One of my favorite things about the Friday night party about the Vagabond is its mixture of just enough live music — one band on the patio a week — with the usual DJ fun. But beyond that, since the party is co-presented by Sweat Records, the live lineup is…
It all started out as a pleasant Sunday. Lauren Reskin, owner of Miami staple Sweat Records, was trying to relax two weeks ago and enjoy her lone day off. Unfortunately, the day’s tone changed dramatically when she swung by her business for a quick meeting and found out that her…
There used to be a time when South Florida was a haven for good, ol’-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, not just old-timey stuff that was stuck in a time warp. Rootsy Americana bands could make a living here, and crowds appreciated them for their efforts. Fort Lauderdale’s Hep Cat Boo Daddies,…
Few musicians were as popular as Nelly at the beginning of the decade. His debut, Country Grammar, came out of nowhere in 2000 to sell more than 9 million copies, popularizing the St. Louis sing-songy rap sound in the process. His 2002 follow-up, Nellyville, featuring the then-annoyingly ubiquitous “Hot in…
The buzz surrounding the release of Metallica’s new album has centered on one — and only one — argument: Does Death Magnetic succeed in its attempt to recapture Metallica’s glory days? The answer, as most discerning music fans know, is irrelevant. Metallica’s glory days were more than 20 years ago,…
If you’re in the West Palm Beach area this Thursday and looking for a dose of culture, the seven-piece band known as Jahfe (which means “creation” in Creole) is bringing its reggae musical vibes to Clematis by Night. Dreadlocked singers Sasha Sanon, a Haitian native, and Esther Fortune, who was…
So today, new R&B sensation Jazmine Sullivan has her debut album, Fearless, available in stores worldwide. She’s got a voice that’s at times, reminds me of Lauryn Hill like on the song above, “Need You Bad,” and at other times, she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever heard. The Philadelphia-raised singer used…
Attention bands: If you have yet to play one of Oski’s and Queen of the Scene’s mini festivals at Tobacco Road, and if you’ve got a lady or two in your band, here’s an opportunity. The follow-up to last year’s estrogen-heavy Femme Fest is happening this November, and the promoters…
My arrival timing for events is usually pretty hit-or-miss, but this last Saturday I lucked out at PS14. I had headed over to check out Notorious Nastie’s/Astari Nite’s occasional Static Interference event, which was supposed to start at 10 p.m. I arrived just after 11, and nothing had started –…
Festival announcements are happening all over the place. Last week, while most local music lovers were caught up talking about Langerado’s surprising decision to host the 2009 edition of that concert at Miami’s Bicentennial Park, a lot of people missed that the on-again, off-again International Caribbean Music Fest had an…
Argentine rocker Fito Paez made a rare U.S. appearance at Miami’s Knight Concert Hall. Fito Paez Friday, September 19, 2008 Knight Concert Hall, Miami Better Than: Listening to one of those “Rock en Español” anthology CDs. This being my fifth time seeing Fito Paez live, my expectations were very high…
Friday, September 19: *Argentine rock en español legend Fito Páez performs a relatively intimate concert at the Arsht Center, hoping to gain more fans in the states. Read about his impressive musical track record here. *The album tribute act Classic Albums Live again performs at the Hard Rock, and this…
If you haven’t heard yet of local duo I Set My Friends on Fire, well, you are probably of legal drinking age and/or don’t spend a lot of time on MySpace, so let me fill you in really quickly on what basically every teenager seems to already know about. The…
Just confirmed today: Chicago instrumental almost-metal quartet (and friends of Miami’s Torche) Pelican will play its biggest headlining show to date in South Florida on November 15. As the band has grown in popularity, it’s played in these parts a couple times over the last few years years. Once was…
It is little wonder this Miami-based 30-something has been getting a lot of attention since signing a national distribution deal through a major label. An experienced singer who has appeared on stages in Japan and France as well as at venues like New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, Henry is…
In spite of the fact that this legendary trio hasn’t scored a hit in the 30 years since “Used to Be My Girl” charted back in 1978, the O’Jays still have a huge following among soul-music aficionados around the world. They’re in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for…
In many ways, you could consider this Madrid transplant a Latin pop pioneer. He was one of the first Spanish-language artists to play for arena-sized audiences in the United States (a feat accomplished during his 1997 Vivir tour) without the support of a crossover hit. In addition to that, his…
Any moment now, it will be dubbed prog-disco or sexy-cheese-disco or even chamber-disco. Whatever the case, the “-disco” must be appended and heeded, for it is back. Hercules & Love Affair’s version of disco can make you wish it had never gone away — really. A former Denver leather-bar DJ…
In the spirit of CrossFade’s occasional glimpses at the local musician ads on Craigslist, I’m passing on this plea I received by e-mail from Vicky, a member of a start-up indie band called CabinAffair. The core members recently relocated from their native Venezuela to study and play music, but alas,…
South Florida, but Miamians in particular, always whine that the area never gets it fair share of national acts coming into town. So when CrossFade received an e-mail announcing a free — yes, free — performance by New York indie rock band The Walkmen, we couldn’t help to feel a…
Coral Springs pop-punk diehards New Found Glory (remember when their name started with “A”?) have announced that they’re turning more to the “punk” part of their roots, kind of. As of yesterday, the band has officially signed with punk-centric indie-major Epitaph, with which it’ll release its forthcoming seventh studio album…
The screaming voice for hip-hop on the South Florida airwaves has been on the road promoting his newest album, We Global, for many days now. But this afternoon DJ Khaled is making a pit stop in Broward signing as many copies of his album as you want to purchase Starting…
