Anybody who was around during the South Beach boom of the early Nineties will remember Nil Lara, and the incendiary shows he put on — virtually every week, it seemed — at the legendary and now-defunct Stephen Talkhouse. A Cuban-American who spent much of his childhood in Venezuela, Lara led…
In the video for Of Montreal’s latest single, “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse,” frontman Bryan Poole plays the role of an aggressive dancing bear who loves cowboy hats. Unlike previous installments of Of Montreal’s summery and somewhat detached absurdist oeuvre, these latest developments are in large part a product of…
Axe-wielding marauders from the City of Progress take charge of Churchill’s stage on Saturday. With all the punk and metal bands in and around Miami, it’s amazing that Dave Daniels and his Churchill’s crew are still — still — carrying the scene around here almost single-handedly. That fact isn’t lost…
On a recent March evening the members of She Said, a diverse ensemble of Miami’s best female musicians, gathered to rehearse for their first-ever performance at the upcoming Fifth Annual Women and Culture Festival. She Said’s director, Michelle “Quatro” Forman, readied her tape recorder excitedly as the musicians cheered each…
With power and finesse unrivaled by any jazz singer south of Manhattan, Nicole Henry has become Miami’s worst-kept secret. The sophisticated Japanese jazz community, for one, is on her like green on wasabi. They’ve bestowed her honors such as “Best New Jazz Artist” (2004 HMV/Japan Music Awards) and have proclaimed…
Forget the fiery performances that this Brazilian legend has staged in the past, backed by a big band playing reggae and samba. This time around, he follows in the footsteps of João Gilberto. Gil performs solo, revisiting both classic and obscure selections from his personal songbook. Gil was one of…
It’s virtually impossible to figure out how Ted Leo became, you know, Ted Leo. Born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Leo graduated from Seton Hall Prep and received a degree in English from Notre Dame. He is now a strict vegan and plays socially conscious punk music. (We didn’t think they…
“I do this for the love of music/Not for the glitter and gold,” sings India.Arie on her Grammy-winning ditty, “Little Things.” The statement itself isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the emotion in Arie’s voice makes her words resonate. One can’t help but believe that everything the girl from Georgia sings about…
Most local clubgoers are already plenty familiar with Cedric Gervais, the French wunderkind DJ who worked his way up to practically owning the terrace at Space. After racking up a string of remix credits that includes tracks by Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, Dirty Vegas, and Chocolate Puma, all that remained…
By Zeus, look at the calendar! This Sunday, the Greeks celebrate the Treaty of Constantinople, which granted them independence from the Ottoman Empire back in 1832. In honor of this long-ago inking, Ink plays host to DJ Theodore, a resident spinner at the superposh Akrotiri night club, which is situated…
We can safely assume that Dionne, living legend that she is, looks forward to returning to Miami under brighter circumstances. Back in 2002, you’ll recall, the singer was busted at the airport for possession of marijauna — specifically eleven joints found inside a lipstick container. (Dionne, upon landing, allegedly asked…
John Digweed Long gone are the days when John Digweed needed the name of his erstwhile partner, Sasha, to draw attention to his talents. The DJ has been shining alone for a while and is now lending his skills to others, specifically Canada’s production duo du jour, MSTRKRFT. Digweed and…
Aterciopelados In the ten years since they released La Pipa de La Paz (“The Pipe of Peace”), this genre-busting duo has continued to break musical barriers, blending the folk traditions of their native Colombia with a melange of sounds picked up as they’ve toured the Americas and Europe. The pair’s…
The Cleveland Orchestra Miami has no pressing need to borrow cultural institutions from smaller cities. On the contrary, classical music fans in Phoenix, Seattle, and San Diego can only dream of seeing an orchestra of New World Symphony’s caliber. But The Cleveland Orchestra happened to have some winter downtime, so…
Snow Patrol The boys from Snow Patrol have come a long way from the days when they posed as members of the band Belle & Sebastian to infiltrate the student union club at the Glasgow School of Art. In fact, the indie darlings (from Glasgow by way of Dundee) are…
Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour The Used, Senses Fail and 30 Seconds to Mars head up a marathon nu-metal/emo show this Friday, sponsored (somewhat insipidly) by Rockstar Energy Drink. Although headline act The Used has historically written hard rock songs with poppy elements, its new LP Berth leans toward an…
Mari Rosa There is something inherently retro about a bossa nova/jazz make-out album. Mari Rosa’s debut disc, Honeyspot, feels like the sonic progeny of Martin Denny’s Afro-Desia (1959) and Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz’s Getz Au Go-Go (1964). Like those two classics, songwriter/vocalist Rosa’s disc resists blushing at its own…
Plain Jane Automobile Major radio stations are not exactly a goldmine of local indie talent. Ruthlessly focused on the bottom line, most stick to Top 40 acts supported by major labels — as if Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake don’t get enough exposure already. It is a wonder, then, that…
Green Lemon Question: How many white-boy rastafarian jam band members does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: six. One to screw in the lightbulb and five to apologize to the rest of humanity for all the racket. Kidding! Just a little harmless jam band humor in honor of…
Fabrika Music Showcase It helps to have friends in high places when you’re trying to put a local scene on the map. Miami’s Fabrika Music imprint, the brainchild of Soniko drummer Toto Gonzalez, has just that: a Sony distribution deal. Some of the area’s best and brightest alternative Latin bands…
The ReBirth Brass Band It’s less than a week before Fat Tuesday, and Phil Frazier finds himself in a good place: watching a parade in his beloved New Orleans. He can’t resist putting his phone on speaker and holding it toward the marchers’ music, so the guy interviewing him (me)…
A Night of Drum ‘n’ Bass at Laundry Bar The spazzy beats of drum ‘n’ bass are certainly an acquired taste, but since 1997, there’s been no other vibe on the planet for Will Miles, a DJ and producer based in Chapel Hill. An old-school fan of genre pioneers like…
