Broward County may not be the bastion for electronic music that it once was, but, damn, where did all the weeklies go? Sure, you could catch an odd night of breaks here or there, but since the demise of club nights at venues Ebar and Karma, electronic lovers in this…
It was the afternoon of Mardi Gras on Hollywood Beach, and despite the city’s dogged efforts to produce an authentic Bourbon Street experience, I couldn’t help feeling that something wasn’t jiving. Heavyweight Louisiana musicians like Allen Toussaint (the man who wrote “Lady Marmalade”), Brian Stoltz (longtime member of the Funky…
With a much cooler moniker than the Pussycat Dolls or even defunct local noise bastards Harry Pussy, the Livid Kittens have been enchanting crowds with rock-hard performances during their 14-year career. The group’s powerfully punky and often complex sound works on tape or disc, but it’s their live shows that…
These days, lots of subgenres are cropping up in the metal sphere, some with influences from free jazz, progressive/experimental rock, electronica, and hardcore punk. Cleveland’s Chimaira is a blend of all of these inspirations, and its performances reflect that. While the relentless guitars shred and grind in the manner of…
Dub poetry isn’t the kind of literary genre you’d expect to thrive in public libraries. But in honor of Black History Month, the Broward County Library showcases the dubbed-out poetry of Miami-Dade police officer Malachi Smith, who, when he’s not out catching perps, is a local expert on all things…
Headbangers argue all day whether Slayer is the greatest heavy-metal band ever. And 25 years into the band’s hall-of-fame career, a smaller number of music fans — not all them metalheads — claim the thrash kings are one of the best rock bands ever, hands-down, period. The group just won…
Miami rapper Trick Daddy Dollars knows a thing or two about being a thug. His web domain is www.thug.com, he’s released five albums with the word thug in the title, and he holds fast to the belief that thugs need love too. But when he’s not advocating for all things…
Since wowing us with The Grey Album, Danger Mouse has been constantly on the grind, delivering modern classics one after another. Still riding the monster success of his collaboration with Cee-Lo, last year’s infectious-as-herpes album from Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere, the mighty Mouse starts this year showing off yet more…
Sharing the same West Texas roots that birthed Buddy Holly, Joe Ely helped kick-start the so-called outlaw country movement and has impacted its direction ever since. More than 30 years ago, he was part of the region’s first supergroup, the Flatlanders, and he was there with Tex Mex stars Los…
The guys in White Demons may occasionally wear eyeliner and tight jeans, but there’s not a single song about a chick on this CD and not one stinky whiff of shitty emo. What we’ve got instead is explosive, trashy, borderline-glam punk ‘n’ roll with shouted choruses and crisp, fiery guitar…
Oy, yet another single-named electronica guy? And why exactly should you care? Chiefly because the Minneapolis-based Martin Dosh, also part-time member of Fog and Lateduster, is a multi-instrumentalist who approaches sampling and electronics as a composer rather than as a conceptualist or DJ. Dosh doesn’t merely slice and dice others’…
Jared Cole is working hard to defy classifications. The part-time promoter and barfly has recently released a debut album, Virginiahead, that careens from emo to folk, rock, and post-punk, all with a DIY lo-fi sound. Much of the album centers on basement electronic tinkering and acoustic guitar work that supports…
Like a latter-day hip-hop answer to Fishbone, the Roots bring a palpable spirit of gathering and unity to their live shows unmatched by any of their peers. Where the most monumental of hip-hop’s giants — Outkast, a Tribe Called Quest, and Public Enemy — made their reputations by delivering roof-raising,…
With both Ultra Music Festival and the Winter Music Conference fast approaching, South Florida is already bracing itself for countless fans of house, techno, trance, ambient, glitch, and every other form of music made with a turntable and a drum machine to start flooding local venues. Although most of that…
It was after 2 in the morning when I stumbled into Asti’s Lounge, an obscure, dimly lighted club in Sunrise, expecting to see a wicked dancehall performance. Bass Odyssey, a heralded Jamaican DJ crew known for its worldwide sound-clash victories and flamboyant stage presence, was the night’s headliner. I’d seen…
Let’s be honest. Aren’t you sick and tired of all those weepy, candy-ass singer/songwriter types who are so annoyingly abundant lately? Do you really need some wussy crooner reminding you just how bad life sucks? Maybe you ought to check out a concert featuring the Hep Cat Boo Daddies, a…
Los Angeles-based vocalist Tierney Sutton is a consummate performer. She offers the casual banter that’s common among modern jazz singers, but she’s spot-on when it comes to her craft. Sutton’s onstage chemistry with the band members she’s played with for more than a decade is obvious during her live performances,…
The Duck Tavern, a laid-back pub stuck in the thick of gaudy Boca, has a very un-Boca uninhibited vibe. This is a place where people drink — and live — from the cup of plenty. A glance at the nightly specials is proof enough, with a variety of strange tequilas,…
New Orleans-based singer/producer Allen Toussaint is a walking monument to the Big Easy’s musical history. He’s worked as a session player with most of New Orleans’ major heavyweights (the Meters, LaBelle, the Neville Brothers, and Dr. John) and got his start playing backup to Fats Domino in the 1960s. He’s…
Walking into Churchill’s Pub in the heart of Little Haiti during this year’s International Noise Conference (INC) is guaranteed to be a soul-jarring experience. Those not accustomed to the genre will probably wind up perplexed, awed, downright disgusted, and, if they’re lucky, a combination of all three. Chances are, though,…
Dancehall music is in a state of crisis. Violence and gun-talk rule the scene while peace and love is nowhere to be found. Most longtime admirers of the genre are fed up, but those who created the genre hate it even more. A man like King Jammy, who helped pioneer…
Despite putting out nine albums and having a knack for writing songs that would make Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson wince with envy, Ron Sexsmith has somehow managed to fly below the radar with the music-buying masses. Just exactly why remains an unfathomable mystery. Yet to his credit, this baby-faced…
