Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s seemingly randomly titled song “West Palm Beach” has long been a County Grind fascination. Released in the early ’90s as a one-off single under the “Palace Music” moniker, the sleepy, midtempo song is both specific, and not very much so. The four opening lines of the song…
West Palm Beach 25-year-old singer-songwriter Jamie Rasso has been rising through the ranks locally, with a carefree sound that’s boldly straight-up pop flavored. Intriguingly, Rasso’s summery vibe has won him favor with local musicians from disparate scenes. Swamp-folk act Everymen is a huge fan and so is Jon Glassman, frontman…
Two decades is a long-ass time for anyone to stay interested in the same creative project, even if it has been successful. But this year, Californian punk band Face to Face accomplishes the feat of celebrating a birthday that’s one year away from legal drinking age. Still, the reason that the…
The one-man powerhouse born Jeff Baker but known in musical circles as King Django is one of the most influential Americans ever in ska, full stop. In the ’80s and ’90s, he — along with a handful of other figures like Rob “Bucket” Hingley of the label Moon Ska and…
Is this year’s Honda Civic Tour lineup the best ever? The annual late-summer run sponsored by the car company just announced its 2011 artists and dates, and it’s achieved a rare feat — the acts on the bill are massively crowd-pleasing while still enjoying critical acclaim. Headliners this time out…
Those who seek the weird will be immediately drawn to the Dead Kenny G’s — currently on tour supporting Primus and playing a free show at Hurricane Bar on June 5 — simply by virtue of the name. Adding to the allure is their appropriately ridiculous look — they are…
Panic! at the Disco — yes, the exclamation mark is back — long ago outgrew the post-emo bombast of the height of the decaydance era of pop rock. Still, the Las Vegas act, helmed from the beginning by pinup-worthy Brandon Urie, has never been successful in fighting its penchant for…
As founder of the iconic futurepop act Icon of Coil, Norwegian sound terrorist Andy LaPlegua showed an early penchant for the darker, harder sounds of the industrial music fringe. However, it was with his current outfit, Combichrist, that he fully realized his caustic musical dreams. Unapologetically eardrum-splitting, brutal, and even…
A native of Richmond, Virginia, and occasional resident of South Florida, singer/songwriter Christian McGee picks up many of the musical threads let out by the millennial neosoul movement. Songs like “Give Me Your Love” hark back to the vintage sexy soul crooning of artists like Teddy Pendergrass. Others, like “Like…
Florida sure screws up a lot of stuff, but here’s one random example of how the state is occasionally responsible for a few wins. And it explains why Phil Collen and his band, Def Leppard, might be super-stoked to play the Cruzan Amphitheatre on June 15. Turns out, our sun-bleached peninsula…
At this point, Taylor Swift is only nominally a country artist. Though the country world likes to claim her as a success story, and she was certainly initially processed in the Nashville machine, her vision has always gone beyond the genre’s limits. (As a Pennsylvania native, she’s a Yankee anyways.) …
In a musical world in which even supposedly “brutal” bands are often considered family-friendly heartthrobs, Combichrist is one of the last acts standing that will totally still piss off your parents! The now-four-member act, led by Norway-born noise terrorist Andy LaPlegua, has made an international career out of exploring the…
While Florida’s swamplands are dwindling away, the popularity of one of the state’s strongest musical advocates for its natural beauty has been growing steadily. Since JJ Grey & Mofro first began dishing out its signature brand of Florida swamp funk over a decade ago, their fan base has spread like…
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: Lee’s abnormal addiction… My name is Lee, and I’m an album addict. It’s a habit that compels me to write every morning before work, every lunch…
West Palm Beach electro-ambient-dance purveyors Sumsun is picking up traction for its dream-house sounds. New Times learned recently that the two-piece — consisting of Judson Rogers and touring partner Edwin Jantunen — will join bombastic unit Sleigh Bells and atmospheric act Neon Indian for a stint on their North American…
Universal Expansion, West Palm’s emergent gods of robotic rhythm, let loose on a fortunate few who stuck around into the evening at Kismet Vintage’s three-year anniversary celebration. Set up near the fitting booths and Western shirts in the rear of the Delray Beach clothing boutique, the quartet played three evolving…
CrocodilesWith Band in Heaven, the Dewars, FeversRespectable Street, West Palm BeachSaturday, May 21, 2011Better than: Crocodiles’ live experience circa 2009.Click here to see a full slide show from the show.Although the term postpunk is abhorrent, it’s useful to capture the live feel of San Diego glam-garage rock outfit Crocodiles. Singer…
DeftonesWith Dillinger Escape PlanSunset Cove Amphitheatre, Boca Raton Sunday, May 22, 2011There are few towns in the tricounty area less metal than Boca Raton. So last night’s show there by Deftones, supported by the even more berserk Dillinger Escape Plan, was unlikely to say the least. The venue, Sunset Cove Amphitheater,…
Jackson Browne Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, May 21, 2011 Jackson Browne makes it look so easy. One could almost begrudge the fact that playing an acoustic concert that allows him to select songs on the fly is a really effortless way to earn a paycheck,…
A quick programming note for social types looking for Sunday evening activity: Delray Beach’s Kismet Recycled Vintage & Designer Clothing is hosting its third anniversary.Aside from the clothing addicts and vegan cupcake devotees that will consider this a must-attend, area fans of Guy Harvey, Lesson Lesson Lessen Relearn, Cop City/Chill…
Girl Talk With Max Tundra Fillmore Miami, Miami Beach Thursday, May 19, 2011 Click here to see a slideshow of the Girl Talk show courtesy of Miami New Times.Better than: Expected. By a lot. The idea of Girl Talk at the Fillmore Miami doesn’t seem to work. As a performer…
Tonight, Respectable Street revives the spirit of good ol’ sleaze-rock with a performance by Sunset Strip staple Faster Pussycat. It’s been almost 20 years since the group’s last charting album — that was 1992’s Whipped!, so no, contrary to legend, Nirvana did not instantly kill the L.A. scene dead. Still,…
