Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: The return of Ex Norwegian. I’m always fascinated by the odder monikers bands bestow upon themselves, and generally I’m pretty amused as well. Take Ex Norwegian, for example. There’s not…
Our complete Kiss Kruise coverage is here.On Wednesday evening, the Kiss Kruise preparty signaled the beginning of a tidal wave of activity associated with the storied New York band known for a propensity for rocking during the hours of darkness and partying for the period of daylight to follow.Things were…
West Palm Beach-based promoting outfit On Fire Booking specializes in all-ages extravaganzas featuring the latest loud, fast, and heavy acts. Originally, its shows featured mostly young, local bands, but recent booking coups have included well-known national headliners like Polar Bear Club and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. This Thursday’s…
Awesome New Republic, more commonly known these days as ANR, needs pretty much zero introduction to area music fans. It’s been plying its brand of funky, spaced-out pop for nearly a decade here, and it’s finally starting to gain velocity outside of South Florida. After last year scoring slavering compliments…
Oklahoma-born, Nashville-based country troubadour Toby Keith has risen to megastardom in the heartland — and beyond! — by carefully toeing all of country music’s party lines. Whereas recent stars of the genre have often fashioned themselves either as sensitive, adult-contemporary balladeers or pretty-boy rock types, Keith remains stoically cowboy-like and…
Our complete Kiss Kruise coverage is here.To quote Kiss singer Paul Stanley, “I got nothin’ to lose but my money and my mind.” Yes, the mighty, inaugural Kiss Kruise embarks from South Florida this weekend, and County Grind will feature every grisly and shocking detail — because we are attending…
”All You Need Is Now” Tour, Starring Duran Duran Hard Rock Live, HollywoodTuesday, October 11 Better than: Five million times better than watching them at this past year’s Ultra. The review: From the constant virtual flames — full fires to the tops of lit candles — Duran Duran was out to…
Most phone interviews begin and end exactly as expected — but not when Amy Millan, vocalist for the literate indie pop act Stars, is on the other end of the line.At the conclusion of our Montreal-Fort Lauderdale conversation, which informed this week’s print piece about Stars ahead of the band’s…
Portland, Oregon, Italo-disco purveyors Glass Candy are set to headline 2011’s edition of Moonfest. The duo’s icy-cold synth lines, provided by producer and keyboardist Johnny Jewel, and haunting ethereal vocals, diffused by singer Ida No, are the ideal choice to wind down the ghoulish revelry on Clematis Street — now…
The 16th running of the Buzz Bake Sale is coming in December, and the lineup is starting to gel.A muscular selection of ten initial acts has been confirmed for the annual rock fest put on by West Palm’s 103.1 The Buzz. In spite of what some folks might think, most…
Peter FramptonHard Rock Live, HollywoodSunday, October 9, 2011Better than: Reviving the Silver Connection.While the list of aging musicians currently embarrassing themselves with attempts at recapturing glory days grows, Peter Frampton has developed into the perfect example of how a former rock superstar and sex symbol can weather the years with…
The Arctic Monkeys “Suck It and See Tour,” with Smith WesternsRevolution, Fort LauderdaleSaturday, October 8, 2011Check out a slide show from the concert here.Better than: A Lord of the Rings marathon, for those unwilling to brave Saturday evening’s wind and wetness, preferring the company of fictional characters from the Shire…
Conspirator Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale October 8, 2011 In spite of two straight days of dreary, rainy weather — which surely would have made for a soggy Langerado — spirits were high and bright in the Culture Room late Saturday night as Conspirator threw down a special, supercharged, post-Yom Kippur…
Is Eternal Jackpot some broken-down slot machine at the Isle Casino that pays out all the time? Close, but not quite. Discerning literati will remember the line from Ernest Hemingway’s 1937 Depression-era novel To Have and Have Not. Local music devotes will take interest in knowing that it’s also the…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares stories of memorable rock ‘n’ roll encounters that took place in our local environs. This week: South Florida’s foremost roots rock troubadour shares his top five all-time classics… Jim Wurster may be South Florida’s very own god of Americana. After ten albums…
Holy Ship! — a multiday electro cruise setting sail from Fort Lauderdale on January 6, 2012 — is practically sold out now. (More lineup details here.) Yet with so many big hitters in town, the announcement of a terra firma preparty at Revolution the night before has been long-awaited. The…
Did anyone order some positive vibes? Ya, mon! Celebrating 50 years of Wailers music and the timeless power of music to uplift people, the annual Bayside Rocks Festival returns to Miami on November 19. Among those making up a true wail of a lineup is the only surviving member of…
Southern California quartet Thrice has clearly taken the edict of “adapt or die” to heart. Though the band’s been at it under the same name since 1998, the Thrice of 2011 is a wildly different animal. In fact, the Thrice of 2011 would probably not even be recognizable to the…
Propaganda’s early no-heavy-music policy has clearly long ago been rescinded, because Saturday’s show brings the loudest and most extreme to date at the venue. Headlining a rare South Florida show is Virginia Beach act Arsis, a decade-and-running act devoted to true death metal and pretty much nothing else, save for…
Swedish power-poppers the Sounds have been saddled with Blondie comparisons since the beginning, an obvious but accurate tag. Like that legendary New York new wave act, the Sounds are fronted by an unforgettable, high-cheekboned blond beauty with a fierce stage presence and sharp style. But musically, the comparison isn’t too…
Weird Al YankovicHard Rock Live, HollywoodTuesday, October 4Better than: Finally getting to see that one Simpsons episode you missed from 1994, so you can say you’ve seen every single Simpsons episode.If you love TV, you love Weird Al Yankovic. If you hate TV, you love Weird Al Yankovic. That, Weird…
Poor Adele. Not only is the British soul singer’s material rife with heartbreak, she’s got to deal with the sadness of canceling another chance to capitalize on her rise to prominence in America.A hemorrhage in her vocal cords, which has been a recurring problem, has made it impossible for her…
