Twenty-seven year old Singer Siccaturie Alcock, better known as ‘Jah Cure’, has been released from prison. The Jamaican singer who was convicted on rape, illegal possession of a firearm and robbery was released at 5:30 Saturday morning. Jah Cure was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1998. Although he…
It’s a little past midnight inside the ballroom of a Sunny Isles Beach hotel, as the thinned out crowd seems oblivious to the salsa blaring from the speakers. Nothing the resident DJ standing atop the stage puts on the turntable during a one-hour span did little to arouse the gathering…
Photo by Jeffrey Delannoy Marilyn Manson and Slayer Sound Advice Amphitheatre July 23, 2007 Better Than: A sacrifice Marilyn Manson and Slayer kicked off their “Reign in the Sun” tour at the South Florida Fairgrounds last night. Junior High age Goths in their black Marilyn Manson outfits sweat profusely as…
Somewhere in Nowheresville, possibly California, a sleek black sportscar hurtles along a desolate highway flanked by sand, tumbleweeds, and dusty mountains. The silver-helmeted, black-leather-clad drivers say nothing. They’re on their way to find more of their kind, somewhere out there. But when they change — maybe evolve — their populace…
Rappers blogging is an odd trend that seems to have taken hold last year, right around the time white MC Sage Francis took exception to a MySpace posting. The entry in question had been penned by far superior white MC Serch, former member of 3rd Bass and then-host of VH1’s…
Raging Geisha’s frontwoman, Erica Sommer, is all about manipulating contrasts. There’s the inherent contradiction of her band’s name. There’s the music, which incorporates equal parts crunching guitar rock and Timbaland-style beats and samples. Then there’s her persona: sweet but fiery, sometimes rightfully PO’ed. See, Sommer is a black woman in…
The Tu Madre party, Thursdays at Cameo, holds the rare distinction of being one of the most unique club nights in Miami. Seriously. It’s Latin-oriented, but don’t think for a minute it’s a night of ho-hum salsa and reggaeton. First the crowd: a few Charo look-alikes, sure, but a lot…
Of the five bands on the bill this Thursday at Tobacco Road, Window is easily the most hardened road dog. The group’s implicit motto is “We’ll play anywhere,” and that it does, from representing the local color at SXSW to providing a backdrop at divey Italian restaurants in St. Louis…
New York City’s Josh Houtkin and Dave Pianka, a.k.a. JDH and Dave P, have been making the smarter cool kids dance for a few years now at their futuristic Fixed party. The sound heavily skews toward electro-house, but the two come from a punk rock background, so their musical policy…
It takes a true dancehall aficionado to appreciate the top-ranking ghetto sounds of Jamaica’s Ninja Man. This is only true because most novice listeners, if they could even understand a word he’s saying, would be scared to death of him. Dubbed as “the original front teet, gold teet, gun pon…
Once a year Latin alternative musicians — that is, those who don’t play salsa, tango, bolero, or other regional beats — come together en masse in New York City. The Latin Alternative Music Conference is a series of industry panel discussions, networking opportunities, open bars, promotional stops, and, of course,…
Life Unscripted, the second full-length from Miami hip-hop stalwart Garcia, is technically a solo album. But speak to the man for a just a few minutes, and it becomes abundantly clear the disc was a family effort. He almost never uses a singular pronoun when discussing his music, instead preferring…
The University of Miami School of Music boasts some notable alumni, two of the best known being Pat Metheny and Bruce Hornsby. Only time will tell whether Sam Friend will reach their level, but if his first EP is any indication, this 22-year-old UM grad is off to a good…
New York-based DJ/producer Chris Fortier got his start in the music industry in Orlando (where he moved from the smaller city of Melbourne, Florida, for college). Having weathered the crapstorm that was the Nineties’ progressive house movement and survived to sail into the seas of more substantial future music, he…
Almost 15 years after the release of the series’ first volume, erstwhile Gang Starr frontman Guru has definitely grown in character. But with this latest disc, he seems to be reaching for Starbucks instead of 125th and Broadway, with a few notable exceptions. It features an all-star guest lineup, including…
Since launching his solo career in 2000 — after helping redefine the alt-country concept with Whiskeytown — Ryan Adams has made overachievement something of a musical mantra: He released three albums in 2005 alone. Still, in Adams’s case, quantity hasn’t always equated with quality, and critics have complained that he…
The clock inside the storied bakery on Calle Ocho indicates it’s the middle of the day, but Luis Bofill is searching for a jolt of caffeine amid the patrons’ friendly chatter and the clacking of plates and utensils. “It was a long [night], so it’s like the start of the…
The Web site bigchampagne.com publishes a list of the top downloaded tracks in America. The cool thing about this list is that, unlike iTunes, it takes into account illegal downlaods. Here are the top ten downloaded songs from July 17 to July 24, 2007: Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry…
The Format July 24, 2007 Culture Room Better Than: Watching a clip of The Format on My Super Sweet Sixteen. After arriving at the show moments before the door opened, I surveyed my surroundings to see if it met my expectations. Pimped out tour bus, a symbol of budding rock…
Willy Chirino July 21, 2007 Dolphin Stadum A downpour and several rounds of lightning three hours before the first pitch did nothing to deter a large contingent of Willy Chirino’s most loyal fans from heading out to Dolphin Stadium. Whether they are Cuban exiles that arrived in Miami 40 years…
Photo by Santiago Felipe Beyonce July 22, 2007 BankAtlantic Center Better Than: Hating. You gotta love it. The Review: Blue-eyed soulster Robin Thicke was just finishing up his set when I walked into the BankAtlantic Center. So like any good girl on a Sunday night, I head straight to the…
Wu-Tang and LOUD.com offer fans a chance to open for The Wu in Hawaii! From July 16th to August 20th, 2007, Wu-Tang fans have the chance of lifetime. They can log on to LOUD.com, where they will be able to use a unique online recording studio to make and submit…
