Campaign songs aren’t anything new. In 1960, JFK used Frank Sinatra’s optimistic “High Hopes” during the elections. In 2000, George W. Bush attempted to use Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” (that is, before Petty wouldn’t back down on not letting him use the song), Survivor’s suing Gingrich for using…
South Florida’s next big breakout act, Blonds, is a funny example of how a little mistake in the internet age can translate to acclaim, label interest, and opportunities very, very quickly. Of course, a cute girl singer with a distinctive voice — backed by some pretty sweet songwriting — helps…
It’s true that most men — though not all — enjoy a side of boobs with their Super Bowl. For them, it’s like chips and salsa, a hamburger and a bun. You get it, and so does Maxim. The magazine is hosting the Big Game Party at Vibe Ultra Music…
For quite some time now, Jack White has been busting his bum to produce the music of, and thus blow up the careers of, quality musicians through Third Man Records. He’s worked with a range of talent from the Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson to South Florida’s Jacuzzi Boys. White also…
This is your official heads up to strap down your valuables and cover the young children’s ears, protecting them from the audatory threat that is Bare, A.K.A. Sean Rodela. A step beyond dubstep, barestep will resonate through town and ears at Dub Vibes: SOFL/Chapter 4 at Revolution Live. His sound is so…
Born John Joseph Lydon on January 31, 1956, the man later known as Johnny Rotten became the ultimate punk protagonist. An unlikely icon, he helped revitalize rock ‘n’ roll by discarding its mores and stripping it down to the basics. Both he and his first band the Sex Pistols were famously…
Luckily, we already know the Pent Up Joy is still in the works. In case you haven’t looked at their Facebook page lately, they are, as Anthony Dewar told us, “leaking a flood of old songs onto Facebook from SoundCloud, and that’s mainly to till the soil for our crop of…
Over the past couple weeks, South Florida benefited from the music-cruise scene when top acts from the annual Jam Cruise and inaugural Weezer Cruise played land-locked kickoff and post-ship shows. It’s been an unexpected positive of the booming themed cruise explosion, which has attracted entirely new audiences to cruising and…
People who pretend to be too cool for Tool are usually shut up by the band’s choice of tour openers. Maynard Keenan and company — or at least their shrewd booking agents — usually dig below the mainstream, opening up fans to entirely new areas of the heavy-music spectrum. As…
Doobie Brothers is indisputably the best band name of all time. A doobie, for all of those not in the know, is a joint. It’s a rolled-up bit of marijuana one will smoke to get high. Oh, and the Doobie Brothers aren’t brothers, except through the doob. The Doobies, as…
Last week was a kooky time for music and fashion. These two creative arenas are always linked in both ugly and sometimes pretty ways. Musicians think that can design, and since they’re rich, they often do. Luckily, fewer designers think they can sing. Although, Tommy Hilfiger singing “You’re All I…
With a career that boasted a slow ascent and then followed with a perilously rapid descent, Phil Collins became an example of an artist who displayed both the best and worst of what fame and fortune could bring. Born January 30, 1951, he rose to the helm of Genesis, one of…
Just last Thursday, County Grind attended a particularly wild concert that included some near-nudity, stage diving, and lots of masturbation chatter. The show was that of Machine Gun Kelly, the Cleveland rapper whose gift is his ability to spit out lyrics as fast as, well, a machine gun. After the…
The Killswith Jeff the Brotherhood and HuntersRevolution Live, Fort LauderdaleSaturday, January 28Better than: Seeing them in front of 15 people at Common Grounds in Gainesville circa early 2000-something. To describe the Kills show in one word would be easy: intoxicating. However, I’m not sure my editor would approve of such…
If many of those in attendance at the 27th Annual 99.9 KISS Country Chili Cookoff were official representatives of the United States, they’d offer a sort of dim but realistic view of American history. We have a longstanding history of demonstrating unfailing pride for living in the land of the free, the home…
Tom Rush Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts January 28, 2012 Better than: Practically every other performer armed only with two guitars, great songs, and a stunning wit. For those who had never seen Tom Rush in concert before last Saturday night, there were two things they learned right at outset…
Anthony Green Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale Saturday, January 28, 2012 Saturday night at the Culture Room, sleeve tattoos were displayed, vocal cords were pushed to their limit, and a few tears were probably shed as Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green, backed by Good Old War, lead what amounted to a…
These days, most gamer socializing happens through headsets and an internet connection. Back in the day, though, there were spots called arcades where peeps would hang out together, in the real world, and play videogames. Lately, there has been a resurgence of interest in the old, pixelated classics. South Florida got…
Miami fusion collective Palo! spells its band name just like that — exclamation mark and all. But just like the completely musically unrelated Mayday! — also from Miami, about whom we posted a little earlier — that extra punctuation is well-deserved. The group calls itself an Afro-Cuban-funk act, and it…
We are big ol’ crazy Plains fans around here. County Grind named their self-tited debut LP Best of South Florida Music of 2011, and you better believe we meant it. This is just one reason we were tickled when we saw that the four-piece rockers were added to the South by Southwest…
MAYDAY! may have something of a rep around South Florida for being a party band. This is true — the hip-hop group’s live shows are generally boisterous affairs. But careful listeners will have long ago noted a deeper, more cerebral and hard-edged side to the group. What’s long set them apart,…
Machine Gun KellyRevolution Live, Fort LauderdaleJanuary 26, 2012Better Than: Staying in to watch another reality show.Cobain’s back! Cobain’s back! Well, not really, but anyone could have been fooled when the crowd was shouting, “MGK!” started to amp up when the DJ dropped the intro for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Then,…
