Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Keeping up with Camacho. The late James Brown was once referred to as the hardest working man in showbiz. However, if he were still alive (RIP, Godfather of Soul) he’d…

Tribute bands sometimes find themselves stifled by having to hew to the music made by those they’re emulating. In many cases, they’re little more than cover bands with a singular focus. But with Crazy Fingers, a Grateful Dead tribute band, that’s never been the case. They not only emulate the…

Albert Castiglia is back with a vengeance. He’s got a new album, a new record label, and a new determination to build on the reputation that’s made him one of South Florida’s — and for that matter, the nation’s — most distinctive blues performers. His performances are always entertaining, proof…

South Florida isn’t known outside of the area as a major wellspring when it comes to jam bands, but don’t tell the Heavy Pets that. For the better part of the past decade, they’ve built a respectable reputation throughout the nation as an exceptional instrumental ensemble, one well-known for both…

Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. This week, the Livesays’ live life as a local band… The Livesays is clearly one of the hardest working bands in South Florida, not only due to the fact that they…

Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Michael Koppy’s local whirlwind. Florida — South Florida in particular — isn’t exactly emblematic of the South as a whole, and yet it seems somewhat appropriate that a musician who…

The Mavericks
 Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale May 1, 2014 Better than: Anyone might possibly imagine It’s been more than fourteen years since the Mavericks last played in these parts, which made last night’s nearly three hour concert Parker Playhouse clearly a celebratory homecoming. “It’s great to be back in South…

In 1989, the year the Mavericks first convened, the divide between pop and country was still relatively wide. “Americana” was a term that hadn’t entered the popular lexicon just yet, and Nashville was by and large still off-limits to any artist who arrived sans a cowboy hat and a good-ol’-boy…

When drummer John Hartmann and guitarist Tom Johnston originally convened in Northern California as the final embers of the ’60s were slowly fading away, they formed a band whose modest intents would eventually make it one of the most popular bands ever. Joined by guitarist Patrick Simmons, multi-instrumentalist John McFee,…

The loss this past January of musician, activist, pioneer, and humanitarian Pete Seeger prompted an outpouring of tributes and appreciation from all corners of the world. So it’s little wonder that his local admirers are preparing to pay homage as well. On Sunday, May 4, a group of South Florida…

Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights, and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. This week, different avenues back to the future. Music is a transcendent thing, and the process of experiencing it can take both artist and audience into realms where past and present…

Music cruises provide a great experience on the high seas, but they can also offer some significant life lessons as well. Take for example, the Moody Blues Cruise, which jump-started April with a fantastic onboard lineup that included not only the cruise’s namesake but also special guest Roger Daltrey, Carl…

Nowadays, bands that indulge in old-school, radio-ready pop seem to be something of a rarity. The music biz tends to embrace acts that are outrageous, ostentatious, and unusual. And because Train takes a traditional tack that dictates it provide a steady supply of chart-topping hits, it’s managed to reach the…

Humble Suwannee Springfest has yet to reap the recognition and appreciation that some of the bigger festivals have managed to attain. Being that it’s in its 18th year, it can only be attributed to the fact that it still seems so local to us Florida folks. Indeed, it boasts a…

When Todd Rundgren dubbed an early album A Wizard, a True Star it might have seemed somewhat presumptuous at the time, given that his recording career was practically in its infancy. Four decades later, that title has come to sum up one of the most remarkably prolific careers in rock’s…

Don’t refer to Marc Cohn as a one-hit wonder. Although his song “Walking in Memphis” may have immortalized him for radio listeners everywhere and won him a Grammy in the process, it also established him as an artist of a certain standing, the kind that can be counted on to…

At age 72, and with a 50-year recording career behind her, Judy Collins certainly deserves to rest on her accomplishments. Consider her credentials: She was among the prime architects of the ’60s folk scene, a skilled song interpreter who helped bring artists like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Ian Tyson…

If the Hackensaw Boys had been around in any earlier era — say, the ’20s or ’30s — they might have been big stars. Known for their rousing blend of fiddles, banjos, and high harmonies, they create a rousing party-pleasing sound that quickly turns any gathering into a scene filled…

His name is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the other giants of popular music over the past 50 years: Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, much less his former colleagues Crosby and McGuinn. But if one were to sample the bands that Chris Hillman has been apart of…

World Music can begin right here at home. BeauSoleil, sons of Louisiana’s Bayou country and the number one Cajun music band in the world (according to Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion anyway), has proven that precept time and time again over the course of their near three decade career…

Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights, and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. This week, a shipload of fun. I’m a big fan of music cruises. For me, they are ideal entertainment. You get a bunch of great bands onboard, all the food you…