We Americans often seem averse to immersing ourselves in other cultures, especially when it comes to the arts. Take, for example, Indian music. To the untrained ear, it conjures up notions of studious musicians plunking out sitar scales or furiously thumping tablas, all the while caught up in a meditative…
What can you say about Vampire Weekend that hasn’t already been written? The guys are blowing up faster than they wanted to. They’ve graced the cover of plenty of magazines, and they’re still touring in support of their self-titled debut album. And for the most part, these Ivy League grads…
A lot of mash-up albums don’t work. Two years ago, every hipster DJ seemed to have a mash-up disc at the ready to help promote their name–and only a small number of those were worth a damn. But a new mash-up came out last week that’s definitely something worth checking…
So what if she didn’t win American Idol this year–…local fans can still come and celebrate with Syesha Mercado tomorrow evening at Gulfstream Park for her welcome home party. If you’re lucky, she might sing a couple of tunes but according to the press release below, she’ll probably just be…
John Hood Nada Surf Monday, June 2, 2008 Studio A, Miami Better Than: Letting Leonard Cohen’s bubblegum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight. I’m not supposed to dig Nada Surf. Their songs are sentimental, sometimes sappy even, drenched in despair, cuddled by consolation and stricken in all kinds of…
Justin Namon/thepopnessparty Modeselektor bringing the German groove to Studio A. Modeseleketor with Otto Von Schirach Saturday, May 31, 2008 Studio A, Miami Better than: When Dieter says, “Now is the time on Sprockets vhen ve dance.” For a moment last night it felt like Studio A was back to buzzing…
Natalie O’Neill Alerta! Miami Indie Showcase Friday, May 30, 2008 White Room, Miami It’s not that indie rock kids can’t dance. It’s just that, at most shows, they spend more time leaning against a wall or sucking down a cigarette than moving to the beat. But not at Alterta Indie…
A new Rick Ross/Pharrell collabo, “Get Down,” has just leaked all over the Internet. With production by the Neptunes, the beat is more of their usual quirky, club-ready stuff, but definitely a lot faster and more trebly than anything the Boss usually rocks. Forced to rap at that speed and…
If you were at the Rock The Bells last year in Miami, you can probably attest that it was the best hip-hop tour of the year. The line-up was solid, the weather was perfect, and the vibes for the whole show were just nice. Rock The Bells has announced the…
There used to be a time when jazz artists were seen as the sex symbols of pop music. A lot of ladies in the ’50s and ’60s would tell you in a heartbeat that there was nothing sexier than a man with a horn. If that’s true for men, the…
When it comes to playing Southern blues, some musicians have a stronger ear for it than others. If you really want to play it, you need an inherent ability to hear the music. With regard to the banjo-picking and drum-thumping skills of Ben Prestage, he’s got an advantage other musicians…
Philly hardcore juggernaut Paint It Black is touring in support of its latest album, New Lexicon, and the chance to see these boys tear it up is reason enough to check out the show. But the presence of two phenomenal Central Florida punk bands on the bill should seal the…
It’s not always easy to throw an all-night party. There’re curfew laws if you’re in a club, and your neighbors will call the cops on your ass in a minute if you even try to throw a raging house party. That doesn’t leave a lot of options for those who…
It’s been a while since we checked in on Can You Rock a Little Softer, the weekly Wednesday event that Miami New Times just named Best Open Mike night. If you don’t already know, the schedule is thus: From 9:30 to 10 p.m., there’s an acoustic open mike. Then, from…
Johnny Louis Barrington Levy performs at Best of the Best Sunday, May 25, 2008. Last Night: Best of the Best Concert 2008 featuring Super Cat, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, Tony Matterhorn, etc. Sunday, May 25, 2008 Bicentennial Park, Downtown Miami Better Than: Best of the…
Best of the Best weekend has finally arrived and there’s lot’s of reggae madness going on all over South Florida for the next 3 days. Here are five artists who are a part of the show that you definitely should not miss. 1) Buju Banton. He’s been a mainstay in…
In case you didn’t already know, Senator Barack Obama is here in South Florida today. He’s got two separate speaking engagements, but the one I’m most excited for is his speech at 4p.m. at the BankAtlantic Center where the Spam All-Stars are actually opening up for him. Yes, you read…
The Nylon Summer Tour With Switches, the Virgins, Be Your Own Pet, and She Wants Revenge Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Better Than: Seeing Switches, the Virgins, or Be Your Own Pet in the future at whatever bigger venues to which they will graduate. The Review: Everyone seems…
In case you didn’t know, the mayor of Miami is not always Manny Diaz. Although Diaz is a nice fellow and knows a lot about politics, he can handle only so much authority and essentially presides over the city from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But as nighttime falls and…
For her latest album, Blues Blast, 54-year-old blues guitarist Debbie Davies approached the project a bit differently from usual. With a band of all-star musicians, she went into the studio and cut the disc live, playing straight through to give off the feel of a concert rather than just an…
“Can blue men sing the whites?” That is, of course, a twist on the age-old argument about whether white musicians have suffered enough to sing the blues with any credibility. Modern masters like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Duane Allman certainly suggested they can, but the debate is a…
If you thought Memorial Day was all about veterans and remembering fallen soldiers from past wars, well, guess again. Up in West Palm Beach, the Jamaican community has planned a large fete this Monday dedicated specifically to good music and jerk cuisine. You can get jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk…
