It’s not easy for American bands to break through to pop success. When the Backstreet Boys got started, they were strategically marketed in Europe first, then brought back to the States after they’d already built a fan base. Imagine, then, the near-insurmountable odds stacked against a French-speaking electro-pop band. You’re…
Kind of like when Clark Kent loses the glasses, adorns his cape and becomes Superman, Sam Young morphs into Vanilla Ace before our very eyes when he drops the needle on a 118 BPM house track with an Isaac Hayes sample. While Sam Young has played 30-plus open format sets…
Playing at Churchill’s Pub is a rite of passage for Miami musicians. When Modernage had the opportunity to perform at the legendary Little Haiti dive ten years ago, the band released recordings of the night’s performance — its first ever release — calling it Live at Churchill’s. The group hasn’t looked…
Thanks to Bob Dylan, plenty of rock and roll fans are familiar with the name Hollis Brown. His 1964 hit, “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” is the dark tale of a South Dakota farmer who escapes poverty by killing his family and then himself. These days however, Hollis Brown is a…
The guys of My Morning Jacket are legendary live performers. Given that they’ve been going strong since ’98 and released seven albums, you’d expect them to put on a stellar show. Still, no matter a group’s longevity, stage presence and charisma are rare in music. They’re inherent skills, ones not…
They say you have your whole life to write your first album and two years to write the next. Luckily for ghetto-tech beatmaster Justin Martin, he never got the memo. “I think I’m more relaxed, like almost a little bit too relaxed,” he says. His 2012 full-length debut, Ghettos &…
Music and mental health have a complicated, reciprocal relationship. Songs can simultaneously settle and exaggerate moods, augment intellect, numb pain, recall thoughts good and bad. Many of music’s most magnificent figures have grappled with various degrees of mental instability, experiencing the revelatory peaks and troughs of the human condition. Counting…
Diplo, in the voiceover for his 2011 BlackBerry ad, marveled at his life and busy schedule — conveniently organized by his Canadian-designed smartphone. “I can’t believe that people are actually paying me to leave my house and go somewhere like Austria to DJ for them,” he mumbled between quick cuts…
Crobot is everything that is right about hard rock, pushing the limits with its music and high energy shows. The bearded group is definitely in demand on the festival and touring circuit, going on the road this year with Anthrax and Black Label Society. Crobot feels just as comfortable in…
The Mowgli’s. Presented by Dunkin’ Donuts’ DD Summer Soundtrack. Monday, July 27, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Ocean Drive, between 8th and 9th. Admission is free. All ages. There’s nothing more refreshing than free iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts in the middle of a sweaty afternoon and live music from the Mowgli’s right…
On the day of the Miami Girls Rock Camp’s inaugural session, the Miami Beach Community Church is buzzing with a different kind of music than it’s used to. A bunch of little rock ‘n’ roll queens, ages eight to seventeen, are getting acquainted with their instruments and learning what it’s…
The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson Bayfront Park Amphitheatre Wednesday, July 22, 2015 Better Than: If you went to a Kiss/Cheap Trick co-headlining tour in 1995. In their peak years The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson would have never toured together. Though they are both of the same genre, the…
Anyone who happened to catch the enormously hilarious 2003 film A Mighty Wind could hardly be blamed for having a somewhat stilted view of folk music. In the film’s parodied reality, the genre was presented as a maudlin, over zealous form of fanciful musical expression suited mainly to aging hipsters in…
Origin stories can be tedious. Just how many times will Hollywood make us watch Uncle Ben die in a Spider-Man reboot? Red Nectar’s origin story took place among rows of expensive denim. Bernardo, the band’s designated shredder, met Michelle Grand, who would handle bass and vocal duties, while working together…
Nicki Minaj With Meek Mill, Tinashe, and Dej Loaf Bayfront Park Amphitheatre Monday, July 20, 2015 It’s been about 45 minutes. The DJ is doing his best to quell the “We want Nicki!” chants with bizarre Phil Collins mash ups, but he can only hold them back for so long…
When it comes to being confident, Natalie La Rose is an expert. After leaving all her friends and family back home in Amsterdam, she came to Los Angeles, California, to jump-start her music career. So far, that looks like it was a smart decision. La Rose’s debut single “Somebody” featuring…
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint Tour. With Meek Mill, Tinashe, and Dej Loaf. Monday, July 20, 7 p.m. Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, 301 Biscayne Blvd, Miami; 305-358-7550; bayfrontparkmiami.com. Tickets cost $35 to $570 plus fees via livenation.com. “The Night Is Still Young,” so “get twisted” on “Myx Moscato and vodka.” Then get…
If you like Nicki Minaj, you shouldn’t miss this show. Hell, even if you don’t like Nicki Minaj, you probably shouldn’t miss this show. Because whether you like her or not, you simply can’t deny her ability to put on a show. Bayfront Park Amphitheatre’s recent resurrection has brought Third Eye…
The five bearded men that make up the sludgy prog rock quintet of Form & Design were hard at work in a recording studio in the town of Medley, chipping away at the band’s debut album Gradients. The band — consisting of singer Adrian Cossio, guitarists Pachi Rasco and Manny…
“To have done a rock album without my crew would be treason,” the troubadour who is currently calling himself Rodrigo Solo told us. “I love the label of rock and roll but I wanted to do a more diverse project. I wanted to try to generate feelings without using a…
Curly hair. It’s all I’ve thought about the past few days. Out of all the things that I remember about listening to Alex Ferreira’s music during my college heyday, the one thing I always have the easiest time remembering is the hair, which was prominently displayed on the cover of…
Shania Twain may not be impressed by much, but just about everyone is impressed by this pop-country siren. She’s the Denzel of females — all talent with a perfect visage. And just like that runaway train Mr. Washington spent a whole movie trying to slow down, she’s proven to be…
