Bela Fleck is something of an anomaly. He completely defies the notion of what a banjo-toting music man has come to represent. He’s unafraid to venture into realms far afield of bluegrass or the traditional turf that’s always provided a comfortable fit for his instrument. Both on his own, and in…
Photo by Liz TracyIf the colorful and magical land of Ultra Music Festival sits at the end of the rainbow, then perhaps the music is the gold, and the ravers? They’re leprechauns. At least they were yesterday when the fest coincided with the second most costumey of holidays. And if…
Punk rock is loaded with icons. Every scene and microgenre has its respective players, characters, and cult figures that, over time, have taken on the might and sheen of mythological deities and epitomize the waves and movements to which they belong. Darby Crash was the original post-Iggy punk rock nihilist, who lived…
Gay, straight, bi, or simply rolling face, if you’re a man with abs like Jesus and just enough fabric to cover your genitals, there’s nothing wrong with sporting a little male camel in Miami this weekend. It’s Ultra Music Festival, baby! And the Gym, Tan, Molly fraternal order of male…
Photo by Jacob Katel Every year, Ultra Music Festival slashes through the fabric of space-time and opens up a portal into an alternate dimension. Night is brighter than day. Silence is the loudest noise you hear. And bass is the only currency that matters. The Mau5 will be dead. You…
Damn, Ultra Music Festival is a mad house. Everywhere you look, it’s neon titties, the bottom half of an ass, or some kind of sexy rabbit hoppin’ around with a lollipop in her cheek. Last year, we introduced “The Seven Ravers You Meet at Ultra Music Festival.” But this time,…
Photo by Liz TracyOn day one of Ultra Music Festival 2013, the main-stage DJ surprisingly played Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way.” It’s not one of the Cali crew’s early songs, but it’s a hit that came out when about 60 percent of the crowd (now dancing in tutus,…
Photo by S. PajotSave the Deadmau5e5!!!Will Ultra Music Festival 2013 descend into chaos? Probably not. The UMF peeps run a very tight operation. The kids have got access to lots of free water and wi-fi. There are cops all over the streets. And the vibe is almost universally pleasant. But…
Photo by Jacob KatelDude … Sensory overload. There’s so much bass and lasers pumping through downtown Miami, it might break off the mainland and becom a new, free-floating island. That’s thanks to the millions upon millions of dollars that have gone into insuring that Ultra Music Festival 2013 is the…
Photo by George MartinezUltra Music Festival is a weird and wonderful place, where strange and spectacular creatures roam free and freaky — humping, fist-pumping, and just generally upending the natural order of shit. Take this human banana. A total anomaly of evolution. He’s about 100 times bigger than the average…
We found Molly. And if we’re ever at an electronic dance music festival in Brazil, we’ll know to keep an eye out for balas. Similarly, next time we’re in Ecuador and someone offers us pepas, we’ll know they’re taking about MDMA, at least according to Ultra Music Festival 2013 attendee…
Photo by George MartinezBoys Noize rocking and ripping Ultra 2013’s live stage. From inside a giant evil skull with LED eyes. We’re going to be honest with you. When Ultra Music Festival announced its entire 2013 live stage lineup, we were underwhelmed. The scope of the roster was perfect, but…
Liz TracyThey danced. They rolled. They yelled: Glitter! Yes, these are ten talkative fashionistas of Ultra Music Festival 2013. Certainly, there were some better dressed, and others more sensibly garbed. But the following folks found during night one of 2013’s three-day shit fest — they were the ones who most…
Photo by George Martinez What’s the most epic come-on in the history of Scandinavian EDM? Duh. “We’re gonna fuck this party in the pussy!,” as uttered by Swedish House Mafia, when Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, and Axwell were still young, up-and-coming electronic dance music studs. Today, though, the SHM dudes…
Photo By Craig HlavatyWith more work, maybe Dave Grohl (seated on drums) can finally find success in the music business. Being a successful musician really has to be a slice of heaven. And of course the chicks are great. It’s why from the beginning of time men (and women) have…
Every year, band after band plays the shit out of their instruments on the SunFest stages. At the edge of the ocean, on the sand, drink in hand, there’s really no better spot to watch some of history’s greatest and potentially greatest musicians perform. This year’s lineup is crazy with…
It’s 2013, and hating on Limp Bizkit, their frontman, Fred Durst, or the moshing-in-JNCOs rap-rock universe of which they are a cornerstone, is something like shamelessly combining the easiest elements of stealing candy from a baby, shooting fish in a barrel, and trolling for lulz.See also- 10 Worst Florida Bands…
South Carolina’s Sol Driven Train take a different musical route entirely from other acts. They even created a new term to define their sound, a euphemistic tag: low country roots rock. Vocalist, guitarist and trombone player Ward Buckheister describes it as a mix of Americana, Afro-Caribbean, and swamp sounds highlighted…
Better Than: Wait… is Daft Punk playing SX?! The dynamic indie-rock duo that is Pinback graced Fort Lauderdale’s Culture Room with a lengthy set of its twangy and twinkly compositions last night. The duo has been releasing albums of lush soundscapes for nearly 14 years, and last night’s performance provided an up-close…
For Christ’s sake, don’t break any of these commandments this year.By DC9 at Night You’re going to South by Southwest, right? Or you’re already there? One of those things is bound to be true. Well, we here at DC9 have got some advice for you, and we’ve managed to format…
Even from the furthest reaches of Palm Beach County, you won’t be able to escape it. Miami’s Ultra Music Festival is a boom to South Florida’s music culture. But the journey to the top hasn’t been easy. From battling partners to fighting with the City of Miami to a standoff…
With the possible exception of Austin, Memphis, and Nashville (OK, maybe you could toss New York and Chicago in there), no American city has contributed more to this country’s rich musical heritage than New Orleans. So when you gather a group of that city’s most celebrated music-makers, representing the very…
