How far will you go to get the finest musical gifts of the season? If your answer doesn’t involve waiting in the dark in a Walmart parking lot with a lot of screaming mommies, perhaps Radio-Active Records can provide some needed cachet for the competitive giving season.Black Friday is very…
Deerfield Beach singer-songwriter Sophie Sputnik is officially a recording artist now. Her raw and emotional October 1 live recording at Radio-Active Records’ old location, titled The Chase, is now out on limited edition cassette.County Grind attended that show, and noted that “her confidence in her material became the room’s pleasure,…
When you get a bulletin titled “Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band motor into South Florida — fresh from their triumphant performance at the first Orlando Calling,” there’s more than enough intrigue to read on. Especially when our own Lee Zimmerman characterized the OC performance thusly: “Seger’s superb show…
Perhaps we’ll never know how much Neil Diamond’s career was lengthened by his appearance in Saving Silverman, but it was one of many factors of late that gave the 70-year-old’s career some legs. The incessant Red Sox nation adopting Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” as an anthem certainly didn’t hurt his popularity…
This new video from West Palm Beach’s artful synthesizer trio the Jameses might be dangerous for work consumption strictly because it’s a joyful, scream-inciting affair. Directed by Sunset Television’s Drew Blatman, the clip has immense amounts of quick cuts that ensure an extremely nostalgic buzz. The song is the b-side…
According to numerous sources, past rumblings that the South Florida alt-weekly City Link is closing are finally becoming factual.The 20-year-old arts and culture paper, currently published by the Sun-Sentinel, is expected to cease publication within the next couple of weeks, according to reporting by New Times blog the Pulp…
ProtomanThe Green Room, Fort LauderdaleSaturday, November 19, 2011For a slide show from the concert, click here.Better than: A serious rapper who is also funny is always better than a comedian who wants to be taken seriously as a rapper.Protoman’s been repping the 954 as a rapper for the past decade,…
Joel DaSilva’s been a scene fixture around South Florida for more than a decade. Although he built up quite a notoriety fronting the surf-rockabilly outfit the Hep Cat Boo Daddies, now the 34-year-old’s rolling solo as Joel DaSilva and the Midnight Howl (Facebook). Artistically, things have shifted very loosely to…
A typical Chrome Dick performance lasts about as long as it’ll take you to read this story. Lone member (and County Grind pal) Raphael Alvarez rigs whatever he feels like up to an amp — pedals, a guitar, a microphone — and lets loose every bit of emotion he has…
Sondre LercheWith Peter Wolf CrierCulture Room, Fort LauderdaleThursday, November 17, 2011Better than: Saving money by not coming at all.Sondre Lerche is the face of the economic woes befalling independent musicians everywhere. There was no hiding the minuscule turnout Thursday at Culture Room, but the showing onstage was just as small…
Readers with exceptional memory can easily recall that July 2010 marked a Legends of Rodeo reunion show at Propaganda. According to Alex Rendon, beer is the culprit for singer John Ralston, guitarist Nathan Jezek, drummer Jeff Snow, and bassist Steven Eshelman’s reformation after a six-year hiatus.As part of that show,…
Peter Wolf Crier is a sensitive band name to be sure, but more in the Bon Iver sense than a Pedro the Lion ilk. The Minneapolis-based duo (or trio, of late) is the offspring of Chicago-bred singer Peter Pisano, with his unmistakable vocal cords cutting through the void. Both of…
The Black Eyed Peas haven’t even begun their hiatus yet, but the ever-promotional mind of Will.i.am is still in overdrive. Does this guy sleep with a microphone taped to his face just in case he might snore something brilliant? The timing of his debut single from his Twitter-ready solo album,…
Most rappers have never lived in their car, and even fewer are eager to admit it. However, Protoman and I are parked near the intersection of SE Ninth Avenue and Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. This nondescript street of single-level dwellings, only steps from the fat-pocketed tourists populating Las Olas…
Amtrac’s production career just took an impressive turn. Following October’s release of his debut album, Came Along, the gifted Miami dubstep experimenter is still pushing out new material, and the flavor of the moment is his contribution to Mick Boogie’s My Adidas mixtape trumpeting the storied career of rap godfathers…
Nelson Hallonquist’s creative output knows no bounds. The Palm Beach County kingpin of noise, ambience, and all forms of electronic disruption is the president (and also a client) of his own label, West Palm Beotch. We spoke to him recently when he put out Weird Wives’ debut full-length and experienced…
Britney Spears and Marilyn Manson both want to be each other — on a certain level. The shock rocker with South Florida ties would love to be as popular as the pop scion, and she’d relish the ability to be “edgy.” We see both of their fantasies lived out in…
One of the great challenges and pleasures of covering South Florida music for New Times is getting to know an artist well enough that he will trust you to write about him with more depth than just what he does in the studio and onstage. Fort Lauderdale rapper Protoman, AKA…
Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne” TourBankAtlantic Center, SunriseMonday, November 14, 2011For a slide show from the concert, click here.Better than: The “Best of Both Worlds” tour.Jay-Z got pulled over in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday night. Fortunately, the rap mogul and the eventual father of Beyoncé’s child kept a…
Many of you are certainly asking, “Who the hell is Hunter Moore?” The Awl’s lengthy piece about Moore should tell you more than you need to know about the tattooed entrepreneur and his smutty website IsAnyoneUp.com. In short, the site is filled with NSFW nude pics that were once private…
It’s a great pleasure to announce that the Bruise Cruise 2012 lineup continues to expand — much like your waistline will after six trips to the ice cream machine. But, with Fucked Up and King Khan & the Shrines at the top of the bill, you’re gonna have to consume…
Orlando Calling Day 1With the Killers, the Raconteurs, the Roots, the Pixies, the Avett Brothers, Kid Cudi, Iron & Wine, and more Citrus Bowl Stadium, OrlandoSaturday, November 12, 2011Check out a slideshow from the festival here. Read the Day 2 wrap here.Better than: A stadium experience at Penn State.The first…
