Here are a few randomly selected recommendations among the many acts playing the Miami Music Festival. Visit MiamiMusicFestival.org for individual venue details. Many of these funky-named places you've never heard of are subdivisions of real venues, with made-up names just for festival purposes. Others venues are tents; Transit Lounge alone will host a couple, as well as putting on separate showcases within its walls. Three-day festival wristbands are $50 ($35 for students); one-day wristbands are $25 ($20 for students). Otherwise individual show admission is $10.
Liset Alea: This Cuban-born citizen of the world's style features even more influences than her passport does stamps. And that's quite a lot. The extremely talented singer/songwriter has lived everywhere from Cuba to Amsterdam and Paris to Costa Rica, and it shows in her eclectic sound, an upbeat and often effervescent blend of indie with pop and splashes of electronica.
11p.m. Thursday at the ASCAP showcase at Hard Rock Bayside (401 Biscayne Blvd).
Feneiva: Beach High alums go from Chayanne-esque pop (as on ballad "Te Perdi") to samba-tinted, funked-out jammy jams in live performance with the apparent flick of a switch. These guys were our Best Latin Rock Band in 2007's Best of Miami for good reason.
11p.m. Saturday at the Sony ATV Showcase at Waxy O'Connors Indoors (690 SW First Ct.)
The Monas: These Colombian-born natives of the 305 aren't about frills. They do one thing and do it well, and that's rock. But make no mistake, straight-forward is not synonymous with unpolished. Case in point, their well-deserved win at the 2006 Billboard Latin Conference New Artist Showcase. Plus, they were the first Colombian band to perform at SXSW.
12a.m. Thursday at La Guaracha (801 Brickell Bay Dr); 1a.m. Friday at the Rolling Stone showcase at Transit (729 SW 1 Ave); 8p.m. Saturday at NBCMIAMI.COM's showcase at Transit Tent 3 (9 ST and S. Miami Ave.); 10p.m. at Hard Rock Bayside (401 Biscayne Blvd).
