With summer heat still in its hellish full swing, it’s hard to get the mail without producing enough sweat to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. And that’s at night. Go outside during the day? Forget it. You’re better off standing naked under your air conditioner until the sun goes down…
An eclectic crowd gathers inside Hollywood’s Club Bluster to hear spoken-word poets talk about love, sex, politics, revolution, or anything else that comes to mind. They’re here for a weekly event, titled Mellow Mondays, that’s been going strong for the past four months. The musical glue that holds everything together…
Why “Subterranean Finds”? Because we unearth music radio rarely plays and the critics fail to tout… exceptional sounds residing below the surface and well worth exploring. John Wicks and the Records Rotate Back in the late ’70s, the Records took up the gauntlet laid down by the Beatles and the…
Danger Mouse is arguably the most adventurous producer to tackle a Beck project since the Dust Brothers helped birth a 1996 baby called Odelay (the Dusters’ return for 2004’s Güero doesn’t count). The resulting sound is satisfyingly dense and intricate; the neo-surfisms of “Gamma Ray,” the delicate psychedelia of “Chemtrails,”…
Hip-hop and reggae, though closely related, often have a precarious dynamic when brought together on wax. What should be an organic formula typically comes off as forced, clichéd, or just plain bad. But thanks to an Iranian-American DJ/producer from Minnesota, the two genres finally achieve coexistent harmony. Meet K-Salaam and…
The man from Waco, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove emerged on the scene in 1989. Encouraged by no less than Wynton Marsalis, Hargrove was young and sharp enough to be included in the ’80’s “Young Lions” hype (i.e., youthful neoconservative cats in swanky suits). Though mindful of tradition, Hargrove — who’d…
It’s become way too easy to take the Orb’s music for granted at this stage in the electronic outfit’s illustrious career. This new album should make it less so, as it clearly and definitively demonstrates how astounding the Orb’s talent truly is. Anything the Orb puts out now is necessarily…
It’s Thursday afternoon, and I’m sitting at home looking for some new tunes. The playlist on my computer is played out, and surfing MySpace isn’t doing it. Then it dawns on me that well-known reggae personality Luther Mack recently started a new radio show on WDJA-AM (1420). Once I tune…
There’s something about listening to the sultry sounds of an L.A. club DJ that makes a person feel like he’s really partying. Although it’s hard to put your finger on it, there’s an aura of confidence and swagger in that city’s electronic scene unlike any other. If you’re not familiar…
Since the release of her self-titled debut in 2003, Maria Rita has become one of the biggest stars in Brazil’s contemporary music scene. Backed simply by piano, acoustic bass, and drums, she made her mark by singing pop-flavored songs with a jazzy feel. Of course, it didn’t hurt that her…
In the world of rock, few artists have played in one meaningful ensemble that will provide for their pension. Gruff-voiced singer Paul Rodgers can bank on three, all of which ensure instant immortality. His present liaison with Queen seems an unlikely pairing, but it’s a reliable paycheck. His first band…
If it looks like Ian Curtis, sings like Ian Curtis, and dances like Ian Curtis… and it’s onstage in 2008 and you’re in Florida, well, it’s not Ian Curtis. It’s Aaron Branch, the frontman of 3 One G, the state’s (and maybe the whole Southeast’s) only working Joy Division tribute…
Sugar Lounge is about as big as your bedroom, but it has all the charm of an Ikea commercial. Silky curtains and velvety couches show off the violet light installations. It’s a sexy effect that goes down better with a vodka tonic than an icy pint. This isn’t a beer…
Earlier this year, Radiohead released its new album, In Rainbows, on its website using a pay-what-you-wish model. A few months later, Nine Inch Nails released Ghosts I-IV employing a similar scheme with more business savvy; there was a tiered scale; prices ranged from free (low-quality digital audio files) to $300,…
If you’re a lover of reggae music, you’ll be happy to know that local station WDJA-AM 1420 (Based out of Delray Beach, has recently switched it’s format to 95% Caribbean music. The station, which previously existed as a banking and financial talk radio is under new management and they’re giving…
So in continuation with yesterday’s post, today we bring you our sit down with Tallahassee duo Dead Prez. They chat to videographer Jacob Katel about “the white man,” Al Sharpton and throw a rhyme or two our way. Check it out! – Jose D. Duran…
In May, we posited that southern hip-hop and Fox News share much in common. Possessing both an anti-intellectual streak and a populist one, they’re beloved by red-staters and hated on by the coastal elites, be they liberals, hipsters, Ghostface or Nas. The piece concluded: If you’re still not convinced that…
It’s time for another roundup of the fruits of lurking on Craigslist’s South Florida musician ads. As always, bands, if you’re looking to fill up a lineup and want an extra shout-out for your ad, e-mail me here. — Arielle Castillo *Whoa, yet another sludge metal band seems to be…
Local turnable deity Craze will be stopping by The Vagabond (30 NE 14th Street, Miami) for its weekly Thursday night Money Shot party on August 14. Freshly off of Kanye West’s Glow In The Dark tour (or How I Completely Ripped Off Daft Punk’s Live Show and Called It My…
I just got word late yesterday that rapper/actor Common is booking shows in support of his upcoming album, Invincible Summer, and will be in Miami on Friday, September 5 at the Fillmore Miami Beach. That’s good news as the Fillmore is an intimate enough venue that true Common fans should…
Today, a former prison guard (who won’t admit it) gives back to his old ‘hood in Miami, spacey nu-prog rockers touch down in Ft. Lauderdale, and two top-notch weekly events keep on keeping on. — Arielle Castillo *This is really more of a free daytime charity event, but if you…
Did anybody see N.O.R.E. this past weekend at the Rock the Bell’s concert over the weekend? Dude needs to lay off all that mofongo and pollo a la plancha!! Naw, I’m kidding. Although N.O.R.E. definitely looked way heavier than he needed to be, he definitely came out and rocked it…
