Street Punkers the Casualties at Studio A 6/20

Did you hear what recently happened at the G-8 in Germany? Anarchists from around the world tried to overthrow the fascist global police summit with a punk rock revolution! Black masked protesters wearing Crimethinc and Leftover Crack T-shirts threw grapefruit-size stones and bottles at police and torched overturned cars. But…

Hialeah Hardcore

Developing a strong identity as a band is a challenge. Often, groups try so hard to be unique that they all end up sounding the same, or they don´t have the experience to trust their gut and just be. Throw race and nationality into that mix and things get even…

Emo on the Skids

There is no better way to dismissively sum up a rock band than by labeling it ¨emo.¨ This has worked almost universally for the past six or seven years, with few exceptions. The problem arises when a few exceptions occur, as music aficionados and pop culture in general must scramble…

Like a Rolling Stone

Twenty-year-old British soul phenom Joss Stone sings with a quiet but powerful strength that epitomizes what the French meant when they came up with the word chanteuse. With three hit records under her belt, it´s hard to believe how much she´s accomplished in such a relatively brief career. None of…

Further Seems Forever

Less than a decade ago, it seemed that Broward County was known for its emo-pop heroes. John Ralston was getting started, Recess Theory was making waves, and New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional were breaking out and becoming darlings of MTV. Anybody who paid enough attention could credit South Florida…

Roberto Fonseca

Although a member of Buena Vista Social Club (in 2001, at the tender age of 26, he replaced Rubén Gonzalez) right up until the group´s final recordings, Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca is not at all interested in having his music viewed as nostalgia. Though certainly respectful of the various traditions…

Betty Davis

Listen to the track “Anti Love Song” by Betty Davis here. Music history is packed with people on the periphery of fame, amazingly talented, and/or ahead of their time that never quite ¨make it,¨ defined by achieving stardom and riches. Eccentric model and singer Betty Davis, a former Mrs. Miles…

Los Tigres del Norte

The average unsuspecting gringo has no idea: Across Latin America, Los Tigres del Norte are huge. Regularly selling out stadiums of more than 80,000 seats, registering global sales of over 32 million records — yeah, that kind of huge. Playing continuously for close to 40 years now, the five-piece band…

Various Artists

The title of this superb anthology of furious rare grooves from Florida speaks for itself. There are tons of righteous soul, hard-kickin´ drum breaks, James Brown-influenced grooves, and a whole lot of unheard funky goodness. For those new to the funk, according to the scrupulously detailed liner notes, funk music…

DJ Mix: Electric Porkchop – ‘Sloppy Beats’

“Electric Porkchop is a fluctuating DJ collective that plays everything under the sun in varying configurations. I cover mostly dub, breaks, house and techno, and other members mix in hip hop, funk, soul, acapellas, mashups and more. This mix is something of a “disc 2” sampler, highlighting some of the…

Russell Simmons, Hip-Hop CEO, at Books & Books

Some came dressed in barely-there dresses, armed with look-at-me attitude. Some came in hip-hop gear designed to demonstrate street cred. Everyone came with their business face on. Russell Simmons was about to be in the house, and the vibe at Books & Books was electric. At 7:00 p.m., Simmons was…

Some Feel-Good Music for a Monday

If your brain is a bit groggy as you sit in that cubicle, here’s a throwback video to help shake out the cobwebs. And for the newjacks, yes Xzibit had a career before MTV’s Pimp My Ride. Long live the golden era of hip-hop. –Jonathan Cunningham…

Get Well Marley Marl

So reports say that legendary producer, radio host, and Juice Crew affiliate Marley Marl has had a heart attack and is recovering in a New York hospital. I’m not sure if there’s need for a candlelight vigil, but dude could use some prayers. And for those that worship the Temple…

Maroon 5 Show at Studio A this Saturday POSTPONED

Maroon 5’s gig at Studio A, originally scheduled for this Saturday, has been postponed until July 10. Here’s the band’s official statement: “If you haven’t heard already, Matt Flynn’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second child on Tuesday! In order to let Matt spend time with his family, we…

Grandmaster Dee and Flava Flav Play Sportscasters

Hip-hop legends Grandmaster Dee of Whodini (now a Broward County resident) and Flava Flav are usually great on the microphone, but watching them trying to plug a local sports channel is too funny. By the third take, the cameraman must have been wondering what he got himself into. –Jonathan Cunningham…

Know Your Amens From Your Apaches??

No? Well, the two are two of the most important breakbeats, ever, in the history of hip-hop and dance music. Here’s a history of the amen, so called because it originates from a 1969 soul record, “Amen Brother” by the Winstons. You’ll recognize this six-second loop instantly, and this video…

More Minimal Sounds from Miami

Further proof that the dance music underground is growing down here: A day after posting mixes by DJ Nova and Anatoli Russki, I’ve received a message from another local mixer of minimal sounds: Baez. He tells me he’s spinning at a free minimal/tech house party this Friday at the Mark,…

Anti Hip-Pop Consortium

As if the name ¨Boca Raton¨ (variously translated as ¨Mouse´s Mouth¨ and ¨Thieves’ Cove¨) isn´t awkward enough, just imagine being a hip-hop group named after a street in this upper-crust South Florida city and trying to eke out some street cred. That´s hard on its own, but when the actual…