When Mogwai takes the stage at the Cure’s rock ‘n’ gloom carnival, plenty of attendees will be milling about, ordering hot dogs and beers and excitedly awaiting their headlining heroes. Their loss. Few opening acts ever give reason to come early to a music festival, but not many bands can…
It took about nine years for Brian Fair, lead singer of Shadows Fall, to cultivate his impressive dreads. It took the band less than four years to become one of underground metal’s loudest new acts. And when we say metal, we’re talking about old-school metal — the crushing, blistering thrash…
If you can’t find much info about Long Island-based punks As Tall as Lions, you can always check out their My Space account (www.myspace.com/astallaslions/) — you know, the place where everyone went when they “got tired” of Friendster. Once you get there, you’ll see ATAL has 485 friends who are…
Cramming a band into the living room at Dada can be like watching clowns pile into a VW bug. With a setup that includes three horn players, a bulbous standup bass, an elaborate drum setup, and a vibraphone, 8-Track Mind provides the sultry soundtrack for dining couples and packs of…
A friend of mine went to a drum and bass night in Berlin a few months ago and said people were busting moves he’d never seen on a dance floor before — young men in knitted sweaters and women with bleached crew cuts were doing splits and back flips, and…
Colombian pop rock singer Andrés Cabas’ website is totally en español, but from what we can gather, the 26-year-old is the son of composer Eduardo Cabas,; he worked with producer Chucho Merchán (who has played with heavies like Billy Bragg and Everything But the Girl) on his 2002 album Cabas,…
For those unfortunate souls who have not yet had the Two Story Double Wide experience, the first thing you’ll need to know is that they are the rootinest-tootinest band you’ll witness ’round these parts. And the fact that they live in your backyard means you have no excuses. Here’s what…
That’s right, fuck ’em. What did they ever do for us? 2-for-1 Sex on the Beach shots? Touched by an Angel? The Simple Life 2? It’s enough to make anyone want to claw their eyes out. With that in mind, the brains behind the monthly 100% Artcore night at Karma…
Let’s see if we can get through a discussion of Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Biz Markie without using the phrase “old school.” These masters from the earliest days of commercial rap each broke boundaries. Fresh brought beat boxing — that look-Ma-no-hands skill of dropping beats with one’s mouth…
DJ Icey Despite his name, DJ Icey is a Florida native who was nurtured in the booming mid-’90s Orlando electronic scene. Yes, those were the days when raves were all the rage. But when the dance scene in Florida briefly froze over in the late ’90s, Icey took his tour…
The Rocket Summer A few years ago, the phrase “I’m a singer-songwriter” could kill a conversation faster than a joke about the handicapped. But now, it’s making a comeback, thanks in part to musicians like Bryce Avary, a.k.a. the Rocket Summer. Armed with a guitar and a dream, the 20-year-old…
Thee Academy For anyone who wants to relive the horrors of private school — rulers wrapping your knuckles, rulers measuring the length of your skirt, you being denied pudding if you don’t eat your meat — then get thee to Thee Academy. This new monthly Brit-pop dance party has a…
Josh Wink Listening to Josh Wink is like being kidnapped by the ice cream man. First, he draws you out with some lush, curious sounds. Then, he snatches you up and pumps you full of ear sugar. A voice-mail message of someone saying “Are you there?” over and over could…
As a hip-hop producer, Kanye West’s near-ubiquity — producing hits for Twista, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Talib Kweli, and Alicia Keys — isn’t surprising; like a hip-hop high-wire act, his productions effortlessly balance walloping, riddim-fueled momentum and supersized choruses with more nuanced samples and deceptively intricate drum patterns. But as an MC,…
For a band that deserves to have at least a little bit of a chip on its shoulder, these guys certainly don’t. Some of Spitalfield’s members come from hardcore backgrounds, which initially earned them flak for their unabashed affinity for pop. That’d be enough to make some people justifiably defensive,…
My, look who’s turning 1! It’s everyone’s favorite Saturday-night indie dance party, Popscene! And to celebrate, it’s inviting Humbert, Bling Bling, Summer Blanket, the Freakin’ Hott, Helen Horal, and you to come over for soda, pie, a water balloon fight, a magic show, a petting zoo, cotton candy enemas, goody…
Simply Jeff The breakbeat is a strange animal that must be approached with caution. With roots in old-school breakdance music and hip-hop, breakbeats have always enjoyed a certain counterculture notoriety. But things have changed recently. Today, the breakbeat sound has mutated into a veritable animal kingdom of two-step, nu-skool, electro,…
Hot Water Music It has taken Gainesville, Florida, punk quartet Hot Water Music ten years to get past anonymity, a breakup, and some sonic transitions. Along the way, it grew from hardcore roots toward more likable pop punk while still hovering just under the radar. The band’s 1996 debut, Fuel…
The Wildhearts and hair metal harbingers the Darkness perform at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 6, at Mizner Park Amphitheater, Federal Highway and NE Mizner Boulevard, Boca Raton. Tickets cost $25. Call 561-962-4109.
AWK kicks out the jams at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $10. Call 954-564-1074.
Hair metal is an addiction for some; the spandex, the teased ‘dos, the bulge-accentuating pants, and total gender abandonment are a fix. Unfortunately, there are no self-help books for this problem. There are no formal group therapy sessions to attend for this obsession. There is no place to go and…
Check out Oly at 10 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at I/O, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. Call 305-358-8007.
