Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Rod MacDonald in his own words. Folk music has always been about social commentary, a sound that enlightens, entertains, and offers observations on politics, pitfalls, and society in general. It…
Even though Toad the Wet Sprocket formed a year before I was born, when they started playing “All I Want” last night opening for Counting Crows, I had chills. It’s funny how you can know songs that are about as old as you are, there’s some kind of muscle memory…
Yesterday, at the BB&T Center, radio hip-hop was showcased in all its glory and folly for 103.5 The Beat’s the Beat Down. Headliners Kendrick Lamar, Trey Songz, and Future were joined by Rico Love, Yo Gotti, Mr. Vegas, Ace Hood, and DJ Khaled. The night started out with a Kafkaesque…
Boca Raton five-piece, the Vogans first caught our attention a couple of years ago. The group dazzled us with uplifting, high energy, indie rock nuggets. We even named this troupe of saplings one of our top ten current bands that should be famous last year (Hey, we figured since most…
On the FM dial (or button), 103.5 used to mean SHE’s Only Rock N Roll. Once that very beloved ship sank, it later became the Beat, which offered a comprehensive selection of contemporary hop-hop, which got us flipping back to the station. Then in 2010, the 103.5 we’d grown to…
Art Alexakis has worn many hats over the years: dad, political activist, and even actor. But the role we most enjoy the tatted up, white-haired singer in is as frontman of Everclear. The guy who gave us rock radio hits like “Father of Mine,” “I Will Buy You A New…
Happy Together Starring The Turtles (Flo & Eddie), Mark Farner, Gary Lewis, Chuck Negron, and Mitch Ryder Coral Springs Center for the Arts June 11, 2014 Better Than: Watching an old YouTube video At one time or another, we’ve all dreamed of living the life of a rock star, being…
South Florida’s premiere event for tiki-lovers, the Hukilau, returns, bigger and even more retro this year, offering one more day of activities. The schedule has gone from four to five days, starting today through Sunday, with more live acts, symposiums, and even mermaids (of the fire-eating variety). And as the…
Pardon the pun, but when you name your band the Front Bottoms, you’re leaving yourself open to become the butt of many jokes. Fortunately though, hewing to the norm has never been a major concern for Front Bottoms singer, songwriter, and guitarist Brian Sella or drummer and bandmate Matthew Uychich…
Summer crept back into the South Florida air with an unexpected haste this year. Spring — also known as the luxurious two weeks when the sun bites just a little softer and the air breathes a little easier — was apparently not in the cards. The constants of summer –…
The internet is abuzz over Weezer’s drummer Patrick Wilson catching a frisbee while drumming and continuing to play “Beverly Hills.” That was at their St. Augustine show last week. And though it is impressive to say the least, I’m more excited that he played and sang Blur’s “Song 2” on…
What you can expect from a Foxy Shazam concert? As the cliché goes, you can expect the unexpected. Packed with glam-laden, American rock ‘n’ roll and wild flailing energy, especially from lead singer Eric Nally, the experience is unforgettable. “There were, like, these power cables on the ceiling, and I…
“Everybody loves a clown, so why don’t you?/A clown has feelings too…” — “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis and the Playboys In a way, that lyric — culled from one of the biggest songs of their career — describes the uncaring attitude accorded Gary Lewis and the Playboys…
Jessica Fichot’s first Florida show at Sunrise Civic Center tomorrow promises a tantalizing intermingling of sounds. Fichot, backed a three piece band, marshals a plethora of influences, taking the listener from summer evenings in Parisian cafes, to smoky 1940s Shanghai nightlife palaces. The American-born, Paris-raised, L.A. based chanteuse fuses her…
For the most part, the lead singer gets all the attention. Not too many frontmen are willing to share the largest spotlight. It is rarer than an honest cab driver to witness a band divide the role and the attention as evenly as the Drive-By Truckers. On Wednesday night at…
Indie rock act Water Liars’ vocalist, Justin Kinkel-Schuster told us that despite being from Arkansas himself and bandmate Andrew Bryant being from Mississippi, their rural roots have little to no influence on how they play their small town-sounding music in big cities. “It’s not a conscious thing,” he said on…
In the eyes of many critics, alternative-rock heroes Weezer have made some questionable choices in the past few years. Their 2009 album (with the rather oafish title Raditude), suspect collaborations (Jermaine Dupri-produced songs, and those featuring Lil Wayne rap verses), and boy bandish hit singles like (“If You’re Wondering If…
A Morrissey concert is a particularly emotional experience for everyone. From the most rabid Smiths-loathing, beef-loving haters to the people who still buy Morrissey’s new albums and weep openly at the shows all over Moz tour T’s, the crowd is a hotbed for feelings. Last Saturday night at the Arsht…
Glen Phillips isn’t the type of person to put all his eggs in the proverbial single basket. One of the mainstays of the ’90s chart champs Toad the Wet Sprocket, he’s diversified his efforts into a solo career, a successful stint with the Americana super group of sorts WPA, and…
Danny Brunjes first came up on our radar in 2011, with his introspective indie folk project Under Every Green Tree. He garnered a lot of attention from New Times then, went on to perform a few notable gigs, released a stellar debut in Everybody Tells a Story, a nifty Johnny…
Most of us did a double take when we read the news that the Dubliner in Fort Lauderdale was shuttering its doors and being sold only a year into its residency in the Himmershee district. What could have gone wrong? Every time we were there to check out a gig,…
The Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines has unexpectedly been forced to close its doors following a dispute with a neighboring business. The all-ages venue, initially built by owner/operator Kevin Burns as a state-of-the-art recording and rehearsal studio with a larger room for showcase performances, has hosted shows for nearly a…
