Downtown Fort Lauderdale rock outpost Revolution and nearby watering hole Poorhouse have teamed with New Times Broward-Palm Beach for a night of music unlike any other in the county -- the SW 3rd Ave Music Festival on Friday, May 6. Talk about an event that'll be easy to locate.
Downtown Fort Lauderdale will be a throbbing mass of musicians and fans on SW 3rd Avenue between Broward Boulevard and Himmarshee Street due to five stages of local music, including an entirely FREE New Times-curated evening inside the recently launched Green Room. Check out details on our lineup below.
John Ralston
The Lake Worth singer/songwriter has created his most ambitious work yet in Shadows of the Summertime, his third full-length solo album. Balancing the raw electric guitar work of David Vandervelde with urgent vocals of his own, this collection of alt-country, rock, and folk is ready for its season in the sun.
The Dewars
Twin brothers Anthony and Zachary Dewar have played with a variety of backing bands, but what has remained constant for the Wellington twosome is their unflinching psychedelic compositions. Much of their material has never been formally released, but Songs From the Neverglades is a peek at Florida's twisted, cackling underbelly.
Young Circles
Under any name, the trio of Jordy Asher, David Barnard, and Jeff Rose is a formidable one among the local rock ranks. Lately, they've settled on a percussion-fueled experimental sound that drips of '60s psychedelia and more current electronic wizardry. One of the fiercest live acts around, and now with more drums than ever before.
Plains
Few Miami quartets boast such a dense combination of punks, label honchos, synth maestros, and delicious hooks, but we managed to pull these guys away from their various projects to light a fire under the audience's behinds. Plains' trusted power-pop breeds mental toughness and hip-swaying, among other things.
The New
This Miami troupe is pure pop-punk fire not to be trifled with, cofronted by guitarist Lori Garrote and bassist Natalie Smallish. The group's self-titled debut boasts all of the swagger of the Runaways and venomous songcraft à la Veruca Salt to boot.
Lavola
Each performance by this West Palm Beach trio is a sweaty display of rock majesty. Unpretentious but lofty all the same, each song brings out a wealth of emotion at the same time that it sucks the tech nerds closer to guitarist Julian Cires' impressive board of effects pedals.
The 3rd Ave Music Festival is a one-day blowout of local music covering five stages in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Friday, May 6. With local rock successes Nonpoint leading the way with a headlining slot at Revolution -- the only stage with a cover charge -- the night includes stages inside America's Backyard, the Poorhouse, the Green Room (curated by New Times), and an outdoor stage featuring stunt BMX riders on a 75-foot halfpipe next to it. Set times and complete lineup are right here.
SW 3rd Ave Music Festival's New Times Stage. With John Ralston, the Dewars, Plains, the New, Lavola, and more. 5 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the Green Room, 109 SW Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale. No Cover. Click here.
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