Catalonia falls into that deliciously saccharine category of local acts that includes, among others, Secret P.E. Club, Humbert, and Map of the Universe. Its base is solidly built on the sonic foundation of American garage, Britpop, psych-pop, and jazzy bossa nova. Operating as a foursome on this recording (currently a…
Members of local band the Eat had one simple thing going for them (aside from chops and dexterity at their game): They didn’t give a good goddamn about anything. The fact that record contracts and riches eluded guitar-wielding brothers Eddie and Michael O’Brien, drummer Chris Cottie, and the two tenured…
Local stalwarts the Livid Kittens have been making some kind of rock-oriented racket for a long time now. Combining elements of hard rock, punk, goth, glam, and surf — and filtering it through the rabid vocals of lead kitten Paige Harvey — the unit’s sitting on its latest slab (and…
For two years now, South Florida’s indie, alternative, and experimental scene has known about a Wednesday night party that’s every bit as bumpin’ as Friday night fare — even if it’s Off the Radar. Conceptualized as a mid-week recharger by DJs R. Milian and Danny Ashe, Off the Radar delivers…
The King of the dirty rhyme, that slick crooner of the parody, is back. Following the funk hits of Fahrenheit 69 comes Blowfly’s Punk Rock Party. It’s a win-win situation. Nothing spells fun like punk-rock standards being run through the filter of Blowfly’s twisted sexual humor. Take the Ramones’ “I…
Beenie Man has been a hurricane force in Jamaican music since the tender age of 7, when he unleashed his first single unto the Rasta masses. Since then, he’s gone on to become a profitable and controversial figure — the self-proclaimed “Undisputed King of the Dancehall.” Well, maybe there is…
Ah… the sugary bliss of Little Anthony and the Imperials’ six decades-long career. From the fame-making super-smash-hit “Tears on My Pillow” to the woman-done-me-wrong angst of “Hurt So Bad” to the ass-shaking “Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop,” Little Anthony and the Imperials have certainly cemented their role in American music. With…
Outbreak 2006 promises to be a two-day spread bridging styles and egos between South Beach and downtown Fort Lauderdale without the requisite infected monkey. No. Instead of panic, the atmosphere will be controlled by rawness: b-boy and b-girl battling, cyphering, DJs, and live-action graffiti by Young N Careless. The Revolution…
The Smashup plays the type of post-hardcore that all the kids seem to be eating up nowadays. And that’s fine. The Brooklyn-based band makes a nice racket, and it has the decency to back it up with lyrics about real issues (addiction, abortion, etc) instead of sappy love songs. Before…
It must’ve been at some point in the early ’90s that Dirk and I were driving around looking for action, somewhere between Liberty City and Little River. Well, we got action, all right — we got 2 Live Crew, live and uncut. Whether it was our awkward teenaged demeanor or…
DJ Rap’s moniker may be a little misleading in its simplicity. Created out of an early fixation with breakbeats and hip-hop, it served better as a bypass key into the cock-and-balls attitude of the club world. You see, DJ Rap (AKA Charissa Saverio) was born in Singapore and spent an…
One of the finer punk-rock traditions, and certainly one that’s easy on the pockets, is the split album format. More than saving a little cash for the labels involved, it brings together similar bands from different parts of the world onto one slab. Such is the case with locals the…
Culled from a few historically significant West Coast punk bands (Agent Orange, Social Distortion, and the Detours) came one of the most influential outfits in American punkdom: the Adolescents. Buzz-sawing their way since 1981’s self-titled debut, the Ads are a textbook example of chemistry, growth, and influence, from the guitar…
At this point, it’s no secret that the Kottonmouth Kings indulge in all things cannabis. Bona fide stoners who, unlike many of their fellow tokers, have managed to stay busy and creatively peaked. With a handful of albums under its belt collectively (and a few solo ventures), the six-man bong…
Time and space are inconsequential, and the proof is in the cobra — Black Cobra. Despite living on opposite ends of the country, South Florida expatriates Jason Landrian (guitars/vocals, now a New Yorker) and Rafael Martinez (drums, now a Californian) are as tight as they ever were. Since first joining…
The mid-’90s punk rock scene in South Florida had some good moments — legendary moments of alcoholic excess and guitar-driven debauchery. But like all good things, those moments slowly faded with venues disappearing and local players aging into their other responsibilities. At the time, the Basicks billed themselves as “Miami’s…
In an age of bands with awkwardly long monikers, finally, here’s a band whose name captures its sound and attitude — the Dead Hookers’ Bridge Club. For all its glitz and schmaltz, South Florida’s dirty underbelly is just plain old dirty, but hell, there are pearls in the swine. And…
Since its inception in 1993, Tooth & Nail Records has gained a reputation of support and dependability for its bands. The label’s a proud indie tradition that often has run afoul of confused meatheads who’ve pegged the label as some quasi-Christian outfit. Seriously, though, who really gives a damn? Its…
Matt Pike has known label bullshit and what buckling to it means to a musician. It’s no secret that when his former band, Sleep, a stoner-metal doom-machine trio, recorded its magnum opus, Jerusalem, for London Records and promptly got dismissed as being too weird, Pike was pissed. That Jerusalem would…
Lee Roy Parnell performs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, and Thursday, April 6, at the Bamboo Room, 25 S. “J” St., Lake Worth. Tickets cost $39. Call 561-585-2583.
You don’t really notice it until it’s pointed out, but Hialeah’s treeless streets do make for a rather bleak environment. The famed “City of Progress” has recently become a cradle of rock ‘n’ roll for South Florida amid the bump ‘n’ grind of hip-hop and reggaeton. Bands like Humbert and…
The flack that religiously oriented music gets from secular camps generally lies within acceptance and “mass appeal” parameters. So it’s strikingly refreshing when a rambunctious teenager discovers the meaning of his parents’ G-d in the wilderness and sets out to mix that with his past rebellions. Matisyahu’s reggae might not…
