Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Insights into the stars who grace the Hard Rock stages. Because this column is branded as “Backstage in South Florida,” it seems appropriate to delve deeper into the backstage haunts…
Sophie Sputnik’s The Chase Live RecordingRadio-Active Records, Fort LauderdaleSaturday, October 1, 2011Better than: Any open mic in town and any sort of Lana Del Rey mischief.Sophie Sputnik is beyond focused. The Deerfield Beach singer/guitarist had every second of her live recording session Saturday night meticulously planned — and if not,…
Dirty Dem Office Music: The Mixtape Release PartyWith Party Monsters and the Astrea CorporationRadio-Active Records, Fort LauderdaleFriday, September 30, 2011For a slideshow from the concert, click here.Better than: Actually watching Dora the Explorer.One of the most important aspects of an excellent hip-hop show is dynamism. If you’re gonna have the…
J. Cole Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale Saturday, October 1, 2011 Better than: The average rapper trying to perform like Jay-Z. Who dat?! Who dat?! J. Cole’s got that flame! The Fayetteville, North Carolina native quietly stepped on stage, soft cast on his left foot a reminder that this was a…
Big K.R.I.T. With L.E.P. Bogus Boys and Stalley Revolution, Fort Lauderdale Friday, September 30, 2011 Better than: Your friendly, neighborhood trap boy’s latest mixtape The foot was on the gas, and the artist who wants to be known as a “king remembered in time” didn’t let up on the pedal…
The music industry is a fickle one, especially when it comes to pop music. So for a group like Black Eyed Peas — who have been together for over a decade — to go from an underground L.A. hip hop group to world renown musical heavy hitters is quite an…
Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls With Andrew Jackson Jihad and Into It Over It Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale Thursday, September 29, 2011 Better than: Frank Turner without the Sleeping Souls The Culture Room is busy but far from full for highly touted English folk-punk artist Frank Turner’s first proper…
Last we heard from Coral Springs MC Dan Duarte (known as Dirty Dem in battle-rap circles), the skilled rhymer had just released an uproarious video for “Office Music” — his crafty rework of the theme song to NBC’s hit office comedy The Office. Now, the local rapper is set to…
Forward Motion AnniversaryWith Dreaming in Stereo, Jorge Moreno, Jim Camacho, Revolution, Fort Lauderdale September 29, 2011 Though the number of attending bodies did little to challenge the capacity of Revolution, the club was far from vacant, as those who were in attendance radiated plenty of room-filling enthusiasm — for the…
Musical institutions in South Florida are hard to come by. Beastly summers, disparate geography, and a rapidly shifting population mean that anything that can stick around for more than a couple of years is a gem. Take South Florida Jazz, which gets public and private funding to keep a wealth…
While many boutique local record labels focus on the fringes of various music scenes, few have tried an arguably gutsier move: releasing wider-reaching, even radio-friendly rock fare without the support of the big record-industry machine. Miami-based Forward Motion Records, led by Dreaming in Stereo frontman and skilled session guitarist Fernando…
Big K.R.I.T., a Mississippi rapper born Justin Scott, is one of the latest in a crop of hailed would-be saviors of rap with the power to satisfy both casual fans, internet rap nerds, and picky critics. The twist with K.R.I.T., though, unlike other 20-somethings in the same position, is that…
Louisiana native Marc Broussard is just 29 years old but boasts one of those voices that’s mature beyond its years. As a purveyor of so-called “bayou soul,” he specializes in an almost-radio-friendly blend of soul, blues, and rock that’s funky enough to even do proper justice to covers of songs…
If there’s any lesson County Grind learned this year, it’s that 311 fans are among the most devoted around. Look no further than the vitriol unloaded on a writer who suggested that the 311 Pow Wow Festival at the Suwannee Music Park would be less than glorious. Lesson learned.Moving on,…
Last night’s Black Star show at the Fillmore Miami Beach wrapped up the local Rock the Bells mini-concert series. The series of tour stops — this one, plus an earlier appearance by Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and Mobb Deep — was meant to serve as a salve for the lack of…
The weirdest collective of musicians this side of the Mississippi, Atlanta’s Back Pockets hit the road again in support of their new record, Fast Cloud Slow Cloud. This roving band of oddities is poised to make a stop at the Speakeasy in Lake Worth on Wednesday, October 12. Featuring an…
On top of just chasing bands around all night long, we brought along a camera and a big, long microphone to Saturday night’s Death to the Sun III at the Snooze in Lake Park. Assembled by yours truly, this is a hectic peek into the music, madness, and mastery of…
Our Key Biscayne neighbors Jacuzzi Boys have gone Hollywood, baby. Their upbeat swinger “Bricks or Coconuts” will be featured in Seth Rogen’s comedic-drama 50/50. We gotta say, we are super proud of the JBs. Great songs can really propel a movie. Think of Yelo’s “Oh Yeah” in Ferris Bueller’s Day…
Death to the Sun IIIWith Guy Harvey, Dino Filipe, Kenny Millions, Rat Bastard, Meat, 90s Teen, Holly Hunt, the Dewars, Universal Expansion, Jellyfish Brothers, Luma Junger, Vast Fang, Möthersky, Rainforest Wives, Honey Train, This Heart Electric & many more. The Snooze Theatre, Lake ParkSaturday, September 24, 2011View the 40-photo slideshow…
Blink-182 With My Chemical Romance and Matt & Kim Cruzan Amphitheater, West Palm Beach Friday September 23, 2011See a slideshow of the Friday’s show here.Better than: Reminiscing about how awesome your MySpace was. Ah, the smell of teenage angst in the waning heat of South Florida’s summer was alive and…
Gloria Gaynor With The Village People Hard Rock Live, Hollywood Thursday, September 21, 2011 Better Than: A Thursday night bedroom extravaganza in which you are simultaneously Gloria Gaynor, the Village People and the entire audience. Disco gets a bad rep. But you gotta remember: after the tumultuous Civil Rights-Vietnam-Nixon era…
Modern EnglishRespectable Street, West Palm BeachThursday, September 22, 2011 Better than: Staying home to watch Valley Girl. It has been almost two decades since the original Modern English lineup took the stage, and although they look a helluva lot different (see random details 1 and 2), you could close your…
