Thousands of years ago, ancient Celtic and Germanic civilizations celebrated the first day of May — a month eventually named for Roman fertility goddess Maia – with dancing, drinking, and general merriment. Christians came along and kind of ruined the whole pagan thing, but the tradition of May Day festivities…
It’s been 10 years in the making, but rappers Bishop and MeRCY have finally delivered a collaborative project. The two best friends released a full-length, My Brother’s Keeper, in April. What was originally intended to be only a mixtape, resulted in 14 clean tracks with an addictive old school sound…
A very cool venue on a very cool street is hosting the Christian faithful Saturday night, when local young believers are coming to Coastars Coffee Bar to make music and social justice. We’d go just to see how husband-and-wife team the Vegas and their flock blend in with the hipsters…
Pop-punk has acted as a gateway drug into musical subcultures for many a generation, and while there are plenty of catchy punk-rock bands to lure in young listeners, few have had the staying power of Alkaline Trio. The Chicago based group has put out consistently great albums that never stray…
David Crosby is the Forrest Gump of rock n’ roll. I’m not saying Mr. Crosby isn’t very bright, nor that he’s very fast or adept at ping pong. But just as you can’t escape Forrest Gump when going through 20th century American history — there Forrest is shaking JFK”s hand,…
A man with thirty number one singles and eleven number one albums who has starred in a handful of hit movies, possesses a pilot’s license, and owns an island in the Bahamas, it’s easy to say that Tim McGraw is so much more than just a one trick “hat act.”…
Imagine Dragons grew up listening to alternative and classic rock, which definitely comes through in their pop-rock sound. But guitarist Wayne Sermon told us that he and his bandmates also get down to hip-hop, world music, and Simon and Garfunkel. “Our music is a tribute to what we listened to…
Almost 44 years have passed since heralded musicians David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash took the stage together for one of their first gigs, three days of ’60s-defining madness, Woodstock. These rock idols have proven surprisingly durable; their 2012 80-date international tour received rave reviews from critics across the…
People have a hard time pronouncing the name of Miami sextet Ketchy Shuby correctly. But after hearing these guys jam, South Florida fans have gotten used to saying the name: Keh-chee Shoo-bee. The moniker comes from a song by roots-reggae legend Peter Tosh. Back in 2008, there was a lot…
Last night, we checked the pulse of South Florida’s hardcore scene by attending another one of Breakeven Booking’s excellent show offerings at the Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines. This particular edition of weeknight hardcore featured the live debut of three local bands and two of California’s rising stars of the…
Despite the dark skies left over the metal community in the wake of the recent passing of Deftones bassist Chi Cheng and the tragic and unexpected loss of Slayer guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, the announcement of a reunited Black Sabbath — you know, the seminal dark lords of metal — has…
Music is always a little extra-special when it’s being played in the middle of the ocean. For instance, when the Titanic was going down, and the band played on. That was not normal chamber music. Similarly, but in a much, much, much more cheerful way, the music aboard Jam Cruise is…
The very first thing Bill Cosby said on the phone was, “What school did you come out of?” Not, did you go to school, but where did you go to school. As I fumbled to decide whether to call one of television’s greatest legends Bill or Mr. Cosby, (I ended…
Backstage In South Florida: Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights, and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. Ex Norwegian returns! Back in the day, the imminent arrival of a new album by the Beatles or the Stones was something of an event, a cause…
When you imagine dragons, are they more the Puff the Magic kind or Dungeons and sort? Or are they a little like the donkey loving fire-breather in Shrek? These are the hard questions we at County Grind feel comfortable asking, but with good reason. Imagine Dragons, the Las Vegas indie…
Besides a small minority of Lilly Pulitzer lovin’ hipsters and like 30 Japanese chicks, there’s no young person in the world looking to West Palm Beach for fashion advice. Not that they shouldn’t, but it’s not like a night out on Clematis is the same as opening the pages of…
People have a hard time pronouncing the name of Miami sextet Ketchy Shuby correctly. But after hearing these guys jam, South Florida fans have gotten used to saying the name: Keh-chee Shoo-bee. The moniker comes from a song by roots-reggae legend Peter Tosh. Back in 2008, there was a lot…
Maybe we don’t tell you often enough, readers, but we at County Grind actually really care about your opinion. Not just if you think this blog makes us look chunky, or if you think we should talk to this or that American Idol, but like your favorite places to see…
A thousand eulogies were written last week for Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly, the rapper, who shot to fame with the rap duo Kriss Kross. Very few of those notices eulogized Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly, the movie star who also died last week. Kelly, along with his partner in sound Chris…
A festival typically known for its laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere, West Palm Beach’s SunFest came to a violent conclusion this Sunday, with one stabbing and two arrests made while popular hip-hop acts Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller performed. According to the South Florida site GossipExtra.com, an anonymous police source reported the…
You know those days when a well-crafted Hallmark commercial makes you weep like someone just stomped on your pet hamster? Premenstrual ladies? Coke-heads? Ya feel me?! Well, when my eyes kept welling up watching Jimmy Cliff preach the reggae gospel of “peace and love” to a swarm of sweaty SunFesters,…
Sometimes it feels like the whole dubstep craze has blown over. Surely, the kids have moved on from the bass-driven wobbles that Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift have adopted, among others. But then, Borgore comes to play a show at Revolution, and he’s got the kids lining up around the…
