Concert Review: The Rat Opera at Tobacco Road, September 19

Hearing Damage: The Rat OperaTobacco Road, Miami Saturday, September 19, 2009 Better Than: Reminiscing at home by yourself about Rat Bastard’s courageous and outrageous accomplishments. The Review: For more than two decades Frank Falestra, better known as Rat Bastard, has shaped the South Florida music scene. A masterful producer and an eminent luminary in…

Around the World in 12 Hours at Space

Hey house junkies, turn off your computer and pack your bags — you’re going on a trip, and I’m not talking about the chemically-induced kind. This tomorrow night, Space Global Sessions has invited 11 DJs to take you “Around the World in 12 Hours.” The event starts at 11 p.m,…

A Festidan for the Rest-idan

Remember when you were in high school and house parties were the highlight of the week? The smell of teen angst, hormones, and liver damage thick in the air, live music pounding through sub-par speakers, and the incessant fear of cops coming and breaking up your party…really takes you back…

Matt Tolfrey and Crazy Larry Play Electric Pickle Tonight

The PL0T kids are at it again! Tonight brings a last minute double serving of deep techy goodness at the Electric Pickle with transatlantic favorites Matt Tolfrey and Crazy Larry in tow. Young British DJ/producer Matt Tolfrey has made his steady upward move from local pub DJ to internationally-recognized artist…

Concert Review: Skream and Benga at White Room, September 16

Skream and BengaWednesday, September 16, 2009White Room, MiamiBetter Than: Staying home on a Wednesday night.Dubstep has arrived. Sort of.Wednesday, White Room hosted two of the genre’s biggest icons, Skream and Benga. The British DJs have achieved almost cult status in the States. They aren’t necessarily bringing the crowds Tiësto pulls…

Concert Review: Rootz Underground at Pulp Live, September 16

Rootz Underground Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Pulp Live, Fort Lauderdale Better Than: Breaking the law and getting away with it. The Review: There are two words to describe the music of Rootz Underground: “rebel rock.” And from the looks of what transpired Wednesday night, rebellion in all its rockin’ glory was at hand. It’s been…

Wisin y Yandel

Puerto Rican duo Wisin y Yandel is without question the most successful reggaeton act in the history of the genre, outselling all the other heavyweights. Anyone remotely familiar with the genre will recognize their song “Rakata,” originally off the Mas Flow II (More Flow II) compilation and then later released…

Mala

Almost unbelievably, this performance by UK dubstep giant Mala at the Vagabond comes just a day after his colleague Skream’s gig around the corner at White Room. Miami aficionados of the genre might not have to go out again for a long time. And lest you totally miss the boat…

The Panix

Local thrash crew the Panix is not a boy band. Still, its barely post-teen members — bassist Emmett, guitarists Alex and Nico, and little drummer boy Wolfgang — are all young, skinny, and hairless enough to qualify as punk sex symbols of the über-dude Henry Rollins kind. They’ve got the…

Way Out West

Both members of the Bristol, England, duo Way Out West — Jody Wisternoff and Nick Warren — have become international star DJs in their own right. But it’s as this twosome when they really sparkle as creators of warm, expansive dance music that knows few genre bounds. At Way Out…

The Rat Opera

The Rat Opera, a project by Rob Elba of the Holy Terrors, is dedicated to the life and times of Rat Bastard, AKA Frank Falestra, the longtime noise artist, studio owner, producer, performer, promoter, and all-around impresario. From his home in South Florida, Rat has been making waves on the…

Silvano Monasterios Live at the Van Dyke Thursday

Venezuelan jazz pianist/composer Silvano Monasterios is no stranger to accolades. It seems he’s been earning them since he began his professional music career at the young age of 18. In 1989, he received an award for “Best Soloist” in the Miami Jazz Festival. In ’91 he earned an “Outstanding Soloist”…

Kreyol Rapper Mecca a.k.a. Grimo’s Thoughts On TPS for Haitians

Mecca aka Grimo is an American of Haitian descent who raps in English and Kreyol for Wyclef’s Sak Pase Records label. Listen above for his interview with Cheryl Mizell on WEDR 99 Jamz’s Community Voices show which airs every Saturday from 6 – 7 a.m.Did you know that Haitians fought…

Christian Martin Plays White Room this Friday

Like his brother Justin (by now a Miami favorite) DJ/producer Christian Martin boasts a highly energetic take on tripped-out melodic tech house which epitomizes everything that is fresh, imaginative and fun about contemporary electronic dance music. Schooled in Southern California’s legendary Moontribe desert parties and late ’90s club life in…

Concert Review: 30 Years of Churchill’s, 30 Years of Punk, September 12

​To view a full slideshow from the event, click here. 30 Years of Churchill’s, 30 Years of Punk Churchill’s Pub, Miami Saturday, September 12, 2009 Better Than: Getting drenched anywhere else.The Review:The 30-year anniversary celebration at Churchill’s this past Saturday night seemed largely like business as usual, except three times as crowded, hot, and…