I’m not totally empty inside, but I am a sucker for a pretty face and a slammin’ bod. I have this stupid joke I make (that I’m mostly serious about), that I want to be the ugly one in all my relationships. I want people to look at me and…
Quick — think of a drummer. No, that Muppet doesn’t count. It’s hard, ain’t it? Certainly not as easy as naming a guitarist or a lead singer. “Drummers don’t get a chance to stand out. I thought it would be cool to give drummers I respect 15 minutes to come…
Classical musicians have been trying for years to figure out how to hook younger generations. They might want to give Jackie Rodriguez a call. The clarinetist and cofounder of 8 Bit Wave had a full house of Miami Dade College students during one of the school’s orchestra shows. She even…
What does it feel like to release an anthem — a track that becomes unanimous with a genre? Is there any hint of what’s to come in the recording studio? Does the sky blacken and the thunder clap closer until, finally, the song is done and a flock of golden…
On the day I speak to Umphrey’s McGee keyboardist Joel Cummins, he’s psyched about the privilege to throw out the first pitch at a Brewers-Cubs game (a matchup his hometown Cubbies wind up winning 6-3.) Additionally, Umphrey’s McGee is scheduled to perform both the national anthem and the seventh inning…
Otto Von Schirach worships at the alter of the avocado. If you follow the king of the Miami bass freaks on Instagram, surely you already know this. And surely you too have watched his bizarre 12 second videos praising the fruit gods and been left both confused and craving a…
J. Cole. Forest Hills Drive Tour with Big Sean, YG, and Jeremih. Tuesday, August 18, 6:30 p.m. Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 561-795-8883; ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $21 to $63.75 plus fees via livenation.com. From 2014 Forest Hills Drive to 601-7 Sansburys Way, Fayetteville rapper J. Cole has come a long way since a…
There’s strength in numbers. Most often in life, this is true. Two is better than one, and collaboration always breeds better ideas. But sometimes finding like-minded folk to collaborate with can be easier said than done. Bribery Corporation, an up-and-coming Miami-based label, is in the early stages of recruiting its…
A week ago, Afrobeta debuted their new music video before a live crowd at Miami’s new late night lounge, Libertine. A day before the Magic City duo’s set, we visited their home and recording studio, stepping over the garden and narrowly avoiding amputation via their fearless nine-pound guard dog, Suki,…
Rich Medina. With Lazaro Casanova and JBZ. Friday, August 14, 10 p.m. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-576-7750; bardotmiami.com. Ages 21 and up. Get into the party spirit with dope vibes from New Jersey-bred cool guy, Rich Medina and go on “sonic journey through hip-hop, house, soul, Afrobeat, funk, breaks, and dance classics” at…
Next time your landlord gives you shit about few nails in the wall or a chip in the paint, you should take them over to Bruiser’s pad. The local experimental trio turned their house in Miami’s historic Buena Vista neighborhood into, essentially, a very hardcore Airbnb. “The landlord didn’t like the…
Despite his inconsistent output of songs (OK!), despite his repetitive shouts and interruptions (Yeah!), despite even his rhetorical questions and exclamations (What?!), Lil Jon has remained a relevant figure in music for 15 years. Indeed, the King of Crunk was the producer of the early ’00s. Ever since his partnership…
Back in September, on the set of the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, cameras rolled in the parking lot of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium as actors playing prudish protesters hoisted signs (“Crap Rap N.W.A”) and ran over a pile of the group’s records with a steamroller. A little later,…
Brandon Flowers has cancelled his show at the Fillmore Miami Beach that was supposed to take place next Wednesday, August 19, at the Fillmore Miami Beach. In fact, he’s cancelled a whole string of shows this week — six in total — so at least we can take comfort in…
Have you ever been sitting at your desk around noon, and suddenly you feel like Billy Elliot? It’s like you’re possessed by the dancing spirit of Bob Fosse. Your heartbeat starts to sound like a low booming bass and you just need to explore this burning desire to move. The…
With his debut album, Brown Sugar, a 21-year-old D’Angelo helped invent a genre. Five years later, the sexually and spiritually explicit Voodoo revealed the maturation of a young man and perpetuated the artist’s spectacular rise. After a 14-year hiatus full of personal ups and downs, the founder of neo soul…
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get exactly what you wish for. In the case of indie rocker Colleen Green, homegirl is getting just what she wanted. In her latest LP, I Want to Grow Up, Green reflects on the millennial struggle of being broke and single and, well, growing up…
Forget the fact it’s been nearly 30 years since Howard Jones wrote the songs that made him a radio staple. With a string of chart triumphs including tracks such as “New Song,” “Life in One Day,” “Like to Get to Know You Well,” “No One Is to Blame,” “Hide and…
Rey Pila is of a different era. It seems the group hitched a ride with Doc and Marty in 1989 but forgot to hop back into the DeLorean. The nostalgic synth-rock band’s music, mood, and even name owe credit to the ’80s — to one artist in particular. The name…
Trap is kind of old hat. The 808-driven, drug-smuggler sound has been a hip-hop staple for 20-plus years. Even its most recent takeover of the EDM world is a phenomenon pushing four years, a lifetime in trend-speak. It seems whatever can happen in trap already has — unless you’re talking…
Of all the guys who’ve been singing songs since the ’80s, Weird Al Yankovic is one of the most adaptable and resilient. This makes him remarkably still relevant. The tales surrounding his album Mandatory Fun are the stuff of modern-day myths. After his label told him it couldn’t afford to…
People seem to forget that Miami used to be a swamp. Since then, European explorers, waves of people from all over the world, and Pitbull have been poured into and over it, creating a wild west on the southeastern tip of this country like no other place. However, all that glitter…
