Are the bomb! For numerous reasons. A) the singers are all talking in funny accents. Love it. And B) The food. OMG. British showcase. Hipsters and free bbq+brisket! Canadian showcase. Yup, Canunks and free brisket! Simple but appreciated. But the Spanish showcase…papo! Listen. Free San Miguel cerveza. Sangria. Paella. Chorizo…
The world has no clue how he pulled this off. I’m wide awake. Hungover. Woozy. But I can still see straight and that’s all that counts. Day one of SXSW went by like a blur. Canadian showcases with incredible Texas brisket were a personal favorite. Caught the Black Angels yesterday…
Southern California’s rock/ska band Sublime was one hell of a music outfit while it lasted. The group, fronted by affable lead singer Bradley Nowell, kicked out funky riffs and dubbed-out ditties about smoking sinsemilla and hardcore substance abuse. Although the band lasted only from 1988 to 1996 (when Nowell died…
If there’s one thing you can count on from the good folks at Radio-Active Records, it’s their unwavering ability to provide a sense of community. Every time you walk in the friendly record store/hipster enclave, it feels more like a community center than just a place to buy CDs and…
Longtime blues man James Cotton cut his teeth playing mouth harp with Sonny Boy Williamson at the tender age of 9 in the Mississippi Delta. His blues harmonica has influenced rock legends such as Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. He was the main harmonica player for Howlin’ Wolf and…
Since the Bo$$ of the city has a new album out today, it’s only right to show Rick Ross some love on CrossFade. His long-awaited album, Trilla, is in stores now so go get it if supporting local artists is important to you. Sure, that’s a mixed bag cause Ross…
By Andy Vihstadt Jenna Bush loves R.E.M. If you’re bummed about having to sit this year’s SXSW out, NPR’s got you covered. At midnight on Wednesday, you can stream R.E.M.’s performance at Stubbs and on Thursday, tune into Yeasayer at 2:30 pm and Vampire Weekend at 4 p.m. Later that…
R.E.M. March, 8, 2008 Langerado Better Than:Realizing that your $50 bag of mushrooms failed to induce any hallucinations This morning we read an effusive article about REM’s performance at Langerado. The writer, Leslie Gray Streeter, described the show as “energetic,” and declared that their performance was “the lovely, light-hearted, serious-minded…
Ani DiFranco Sunday, March 9, 2008 Langerado Better Than: A Chocolate Seven-Layer Birthday Cake It’s a funny thing when you feel the “obsession” link with a musician kick in, especially when it’s been a few years since you felt so in love with the music. Such was the case at…
Part psycho, part Jane’s Addiction Blitzen Trapper March 8, 2008 Langerado Better than: A wake-up call from the hippie jam band tenting next door After a night of blustery winds and torrential rain ruined any chance for restful sleep at Langerado, day 3 of the fest kicked off with a…
Tuba Gooding Jr. at work. So the Roots showed hip-hop crews why they always reign supreme this past Friday night at Langerado. The talented Philly-based band was tight, crazy, fun, and definitely experimental as they worked out a few songs from their upcoming album, Rising Down, which is dropping April…
Ben Folds March 8, 2008 Langerado Better than: Whatever and Ever Amen on constant rotation I missed Ben Folds last time he came to town with John Mayer. I figured I couldn’t stomach the fans of pasty folk hipster Mayer any more than I could stomach his music. But I’m…
Alright, Langerado is in it’s first full day and early reports are indicating that the music is rocking, the crowds are thick, and the drug busts have already started. Watch your ass people. Cops are on the lookout so be safe and stay out of jail. There’s a couple of…
Nile As is so often the case with metal shows, there are too many bands on this bill. While there’s a certain bang-for-the-buck factor, in all honesty – and with no offense to the other three bands – this show could easily be whittled down to Nile and Warbringer and…
Why is Janice Turner grinning so widely? It’s just after 7 p.m., ten days before last Christmas, and she’s backstage at the Y-100 Jingle Ball show at the BankAtlantic Center. A bunch of performances are due to kick off in a half-hour or so, but just now, folks are squeezed…
Langerado Music Festival is back and bigger than ever. If you thought last year’s version of South Florida’s biggest outdoor music event was impressive, wait till you get a look at Langerado as a 6-year-old. There are lots of cool changes, plenty of improvements, and a few megastars on the…
Punk bands have short shelf lives. That’s the conventional wisdom: that the pace and other physical demands of the genre are so intense that even the greatest punk practitioners can expect only five, maybe ten years on the road and charts. The Beastie Boys must have anticipated this when they…
It’s not often that you encounter a soul singer who’s as visually intriguing as Somong. Born of mixed Korean and black heritage, this Palm Beach County resident is making a name for himself with a style that’s all urban pop (think Casely) yet with more of an ethnic twist. His…
…And folks in Ohio, Texas,Vermont, and Rhode Island are headed to the polls, it only makes since to play some election music. Here’s some Obama love from the Lone Star state. — Jonathan Cunningham…
Ky-mani Marley rocking in front of thousands of fans. 15th Annual Caribbean Festival AKA The Bob Marley Festival Saturday, March 1, 2008 Bayfront Park Amphitheater Better than: Staying home and listening to Exodus on repeat. Over the weekend, one of Miami’s most treasured music festivals returned to the city for…
Austin’s mega music festival, South By Southwest (SXSW) is almost here and there’s a bunch of great bands from around the world that should be headed to Texas for it next week. Last year was a special treat as the Good, the Bad, and the Queen seemed to descend on…
By ANDY VIHSTADT Casino King For those of you holding out for the follow-up to LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, Stereogum’s got something to hold you over. The song, “Big Ideas,” will appear in 21, the film adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House. The O.S.T. hits stores March…
