Given the advances in digital studio equipment, cutting an album in analog can be both more difficult and more expensive than using readily available modern gear. Ben Harper preferred the old-school experience, however, so he and his band laid down Lifeline fast and dirty using a 16-track console. The results…
This Austin group is far from catholic in its approach to indie rock. Though pegged as “experimentalists,” the Octopus Project is more than capable of delivering the pop goods. And despite the members’ tendency toward vintage electronic equipment like theremins, the group’s passion for tweaking the capabilities of modern recording…
Scotland may be best-known for kilts, bagpipes, the Loch Ness monster, and Scotch whiskey, but that doesn’t take into account the country’s rich artistic heritage. Broward does its bit to promote awareness through its annual Scottish Festival and Games, but casual observers might put sole focus on the big brawny…
When it comes to music, hearing the last name Allman automatically makes one think of Southern-rock royalty. The Allman Brothers Band of old were quintessential rock gods below the Mason-Dixon Line, and they were often seen as the original “jam” band to folks who didn’t subscribe to the sounds coming…
Sometimes, the simplest music is the most affecting. So it goes with PJ Harvey’s new studio album, White Chalk, which often feels like a sequel to Björk’s Vespertine. Absent are the scorched-earth guitars and feral vocals for which the songwriter is known. Instead, Chalk finds solace and strength in desolation…
Before Dylan and that crucial British invasion (circa 1964), instrumental rock ‘n’ roll was not a specific subgenre. Its executors, however, actually topped the charts — the Ventures, Dick Dale, and Link Wray sold millions of records, influencing dozens of 1960s and ’70s guitarists. Although instrumental bands still exist, many…
At times, Jamaican-born singer Allison Lee’s vocals barely rise above a whisper. Her voice is a hushed, waif-like instrument that betrays vulnerability and supreme confidence. That’s an interesting juxtaposition for a singer so shy about her talents that until a few years ago, her coworkers at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital…
Is it possible that there exists any sizable group of people who (a) have never heard Diana Krall or, worse, (b) have heard but are still undecided about her? Yes, probably both exist, and unfortunately, the latest release of her work will do little to change this scenario. About half…
Boca Muse 7136 Berascasa Way Boca Raton 561-367-1133 High society, meet your barstool. Six months ago, the Boca Muse was the Red Lion Pub. Today, the sports-bar atmosphere of the Red Lion has been tossed in favor of a Roaring ’20s elegance. Sconces on the walls, a faux fireplace, ornate…
Okay, so the Sex Pistols stopped being relevant the first time they reunited (whenever that was — 1996? 1997?) and cheapened their own legacy. But this might take the cake. From a press release: Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Sex…
The first of South Florida’s pre-Carnival parties are jumping off tonight and with the weather warming up a touch, this should all make for a good five day weekend from here on out. Since soca doesn’t get nearly enough love on CrossFade, here’s some Machel Montano with his ever popular…
Not sure if this is true or not, but can’t help but post this link I found on Craigslist today. Someone from Poison is looking to get laid. If you need Craiglist to get the job done, that might be a sign that you’re washed up. –Jonathan Cunningham…
Carnival season is upon us here in South Florida and it’s only fitting to kick off the week with a video to celebrate. Thousands upon thousands of Caribbean folks will be rolling into South Florida every day this week for the dual carnivals happening in Miami and Broward County through…
credit: Thierry Arditti [Editors note: The text below is from an evening our theater critic extraordinaire Brandon K. Thorp spent with music critic extraordinaire Greil Marcus. Marcus was in town for a speaking engagement, and following that event, the two went out for dinner. What follows is a detailed breakdown…
Concert Review The Postmarks & Apples in Stereo The Culture Room 9/28/07 Better Than: Standing around with seven thousand of your closest “friends” at last week’s Interpol concert. As far as cool line-ups go, the Culture Room’s double bill featuring The Postmarks and Apples In Stereo was really a match…
The Slackers September 28, 2007 Studio A, Miami Better Than: That place with the good fried chicken with biscuits and gravy and all the fixin’s The Slackers are all about democracy. After a few wise cracks about President Bush and the state of the war, the band was feeling awfully…
The cast of Stomp, that international theater hit starring a motley gang of percussive dancers, performed at Mansion this past Friday as a special addition to the show’s week-long stint at the Carnival Center. The event, billed as “Stomp vs. DJ Ideal,” wasn’t so much a rivalry between a wax…
Perhaps most well known as one half of the now-defunct dreamy pop duo Azure Ray, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Orenda Fink comes to Ft. Lauderdale tonight fronting her new band Art In Manila, which released its debut, Set the Woods on Fire in August on famed Omaha-based indie label Saddle Creek Records (home…
News from across the pond is that Radiohead will be dropping a new album much sooner than most people expected. It’s available on October 10, via the band’s website as a digital download only. Get ready. Of course the price is not cheap and will run you £40 quid–which sounds…
Apples in Stereo September 28, 2007 The Culture Room Better Than: Eating a barrel of Count Chocula while in interstellar overdrive The Review: We dig The Culture Room, even if we’ve gotta drive about a million miles to get there. The joint’s dark, the sound’s swimming, and it’s run by…
Broward County’s the Postmarks have the music industry paying attention to their sugary sounds in a big way. It may have taken two years to put out their debut, self-titled album, but now that it’s on shelves, everyone from Spin to the New Pornographers seems to want a piece of…
I like Rilo Kiley. I can’t help but groove to their country-inspired brand of indie rock loosely influenced by Straight Outta Compton, De La Soul, and The Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique. I find vocalist Jenny Lewis’s quirky, choppy, and occasionally incomprehensible lyrics and pleasantly girlish voice refreshing. I like when…
