First it was radio, then American Bandstand, then MTV, then Dawson’s Creek. Now if you’re a band that wants a megahit, you gotta get your tune onto Grey’s Anatomy. For that to happen, however, your music has to be polished and melodic but not too saccharine, interesting but not too…
In the past decade or so, rock has been swept up in an excess of imitation. Best-selling bands like the Strokes and the Black Crowes eschew originality while tapping the template created by the Stones and other ’60s stalwarts with a fondness for booze ‘n’ blooze. The Colour, an Orange…
Supergroups seem to be the new “in” thing these days. Everyone from Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction fame to Damon Albarn is putting them together, but none of those supergroups has anything on old-time indie outfit G3, comprised of Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, and John Petrucci. Who? you ask. Don’t…
It’s virtually impossible to figure out how Ted Leo became, you know, Ted Leo. Born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Leo graduated from Seton Hall Prep and received a degree in English from Notre Dame. He is now a strict vegan and plays socially conscious punk music. (We didn’t think they…
“I do this for the love of music/Not for the glitter and gold,” sings India.Arie on her Grammy award-winning ditty “Little Things.” The statement itself is no life-changing revelation, but it’s the truth and emotion in Arie’s voice that makes her words so powerful. One can’t help but believe that…
Irish crooner Tony Kenny thinks he’s hot property. So much so that his website has the words “Tony On Tour Now!” encrypted in virtual flames. That’s as corny as it gets, but still, you’ve got to love guys like Kenny and the few remaining song-and-dance men like him. His dusting…
In 1967, the Who released an album called The Who Sell Out, a psychedelic set of songs interspersed with faux jingles and endorsements. A little more than 35 years later, they brought that theme to reality by lending their music to all three installments of the CSI television franchise. It…
At first brush it seems like Goatwhore would be just another shtick number in a long line of sappy run-of-the-mill post-emo bands so often grouped under the misnomer indie. But then again, Goatwhore is everything a person could want from a metal band and then some — from the maniacal…
MySpace really is taking over the world, ever since Rupert Murdoch got his grubby little hands on the friendly website. Aside from being the main cause of procrastination in offices around the world, MySpace is now throwing a megaconcert in Panama City for spring break, and Canadian rockers the Vincent…
During the mid-1980s, the toughest name in hip-hop belonged to Big Daddy Kane, the smooth, debonair rapper and Juice Crew affiliate who could steal your woman and your wallet at the same time. He’s one of the few rappers to appear in Playgirl, and for a while, he was seen…
Long gone are the days when John Digweed needed the name of his erstwhile partner, Sasha, to draw attention to his talents. The DJ has been shining alone for a while, and he’s now lending his skills to others, specifically Canada’s production duo de jour MSTRKRFT. Digweed and MSTRKRFT are…
The boys from Snow Patrol have come a long way from the days when they posed as members of the band Belle & Sebastian to infiltrate the student union club at the Glasgow School of Art. In fact, the indie darlings (from Glasgow by way of Dundee) are big, fat…
Brooklyn-based indie-rock upstarts Dirty on Purpose come loaded with all sorts of swoony strings (kind of like the Arcade Fire) and vocal tics (à la Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). Less down and dirty than precious and pretty, the band’s tunes mostly coast on spiky guitar lines, plunked-piano melodies, and…
Named after an Asian spiritual concept of nothingness, Senses Fail formed at a time when vocalist Buddy Nielsen was immersed in reading about Eastern religions. These days, Nielsen’s preoccupations still permeate the New Jersey band’s music, a decidedly melodic but fast-paced, crunchy brand of punk that straddles pop and contains…
Miami-based Tiempo Libre is in high demand these days. The band of Cuban immigrants is popping up everywhere across South Florida, playing for high school students in Boca Raton one moment, then grooving in South Beach jazz clubs the next. We’re not saying the impending death of Fidel Castro has…
There’s an element of Delta blues that’s as mysterious today as it was in the 1920s. Sure, Robert Johnson isn’t around to make deals with the devil (at least, we don’t think so), but there’s still something spooky lurking in the music of the delta that’s akin to Santeria or…
It’s less than a week before Fat Tuesday, and Phil Frazier finds himself in a good place: watching a parade in his beloved New Orleans. He can’t resist putting his phone on speaker and holding it toward the marchers’ music. Frazier, a tuba player, loves parades, and he loves his…
The name of artsy reggae band Dubconscious suggests everything audiences can expect to hear in concert. The well-traveled eight-piece group is known for its experimental dub sets and progressive lyrics that are fun to dance to and good for the spirit. There is a slight hippie vibe to the band…
With a much cooler moniker than the Pussycat Dolls or even defunct local noise bastards Harry Pussy, the Livid Kittens have been enchanting crowds with rock-hard performances during their 14-year career. The group’s powerfully punky and often complex sound works on tape or disc, but it’s their live shows that…
These days, lots of subgenres are cropping up in the metal sphere, some with influences from free jazz, progressive/experimental rock, electronica, and hardcore punk. Cleveland’s Chimaira is a blend of all of these inspirations, and its performances reflect that. While the relentless guitars shred and grind in the manner of…
Dub poetry isn’t the kind of literary genre you’d expect to thrive in public libraries. But in honor of Black History Month, the Broward County Library showcases the dubbed-out poetry of Miami-Dade police officer Malachi Smith, who, when he’s not out catching perps, is a local expert on all things…
Like a latter-day hip-hop answer to Fishbone, the Roots bring a palpable spirit of gathering and unity to their live shows unmatched by any of their peers. Where the most monumental of hip-hop’s giants — Outkast, a Tribe Called Quest, and Public Enemy — made their reputations by delivering roof-raising,…
