Joke’s on You — Darude’s “Sandstorm” Is Still Cool

Internet memes can change your life. One day you’re working at Subway, arguing with customers about the actual length of a footlong, and the next you’re a meme sensation. It only takes the right repost and a bit of Photoshop or video-editing skills to send you to superstardom. For Finnish DJ and producer Darude…

American Football Brings Influential Head-Nodding Heartaches to Revolution Live

Filing into Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale to see the seminal emo act American Football, you’d be forgiven for not knowing the band’s highly influential debut came out nearly 20 years ago. Here was a crowd of fresh-faced youngsters piled in to watch a group of guys who could be these kids’ dads play music suffused with melancholy and beats that rarely surpass a steady 120 BPM.

Miami Welcomes J. Cole, the Best Worst Rapper in the World

This country does not do earnestness well. We would rather turn you into a meme than lend you an understanding ear. We have trouble digesting sincerity unless it’s wrapped in something less vulnerable. Perhaps that’s part of the reason some folks have so much trouble with J. Cole. His…

J. Cole Is This Generation’s Most Consistent Artist

Jermaine Cole’s latest project, KOD, channels pure artistry. It’s inspired by an artist who doesn’t stray from lyrical consistency, Kendrick Lamar. Cole witnessed Lamar’s work onstage in Detroit during the Damn Tour, which left both fans and Cole himself coveting the encore. These artists, who lead the hip-hop generation, have two…

Do You Like Def Leppard Ironically, for Real, or Always and Forever?

Today, I drove past a hip-looking young woman with short black bangs, concentrating on her phone. She was  standing on the corner of a street lined with cool stores and was wearing a Def Leppard crop-top with leopard-print short sleeves and a high waisted skirt. I wondered: Is she wearing the…

Vans Warped Tour Makes Its Final Visit to Coral Sky Amphitheatre

Since 1995, Warped Tour has excelled in blending the demands of American boardrooms and corporate sponsorships with the shifting cultures of alternative lifestyles. While simultaneously surviving because of partnerships with Vans, Journeys, and Monster, Warped Tour was always the most DIY of festivals. Sure, it was held…

New Hardcore Punk Venue, the Juicebox, Opens in Pompano Beach

The Juicebox hosted its first local show in Pompano Beach on July 14 and will begin hosting touring bands on August 20, with The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Extortionist, So This is Suffering and Soulless. The venue is owned and operated by Josh Rammath of the band Lost My Grip.