Film Composer John Barry (1933-2011)

One of the greatest composers for film, John Barry, has died at age 77. According to the BBC, he suffered a heart attack.Rarely does the word illustrious actually apply to a career quite as aptly as it does in the case of Barry. During the past five decades, the composer…

Justin Bieber Naked PETA Ad

Earlier this January, pop phenom Justin Bieber debuted a PETA campaign encouraging his fans to do their part and adopt animals from shelters instead of relying on pet stores. It came with the tag line, “Animals Can Make U Smile. Adopt From Your Local Shelter.” Based upon the extremely tasteful,…

Video: Nicki Minaj and John Waters “Creep” Together on SNL

No shocker that Nicki Minaj would be a Hairspray fan — especially if you caught her sassy “Bride of Blackenstein” skit on Saturday Night Live over the weekend. But actually witnessing Darling Nicki and the undeniably smarmy director John Waters both clowning in a new Lonely Island joint called “The…

Art: NOFX by Iron Forge Press, Tonight at Revolution

Fort Lauderdale-based Iron Forge Press creates some of the most eye-popping rock posters we’ve ever seen. Whenever possible, we’ll share their designs right here on County Grind.For all we know, there will actually be a young punk woman who looks like this waiting in Fat Mike’s dressing room after the…

Chipotle or Zona Fresca: Which is Better?

Fort Lauderdale residents should prepare to pose this question to themselves every day at lunch time by this summer. Almost directly across US-1 from the heavily trafficked Zona Fresca, a new Chipotle restaurant is under construction. Although this sand-colored storefront seems harmless right now, there could be some serious burrito…

Download: Discosoma’s Guy Harvey, ANR, Beings & Plains Singles Free

Make Friday majestic with four MP3s courtesy of Miami’s altruistic Discosoma Records. The vinyl fetishists are giving away the A-sides from the first four 7-inch singles released over the past year — all featuring prime South Florida artists regularly mentioned on County Grind.The synth-fueled ANR (“Big Problem”), Beings’ heavy punk…

Five Hits Featuring the Marvelettes’ Gladys Horton (1944-2011)

Gladys Horton, who boasted a scratchy, soulful voice as co-founder and lead singer of Motown group the Marvelettes, has passed away at the age of 66. The Detroit group is best known for the single “Please Mr. Postman,” which features Horton charming her way through.According to the Detroit Free Press,…

Surfer Blood’s “Secret” Propaganda Show Moved to Monday

Late Wednesday afternoon, South Florida phones, e-mails and social networks blew up with the news that there would be a “secret” show tonight at Propaganda featuring the talents of Surfer Blood, who last week debuted new material at Respectable Street.This was not to be. Also, will the Palm Beach Gardens…

Video: Sleigh Bells’ “Rill Rill” Sheds Some Blood

Apparently when Sleigh Bells isn’t using Derek Miller’s guitar work on a track, he might as well be dead. Anyhow, that’s the implication in the “Rill Rill” clip, another great single from last year’s Treats, that just popped up. How far can he fall after the fiery triumph of “Infinity…

In Print: Tokyo Police Club, NOFX, Gaybies, & More

Before we get to the music section, let’s take a spin through this week’s feature, penned by Leslie Minora. It’s about a gay couple who traveled to Panama at considerable expense to adopt a couple of adorable babies, and proves to be a fascinating read about a process necessitated by…

13 Songs Dedicated to the Biscayne Bay Piano

The news business had a field day yesterday with this grand piano that somehow ended up on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay near North Miami. While this would be a great place for Yanni to compose, with the inspiration of nature literally lapping at his toes, the origin of this…

Lil Wayne’s “I Am Music II” Tour Begins in March

Now that Lil Wayne’s no longer locked up, he’s locked in a 25-city tour set to launch in March. This should all coincide nicely with the upcoming release of Tha Carter IV. Among his cohorts for the “I Am Music II” tour are Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Blink-182 drummer Travis…

Surfer Blood Debuts 3 New Songs Live at Respectable Street

At about 10:40 p.m. Thursday night, Surfer Blood made this announcement via Twitter: “Respectables…West Palm Beach…we are playing an impromptu gig tonight. We are playing new songs.” As it turns out, the guys did exactly that about three hours later after a set by Lake Worth post-punk specialists Guy Harvey,…

Linkin Park at BankAtlantic Center, January 20

Linkin ParkWith Pendulum and Does It Offend You, Yeah?BankAtlantic Center, SunriseThursday, January 20, 2011View a slideshow from the concert here.Expectations ran high leading into Linkin Park’s first date of its A Thousand Suns North American tour. With so many comparisons batted around equating the band’s acclaimed, nuclear-themed album to serious…

In Print: Linkin Park, Drive-By Truckers, & More

If Linkin Park’s first album had been 2010’s experimental, Rick Rubin-produced suite A Thousand Suns, perhaps the world would see the nü-metal vets differently today. Then again, there’s a good chance that the band wouldn’t be embarking upon a huge headlining tour Thursday evening at BankAtlantic Center.In my candid conversation…

Interpol Announces North American Tour, Fillmore Miami Stop

Some say “Again?!” and others “Finally!” but this much is known: Interpol will bring back the dark suits and darker tunes to South Florida in April. Still in support of the group’s self-titled effort and fourth album overall, the visit is part of a tidy North American tour in April…

Village Voice‘s Pazz & Jop Critic’s Poll Results Posted

For sentimental and professional reasons, the Village Voice’s annual Pazz & Jop poll of rock critics (who may or may not be able to name every member of New Edition from memory) is a personal favorite. Anyone who is surprised that Kanye West was a dominant force in said poll…