Ann Arbor’s futuristic Afrobeat group NOMO sure knows how to fling out expectations and stereotypes. Just two years ago, critics and anyone in ear range were justifiably lumping this nine-person collective as a group of Fela followers and putting them in the Konono N°1/Antibalas camp because of their strong resemblance…
It’s a sure sign that an album is nasty when it takes a strong stomach just to review it. Miami-bred rapper Blowfly’s latest release, Live at the Platypussery, is just that type of hilariously crass disc. It was recorded live in Melbourne, Australia, and it’s full of funny yet crude…
I was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal. Nothing special, but that’s what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001. That day of infamy is one of those indelible events. Like the Kennedy assassination, no one forgets what they were doing when they…
Dixon spins at Aquabooty at The King Is Dead. As our economy takes a turn for the worse, there are still people out there who know what people want to do to forget that their life savings are going to shit — drink and dance. So it isn’t a surprise…
The musical darlings of the Village Voice Media. Rob Harvilla over at the Village Voice reviews Metallica’s latest offering Death Magnetic only after playing it on Guitar Hero III. The album was offered on the day of its release as a 11-track download for the game. Riverfront Times’ A to…
Classic Albums Live performs the Doors’ self-titled debut album
Okay, so not all of the members in Pretty Ricky got nekkid for the photo shoot, but at least one member did. And as you’ll be able to see from the picture below, it’s done really tasteful. The latest issue of VIBE magazine has a rather informative article on the…
Last year, Langerado Music Festival got plenty of national attention, particularly because of its strong lineup which included R.E.M., Beastie Boys, Matisyahu, 311, The Roots and Ani DiFranco. However, the festival couldn’t escape the logistical nightmare that was Big Cypress Indian Reservation. The 15-mile single lane highway leading up to…
Yes, you could say we have a small obsession with local DJ/producer Lazaro Casanova, so we’ll keep it short this time. Casanova has a new Perfect 10 mix available for download. When describing the mix series via his blog he says, “I take 10 songs I’m adamant about currently and…
In what we will hence forth refer to as the final nail in Miami’s rock venue coffin, Colombian nightclub chain Kukaramakara opens its first U.S. outpost in Miami in Studio A’s former digs. Our hopes of someone coming to the venue’s rescue and keeping it as the city’s only mid-size…
Metallica released its ninth studio album on Friday, five years after the release of its last album, St. Anger. I want to believe, but I’ve been disappointed by the last, oh, five albums and seventeen years. But despite all logic, Death Magnetic is finally here, according to Metallica, and I…
Lolo Reskin A gang of local thugs broke in, burgled and trashed our beloved Sweat Records over the weekend, stealing almost everything of value and destroying nearly everything else. According to Sweat’s site, gone are the “store computer, credit card terminal, video projector, entire DJ/sound setup, cash drawer and more.”…
This past Thursday, R&B singer Kelis was found not guilty in Miami on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. She was initially arrested last march for allegedly harassing two undercover police officers who were posed as prostitutes outside of a local club. On Thursday, a judge determined that there…
The weekend is about to start in a few hours, and what better way to get it started than with a DJ mix courtesy of Tom Laroc? Laroc released his State of the Union mixtape yesterday via the Rakontur blog. The mix features tracks by Ludacris, Bob Marley, Jay-Z and…
In my first month of living deep in the heart of Wilton Manors, I stopped at Georgie’s Alibi for a drink — and found myself to be the only young female for miles. After about an hour, someone approached me, asked if I was lost, and offered to direct me…
Is Richard Ashcroft talking about his bandmates when he sings “sometimes life seems to tear us apart/I don’t wanna let you go” on the Verve’s latest album? The band did break up prematurely in 1999 and finally reunited last year. Whatever the case, if the Verve ever suffered from any…
Rappers and producers who appear on the Game’s third album, L.A.X., include… everybody. There’s Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Scott Storch, Cool & Dre, Travis Barker, Keisha Cole, Ludacris, DJ Toomp, and Ne-Yo, for starters. OK, so none of the Shady/Aftermath crowd is here, but the point is, Game worked with…
The title of Ra Ra Riot’s full-length debut, The Rhumb Line, is a nautical term, and there’s a definite oceanic feel to the undulating cello, violin, and bass lines found on the release. But it’s clear that — unlike other string-heavy collectives that use the nautical to quite literal ends…
Jamaican singer and songwriter Winston Rodney, AKA Burning Spear, did some of the best roots reggae of the 1970’s (we hipsters called it just “reggae” back then), loaded with Rastafarian anger at the forces of oppression, gutsy island soul, and deep grooves. But now that it’s 2008, what is Burning…
For Miami-based guitarist and bandleader DJ Le Spam (AKA Andrew Yeomanson), his band’s name, the Spam Allstars, has nothing to do with the famed meat substitute. Instead, what the moniker actually represents is this eclectic act’s mission “to blend improvisational electronic elements and turntables with Latin, funk, and dub to…
Back in 1993, John Joseph Cullen, the local MC known as Butta Verses, left the grimy streets of his native Bronx, New York, to surf and attend classes in sunny South Florida. But instead of catching that perfect wave, the now-33-year-old b-boy ended up frequenting spots like the Sugar Shack…
Miramar-based rapper Rahsaan is quickly showing himself to be one of the hardest working MCs in South Florida. The Georgetown, Guyana-born, Brooklyn/Kendall raised lyricist has been on a tear lately, first hopping on the Rock the Bells tour with his crew, the Outfit, then linking up with Scheme Magazine to…
