Critic's Notebook

With the release of his new album, Third Ward Stories, Fort Lauderdale-based saxophonist Jason Hainsworth set out to create a musical biography of his childhood in Houston. But how do you tell a story through instrumental jazz without any lyrics? “Too often I think we take for granted the countless…

Right now, travelling in a small caravan of two SUVs, there is a band of monsters on an adventure. Raggy Monster, one of the more popular local bands from South Florida, has taken its carnival of creepy indie rock on the road for the group’s first ever out-of-state tour. Although…

When I first heard the song “Mellow Yellow” on a good time oldies station, my  reaction was, “Why haven’t I ever heard this before?’ It was a perfect blend of pop and cool, mixing folk and psychedelia  After a little digging, I learned it was by Donovan. Perusing  his catalog…

Boca Raton brothers Emil and Dariel Liakhovetski made a splash as finalists on season nine of NBC’s America’s Got Talent (the show is currently in its eleventh season), garnering a massive following for their sizzling cello covers of classic rock anthems. Since ending their AGT stint, the boys have been making…

“Love is the only thing worth doing. Anything else is secondary,” unsigned R&B singer Nil Bambu Tweets out to just a few hundred followers. We first caught wind of the Fort Lauderdale up-and-comer via the visual for her latest release, “Time Travel,” which dropped on YouTube on June 14 and…

Photo Credit: Benhur Photography. When Tiffany Miranda started out as a recording artist, she looked around the studio and quickly noticed she was in the midst of a male-dominated industry. “Women are known to be vocalists or songwriters, but they rarely are in the position of creative control of a…

We sure do miss teh Talent Farm. For nearly a decade, the all-ages Pembroke Pines venue hosted shows of all sizes before closing its doors two years ago, almost to the day. The warehouse space, which opened in 2005 and closed at the end of May 2014, hosted everyone from…

Bruce Hornsby has won a handful of Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist in 1987 and Best Bluegrass Album in 1990, worked with everyone from Bob Dylan and Elton John to Stevie Nicks and Eric Clapton, and played over 100 shows with Grateful Dead until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995…

Palm Beach rapper wifisfuneral will drop his debut full-length, Black Heart Revenge, via online streaming platforms May 27, and to get us hyped, he’s posted two of its tracks to his SoundCloud over the last two Fridays. Produced by Danny Wolf, “Love the Feeling” features a verse from fellow Florida rapper…

In a story titled “Pitbull leaves Miami Out of His Upcoming Tour” yesterday in Miami New Times, New Times Broward Palm Beach’s sister publication, ignorant freelance writer Dyllan Furness got it completyely and absolutely wrong.  Furness pointed out that Mr. 305 is avoiding the 305 in his Bad Man Tour…

“I believe there is a big need for a really pure jazz and blues festival in Florida,” says Patrick Maraist, owner of Music Jam Productions and organizer of the inaugural Florida Jazz and Blues Jam. “This is something I plan to grow over several years and make it into a…

Rock ‘n’ Roll is dead. At least, that is what the mastermind behind what would become the biggest-selling debut album of all time was told in 1975. And if Tom Scholz had listened to top music executives’ assertions that disco had upended rock, we would live in a world without…

Hype has been slowly building for a new documentary film that promises to shed light on pioneering South Florida punk legends, Load. Made up of drummer Fausto Figueredo, guitarist Jeff Tucci, and singer Bobby “Load” Johnston, Load was “a wrecking ball disguised as a brakeless 18-wheeler handing out candy to unsuspecting children,…

It’s just like Christmas morning — except instead of barreling out of bed to tear open neatly papered boxes with tiny, grubby hands, we’re waiting patiently in line, combing gingerly through dusty record racks while still rubbing the sleep from our eyes. We might be a bunch of fully-grown music…

As the nominees for president in both parties turn their attentions to the Sunshine State, supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in South Florida have spent the last several weeks using music to help raise awareness of the candidate. Ahead of Florida’s presidential primary vote on March 15, Fort Lauderdale’s…

Hard-rocking Aussie quintet AC/DC announced yesterday that due to medical reasons, they have been forced to cancel and reschedule ten upcoming dates on the U.S. leg of their “Rock or Bust” World Tour, including this Friday’s concert scheduled at BB&T Center in Sunrise. According to the band’s official statement: “AC/DC’s…

While saying he misses performing, Phil Collins on Friday afternoon scoffed at the notion of launching a world tour, which makes sense: How can a guy travel the world when he needs a cane for every step he takes? A scruffy and limping Collins did talk up one concert –…

Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach are looking for a part-time clubs listings editor. The job involves keeping track of bars and music in two of the most dynamic markets in the United States for our website.  It involves mostly remote work, but presence in the office is…