Del Venicci Promises “High Drama” at Radio-Active Records Show

In this age of universal social networking, it is difficult to find mystery. When you discover a new artist, writer, cook, or fire marshal, you can instantly uncover every facet of their lives. The Atlanta band Del Venicci flies in the opposite direction. Only two of their songs, “Speaking to…

Jeff Dunham Will “Cut Loose” with Dummies at the BB&T Center

There are as many answers as there are comics for the question of whom America’s best stand-up comedian is. But if you’re asking who the most popular comedian is, Pollstar magazine will tell you the only correct answer is Jeff Dunham. Dunham is a ventriloquist who crafts and designs his…

Five Reasons to Get Psyched About Coachella 2014

With the lineup announced for this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival held in Indio, CA, one is torn between financial prudence and musical reward. The general admission for the three day festival starts at $375 (before service charges). Many are seeing money as no object, since the first…

In Defense of the Banjo

Probably because of the movie Deliverance (or maybe old Bugs Bunny cartoons), the banjo is still seen today as the instrument of the slack jawed yokel. A stringed tool that can be mastered by anyone no matter how closely related their parents might be, nor how many jars of moonshine…

Les Claypool on His Duo de Twang, Metallica, and Dean Ween

Twenty years ago, one of the most common arguments between bong hits was who was the better bassist: Primus’ Les Claypool or the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea. Like many other such debates (such as whether peanut butter tastes better scooped directly out of the jar), this age-old question was…

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” Expanded Lyrics

When Billy Joel plays the BB&T Center on January 7 and 11, odds are pretty good according to his recent set lists that his first encore will start with “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” The 1989 novelty song that will not get out of your head, as it lists historical…

Music South Florida Can Look Forward to In 2014

With the holidays over, a lot of people fall into a deep funk thinking there’s nothing on the horizon. Not so. Our music calendar is brimming with excitement as we enter the middle section of our fair decade. So keep your chin up as we enter 2014 for the following…

Musical Wish List for 2014

With 2013 almost in the books, we can sit back and recollect on what a great year it was musically, or we can be greedy and count next year’s chickens before they hatch. We’re choosing the latter. Sure, 2013 had its sweet moments. There were crossover hits that (almost) everyone…

ZZ Top – Hard Rock Live, Hollywood – December 28

Stick around long enough, and you become what you pretended to be. When ZZ Top formed in 1970, they were a trio of twenty-year-olds trying to capture the blues of their home state of Texas. Thousands of whiskey bottle-emptying, smoky nights later and they’ve filled the role they cast themselves…

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Should Change Its Name

With another lackluster class announced to enter its not-so-hollowed shrine, it is now fully apparent that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should either change its name or have a class-action lawsuit filed against it for false advertising. On Tuesday, it was announced that Nirvana, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Hall…

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Recasted with Pop Stars

At the 2002 Academy Awards, Paul McCartney told the Hobbit director Peter Jackson that the Beatles once wanted to make their own version of The Lord of the Rings. Paul would have portrayed the hobbit Frodo, Ringo would have been his faithful companion Sam, George would have played the wise…

Ten Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2013

There’s the age-old argument: which is better: the oldies of yesteryear or the untz of today? When you stop to think about it, music is always getting better. Not only do we have access to all the classic songs that influence current music but also to the newbies fighting to…

Paula Poundstone Prefers a Republican President for the Sake of Comedy

When you can be divisive enough to make both Comedy Central’s list of 100 greatest stand-ups of all time and simultaneously make Maxim magazine’s worst comedians list, you must be doing something right. Paula Poundstone has had a successful stand-up career for over three decades now, which has included four…

Jimmy Eat World Head to Culture Room

Funny how Jimmy Eat World’s most famous song is called “The Middle,” given it was released in 2001, landing almost exactly smack dab in the middle of the Mesa, Arizona band’s 20 year career. At first listen, with its impossibly cheery lyrics, “The Middle” seemed like the work of either…