an endless number of bands delving into all sorts of homegrown genres, from salsa and merengue to bachata and Cuban son. But when it comes to reggae, only a few Latin bands do it well, and El Chino Dreadlion is definitely one of them…
Few bands (except maybe for Yes) have had such an intense rotation of members since the Doobie Brothers first started playing together in 1971. Along the way, they’ve churned out hits like “Taking It to the Streets,” “What a Fool Believes,” and “Listen to the Music,” among the most memorable,…
So last night I was at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino when I saw an interesting poster on display. Billy Joel’s sexy mug was plastered on the wall. Come on, ladies still think he’ sexy…and I noticed that he’s got not one, not two, but three sold out concerts coming…
STFU when LMFAO performs at Karu & Y. You’ve hear the track “I’m in Miami Bitch” more times than you care to count, but still it never fails to get you cracking a smile. And if the MySpace count is any indication, there’s almost 1.3 million people cracking smiles right…
T-Pain Thr33 Ringz (Nappy Boy Entertainment) How has T-Pain done it? He’s not attractive, his fashion-sense leaves much to be desired (at least for those without Dr. Seuss/ LSD fetishes, in any case), and without the benefit of the computer program Auto-Tune his voice is nothing special. And yet, considering…
By ANDY VIHSTADT After giving it away for a limited time on eMusic, the Postmarks’ sophomore effort, By the Numbers, is officially released worldwide today. The all-covers album boasts a numerical theme and includes renditions of songs by David Bowie, the Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain and even the Pointer…
The obvious similarities between Secondhand Serenade, hailing from the suburbs of California’s Bay Area, and homegrown sensation Dashboard Confessional are impossible to ignore. Like Dashboard Confessional, the name is a framework for a shifting project led by a singular talent; John Vesely is to Secondhand Serenade what Chris Carrabba is…
With Art Basel only three weeks away, there is plenty of reason to be musically excited about South Florida. Why? Because art isn’t the only thing that rolls into town. Plenty of musical acts also stop by that week to entertain the crowds. In previous years Peaches, Iggy Pop, Justice,…
So here’s a really cool music video that describes my Tuesday night almost perfectly. Middleweight hip-hop champ MURS is in town tonight playing a show at Churchill’s Pub and anybody that’s never seen the West Coast veteran live should consider going. He’s an indie hip-hop legend in the vein of…
News has come in from Italy this morning that prominent South African singer Miriam Makeba has passed away today from an apparent heart attack. Makeba, who collapsed while exiting the stage right after performing in Southern Italy, essentially died doing what she loved most–singing. She was 76-years-old. Widely revered by…
Coldplay November 9, 2008 BankAtlantic Center Better Than: You’d Expect Say what you will about Coldplay (and most folks do), but unlike a lot of so-called arena acts – nevermind their smaller setting counterparts – they’ve at least got sense enough to make a spectacle of themselves when they come…
John Hood Rufus Wainwright November 8, 2008 The Jackie Gleason Theatre at the Fillmore Miami Beach Better Than: Crooning a Storybook They call it a Rubus. In theory, one suspects the thing is related to the centaur (half man/half horse), the mandrake (half man/half plant) and the Minotaur (half man/half…
Aww, I thought today would be a slow blogging day, but alas, there’s joy in Mudville. South Florida’s favorite indie-pop trio, the Postmarks, are releasing a brand new album next week, entitled By the Numbers and finally, there’s some material floating around to help give it a buzz. This video…
So rapper Kanye West has teamed up with the once celebrated Hype Williams to create an animated video for his upcoming single, “Heartless.” What they put together isn’t bad (it’s sort of got that Waking Life feel to it) and I can’t complain about their choice to go with an…
So if you listen to Rick Ross’ music, you probably already know that he likes he’s ganja green and sticky. And according to Miami New Times reporter Jason Handelsman, he can also roll blunts one-handed. I’m not sure if the latter is true, but there’s a hilarious new video on…
Hailing all the way from Milan, Bot and Phra, who together make up the DJ duo Crookers, prove that globalization, at least when it comes to music, isn’t such a bad thing. Arguably, its been the Internet that has given them the power to become more popular than they are…
Thursday night. A muggy, rainy South Florida night, and I was feeling particularly grouchy. It had been a long, punishing mini-Friday, the air around me was veering toward triple-digit humidity, and I had just gotten one of those wish-you-were-here calls from my family in Texas. Everybody fine, and, oh, yeah,…
