Steel Pulse with Fourth Dimension Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale The Review: There is nothing like being in the presence of a vintage Rasta man, and David Hinds, Steel Pulse’s frontman, is an especially potent one. He’s been the driving, spliff-cheefing force behind the monster reggae act since…
Blind people jokes and creative reinterpretations of “Feliz Navidad” aside, my knee-jerk reaction was, is this dude still alive? Yup. Alive and active. He’s been keeping busy on the live circuit and in the studio, releasing a pair of digital albums last year (American Classics and Djangoisms) and shopping for shades…
Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists alive. The man — currently gabbing with Buddy Guy on his signature T-Mobile phone on TV — long ago earned his place in the pantheon of rockers as a guitar god.Clapton began his career in the early ’60s playing with British blues-rock…
Acoustic duo Chicken Little (it typically adds an exclamation point) brings old-time post-punk to an in-store Radio-Active Records show Thursday. How do those two disparate styles mix? Chicken Little’s overt Appalachian bluegrass backbone makes the old-timer bit really easy to make out, but one has to dig deeper into the…
Hard-working and constantly touring, Orlando’s psychedelic funk-rock act Diocious is definitely making waves throughout Florida and the Southeast. The trio is riding a swell of shows through March, including three dates opening for the prominent San Francisco jam band Tea Leaf Green and a slot at the La Viance Music…
Locos por Juana’s new EP, Evolución, is aptly named. The band’s perpetually in a state of motion, and not just in the midst of their frenzied live performances around town, but in everything they do. For starters, you might have noticed that the group’s lineup is now two members slimmer…
French duo Air has always occupied a singular astral plane. J.B. Dunckel and Nico Godin create compositions that are nominally electronic but above all organic-sounding. They’re slightly retro, dabbling in the experimental ’70s, while also otherworldly and futuristic. They’re Teutonic in their love of machinery but Gallic in their embrace…
Making up words is fun, but it rarely yields anything worth keeping (unless you count Peter Griffin’s festizio). Lanzallamas Monofónica is an exception. The band name isn’t entirely fabricated: If you know Spanish, you know lanzallamas to be flamethrowers. Meanwhile, monofónica refers to single-channel recording. Though the band most definitely…
New York City trio — well, maybe threesome is a better word — Menya delivers the kind of tech-savvy genre blending that could emerge only from a college dorm in 2K10. These NYU undergrads have file-shared, cut up, and flipped the script on electro-pop, coming up with a project that’s…
It ain’t easy being queen. There’s the gospel career derailed by pregnancy before you reach your midteens and the six-year jazz-pop career that never really gets out of the box. There’s the return to roots under the auspices of Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records and the transformation into “Soul Sister…
Just a reminder that Steel Pulse is in South Florida this evening at Revolution. Arielle has more to say about the legendary reggae group here. This morning, we would merely like to mention that Biblical figures “Daniel, King David and Abraham Israel were all black men,” which is the crux…
The members of Bachaco are going to be busy little bees over the next few days. Well, ants maybe. Because, as you know, their name refers to a Brazilian leafcutter ant. Entomology lessons aside, the SoFla-based fusion group is going to be performing live at UM for the Patio Jam…
The Moody BluesBayfront Park Amphitheater, MiamiMarch 5, 2010 It was be easy – and excusable to a degree – for a band like the Moody Blues, whose entire history is draped in nostalgia, to coast by simply on the haze of blissful memories. After all, the majority of the band’s devotees…
Clarence Reid (a.k.a. Blowfly) with Mr. Entertainment and the Pookiesmackers Saturday, March 6, 2010 The Monterey Club, Fort Lauderdale “We’re all going down with the ship, at least I get to hang with the string section” — Tom Bowker The night was odd from the get-go. First, the show was…
Promising to just “simply progress”, Phresh James brings a new level of smooth to South Florida music. Born and raised in Carol City, Phresh James is simply an old soul. His music and style just show a sign of maturity and willingness to keep growing. And believe it or not,…
South Florida temperature still rather chilly, but the events are still heating up. Let’s hope by the time Winter Music Conference rolls into town, things are a bit warmer. In case you were too busy huddling next to your space heater, here is what you missed over the weekend:The Strip…
Locos Por Juana with Choc Quib TownKukaramakara, MiamiFriday, March 5, 2010Better Than: Seven shots of aguardiente. Or perhaps even better because of them?The Review:I’m not going to lie to you. I’d been psyched about this show for some time. Curious about Choc Quib Town might be more accurate, at least…
Click here to view a slideshow of photos from the concert.Taylor SwiftWith Kellie Pickler and GlorianaBankAtlantic Center, SunriseSunday, March 7, 2010Simultaneously embodying adolescent pathos and empowerment, Taylor Swift swung her golden ringlets into South Florida’s BankAtlantic Center Sunday evening. While many folks around the country watched their office Oscars pool…
You may remember the Heineken TransAtlantic Festival. It came through last year? A whole bevy of top-shelf world music talent graced our fair shores. CuCu Diamantes participated, sharing her dulcet, neo-Cuban-cabaret-era-spliced-with-urban-NYC vibe. Quirky Mexican NuJazz songstress Ximena Sariñana also played a gig, and our own Rachel Goodrich opened. If you…
As Arielle pointed out back in February, the upcoming Lilith Fair tour lineup does not suck. Now, if they’d just tell us when the West Palm Beach date is going to happen, we can start baking the chocolate chip cookies!Aside from the seriously badass Kelly Clarkson (we will be screaming…
If there is one thing Memorial Day Weekend in Miami is known for is perhaps the sickest dancehall/hip-hop concert this side of Jamaica. Best of the Best’s name might seem a bit boastful but it’s hard to argue otherwise. Last year, the concert brought together Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Bounty…
The namesake guitarist of the Damon Fowler group might look, at first, a little too fresh-faced to really know about the blues. But the cherubic Gen Y-er already boasts more than a decade on the live circuit. Growing up in the Tampa Bay area, he picked up a guitar at…
