Beyond the unending, dentist-office-like whir of hundreds of tattoo needles buzzing on and off, the Miami Tattoo Expo will feature another soundtrack – an impressive lineup of local and national musical acts. While other South Florida tattoo conventions have relied mostly on rockabilly cover bands and the like, the Miami expo has garnered a reputation for full-on shows on its various stages.
Details
The Miami Tattoo Expo 2009, Friday, January 9, 3 to 11 p.m.; bands start at 7 p.m. Saturday, January 10, noon to 11 p.m.; bands start at 4:30 p.m.Sunday, January 11, noon to 6 p.m.; bands start at 3:20 p.m. At the Miami Beach Convention Center,1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. $20 a day, $50 for a weekend pass. Call 617-418-7385, or visit
miamitattooexpo.com.
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Here's a rundown of the schedule:
Friday, January 9: Jay Vega, Piccalo, Charlie Hustle, Unda Surveillance, DJ Laz, and Brisco
Friday's entertainment is clearly dominated by sponsor Power 96's aesthetic, kicking off in the afternoon with reggaetonero/rapper Jay Vega. Meanwhile, the king of Power 96, DJ Laz, has a new album to push and doubtless will rely mostly on cuts from that. Hopefully, though, he'll bust out some of his old-school bass jams, which always go down well with any crowd. The highlight of today, though, is Opa-locka rapper Brisco. Considering his association with the Poe Boy camp and heavy airplay of his latest single, "Just Know Dat," featuring Lil Wayne, this may be one of the last times he performs such an intimate show before he goes the way of longtime pal Flo Rida.
Saturday, January 10: La Vieja Guardia, the New Threat, Thick as Blood, Evergreen Terrace, and Madball
If Friday belongs to Power 96, Saturday truly belongs to Eulogy Recordings. The local talent featured here includes the searing, Spanish-language, old-school hardcore kick of La Vieja Guardia as well as the brutal breakdown-soaked quintet Thick as Blood. From a little farther up north comes the New Threat, an Orlando trio that keeps alive the flame of breakneck 1980s American skate punk à la Minor Threat and the Descendents. And finally, avid mosh bros will want to do some extra pre-pit stretches for the evening's headliners: Jacksonville's crushing metalcore fivesome Evergreen Terrace and legendary New York old-schoolers Madball.
Sunday, January 11: the Shoreline, Macallee King, J.T. Money, and Jim Jones
The final and shortest day of the expo offers the most random and least exciting musical lineup of the three days. The early afternoon features the neon-bedecked, studio-polished pop-punk stylings of the Shoreline, an Orlando-based quartet heavy on Warped Tour-ready, radio-friendly hooks. Strangely, they're followed a couple of hours later by the likes of JT Money, the Miami rapper you might remember from his major hit more than a decade ago, "Who Dat." More interesting is the appearance of Jim Jones, one-sixth of the beloved Dipset.
