Overlooked amid the hoopla surrounding the recent Mitchell Report — former Sen. George Mitchell’s investigation into the use of steroids and human growth hormone in Major League Baseball — was the release last month of the Quayle Report. The culmination of an eight-year, $77-million investigation headed by former Vice President…
Anyone who’s ever worked in the music industry is probably aware of the massive difference between the executives who release records and the consumers who buy them. But no one has ever captured this disconnect as irreverently as Dan Kennedy does with Rock On: An Office Power Ballad (Algonquin Books…
Well, we’ve certainly come a long way since 1979. And we will most certainly not delve into any kind of bizarre correlations between the melting surf-guitar-driven punk rock of the Placentia, California-based band Agent Orange, and that happy, dioxin-filled defoliant that made many an uncle crazy. But it’s always nice…
Operating out of Utrecht, the Netherlands, the three-piece collaborative known as Black Sun Empire is now in its 10th year of tearing up dance floors and producing tunes both technically proficient and powerful. Comprising darkstep/neurofunk producer Rene Verdult and the DJing brothers Milan and Micha Heyboer, the band offers a…
Bang Camaro is hard to pin down — bass, drum, three guitars, and a vocals choir that can include up to 18 people. Is it cacophony? Discordance? Full-fledged riot? Or just a really good fucking time had by all? Whatever the case is in the end, the shtick has worked…
Granted, the name Hungrytown suggests a Third-World municipality desperate for charitable donations. But it’s actually the handle for a husband-wife duo that purveys honest-to-goodness, down-home folk songs with an authentic old-time flair. Cast with fiddles, mandolins, banjos, bluegrass, and balladry, their self-titled debut boasts a rustic back porch feel that…
In the early Eighties, the Go-Go’s were considered the quintessential California girls, mainly thanks to sunny New Wave songs such as “Vacation” and “We Got the Beat.” But times are (somewhat) different now for the quintet, comprising vocalist Belinda Carlisle, guitarist Charlotte Caffey, bassist Kathy Valentine, drummer Gina Schock, and…
Every music geek has made at least one. The romantic mix CD is a sure-fire way to woo a would-be lover’s heart or, if your goals are more base, just get laid. But the wrong song choice can make the entire project backfire. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, here’s…
You might not know The-Dream’s name, but you’ve heard his work. The former Terius Youngdell Nash, along with production partner Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, penned a number of 2007 smashes, including Rihanna’s monster hit “Umbrella,” Mary J. Blige’s jubilee-filled single “Just Fine,” and J. Holiday’s R&B anthem “Bed.” Dream’s own first…
Nostalgia isn’t always a bad thing in rock. No, it doesn’t always result in great art, but it can sound pretty bitchin’ blasting from a car stereo. Such was the case last year, when, in an era infatuated with New Wave revivalism, a surprisingly soulful slab of guitar rock arrived…
From its debut to this third album, Hot Chip has traveled an uneven path. The British quintet started out experimenting with sound sources and working entirely beyond conventional parameters, but by its sophomore effort had become bizarrely electro-pop conformist. Now, on Made in the Dark, the band bests itself by…
“River and ocean, a wave in my heart/We got your money, now we’ll make a new start.” And so the Whigs do. With Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) helming the boards for its major-label debut, the Athens, Georgia-based rock band sounds immense. On the opening track, “Like a Vibration,” Parker…
Angels & Airwaves Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Better Than: Spending all night trying to figure out why everyone accepts AVA as the abbreviation for Angels & Airwaves. The Review: David Glimour and Roger Waters did it. That is, they pursued solo careers after a hugely successful run…
Here’s one of the few other videos about South Florida music that I could find on YouTube. And this one is truly sort of amazing — it’s a tiny clip from what the poster says was South Florida’s only ever cable access show devoted to metal and hardcore. Of course…
Found a couple interesting things on YouTube from old-school South Florida public access shows (not as many as I would have liked, though!). First cool item was this video posted by the user “Ninjaguydan,” who lists her (?) name as Lisa, and says she directed this music video for her…
Time is upon us to start getting listings and information together for our annual Winter Music Conference Guide! So promoters, DJs, everyone, send me your event info here! — Arielle Castillo…
The autopsy report has come back for Pimp C, half of the legendary southern rap duo UGK, who was found dead in his L.A. hotel room this past December. The coroner’s verdict? A combination of sleep apnea … and SYRUP, that narcotic prescription cough medicine name-checked in oh so many…
When I pulled up to Churchill’s Pub, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., a police patrol car was parked out in front. The lights were on and two officers were talking to a young man. What a lovely way to start a night of jazz music. As me and my friends walked…
Girl Talk February 2, 2008 Studio A Better Than:Cocaine and Miami Subs The Review: “Bounce That”, the 12th “song” off of Girl Talk’s third album Night Ripper has kicked off almost every mix CD I’ve made in the past year. And regardless of each of my friends’ musical preference, be…
Rod Stewart Hard Rock Live February 1, 2008 Longtime fans who bemoaned Rod Stewart’s recent four-album cycle of standards will be relieved to know that Roddy’s stripped his current tour of replays of the great American songbook and returned to singing the kind of songs that earned him his rock…
Yes, underneath the week-long orgy of beats and booze, concurrent with the endless, overwhelming number of boat parties, pool parties, regular parties, afterparties, during WMC there is, actually, a conference (the “C” part!). Of course, besides getting you into a number of officially sanctioned parties (including Ultra), the badge also…
When two-time Tony Award nominee Christine Andreas last came to Miami, it was to help christen the Carnival Center while taking a turn Margaret Johnson in a production of The Light in the Piazza. “Opening a venue is always exciting. Mine was the first foot or limb to step on…
