A group of Central American and Mexican men waits anxiously outside the Medrano Express courier offices in Homestead for a five-dollar snapshot. They’re posing next to local Guatemalan talent Lily Alvarez, a sweet, voluptuous gal in a silver sequined top who could pass for Selena. Most of these migrants left…
My audience didn’t care,” veteran folk singer Tom Rush says laughing as he tries to explain why he didn’t receive the same backlash for going electric with his sound in the 1960s the way Bob Dylan did. “I don’t know why that was,” he admits, “but I think Dylan had…
When it comes time to do the horizontal mambo, conventional wisdom dictates that you go with the usual suspects on the stereo: James Brown, Al Green, Barry White, Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo, Donna Summer, Serge Gainsbourg, AC/DC, Sade, etc. (Note: Joe Tex’s “I Gotcha” is too raunchy to have sex to.)…
Lenny Kravitz hates it when critics call him retro, contending that love, revolution, and smooching should belong to every generation. But the problem with Kravitz’s new album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, is not just its bland message; it’s that it rips off artists like David Bowie, Led…
Contemporary R&B quite often seems like a genre that’s become a victim of its own name. There hasn’t been a lot of progress out of the genre in the past 15 years, and the best stuff out there is typically recycled Mary-J.-Blige-meets-Luther-Vandross material that doesn’t offer anything new. So it’s…
Sometimes it’s kinda embarrassing to own up and say you’re a fan of country music, what with all those silly dudes wearing the big cowboy hats and the shiny suits and carrying on with their show-biz shtick. No wonder Music City is often dismissed as Nash Vegas, given the slick…
The date was July 12, 1979, and in Southside Chicago, disco music was on its way to a fiery death. It has since been billed as the “Day That Disco Died,” and for good reason. Ninety thousand fans packed into Comiskey Park with their least favorite disco records, stormed the…
Sometimes, we can’t be at every concert we’d like to attend. It’s not always feasible or cost effective, but there’s nothing wrong with living vicariously through those in attendance. It seemed like the Beastie Boys had this in mind when, in 2004, they passed out 50 lo-fi camcorders to select…
Call it an amendment to Godwin’s Law: As reviews of Vampire Weekend accumulate, the probability they’ll mention Paul Simon’s Graceland approaches 100 percent. It’s a lazy game of connect the dots, really. Graceland traces an MOR-shattering pilgrimage wherein Simon spent 17 days recording in South Africa, cheesing off the United…
The departure of a performer as strong as Jason Isbell, who went solo last year, would cripple most bands — but not Drive-By Truckers. The group has rolled on for a decade-plus despite personnel changes because songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley continue to share shifts behind the wheel. Thanks…
Talented songwriter k.d. lang has clearly learned a few things from spending so much time around Tony Bennett. The two have been recording together since they released 2002’s A Wonderful World, and on her latest disc, you can hear the influence of Bennett in her approach to singing. Throughout Watershed,…
Van Halen with Ky-Mani Marley Bank Atlantic Center, Ft. Lauderdale Feb. 12, 2008 It’s hard to believe that it’s been 24 years since I last saw Van Halen featuring “Diamond” David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen together on the same stage. Yes, it was back in 1984 at Madison…
So Trina’s album is officially pushed back till April 1st but her latest single is still blowing up all over the country. Even though the album is pushed back two months, Slip N Slide just released the video for “I’m Single Again” and if you haven’t seen it yet, check…
And it just got him busted yesterday in Hicktown, Mississippi where Juvie was arrested for possession of marijuana. The arrest report was rather vague and stated that the former cash money rapper had “under an ounce” of weed on him. That could mean anything. We’ll keep you posted if we…
Local boy band Los Primeros have gotten with a group called Citizens to Save Hialeah Park, and recorded a bilingual song called, well, “Save Hialeah Park.” The park itself is the site of a former race track, clubhouse and grandstand, and, according to the group on its web site, “is…
This needs no introduction. Radiohead is coming to the U.S. and we’re first. Everything you need to know is below. The tour kicks off in West Palm Beach and ticket info and price is at the bottom. Get ready folks as this is going to sell out quick!! Like, Hannah…
Here’s some more Dilla for ya since it’s Throwback Tuesdays. A classic Madlib beat with Dilla and Frank N Dank killing their verses off the Champion Sound LP. — Jonathan Cunningham…
Most Jay Dee enthusiasts know that over the weekend, there were some worldwide celebrations for the birthday (Feb 7) and passing (Feb 10) of the late great producer J Dilla. Here’s some footage from the Donuts are Forever party in Brooklyn with appearance from Illwill, Phonte, House Shoes, Von Pea,…
It’s Throwback Tuesdays here at CrossFade and we’re going way back with some vintage Bobby Dylan. This was always one of my favorite early music videos and its great to see the original bald head slick AKA Allen Ginsberg in the background enjoying a cameo. — Jonathan Cunningham…
This isn’t surprising but yesterday, an appellate decision upheld the 37 month prison sentence that R&B legend Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers is currently serving for federal tax evasion. A three judge panel disagreed with arguments that Isley,66, is too old and sick for such a lengthy sentence. Many…
By ANDY VIHSTADT Gods & Monsters R.E.M. is streaming “Supernatural Superserious,” the first single from the upcoming Accelerate LP on its official site. Have a listen here , and then contemplate whether it’s worth $2.50 for the ringtone. The album comes out on April Fool’s Day, so let’s hope Stipe…
Black Chiney Sound System Friday, February 8th Whyte Noise, Fort Lauderdale Better Than: Listening to pussyclaat soundbwoys trying to compete. Last Friday night, Bobby Chin and one half of South Florida’s Black Chiney sound kept the dancehall a blaze until the wee hours of the morning in downtown Fort Lauderdale…
