New Orleans quartet MuteMath is one of the few currently commercially viable rock bands that truly seems undefinable. Though the group creates the kind of melodies that are punchy and memorable enough for alt-rock radio, how exactly those unfurl is rarely predictable. The group freely switches between off-time, jazzy bits,…
As contemptible a label as it is, “frat rap” is here to stay, at least for a while. The loose term has been applied to a new class of MCs who make no bones about their suburban privilege or subject matter, which usually revolves around partying and first-world problems. Fair…
If anyone defines street punk, it’s the English group the Business, one of the original boots-and-braces bands that took the peacock style of punk and stripped it down to its bare bones. The Business, and its fans, preferred an aesthetic of shaved heads over Mohawks and of raw, pub rock…
Tonight, a slew of heavy hitters will be tuning up and plugging in at Hard Rock Live in order to pay tribute to the great Jimi Hendrix, and have some fun doing it. Any of the featured musicians would be cool to see on their own, probably in a smaller venue,…
Canadian act Comeback Kid has lasted so long — marking a full decade this year — that they’ve managed to last until a renewed scene interest in more pure hardcore sounds. The quartet, despite forming at a time when post-hardcore was in its trendy infancy, was never interested in softening…
With Winter Music Conference and the madness around Ultra in full swing next week in Miami, don’t be alarmed if it seems like the entire county is pulsing to an unending four-four beat. Leave it to Bardot, a boutique venue with increasingly interesting programming, to book a show for that…
”That was amazing,” said one Aura Fest attendee, gazing out into the clear, blue sky. It was Monday morning, and the mood on the grounds was calm, like the rest period at the end of a yoga session. “I worked through some stuff that I really needed to work through.”…
Asher Roth, the not-long-ago poster child of suburban rap, had either a wise or misguided marketing plan when he first hit it big. In 2009, his single “I Love College” was inescapable and remains his best-known song to date. The ode to wanton first-world privilege and lazy binge drinking was…
For fans of that very West Coast low-end, post-hip-hop sound, here’s the latest producer for you to love: MiMOSA, or Tigran MiMOSA depending on which of his internet sites you happen to click. He’s got the hometown and adopted-hometown credentials down pat, having come up in the Bay Area scene…
PropagandaMarch 12, 2012 Better than: A 1,101-mile travel day (distance from West Palm Beach to Austin). For those not making the trek to South by Southwest this week, last night offered a much-needed quality live-music fix. Four bands, each traveling in their own direction, met for a moment at Lake…
[jump] Daniel Mugruza-Ocampo and Doug Weber met, interestingly, on an online shoegaze forum — a testament to their genuine love of making music (and music geekdom). Why a forum? Explains Mugruza-Ocampo: “In a city like Miami, it’s a bit difficult to find others to play music with that aren’t in four…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions and observations about the local scene. This week: Kilmo conquers Hollywood It’s nice to see a new venue establish itself here in South Florida. After all, if there’s one thing we lack, it’s places for live bands and original…
Revolution LiveMarch 10, 2012Better than: Any old happy hour. “Spoken word” isn’t exactly the right way to describe what Henry Rollins provided to a crowd of seated patrons on Friday night at Revolution Live. Though he calls it spoken word, it’s more like “storytime with Mr. Rollins.” Ever the sex symbol for…
Swarm 7Saturday 10 March, 2012Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale brings to mind the raucous days before the mid-1980s when alcohol fueled mayhem reigned over A1A as thousands of college kids crammed the bars and beaches, their exploits immortalized in photos showing the road closed to traffic as people crowded the…
Elton John With His BandBankAtlantic CenterFriday, March 9, 2012Better than: Any of your mom’s other favorite live acts.He played “Tiny Dancer.” He said it was for the ladies, but I know that deep down, he was playing it for me.The rest of Elton John’s impressive 29-song set list Friday night might…
Marco Torres”What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area.” — Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don’t have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all…
Part of the beauty of a good Florida festival is that it provides opportunities to discover acts that don’t make many appearances way down here on the peninsula. This weekend, bands will be traveling from as far away as Philadelphia and Colorado in order to bring their goodness to Aura…
Wilson Phillips understands a woman’s suffering and joys. It’s almost as if they were three women living complex emotional lives, two of which are sisters, all of whom come from musical royalty. Wait. What? How could you not love these three broads? They’re back with a new album out on…
Henry Rollins is the kind of guy who can (and does) say whatever the fuck he wants. And we all know why: A lil’ somethin’ called Black Flag. From when the second Flag disbanded, its final singer didn’t waste a second wallowing in the aftermath.He sprang into action. And ever…
Since 2010, the series of tri-county concerts dubbed “The Rising” have been devoted to pushing forward music made by true hip-hop heads, for true hip-hop heads. For the first few months of its existence, the then-monthly event took over the late Transit Lounge in downtown Miami, before moving to other…
“My girl tastes like pork chops,” begins one of the new songs by the Two Man Gentleman Band, a duo (obviously) that hails from Brooklyn but draws from older, inner-country musical traditions. Clearly, they don’t do that too seriously — the group’s take on rockabilly, Western swing, and jazz is…
For the full slideshow, click here. Badfish March 7, 2012 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale Last night, Sublime tribute act Badfish brought their lovin’ to Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, and from what I was told, it was a pretty cool scene! You see, I wasn’t there. I was at home on my…
