What could be a better entrée to Jack Johnson’s low-key California strumming than one of the beach-bum heartthrob’s favorite bands? Given its shared dedication to sand-in-the-sandals, brushfire fairytales, it’s no surprise Jack handpicked ALO (short for Animal Liberation Orchestra — not a PETA action group but a band intent on…
When William Elliott Whitmore sings, “It was the year of aught-one/And our life had begun/No perils could make us this strong,” it’s a toss-up as to what century he’s referring to. His Hymns for the Hopeless swims in time-warped currents of naked Mississippi blues, junkyard percussion, gospel harmony, and ragged…
Here’s one of those cases of a band making it purely on perseverance and positive attitude. 311 has come a long way from unsuccessful stabs at studio work in L.A., prodigal son-like returns to the Midwest, dog-food poverty in Van Nuys, and the great exploding RV incident of ’93. During…
Don’t confuse Scream Tour with Scream Fest: This isn’t a convention of B-movie horror stars and starlets. What we have on hand is hunky handfuls of heartthrobs and teenage titillation taking over the Miami Arena, promising to get the young ones hollerin’. Bow Wow (no more “Lil'”; this dog is…
The fans know it: Way before Trey and his posse bastardized the spelling, Radiators fans were called fish heads and gave the N’awleans funksters the same adulation reserved for space rocking jam bands. The band’s 25-plus year history is filled with thousands of shows, hundreds of tours, a slew of…
They may not be changing the world, but the Sloppy High Fives wield a brand of hard-charging, three-chord rock that’s more than enough to get the beer-soaked throngs off their stools and in front of the stage. By their own description, the Fives have taken the wheels off the car…
Back when its sole, self-titled album dropped in 1998, Black Star set the standard for intelligence and poetry in underground hip-hop. Rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli had already built individual reputations on the East Coast mix tape and open mic circuit, both espousing a knowledge-first philosophy of street survival…
In 1992, Karrin Allyson was an unknown jazz singer from Nebraska. A dozen years and two Grammy nominations later, she’s regarded as one of the most versatile and talented singers of her generation. Allyson’s vocal range is nearly unmatched in jazz circles, and her masterly inflection has drawn comparisons to…
Despite what you Mastodon fans might believe, there is no sound in the world heavier than a pipe organ. For truly Earth-shaking proof, check out Summer Sundays at the Console, a casual concert series revolving around the $1.2 million baby at Palm Beach’s lovely Bethesda-by-the-Sea Church. Installed in 1999, the…
Alvin Youngblood Hart leads a deceptively simple life. In the Central Mississippi town the acclaimed guitarist calls home, Hart enjoys family, fishing, and horseback riding. But beyond his rather prosaic life, he makes beautiful music. Refusing to be pigeonholed into a blues-only niche, this dreadlocked, well-traveled cross between Howlin’ Wolf…
One of the best things about Florida’s isolated musicians is their sense of humor. Or rather, their take on where conventional humor diverges from good taste, as elaborated in their band names. Remember Dead German Tourist? Lethal Yellow? Gay Cowboys in Bondage? Add to the list Phantom Limb. These guitar-driven…
Soaring slabs of slide guitar, rock-solid backbeats, and heavy blues dexterity course through Jimbo Mathus & Knockdown South, the latest musical incarnation of the founding member of rootsy, swing-jazz revivalists the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Weaned on the beer-gospel, Appalachian folk ballads and country music heard at his father’s knee during…
Fronted by the lyrically astute Jessica Martins’ pulpy coo, Via Audio floats out of Boston on mellow vocals and instrumentation to ply catchy, melodic folk-pop. The laid-back four-piece formed around Beantown’s Berklee School of Music in 2002 and released its eponymous debut EP last year to minor critical acclaim. In…
At some point when I wasn’t paying attention, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez went from “the former members of At the Drive-In who became the Mars Volta” to “the current members of the Mars Volta who used to be in At the Drive-In.” That’s, of course, if their former band…
Veteran of Lenny Kravitz’s band before Kravitz started sucking and founding member of the Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson is the godfather of contemporary saxophone. Apparently, he’s also a superhero — Orb Man — as revealed by his website (www.karldenson.com). His band, the Tiny Universe, also possesses secret, superpowered identities that…
They’re saying it’s the hottest summer on record, which is maybe why the raucous rock quotient has taken a slight downturn recently. On a normal Saturday night, the Red Lion would probably feature some thrashtastic local ragers with those amps that go to 11. But in the midst of a…
Dare I ask: Is Tori Amos still a relevant force in the music industry? Reply from ardent fans ranging in age 13 to 52: Yes, she is. And why? It must be the subtle values and soothing spirituality of her lyrics and arrangements. And while the times have slipped on…
Word has it that Anton Newcombe — the only constant in the always wobbly world that is the Brian Jonestown Massacre — is quite unpleased with his portrayal in the recent rockumentary Dig! Odd, since the film makes him out to be an unquestionably talented madcap savant who’s a helluva…
A couple of years ago, hip-hop was going through its poodle metal phase. Lots of flashy clothes, Cristal pouring over half-naked girls dancing on parked sports cars. Yeah, it’s entertaining, but MTV’s rapsloitation has nothing to do with the four elements of hip-hop. So we look back to the heroes…
From Tom Waits to George Gershwin to Chopin, the influences on Jesse Jackson, a renegade musician bending the norms of the dance-obsessed Miami scene, produce a passionate iteration of contemporary soul-folk. You can often spot the blond, affable Jackson performing outside Back Door Bambie, an incongruous figure with his portable…
What do Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, T-Bone Walker, and Johnny Ramone have in common? They’re just a few of the influences of Rick Rossano, lead guitarist for West Palm Beach’s the Dillengers. Unlike the genre-bending musical wannabes found in the swampy pit of the Sunshine State, this semihidden gem of…
When metal became a serious musical force in the early ’90s, the proud state of Florida rose to the occasion with unmatched ferocity. Bands like Brutal Mastication, Raped Ape, Cynic, Assück, and Malevolent Creation set the bar so high that national bands scrambled to record at Morrisound Studios in Tampa…
