Magic Giant Brings West Coast Vibes to Miami Beach

When you go to summer camp as an adult, it’s already pretty clear that you’ve refused to grow up. So, naturally, you’ve got to have theme music to accompany your fairytale life. That’s where Magic Giant comes in. For the last two summers, Magic Giant has played private concerts for…

Twin Shadow on His Dominican Heritage and Embracing Criticism

By the sound of it, George Lewis Jr. has just woken up. He’s on the West Coast, meaning the relatively early scheduled interview might be cutting into his sleep. “Hey, what’s up?” he says after a long sigh. It’s not that Lewis is being rude. For the next 15 minutes,…

Miami’s Five Best Concerts This Week

Diplo’s Mad Decent Bon Voyage Party and Birthday Celebration. Tuesday, November 10, 11 p.m. E11even Miami, 29 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-305-6611; 11miami.com. Tickets cost $30 to $50 plus fees via 11miami.com. Ages 21 and up. Diplo has a lot to celebrate this week — his birthday on November 10 and his Mad Decent…

Jazz Legend Dee Dee Bridgewater Comes to Coral Gables

Dee Dee Bridgewater could be considered a renaissance woman. Born Denise Eileen Garrett, she’s gained fame on Broadway, in concert, and on vinyl, winning three Grammys and a Tony in the process. She hosts her own radio show on PBS, JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and serves as a United…

Through Hard Times, Surfer Blood Charges Forward

When the founding members of Surfer Blood first decided to be a band, they hit the road hard. Within their first five months, they’d already done four tours. Before long the band had built a buzz that stretched between SXSW, CMJ, and beyond. Their DIY debut LP, Astro Coast, was…

Sufjan Stevens Makes Long-Awaited Miami Debut

Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’ catalog of sound stretches far — from the electro-based The Age of Adz to the detail-laden Come On Feel the Illinoise. He’s been creating something near orchestral with each album for more than a decade. Now, finally, Miami will get to experience the live melancholia of Stevens…

Bakermat on the Rise of Tropical House

Lodewijk Fluttert didn’t set out to become a DJ. Indeed, the young Dutch producer who records and performs internationally as Bakermat (including an upcoming set this Thursday night at LIV) didn’t set out to do anything beyond finding himself. “I was a psychology student in Holland. I took a semester off…

Becky G Talks Empire, YouTube, and Meeting Her Idol Jennifer Lopez

One minute, you’re posting covers of your favorite artists on YouTube. The next moment, you’re sharing the stage with them at the American Airlines Arena. Instances like this are a rarity, but such was the case for Becky G.  At only age 18, the Mexican-American pop star from Southern California…

Brazilian Girls Promise New Music on the Horizon

Last November, when the New York City electro quartet Brazilian Girls left the stage of Ball & Chain after a fantastic set that had the crowd chanting, “Pussy, pussy, pussy, marijuana” (the chorus of the band’s single “Pussy”), singer Sabina Sciubba promised that the band would come back to Miami…

Miami’s Five Best Concerts This Week

Metric. Monday, November 2, 8 p.m. The Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7300; fillmoremb.com. Tickets cost $32.50 plus fees via livenation.com. Metric’s got five Juno Awards — that’s the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy for us ‘Mericans — to its name. In just over 15 years, vocalist Emily…

Chris Cornell Is the Forrest Gump of Music

Without much mental gymnastics, it’s easy to connect Chris Cornell to some of the most pivotal figures of the past 25 years of rock music. Simply put: Chris Cornell is the Forrest Gump of the music industry. Just as Gump popped up in the biggest moments in 20th-century history, Cornell…

South Florida’s Black Violin Crushes Stereotypes

One day you come home and your dog is barking and snarling at you like you’re some kind of threat. You say, “Chill, Dog. It’s me. You licked pizza grease off my fingers last week.” But she won’t listen. She keeps barking and running around the couch, chest out, teeth…

Metric Talks Juno Awards, the Internet, and Its Influences

Metric has steadily built a career straddling the line between indie and pop without ever pandering to either audience. The Canadian quartet’s newly released sixth album, Pagans in Vegas, doubles down on the synth-forward sounds of 2012’s Juno Award-winning Synthetica, eschewing guitars in favor of glitchy analog synths that carve…

Beer and Music Meet for the Lebrewski Cruise

Despite the constant influx of new music themed cruises, there’s an upcoming outing that ought to find favor with folks who maybe have been reticent to get their feet wet with any offering so far. In effect, it allows passengers to wet their gullets instead. That would be the forthcoming…

Ben Folds Returns to UM, but This Time He’s Bringing an Orchestra

Ben Folds is no stranger to ambition. Over a two-decade career, the witty, sardonic piano rocker behind hits like “Brick” has done everything from soundtracking movies to serving as a judge on NBC’s The Sing-Off. But his newly released album, So There, concludes with what might be his most ambitious…

While the Jamband Dies in Miami, Hulaween Keeps the Genre Alive

Ah, the Jamband scene. It’s not just for your pothead uncle anymore. The scene is growing and evolving — becoming very organized. It’s also a scene that most of Miami isn’t as aware of as it should be. Hulaween is a “Jamband” festival that happens on Halloween weekend, and it…