Simplicity rules. The Fest, an annual, well, fest in Gainesville, gets away with its bare-bones name because, well, it is THE fest in the Southeast. The yearly three-day shebang is the Sunshine State’s ultimate, temporary mecca for all that is sludgy and dirty in metal, hardcore, and punk. No, not the…
What do you get when the equally weirdness-loving Roofless Records and Laundry Room Squelchers team up? Thursday, July 8 marks the first such promotional collaboration, but apparently, it yields an awesome night of lo-fi, scuzzy, and experimental sounds that marry old-school with new. Representing the old-school (by now) is L.A. underground…
Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd quietly announced his debut album, The Wild Trapeze, via his Facebook page only a month ago, and not much else has been said about it since.Today, it was officially released. His first solo album a music career spanning more than 15 years, Boyd describes his debut…
Click here to view photos from Black Kids at the Vagabond.Black Kids With Pop Glow The Vagabond, Miami Friday, July 2, 2010 Better than: Dancing in your underwear a ‘la Tom Cruise in Risky Business — hey, we know you’ve all done it. The Review: The first room at the…
Click here to view photos from Hole at the Fillmore Miami Beach.HoleThe Fillmore Miami BeachFriday, July 2, 2010Nobody can blame Courtney Love of being fake and insincere. She always wears her emotions on her sleeve, a rare trait in rockstars these days. Love is dying breed of iconic stars that…
Whatever. Taking on acts from alternative hip-hop, post-hardcore, and the vilified emo only brought Epitaph more success and more whiny cries from its old punk fan base. Boo-hoo-motherfucking-hoo, ya big babies! Gurewitz did set up plenty of sub-labels (ANTI-, Hellcat) that have kept peddling that Southern California sound. But the…
It’s always a good feeling when a local band comes back to us. You’ve probably heard Black Kids’ first hit single “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You” in one variation or another, and now they’re doing a statewide Florida tour to test out their never-played-in-public…
Hole may be the main attraction at the Fillmore Miami Beach on Friday night, but even Courtney Love’s potential antics may be upstaged by openers Foxy Shazam. A gonzo outfit hailing from the somewhat unlikely locale of Cleveland, the six-piece aims to be “the Michael Jordan of rock and roll,”…
Every now and then on the local scene we get some like-minded individuals joining their strengths symbiotically for a greater good. We here at Crossfade think that rock and roll fits seamlessly into that arena of greater goodness, and we’re big fans of this particular group of guys individually.We’re now…
Let’s face it, folks: Rock bands are boring nowadays. No one wants to go out on a limb — musically, live, or in the press — for fear of an ever-dwindling music-buying population turning its back on the band. Luckily for us, God has given the world Foxy Shazam. Guided…
These brainy Orange County, California post-hardcore dudes have been slogging it out for more than a decade, and though their mid-’00s major-label stint didn’t quite attract My Chem-grade crowds, Thrice is still making passionate, meaningful music. Last year’s Beggars even wisely dialed down the prog-punk trimmings that bogged down the…
Lightning Bolt is a two-piece band from Providence, Rhode Island. In the past 12 years, Brian Chippendale (drums) and Brian Gibson (guitar) have released four chaotic, spazzy art-metal albums that are metal only in the loosest way. Lightning Bolt songs are like crazy, wounded wildcats: dangerous and unpredictable, with jagged…
I was raised on Latin music, and work around it for a living. So I might as well be the one to address the elephant in the room. It’s big, it’s gray, it smells like an entire farm’s worth of shit, and it’s eating all the peanuts. Enough is enough,…
Regular Crossfade contributor, Christopher Lopez, has never made any bones about his inherent distrust of bachata boy band Aventura. But now that the group’s playing a two-night stand at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood next Tuesday and Wednesday, he felt it was time to explain himself.That’s why, this week,…
Salsa lovers of the world unite! There’s going to be a whole lotta cadera- (hip-) shaking at the James L. Knight Center on August 6, during the show dubbed “Juntos Por Primera Vez” (Together for the First Time).The tropi-tune extravaganza will feature a few fan favorites from the salsa realm:…
Pioneering a movement isn’t easy work, especially in an age when everything’s been done. But Sleepy Vikings are king-hell committed to blazing a trail. “Well, we’re trying to invent our own genre right now,” says guitar-and-vocal guy Julian Conner. “Probably unsuccessfully … But we’re telling people it’s ‘southern shoegaze,’ for…
We were impressed by Grand Central’s quiet bookings of some great Latin alternative acts in upcoming months. We say quiet, because while the Poplife-branded events there get a lot of shine (from this blog included), whoever else is behind the scenes has been scheduling some very interesting performers en español. Recent…
Crossfade looooves the Florida Room and its hidden, Art Deco, ’30s-gangster vibe. Sure, the cocktails are expensive but 1) they’re delicious (especially if someone else is buying), and 2) you can always perfect the cheapskate’s art of pre-gaming and then treating yourself to one or two, to be sipped slo-o-o-o-wly. The…
Dark Night of the Soul may sound familiar to you. Danger Mouse and iconic filmmaker David Lynch displayed photographs from the illustrated companion book to the album at the O.H.W.O.W. gallery this past Art Basel.The album was set for release last May, but never made it out to record stores…
Raheem DeVaughn did not, in fact, win the award for Best Male R&B artist at the BET Awards last night. Also up for the nod was fellow soulful singer Maxwell — but in our heart of hearts, as much as we hoped, we knew neither would win. Each category always…
We were surprised, but excited to see a show announcement pop up in our inbox for a newish venue called the New Vintage Music Hall. For the downtown hipsters, this is not (that’s okay, there are a million shows coming up at Grand Central to keep them occupied.) This place is,…
Click here to view photos from Kid Sister at Grand Central.Kid Sister and MalucaGrand Central, MiamiSaturday, June 26, 2010Local DJ/producer Induce cause quit a stir last week when he was quoted saying, “Uhmmmmm. We have a music scene?” when referring to Miami’s local music scene. Commenters quickly pounced on him…
