For years now, unsubstantiated reports indicate that cultural life exists in Boca Raton. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, in the form of a wide variety of tacky Florida kitsch, rumors of robust contributions to the arts continue to surface. And legend has it that, once a year, the truth…
The weather has been turning a bit cooler, the clocks have been turned back a bit earlier, and were there anything but evergreen trees in South Florida, the leaves would be turning as well. Yes, autumn is now truly upon us, which means another kind of season has arrived. Perhaps…
Back in the 1980s, only a fool would have pinned Ike Turner as the half of the Ike and Tina duo who would enjoy lasting fame. Even these days it’s a hard concept to swallow. But while Tina has retired after a stellar career as a rock and soul vocalist,…
If anyone had his fate set in stone before he was born, it was Hank Williams III. No one else has been born so obviously into country royalty. His father, Hank Williams Jr., was one of the big names of the country outlaw set in the 1980s. And his grandfather,…
“Someone called it urban gut bucket. I like that. Others call it dirty jazz or avant-sleaze. It gets sleazy sometimes. We get low-down and funky.” That’s Steven Bernstein, guiding light of Sex Mob, on his band’s sound. Along with forming the band to gig at New York City’s Knitting Factory…
Despite a massive oeuvre that includes scholarly, theological, poetic, and fictional works, Jack Lewis will always be remembered for writing kids’ books. If you haven’t heard of Jack, that’s because you didn’t know the man personally. In the literary world, he went by the initials of his given name, Clive…
Seems like every month is dedicated to something or even several somethings. October, for example, is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month; it’s also Hispanic Heritage Month. In Broward County that means it’s time for the annual Hispanic celebration, ¡Viva Broward!, now in its 12th year. The festival dedicated to…
Maynard James Keenan has returned with the band that made him big. Following the success of his side project, A Perfect Circle, Keenan and Tool are back in action, touring in support of this year’s angst-ridden release, Lateralus. Of course Tool’s releasing a record filled with dark, brooding themes is…
If you’ve ever felt like a real salty sea dog yourself for accelerating your boat (or that of your gullible friend who was fool enough to give you the controls) to over 30 knots, then get out of the water before you get knocked over, ’cause you ain’t worth the…
Little Feat has spent the last 13 years trying to escape from the shadow of Lowell George. George, along with bassist Roy Estrada, drummer Richard Hayward, and keyboardist Bill Payne, formed the group in 1969 in Los Angeles. From 1971 to 1973, the band released Little Feat, Sailin’ Shoes, and…
You’d think this sort of event would be illegal. Aren’t there laws against bestiality? And if so, don’t they cover smoochin’ a swine? One would like to think so. However, this shindig raises money for charity, so perhaps those pigs of a different nature will turn a blind eye. The…
OK, we all know UFOs have been visiting Earth pretty much since people have existed. What? You mean you didn’t know that? Get with the program, chump, and quit playing patsy to the government. According to Michael El-Legion, international director of the Extra-Terrestrial Communications Network, not only are we often…
Though Modern English just released a greatest-hits collection, the group seems pretty subdued. When a band comes out with one album in 11 years, then follows it with a compilation record, it’s pretty safe to say the anthology is the group’s swan song. A last-ditch tour should follow in an…
Few bands are fully collaborative. Most have some charismatic leader who, whether intentionally or not, tends to take the hog’s share of the limelight and the credit. More often than not, this person is the lead singer or guitarist. But when the ego gets too big and he or she…
America’s only pop-culture image of autism is that of Dustin Hoffman counting cards in Rain Man; real autism is both far more common and much different than the Hollywood version. Casi’s Quest, the Florida chapter of the Autism Autoimmunity Project, brings two internationally known researchers to the Marriott Marina in…
The American Indian Movement, an organization of Native Americans, began more than 30 years ago in Minnesota and quickly became a militant thorn in the side of the United States government. The group took over Alcatraz in 1969 and a dam and an abandoned naval air station in 1970, marched…
It’s turtle season here in South Florida, but not in the same sense as, say, duck season or wabbit season. This is the time of year when baby turtles bust out of their shells and flipper their way to the sea. Alas, the vast majority of the babies don’t even…
Being so close to the Caribbean Sea has made Florida unlike any other state in the Union in almost every facet of life, from the music to the language to the food. The fact that someone in Broward and Palm Beach counties hasn’t held a big festival dedicated to everything…
To think, it’s been more than 30 years since the Summer of Love. Where has the time gone? All that can be done now is mourn that lost era with the old fogies at Orbit tonight. The Spirit of ’67 features a few original members of three bands that long…
Mary Chapin Carpenter has made a career of thumbing her nose at Nashville, despite her success in the country-music charts. Instead of taking the typical Tennessean route to the top, she graduated from college, headed off to the folkie scene of Washington, D.C., played in small joints for a few…
The history of Haiti is one of mercurial changes and staggering violence. It was the richest colony in the New World in the 18th Century, built upon the backs of slaves who were flogged and even buried alive for minor offenses. It was ruled by one tyrant after another throughout…
“We call it hillbilly disco,” says Recipe percussionist Tom Whelan in an effort to describe his group’s distinctive brand of Appalachian funk. This weird fusion of sounds started off, as all good mountain music should, in West Virginia. Party People in a Can was the original band name for three…
