Kiss Kruise Day 4Carnival DestinySunday, October 16, 2011View all of our Kiss Kruise coverage here.Unlike the previous days of KISS Kruise, this one was confined to the Carnival Destiny. Thus, we got to really rub elbows with the rest of the passengers during a day filled with many activities that…
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (Original Lineup)Culture Room, Fort LauderdaleWednesday, October 19, 2011 Better Than: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Jeff Coffin on saxophone. Hot off their chart-topping new album, Rocket Science, with the original Flecktones lineup of Victor Wooten (bass), Roy “Future Man” Wooten (drumitar, percussion), and Howard Levy (piano,…
Since Dream Theater began more than two-and-a-half decades ago, the New York group has done more than possibly any other act to push the development of progressive metal. In a genre that requires flawless technical execution, frontman John Petrucci and company stand head and shoulders above a crowded field of…
With a birth date some 30 years ago and no breaks, the Toasters can definitely stake a claim as the longest-running American ska band, full stop. British expat Rob “Bucket” Hingley started the band in New York during the same period as the English two-tone ska revival in the late…
Livid Records’ roots in the South Florida punk and rock scenes run deep. Label head Chuck Livid wrote zines and played in area bands from his early teens. So when he started his label out of Palm Beach County five years ago, he brought a similarly DIY approach to his…
KISS KruiseThe Palladium Lounge, Carnival DestinySaturday, October 15, 2011View all of our coverage here, and check out a Kiss live slideshow here. When a person says “P.S., I Love You” on the Kiss Kruise, it’s more than likely referring to the group’s singer, Paul Stanley. Without devoting several paragraphs to the…
Dolly Parton “Better Day Tour”Hard Rock Live, Hollywood Tuesday, October 18, 2011Better than: Any other horny hillbilly. Dolly Parton will now be remembered as the most charming, talented, and adorable diva that ever came this far south after last night’s show at the Hard Rock. The lovely “Queen of Country” brought…
Photographer Ian Witlen stayed extremely busy over the course of the four-day Kiss Kruise this past weekend. We brought you an initial set of pictures yesterday, and now here’s a bunch featuring some great photos strictly from Kiss’ three performances — one unmasked and two in full makeup…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Local music champ Chrystal Hartigan embraces South Florida… again! It’s fair to say that no one’s championed the South Florida music scene with more enthusiasm than Chrystal Hartigan. For the past…
[jump] This story, and the continuing coverage that we’ll be putting up throughout the week, would not be possible without the support of Sixthman, who put on the cruise.One thing that didn’t make it into the story worth mentioning was my impromptu interview with Kiss lead singer Paul Stanley. Fortunately, our…
The madness of the Kiss Kruise’s maiden voyage, which took place October 13-17 aboard the Carnival Destiny, is still ringing in our ears, and the salty air is still in our nostrils. And, thanks to the hard work of photographer Ian Witlen — and the support of Sixthman — there…
The very first Kiss Kruise is now a wrap, but County Grind’s recap of this past weekend’s adventure has only just begun. As you can see, the newly chartered Kiss Navy is a passionate bunch — for the band and each other. Photographer Ian Witlen and I wore our white…
“Pop Punk’s Not Dead Tour” with New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, the Wonder Years, Man Overboard, and This Time Next YearRevolution, Fort Lauderdale Sunday, October 16, 2011 When New Found Glory lead guitarist Chad Gilbert told the crowd, “We have a ‘no asshole rule’ tonight — we deal with enough assholes…
Toby Keith’s “Locked & Loaded Tour,” with Eric Church and J.T. HodgesCruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm BeachSaturday, October 15, 2011See a slideshow of the action here.Better than: The “Gun Control Means Hitting Your Target” Tour.Toby Keith turned 50 years old a few months ago (don’t tell anyone), but he never really…
KISS Kruise The Palladium Lounge, Carnival Destiny Friday, October 14, 2011View all of our Kiss Kruise coverage here. After an unmasked Sailaway Show on Thursday, KISS Kruisers got the full-on, legend-making experience Friday. The mild-mannered Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer morphed into seven-foot-tall aliens to the…
View all of our Kiss Kruise coverage here.Gene Simmons and new wife Shannon Tweed are having a honeymoon of sorts during the inaugural KISS Kruise. Here is a photo of them boarding the ship on Thursday afternoon for the weekend cruise from Miami to Half Moon Cay to the Bahamas…
Alright, so last year, it was fair if you waffled about forking over the cost of a cabin on the inaugural Bruise Cruise Festival, the world’s first garage-ish rock cruise. After all, it was the first-ever attempt at putting that kind of craziness at sea — but, if you followed…
The average Talent Farm show-goer was in elementary school during the first, early ’00s heyday of the Savannah, Georgia act Circle Takes the Square. The band’s influence on the post-hardcore, d.i.y. scene was such, though, that some of its reverberations can still be felt several generations removed. Thus hopefully this…
Our complete Kiss Kruise coverage is here.The KISS Kruise pajama party late Thursday evening was feisty. First of all, it turned out to be more like a sleepwear slugfest. With only 500 sets of pink, black, or white fleecy goodness available to many more KISS fans, the lines set up…
Check out all of our Kiss Kruise coverage here.It turns out that Paul Stanley knows KISS Kruise attendees better than they know themselves. “You don’t really want to hear us play,” said the KISS singer, relaxed a linen turquoise shirt, sunglasses, and absolutely no black-and-white makeup. “You want the all-you-can-eat…
The Sounds Culture Room, Fort LauderdaleWednesday, October 12Better Than: Singing at the top of your lungs and dancing around your apartment to the band’s entire discography. Maja Ivarsson is one hot ass bitch. There is no denying that. But there isn’t any smoke or mirrors — or auto-tune — when…
In the next couple of days, not many spaces in the 60 some-odd mile span of Broward and Palm Beach counties will be spared from the angular postpunk charge of Miami quartet Space Between Words. The upstart band from the 305 seems to have both counties in its sights this…
