New Times' Guide to Langerado

The fifth edition of the Langerado Music Festival arrives with a ton of hype, a couple of megastars on the bill, and lots of bands flying in from across North America to participate. It's arguably the biggest party in Broward County all year, and for those of us who take pride in the reputation of the local music scene, this weekend is as sweet as it gets. Langerado was so well-received last year that a day has been added, making it a three-day extravaganza of every popular musical style. Lovers of jam bands should be happy (some grumbled last year), but fans of indie rock, blues, jazz, Latin, and world music won't be left out. There's something for everyone, and trying to fit all of it into your schedule is overwhelming. Of course, New Times is here to help bewildered music fans navigate their way toward a stress-free weekend. So stretch out, clear your calendars, and walk with us on a tour of all things Langerado.

Girl Talk

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh may not be known as a hotbed of hip, but native Gregg Gillis, a DJ turned artist in his own right, serves up white-hot mashups that perfectly reflect the current genre-bending preferences of downtown types. As with similar DJs/remix artists like Flosstradamus or the Rub, a Girl Talk set traverses hip-hop, crunk, hyphy, Baltimore club, electro, and new-wavy rock, sometimes on one track. Gillis remixes and cuts with fierce concentration, creating rapid-fire, stuttering versions of dance jams — just before stage-diving shirtless into the sweaty crowd.

Tags for the Interweb kids: DJ, Drunken, Electronic

My Morning Jacket

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

Kentucky-based country-rockers My Morning Jacket is one of those rare groups that sounds just above average in the studio yet somehow transforms into an unrivaled stage band on the road. Marrying human dynamo Jim James' vocals and ever-beautiful lyrics to pristinely orchestrated compositions, their performances have more in common with the balls-out jams of the '70s than the torpid, shoe-gazing indie rock of the past 15 years. In other words, MMJ will help you understand why your parents like to say concerts were so much better when they were kids.

Tags: Rockin', Loud, Country

New Pornographers

Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia

The music of the New Pornographers will make you smile and feel like the rest of your life isn't so bad. That's the power of this supergroup, made up of names only diehard music fans will recognize. If anything, they're masters of crafting perfect pop songs built around high-energy hooks, sugary harmonies, and unexpected lyrics. Now, if only they could get every member of the crew — particularly Neko Case — to consistently show up for gigs, they'd be fine. Their onstage lineup is as erratic as they come.

Tags: Drunken, Rockin', Heartthrob

Taj Mahal

Hometown: Springfield, Massachusetts

This isn't the type of blues music that follows traditional standards. Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music — variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations — for more than 40 years. He's possibly the most well-traveled blues musician in history, and audiences can expect Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds mixed with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country-blues foundation. Taj doesn't just dabble in these genres; he knows them deep in his soul.

Tags: Living Legend, Funk/Soul, Blues, Mellow

Matisyahu

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Considering how socially conscious and spiritual that reggae and hip-hop are today (wink), it's hard to understand why Hasidic Jews chose to stay out of the game for so long. Thankfully, yarmulke-capped Matisyahu stepped forward to be the Children of Israel's emissary to rastas everywhere. OK, it's pretty unlikely that Rastafarians are listening. At all. Still, the rest of the world is, and once you get past the initial snickering and realize he's serious, it's hard not to find something glorious in Matisyahu's mix of faith, reggae, and rap.

Tags: Stoner Friendly

New Orleans Social Club

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

You don't have to be a fan of the Big Easy's musical lineage to appreciate this supergroup that formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. You've got two founding members of the Meters: Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and George Porter Jr. (bass), plus Ivan Neville (organ), Henry Butler (piano), and Raymond Weber (drums) making a powerful statement when it comes to blues, jazz, and gritty New Orleans funk. They were all standouts before the hurricane, and now that they've united on stage, audiences can expect a mini Mardi Gras to break out in the crowd.

Tags: Rockin', Funk/Soul, Living Legends

Cat Power

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

They say felines have nine lives. We're not keeping count, but Chan Marshall, the chanteuse who goes by Cat Power, has definitely had a rebirth of sorts. Forget all those old stories about a lone girl with a guitar, breaking down from nervousness in front of huge audiences. She seems happier now after a move to Miami last year and the acquisition of her new backing musicians, the Dirty Delta Blues Band. Cat Power's new live sound is amped up, with a blues-rock vibration. Also, this kitty may be cute, but onstage, she's got claws.