Whole Wheat Bread June 22, 2007 Churchill’s Pub Better Than: Being hit in the face with brass knuckles. Barely. With too few good punk bands to cleave to, I hoped this show would provide a miracle. Beginning with Ft. Lauderdale natives Skuff’d Shoes, a ska-reggae-punk hybrid, the night opened to…
Issac Delgado isn’t letting anybody in on what to expect tomorrow night when he performs in Miami for the first time since leaving Cuba late last year. About the only thing the multi-talented Cuban bandleader/sonero/songwriter is promising is ‘tremendo rumbon Cubano’ (‘one hell of a Cuban fest’) while adding that…
The Ataris If recent alt-rock history has taught bands anything about how to keep their career out of the shitter, it´s (1) do not, under any circumstances, allow someone in the group to date Winona Ryder (see: Soul Asylum, Counting Crows, Lemonheads, Third Eye Blind, Jamiroquai), and (2) do not…
It´s unfortunately rare when musicians in wildly popular groups quit and form their own bands and manage to achieve similar success. I´d try to compile a list of those who have pulled it off, but who needs to think that hard? The point is, it´s usually the first step downhill,…
Reggae isn´t the type of genre where you can fake it to make it. Plenty of musicians can try their hand at roots-rock reggae, but if they´re not familiar with playing it or singing it, the sound is going to suffer. Look no further than Snow or Matisyahu for evidence…
Those who can´t do, teach. Figure, then, that musicians who don´t create, cover. Which is not to suggest that Dr. John, legendary boogie pianist and former Popeye´s Chicken and Biscuits jingle-smith, has lost it; it´s just the tendency of our more senior musical icons to forgo creating new music in…
Photo by Jeffrey Delannoy Battles June 18, 2007 Studio A Better Than: Sitting inside, listening to the evening’s torrential rain, and pulling bong hits by yourself. Openers Dance, Jenny have long been championed by Lolo Reskin, the fiery-maned proprietor of Sweat Records who also organized the show. Their earlier material…
Abuelitas, chongitas y mujeres muy ricas will all be in a state of seduction as soon as baby-faced Latin pop star Chayanne takes the stage Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. Teeny-boppers will squeal, middle-aged hotties will squeal some more – maybe even hurl a thong or…
Better than: Sitting in front of your computer screen and hoping that your roommate doesn’t walk in and find you masturbating. The Review: Wickedness and depravity have never been so hot. Florida breakbeat artists Ghosts in the Machine are known for being sick and twisted, not only because they have…
Joss Stone June 16, 2007 Revolution Better Than: Her CDs, by far. No Opener: Just Raw Stone Joss Stone at Revolution Photo by Jamie Puntumkhul For a girl that hails from the white cliffs of Dover, England, Joss Stone is way into color – which made her magenta hair and…
Photo by Santiago Felipe Fall Out Boy June 16, 2006 Sound Advice Amphitheatre The first time I saw Fall Out Boy they were opening up for Mest at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale. Since then, they have sold millions of albums worldwide, been on the cover of Rolling Stone,…
Dead Prez June 15, 2007 Studio A I caught a crazy Dead Prez show last night at Studio A before a lackluster crowd that almost seemed scared to sing along with the songs. Anyone that knows Dead Prez should be ready for a quasi-Black Panther experience whenever they come through…
With the release of its latest album, Mirrored, Battles has proven unequivocally that it´s possible for noise-rock to have a heartbeat. And what a heartbeat it has. Driven by the percussive attack of ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier (whose mile-high cymbal setup is on must-see-it-to-believe-it status), Battles´ music careens around head-snapping…
In 1960, Jerry Butler left the Impressions. He probably figured he was making the best move. After all, the group he led had been unable to duplicate the massive success it had in 1958 with the Butler-sung ¨For Your Precious Love.¨ Although Butler´s departure inadvertently did wonders for the Impressions…
So you never heard of Suénalo, huh? That´s all right. Amin DeJesus, the band´s MC, acknowledges you latecomers and welcomes you to the party. On the intro of their self-titled CD, DeJesus exclaims, ¨For those who just tuned in… the name of the band is Suénalo. Say what you like;…
Famed DJ, producer, and remixer Armand Van Helden has three of the best jobs he could ever want. He´s an internationally respected electronic DJ — something he´s worked at for the past 15 years — and also a stellar producer of house and progressive trance music, which are the two…
On Friday night, Club Nocturnal in Miami, celebrated its two year anniversary with an exclusive MySpace.com party hosted by Dub Magazine’s poster girl, Vida Guerra. The lovely Miss Guerra must have been the cause of many sticky magazine pages throughout her career because the club was flooded with men who…
Oh the joy of Disco. Over the weekend, myself and Arielle Castillo stumbled in to Dolphin Staudium, literally, half-cocked on wine and tequila and caught one of the most hilarious disco shows that you could imagine. Picture the scene: standing next to second base right after a Florida Marlins game…
The title “Most Rock ‘n Roll Band in Rock ‘n Roll” still belongs to The Black Crowes, but I’d like to present Black Rebel Motorcycle Club a (stolen) 2nd place trophy. Without really saying much between songs, BRMC commanded the stage last Saturday at the Culture Room. Drummer, Nick Jago,…
Between the power chords and one-love vibration, State Radio’s performance last night at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale in support of their latest album, The Barn Sessions, was electrifying. After browsing the band’s website, I wondered whether Urmston, who pens lyrics about conscientious objectors, was going to preach or…
Texas is known for its great beer, BBQ, and twangy country music. Indie music, though, is not something most people would associate with the Lone Star state. Aside from Austin City Limits Festival veterans Spoon and the Polyphonic Spree, little is known outside of Texas about its indie-rock scene. It…
So attendance at Florida Marlins games is rather low. The bleachers look empty every time somebody hits a home run, and folks at the P.R. office are out to change that. Insert a raucous concert series after all of the Saturday-night home games and Dolphin Stadium will be alive with…
