I wasn’t sure what to expect from Andrea Bocelli’s concert at the Hard Rock Live Wednesday night. I knew he had sung a duet at one point with Celine Dion, and I was worried that the entire concert would be in that vein: cheesy, easy listening pop. I was pleasantly…
Internationally renowned guitar hero and Texas blues honcho Johnny Winter has been recording and playing shows with his brother, fellow bluesman Edgar Winter, since he was 15 years old. Since then, he has released over 30 records in just under 40 years as a recording artist, a prolific output for…
Local indie-rock fans have long since considered soft-toned rocker John Ralston as a hometown hero. As a native of Lake Worth, he’s rocked out South Florida’s scene for years, opening for, and occasionally headlining with, other local-but-exploited acts like Dashboard Confessional and Legends of Rodeo. But now Ralston has honed…
With a voice like warm melted butter and songs that defined the “quiet storm” slow jam genre, the voice of Anita Baker ruled the airwaves during the ’80s and early ’90s. From the moment she released Rapture in 1986, Baker became a mainstay on R&B radio. Songs like “Caught up…
There are certain riffs that are forever emblazoned within the soundtrack of rock ‘n’ roll: the Beatles’ “Day Tripper,” the Stones’ “Satisfaction,” the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” and Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” Then there’s that opening guitar lick to “Locomotive Breath,” the inevitable showstopper in…
Local indie-rock fans have long since considered soft-toned rocker John Ralston as a hometown hero. As a native of Lake Worth, he’s rocked out South Florida’s scene for years, opening for, and occasionally headlining with, other local-but-exploited acts like Dashboard Confessional and Legends of Rodeo. But now Ralston has honed…
So Rick Ross’ upcoming album, Trilla, has been pushed back to February 08. That’s probably a good thing considering everything Def Jam has put out in the fourth quarter this year has felt like a tax write-off without any real push. Ghostface and Beanie Sigal immediately come to mind. Since…
South Florida’s mixtape king, DJ GQ, is having an album release party this Saturday, at Art Bar in downtown Fort Lauderdale. He’s dropping the Let Em Know Vol. 20 mixtape with guest appearances from DMX, Junior Reid, Pitbull, Trina, Kevin Lyttle, Mr. Vegas, and N.O.R.E., all of which are not…
Let me preface this by clarifying something: I’ve got great gams. It’s true. Everyone has something: hair that doesn’t go flat, perfectly long lashes, soulful eyes, curvy hips. But me, I’m a legs girl, so it’s strange that I don’t think about them all that often. In fact, until last…
Photo by Jeffrey Delannoy Iggy Pop and the Stooges performed as part of the Art Basel kick-off. See a slideshow from the concert. “I AM YOU!!!” Stooges frontman Iggy Pop bellowed, extending a bony finger at the swirling mass of flesh bouncing up and down on the sand in Collins…
You know a band is both indie and shoegazy when its name is in the middle of a song by indie shoegaze giants Belle and Sebastian. Now that may just be a coincidence (“Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner” was composed a full ten years after this Washington, D.C.-based quintet…
Frank Sinatra once dubbed him the best pop singer in the biz, and when it’s the Chairman of the Board himself doling out the praise, you’re inclined not to disagree. Indeed, while best known by the masses for his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” (recorded 45…
The name of this four-man posse of Southern musicians implies that audiences can jam out to their music endlessly. And part of that is true — the band is known for its rolling sets and college-town hippie vibe. They are from Athens, Georgia, and it’s a fact that bands strong…
Andrea Bocelli was initially discovered by Pavarotti — presumably when the late, great tenor from Modena was already losing his hearing. Bocelli had his endorsement, and his career took off like a (very quiet) rocket. Since 1994, he’s recorded a bunch of operas (though he’s rarely ever performed one, because…
Deerhoof December 4, 2007 The NADA Art Fair Better Than: The Mojitos I had last night Ever get the feeling that everything is surreal while watching a band? Sometimes it’s because the band has a live show that it’s incapable of capturing on a recording and other times it’s just…
Photo by Elvis Ramirez “Poetess” made up a poem out of words solicited from the audience. I always figured that open mic poetry nights usually didn’t attract huge crowds. I imagined low lights, smooth music playing in between acts and a people lounging in couches relaxing, some huddled together all…
Son del Centro rock out justicia. Photo by Esther Park Concert For Fair Food Saturday, December 1, 2007 Bayfront Park, Downtown Miami Better Than: winning a lifetime supply of Whoppers. This past weekend, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers were in full effect, along with 500 or so of their supporters…
When it comes to playing Southern blues, some musicians have a stronger ear for it than others. If you really want to play it, you need an inherent ability to hear the music. When it comes to the banjo-picking and drum-thumping skills of Ben Prestage, he’s got an advantage that…
Imitation, it is said, is the sincerest form of flattery. But what do you call an exact replication? A tribute, of course. It’s a musical one in the case of Australian Pink Floyd, the world’s finest tribute band to, well, Pink Floyd. Starting way back in ’88, five Aussie musicians…
At this very moment, in a dorm room far, far way, the MGM lion is roaring for the third time just as some guy named Alec presses play on his Panasonic CD boom box, ushering in the confusing opening silence of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon over the…
When it comes to playing Southern blues, some musicians have a stronger ear for it than others. If you really want to play it, you need an inherent ability to hear the music. When it comes to the banjo-picking and drum-thumping skills of Ben Prestage, he’s got an advantage that…
It’s absolutely fitting that in a three-minute promotional clip running on Blind Melon’s MySpace page, new singer Travis Warren is wearing a Layne Staley memorial T-shirt as he talks about joining the band last year. One has to wonder if the early-2006 (and moderately successful) re-formation of Alice in Chains,…
