Nonpoint is one of those rare South Florida bands that doesn’t mind being a South Florida band. It’s been six years since Nonpoint joined the majors, but Broward County’s alt-metal stalwarts are still planted firmly in the peninsula. So it’s only appropriate (and just) that their cover of Phil Collins’…
San Jose’s Heavy Heavy Low Low plays a mixture of light, ambient synth-rock and space jazz. OK, so that’s obviously bullshit. The band’s called Heavy Heavy Low Low for a reason — there’s nothing New Age about it, just loads of sludgy, metallic riffage and agitated, screamo-style vocals. It’s all…
You think Courtney Love is a badass? Even at her most unlady-like TV moments, she’s like Miss Manners compared to the girls in Orlando’s Jeanie and the Tits — Jean Smegma, Mary Mammary, Yochi Yeast, and Kristin Klamydia. Then again, coming from the same scene that spawned many a rowdy…
On almost any given night at Alligator Alley (1321 E. Commercial Blvd., Oakland Park), you can find all manner of musicians kicking out the jams, whether it’s blues, funk, punk, or p-funk. On this Tuesday night, it was jazz. But after the band finished its first set, it was clear…
The first thing you’ll notice when you crack open this disc is the colorful, baroque photo of Fallz’s main players, Aya Gruber and Brett Fisher. OK, maybe it’s the leggy Gruber you’ll notice, but either way, the group’s visual appeal is just the icing on this electro-rock layer cake. It’s…
It was Labor Day morning, and I was labored out (Fats-speak for “I didn’t feel like lifting an arm”). Either way, I did little more than read my e-mail and MySpace account for any last-minute goings-on I might want to check out. After denying the tenth friend request from a…
From the opening horn-driven punch to guitarist/vocalist Brandon Tarricone’s closing yelp, Brotherhood of Groove’s exclamatory “Get Up” is an immediate, hook-laden shot of funk that could inspire even the most deadbeat crowd to get its dance on. And it’s a good slice of what the New Orleans-based Brotherhood is about…
South Florida has more local bands than ever before and more people going to see thesm. And you know what? It doesn’t mean shit, not when the scene’s a scattered mess. This has always been the biggest pain in the ass for the people who make things happen around here…
Talk about bad form. It was the last Wednesday of August. The Poor House is hosting the monthly Art of Moving Butts, an underground hip-hop night put on by Counterpoint Garments’ Paul “Gnu” Jennings. But this wasn’t an average night. Not only was local rhyme ruler Butta Verses headlining the…
Call it shoegaze, call it indie pop, call it ambient rock… whatever. The simple fact is that the lush sounds emanating from As Tall as Lions’ self-titled sophomore album are as calming as watching a Joy of Painting video (Bob Ross, RIP). What makes it work is the band’s ability…
A few months ago, I had my first conversation with Jared Cole, a local DJ, promoter, producer, singer/songwriter, and, um… stoner. Anyone who’s met Cole knows that this guy likes to toke. And toke. Cole’s promotions venture is called Toker Productions, and his “Top 24” friends on MySpace (www.myspace.com/jaredcolemusic) include…
There are some genres that should never have mixed. Take rap and metal. Please. How did that ever get so popular? Just think: If the equation had been slightly altered at its onset — say, with smooth, acoustic rhythms and soulful singing instead of half-assed metal riffs and tuneless barking…
The Devil made me do it. Or maybe it was the music. Whatever the case, that sure as hell wasn’t Fats Pompano running around Ozzfest with a “borrowed” all-access pass, going places he shouldn’t have gone and witnessing things he shouldn’t have seen. It was my body, maybe, but someone…
Hip-hop, you don’t stop… or so they say, right? Actually, that’s exactly the case this week. After two days of poppin’ at Revolution (with Wu-Tang Clan on Friday and the b-boy battle on Saturday), the FTL’s looking more like the ATL. And on Wednesday — well after Wu-Tang’s gone back…
There he sat center stage, his long, jagged beard hanging over his guitar, his sock-covered feet busy pedaling the kick drum and high hat. His cowboy boots were on the floor next to him, his railroad conductor’s hat still on his head. Audience members danced to his upbeat, bluesy twang…
If such an album existed, Pat Boone’s Punk Rock Party would be a G-rated collection of classic punk tunes reworked with family-friendly lyrics. Imagine the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” as “I Wanna Pet Your Dog (Not Your Date)” or the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go”…
Electric Frankenstein’s not the first band you’d expect to hear in a PS2 game, much less one that caters to mall punks. But sure enough, the New Jersey-based foursome has a track featured on Tony Hawk’s Underground. Then again, EF has popped up in stranger places, namely Garry Sharpe-Young’s book…
If Melissa Etheridge has proved anything in her long career, it’s that you don’t have to write fluff to win a Grammy. The Kansas-born singer/songwriter has two of those awards to her name. And though she won both Grammies more than a decade ago (in 1992 and 1994, both for…
On a recent Friday night, the Hideout (7200 N. Dixie Hwy., Boca Raton) was hosting Skafest 11, a showing of local bands that like to get down to the upbeat. I’d been meaning to check out the bar for a while, and Skafest seemed like as good a show as…
It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Monday — not the most ideal time for a local band to be taking the stage. But even at this unrockly hour, the Freakin Hott is playing to a bigger audience than it would normally get at the average Friday-night bar gig. The Delray Beach-based…
For someone standing so close to the stage, this guy looked kind of bored. It was like he didn’t want to be there. Now, I’m used to seeing folded arms and stone faces at rock shows — even at a place like Maguire’s Hill 16 (535 N. Andrews Ave., Fort…
Derrick Plourde had been out of Lagwagon for nine years when he took his own life in March 2005. A founding ‘Wagoneer, Plourde kept the beat for the fast-paced, melodic punk band from 1988 until 1996, when he left to play in the Ataris. But when news of Plourde’s death…
