First, a couple of facts: (1) Cyndi Lauper was 30 years old when her solo album made its way onto turntables across the land, and (2) contrary to popular belief, Lauper can sing — you know you love “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” A far…
Drummer Rafael Martinez and guitarist Jason Landrian have been pals for a long time under the South Florida sun. Landrian´s early exploits occurred in the early ´90s with a quasi-riot grrl band named Dorothea Dix while Martinez spent most of that time fine-tuning his skills on a multitude of instruments…
The misunderstood phenomenon of XBXRX is best explained after a large glass of tequila and a handful of barbiturates. Imagine the creative noise manipulations of mid-90s anarchic noize-master Flammable Child thawed by the artistic impulses of Melt Banana and finally garnished with the technological misuses of the Residents. XBXRX has…
Flying under the hippie-esque banner of “Yeehaw! Love Everyone!,” “Big” Kenny Alphin and John Rich — the singer/songerwriter/production duo that goes by the all-American moniker Big & Rich — has blazed a trail into uncharted country music territory. Hanging with a gaggle of hard-partying yokels known as the Muzik Mafia,…
Two of the most outstanding — and outstandingly named — punk-rock outfits to emerge from the late-’80s/early-’90s South Florida scene were Chickenhead and the Funyons. Chickenhead released a solid seven-inch on Emil Busse’s Fourandahalf Records and a great song about assassinating Fidel Castro (“Young Fidel”) on the Lookout!/Kill Rock Stars…
You can’t really soften up the image of a train, but you can power a train on 4/4 and 6/8 rhythms and keep it rolling on tingly mandolins, chilly violins, and the rollicking ramblings of dobro, guitar, and banjo. A big powerhouse train with an enormous heart: that’s Railroad Earth…
Sad news: Vidavox’s three-year run through Miami’s indie-rock scene has come to a stop. Keys and bass man Carlos Vega has moved to the tundra of Michigan to pursue a Ph.D in (gasp!) mathematics, leaving drummer Jim Miller and guitarists Chris Salazar and Arnaldo Gonzalez with an 11-track album to…
For too long now, the “mall” punk aesthetic has reigned over a genre whose very definition rebels against the corporate America that has commercialized it and packaged it for the masses. Not that there aren’t some gems that occasionally appear, but punk rock is supposed to be the anthem of…
In their two years of growth and exploration, Miami alt-rockers Modernage have set out to thrive amid the city’s notorious schmaltz and glitz. With an influence list including Joy Division, Fugazi, and Gang of Four, Modernage strives to be more than just another entry into the post-punk annals, churning out…
For the most part, dance music seldom holds its own outside the club, but there are exceptions. Recent danceable rockers like the darling Franz Ferdinand and future popsters the Epoxies have put out solid albums completely listenable without chemical or liquid aid. Add now to that playlist the Shiny Toy…
Is this what heavy metal has come to? Foul-mouthed exchanges between Iron Maiden’s aging sextet and washed-up doper Ozzy Osbourne’s hausfrau, Sharon, who spent the past couple of weeks publicly berating main Maiden Bruce Dickinson after allegedly pulling the plug on his band’s final Ozzfest gig? But just when you…
There are two kinds of people in this world: the kind that likes Dave Matthews Band and the kind that likes good music. I’m not saying dear ol’ Dave is a bad person, but he was a much better person before he began believing his own exaggerated press. So for…
It almost makes you wish it had always been this way: live music with 95-percent-nude babes dancing around! Thank you, Jesus, for Gumwrappers! Now, lack of a vestal virgin will not detract from the alternative-metal/dark-rock onslaught that Osiris Rising promises — and you can count on it, since the band…
Here’s one of those cases of a band making it purely on perseverance and positive attitude. 311 has come a long way from unsuccessful stabs at studio work in L.A., prodigal son-like returns to the Midwest, dog-food poverty in Van Nuys, and the great exploding RV incident of ’93. During…
Secret P.E. Club came to be shortly after a 2002 Street Miami collaborative article among Emma Trelles, Mindy Hertzon, and Andrea Vigil about Spy-Fi Records mogul Ed Artigas. The story goes that post-interview, Artigas was plagued with fantasies of an all-girl, power-pop, literary/artsy trio and approached the girls with intentions…
Jorge Gonzalez — better known by his nom de record, Jorges — says he experienced a life-altering moment with his first listen to the Replacement’s “Gimme Noise.” That personal fascination with rock ‘n’ roll mythology has led the Miami native to a long and varied career hunting for the definitive…
One of the best things about Florida’s isolated musicians is their sense of humor. Or rather, their take on where conventional humor diverges from good taste, as elaborated in their band names. Remember Dead German Tourist? Lethal Yellow? Gay Cowboys in Bondage? Add to the list Phantom Limb. These guitar-driven…
Alvin Youngblood Hart leads a deceptively simple life. In the Central Mississippi town the acclaimed guitarist calls home, Hart enjoys family, fishing, and horseback riding. But beyond his rather prosaic life, he makes beautiful music. Refusing to be pigeonholed into a blues-only niche, this dreadlocked, well-traveled cross between Howlin’ Wolf…
Kid Gavilán, the Sundance Kid, and now: Kid Kadian. Born out of defunct underground IDM consortium the Reverse Side in 2001, the 22-year-old Miamian blends computer savvy, a punk-rock upbringing, and his Jamaican heritage to generate a self-described “anti-pop” offshoot of techno. Like pugilist Gavilán’s bolo punch and his namesake’s…
Dare I ask: Is Tori Amos still a relevant force in the music industry? Reply from ardent fans ranging in age 13 to 52: Yes, she is. And why? It must be the subtle values and soothing spirituality of her lyrics and arrangements. And while the times have slipped on…
When metal became a serious musical force in the early ’90s, the proud state of Florida rose to the occasion with unmatched ferocity. Bands like Brutal Mastication, Raped Ape, Cynic, Assück, and Malevolent Creation set the bar so high that national bands scrambled to record at Morrisound Studios in Tampa…
After suffering the breakdown of their seminal hardcore band, Indecision, in early 2000, Justin Brannan and Rachel Rosen retreated to New York City and re-formed as Most Precious Blood. Following the relentless attitude of their do-it-yourself roots, MPB is a return-to-basics hardcore/metal outfit, stripped of the over-the-top metallic tendencies that…
