Arising from the cracks of the New York City postpunk scene in the early 1980s, Swans’ music is a genre unto itself. An otherworldly sonic disturbance, their sound is aggression turned musical. Not obnoxious noise but fearsome magnificence. The band’s clever turns take you from cacophony to gorgeous compositions. Luscious…
Volumes have been written about the life of John Lennon, his impact on music, his influence on society, and most significantly, his role within the Beatles. ‘Nuff said. But this year, as we celebrate what would have been Lennon’s 72nd birthday on October 9th, it’s worth recalling that Lennon had…
When Shelly Duell moved to Florida from Woodstock, New York, she didn’t spend much time cycling. But with a little help from friends, she says, “I started riding more around the city for fun.” It was then that she found out about bike polo and Critical Mass and got SoFla…
There’s an old saw in south Florida that says “everybody goes south.” It harkens back to a time when BroCo was still seen as backwater suburbs and the retirement communities of Palm Beach were solely a winter playground for old snowbirds. Culture, at that time, dropped like a stone in…
What is an artists den? Is it a place where painters in the ’70s gathered to watch the Brady Bunch? Is it a dusty cellar somewhere where musicians play under the watchful eye of an cruel conductor? Nope, not even a little. It’s part of the title of the public…
Jon Secada, or Juan Francisco Secada Martinez, is one famous South Florida homeboy. Born in Cuba on October 4, 1962, the singer/songwriter emigrated to the U.S. at age 9, growing up in — where else? — Hialeah. Secada made it through days at Miami Dade (Community) College before graduating from the University…
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Not sure if you all saw last week, but Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union rode out Miami’s Critical Mass. The popular ride is usually like a mile long (or so it seems), but the addition of these two fancypants cyclists proves that South Florida is 100 percent bike-tastic, and D-Wade…
Most Americans know Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex for their 1971 hit “(Bang a Gong) Get It On,” but in the U.K., the group was a national phenomenon. Some accountants claimed at the time that these glam gods’ records added up to some six percent of the country’s…
About a year ago, I reviewed Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball show at American Airlines Arena. She spoke endlessly and earnestly with the audience, offering them a slew of unwarranted but well-received bits of advice. Though not the aesthetic, the activity and energy reminded me of an Ani DiFranco concert circa…
I think it goes without saying that Serum is one of the best local hip-hop artists. Also one of the most prolific, he is rapidly winning in the “most likely to give it away for free” category.See also:- Download Serum’s New Hip-Hop EP Daydream of Nightmares for Free- Video: Serum…
A native of North Miami Beach, String Cheese Incident percussionist, and one-half of the blowup livetronica duo EOTO, Jason Hann is a lighthearted beat machine. He has an easy sense of humor and a love of life on the road. Along with his musical partner in crime, Michael Travis, the…
Kids waiting at the orthodontist play Galaga, guests at the Breakers run from digital ghosts, and Rick Ross is gaming at home, thanks to Robert Childs. The owner of Fort Lauderdale’s Arcade Game Sales, Childs holds the second-highest score in Tempest in the world, according to the website Twin Galaxies…
It’s tough to sing Bryan Ferry’s praises as a musician when one looks at the aesthetic choices he’s made as far as cover art is concerned. Not only has this man dated some of the most beautiful women of their respective generations; he has married them, had affairs with them,…
Chan Marshall, AKA Cat Power, was hospitalized this weekend at Miami Beach’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. No one knows exactly why the 40-year-old singer and model spent some time in a nurse’s care, but it doesn’t seem like it was too crazy a reason, since she’s already been released. And…
He may be turning 44 today, September 25, but Will Smith still looks like the wholesome, all-American kid who parlayed a successful career as the Fresh Prince into his status as one of the most successful actors of his generation. So it’s no big deal nowadays to find rappers making…
The path of Deadmau5, AKA 31-year-old electronic music producer Joel Thomas Zimmerman, has undoubtedly been a strange one.See also- Deadmau5 Uploads Photo Gallery Dedicated to Kat Von D on Facebook: Cute or Creepy?- Deadmau5 Drops New EP The Veldt on Ultra Music; Admits He Just Presses Play in BlogEver since…
Surely the most exciting thing a musician can brag about is fame and fortune and the throngs of groupies encountered through a muddled haze of drugs and alcohol. Right? Well, sure, why not, it’s part of the lore. But there are musicians who thrive in a quasi-obscurity that inspires a…
The late Ray Charles is an American superhero. Born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, you might say he’s the greatest musician ever to come out of this country (Elvis, Dylan, Aretha, Leonard Bernstein, and Hank Williams notwithstanding). Charles not only explored a diverse musical palette.Charles pushed the parameters…
He’s the patron saint of New Jersey, the everyman, a populist rocker whose adoring legions have made him millions even while he retains his status as a man of the people. We’re talking about Bruce Springsteen, of course, a musician whose impact and popularity extend well beyond his albums and…
Rarely has the news of an ostensibly popular, best-selling musical act drawn such jubilation. But then again, rarely has an ostensibly popular, best-selling musical act reached its heights so bafflingly as LMFAO. While the group’s shrill, high-BPM novelty dance songs are everywhere, it’s hard to find someone over the age…
At the relatively ripe old age of age 78, Leonard Cohen still retains a powerful grip on the folk-rock firmament. This isn’t due only to his venerable age and indomitable presence but to the robust narratives and surreal imagery that inhabit his songs. Born in Montreal on September 21, 1934, Cohen belongs…
