The Mars Volta April 2, 2008 The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theatre Better Than: Being cooked in a cauldron of chaos. If it is true, as some rabid fan boys might believe, that you haven’t lived till you’ve been nearly kicked in the kisser by Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s…
A couple of months ago, we reported that Ali Campbell, long-time lead singer of British reggae band UB40 was leaving the group. They’d been together for nearly 30 years as a band and losing their lead singer was a major blow for UB40. One that could have sent them all…
I usually never delve into the world of designer toys — oops, limited-edition figures with varying “colorways,” or whatever. But this time around someone’s obviously done their Googling and realized I’m a fan of Motörhead, and sent me a press release for this little gem. It’s definitely gone on my…
It’s turning into a week full of klezmer at the New Times office. The folks at Rough Guide sent over their latest disc, The Rough Guide to Klezmer Revival, for review, with 18 tracks of fresh new klezmer music compiled in one kick-ass disc. It’s hard to imagine anything being…
Judging from Wong Kar Wai films such as 2046, In the Mood for Love, Happy Together, and Chungking Express, the acclaimed Chinese director does not take the relationship between music and cinema lightly. In fact, Wai provides moviegoers (and filmmakers alike) with the ultimate example of how to use music…
Like most tales of triumph and tragedy, the life, career, and untimely passing of reggae pioneer Mikey Dread at age 53 will live on long beyond his time on earth. There aren’t many artists in the history of the genre who were able to gain acceptance for reggae the way…
As rock ‘n’ roll reunions go, the New York Dolls’ get-together is as unlikely as they come. For one thing, two members of the original quintet’s early-’70s lineup (guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan) were long dead before the outfit’s 2004 reformation, and a third, bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane,…
The club life isn’t all sex and glam. It’s also expensive drinks, sleazy swinger dudes, uncomfortable clothes, self-doubt, and unpredictable music. Of course, I love the super-sexed, Mai Tai-sipping meat-market mating dance of youth bar-hopping. But sometimes I just want to listen to music from before my time, sip beer,…
On a recent Tuesday evening, local talk radio couldn’t seem to talk about anything except the American Idol viewing parties going on around South Florida. Folks had gathered to root for local contestants Syesha Mercado, an FIU student, and Ramiele Mulubay, from Miramar, as they battled for America’s amateur crown…
If you’ve never heard of Miami-based music group the Baboons, they’re clever enough to capture your attention before you ever listen to their music. For a group of white folks that bills itself as an Afro-Cuban funk ‘n’ roll band, naming themselves the Baboons was a questionable call. You can’t…
Personally, I just can’t stand doing the same thing all the time,” says Soulive drummer Alan Evans. “And all of us feel the same way. I think a lot of musicians, no matter what you’re doing, you always feel the need to reinvent yourself.” Subsequently, to keep from stagnating, Evans…
The Snoopster uses his ultra-cool stoner persona to make up for a multitude of sins — and Ego Trippin’ will only enhance his increasingly cuddly image. Thanks to his charming obliviousness, he generally gets away with lyrics and arrangements that range from timeworn to ridiculous. Despite his current reality-show stardom,…
For a guy with a PhD in Math, Dan Snaith sure knows how to find the human warmth inside a machine. Over the course of four albums — his latest, Andorra, was released last August — Snaith (AKA Caribou, formerly known as Manitoba) has coaxed some elegant and ethereal dreampop…
So tonight, everything is as it should be. Vince Neil, the name that could be responsible for breathing permanent life into West Palm Beach’s nightlife, is here to do exactly that. Sure, the bar that he co-owns, Dr. Feelgood’s, is successful thus far and already has a consistent turnout most…
In Defense of the Genre, Say Anything’s 27-song, two-disc quasi-concept album — which is twice as long and nowhere near as good as its predecessor, 2004’s Is a Real Boy — is about Max Bemis’ struggles with drug abuse and his very public bipolarity. (He was busted in NYC last…
Dengue Fever call themselves a “Cambodian pop band,” but as astute observers have likely noticed, the only obviously Asian member of the L.A.-based band is singer Chhom Nimol. The tunes the group creates, however, are well within the pop music tradition that aficionados of underground international music have become accustomed…
Ode to the Ghetto is Guilty Simpson’s debut LP, but independent hip-hop fans will be familiar with the cocksure delivery of this Detroit-bred affiliate from the work he did with the late J Dilla. Check “Clap Your Hands” from the Chrome Children comp for an airtight testimony of a guest…
As one of the most punishing live acts ever to emerge from the heavy music landscape, Jucifer presents a real physical challenge to its audience. Frontwoman Amber Valentine uses a wall of amplifiers for a sound so huge, dense, and loud that you’re basically guaranteed to damage your hearing if…
Listening to the music of local singer Jacob Jeffries has a way of putting life in perspective. Whether you’re catching him live or listening to his newest EP, Life as an Extra, his songs about love, relationships gone bad, and braving the rigmarole aspects of daily existence are potent enough…
Here’s a track a friend suggested I look up, thanks to our shared love of any song using the phrase “booty music” (as opposed to the more journalistically politically correct “Miami bass”). Please start your day with this refreshing jam, “Booty Music” by Deep Side, a multiethnic, locally based quartet…
So 2 Pac’s name has been in the news a lot lately. The L.A. Times goofed up a story regarding his assault at the Quad Studios in 1994 and even had to issue a retraction. And Puffy or P. Diddy, or whatever the hell he calls himself is doing everything…
With the First Annual Freestyle Awards just wrapping up in Miami last week, it seems right to give freestyle artists some love here at CrossFade. I personally watched Lil Suzy, Debbie Deb, Freestyle Evolution and other’s rip things up at the award show last Wednesday night. A lot of these…
