Jazzy funk. Afro-soul big band. Chilean hip-hop. Miami’s global music fest, the 13th annual Heineken TransAtlantic Festival, is back this April 10 and 11. America’s most popular Dutch brew and Miami’s Rhythm Foundation are again bringing the beats of the world to the North Beach Bandshell. Past years have featured…
If Michelle Beebs hadn’t been gifted with the sultry voice of a powerful frontwoman, she could always fall back on a successful career as ghostwriter for talk-show guests. Her larger-than-life stage and fashion presence as the singer of Orlando ska band Beebs and Her Money Makers proves she’s got the…
There’s no shortage of exclusive parties come Winter Music Conference/Miami Music Week, but one of the most drool-worthy is, hands-down, the Red Bull Music Guest House. In 2015, the winged energy drink is taking control of SoBe’s Sagamore, aka the Art Hotel, and it’s packing the spot with four days…
Who knows if it’s the right time to be happy. Bright Light Social Hour spent the last couple years touring and hanging out, and the band isn’t sure either. But BLSH is looking to drum up some optimism with the upcoming album, Space Is Still the Place, because everybody is…
“Music is about being brave and not being afraid to fail,” the easy-going Zach Deputy says. The guitarist and singer/songwriter will live up to that philosophy when he headlines the New Times Music Showcase at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, playing with a drummer, bassist, keyboardist, and percussionist that he’ll…
Disco ain’t dead. Neither is roller skating. And it just so happens that they go together like pastel colors and leisure suits. Grand Central co-owner Rico Lespagnon remembers the old days, and he’s been bringing back the fun, funky, music-centric vibe of the 1970s with his monthly Roller Disco getdown…
Billy Joel American Airlines Arena, Miami Saturday, January 31, 2015 Better than: The Billy of old? Just maybe… Most artists are defined by their songs. That’s certainly the case with Billy Joel. Though some would dismiss him as merely another pop artifact, Joel has written songs that have become even…
Andrew W.K. With Bleeth and Wastelands Grand Central, Miami Saturday, January 31, 2015 Better Than: Partying till you actually puke. It’s crazy to think Andrew W.K. and his merry band of brothers have been getting wet and a party going for 15 years. It seems like just yesterday we were…
All right, so you had one too many Super Bowl shots last night, and now all you’re doing is regretting ever rooting for the New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks in the first place. Although you can’t escape your Monday-morning hangover misery, there’s one thing that’ll make the next 24…
For the uninitiated, the International Noise Conference might sound like a pedantic experience. But don’t worry. There’s no keynote speaker, and there sure as hell aren’t any PowerPoint presentations. Revelers have come to Churchill’s Pub annually since 2004 for a cornucopia of radical weirdness: hooded artistes tweaking knobs to generate…
If you’ve been wondering how acts like Jamie Jones, Art Department, Maceo Plex, tINI, Tale of Us, Guti, and Dixon were going to factor into Ultra Music Festival 2015’s master plan, wonder no more. Yesterday, the fest announced Resistance, its newest stage concept for the three-day event. There’s no question…
If III Points’ 2013 debut was the beta test, think of last year’s fest as the official all-systems-go launch. “Year two, you saw the skeleton model of what is going to be III Points in the future,” says organizer David Sinopoli. “I think 2015 is our opportunity to create the…
It’s easy for cynics to dismiss Billy Joel’s decades-long career as nothing more than a continuing cycle of hot singles, alcohol abuse, and roller-coaster relationships. But he has also earned the distinction of being one of the most successful singer-songwriters in music history with indelible melodies that inevitably become standards…
Music is what gives meaning to life. Even Mondays. Sure, waking up at the crack of dawn to face the workweek is no fun. But at least there are some pretty good shows coming up. Just check out the five best concerts going down this week, from Napalm Death and…
There’s nothing new about looking to a rock star for inspiration. From Bad Brains singing about positive mental attitudes (PMA) to Pink and Katy Perry singing about female empowerment, it happens all the time. What is surprising is that a guy with songs called “Party Hard” and “Party Til You…
Just one more night, and they’re coming off this long and winding road. Forever. Don’t fret, true Crüe fans, the Mötley band of brothers have one more year of touring before they call it quits, and that means one more stop in the 305 before the hairspray can is finally…
Rene Lecour and Amigo Skate Cuba have sent over 1,000 skateboard wheels rolling through Havana, and now they’re going back to donate more. Born five years ago when Kaya Lecour convinced his dad to take a skate trip to Cuba, Amigo Skate and its crew’s mission has grown into a…
“Gimme Something Good.” So goes Ryan Adams’ latest brooding alt-country tune. “I can’t see/Some darkness on the rise,” he sings on this lead single off his 2014 self-titled album. “I’ll be waiting here/Till the end of time.” A notoriously moody and volatile guy (despite his apparent love of arcade games),…
If you step into the South Beach apartment-turned-recording-studio of local underground music aficionado Frank Falestra, better known by his ubiquitous stage name, Rat Bastard, you’ve got to come prepared. From the sundry rock posters, guitars and paraphernalia dotting the walls, to the full rack of records and the ceiling-high stacks…
UPDATE Ultra 2015 just revealed its Phase Two lineup and the fest’s set times. When Ultra Music Festival’s lineup “leaked” last month, I was really hoping it was some kind of joke. The lineup was what I hoped Ultra would never become: lazy. The problem is that instead of setting…
A cool concert on a Monday… Life doesn’t get much better. But when you throw in tuneage from English singer-songwriter Ben Howard at the Fillmore Miami Beach, Michael Bolton’s kitschy classic jams at the Hard Rock Live, and Grand Hustle boss man T.I. at the BB&T Center, you’re in for…
“The first time I heard techno in a rave, it was like a real revolution in my mind.” So says Étienne de Crécy, French touch electro-house producer, DJ, and conceptual artist. Likewise, de Crécy’s original releases and live productions have been revolutionary to the worldwide dance music movement. In a…
