Last Night: Jay-Z at Bayfront Park

Logan Fazio Jay-Z came out to support Barack Obama at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami Sunday night. Click here to view the full slideshow. Jay-Z Monday October 6, 2008 Bayfront Park Ampitheatre, Miami Better Than: A McCain-sponsored get-out-the-vote concert. No offense, Daddy Yankee. Jay-Z kicked off last night’s show with…

Gwar

Shock rock has seen its fair share of gory characters, but they’re all tame in comparison to Gwar. Known for its wild stage theatrics — which include homages to necrophilia, scatology, bestiality, rape, murder, carnage, and lots of other things that could give Tipper Gore a heart attack — Gwar…

Jorge Celedón and Jimmy Zambrano

As vallenato grows in popularity via superstar Carlos Vives, other Colombian acts have begun enjoying fame stateside as well. One of the latest is the twosome of singer-songwriter Jorge Celedón and accordionist Jimmy Zambrano, who perform this Friday in support of De Lo Nuevo … Lo Mejor (Norte/BMG), their first…

Free Yr Radio Benefit for WVUM, with the Walkmen

Comprising three-fifths of mid-Nineties New York sensation Jonathan Fire*Eater, a band that made a career out of trading ostensible Ivy League destiny for starved-artiste squalor, the Walkmen create ant traps for the ears. Theirs is non-doctor-recommended white noise hidden in fragrant, pretty pop trinkets. The group’s current album, You &…

Estelle

As Paul Revere once warned, “The British [divas] are coming.” Estelle, a 28-year-old West Londoner, joins a burgeoning trans-Atlantic hit-parade cabal (Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis), this one balancing expertly on the rapping-singing switchblade. Discovered by John Legend and crowned as the flagship artist on his fledgling Home School Records, Estelle…

Last Night: The Sword and Clutch at Culture Room

The Sword and Clutch With Never Got Caught and Graveyard Friday, September 26 The Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale Better Than: Not discovering the awesomeness that was Graveyard. The Washington, D.C.-area quartet Clutch have been around since about 1991, and have seemingly been on the road ever since. That’s a long…

Last Night: Henry Rollins at Revolution Live

John Hood Henry Rollins speaks to a crowd gathered at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale Sunday night. Henry Rollins Sunday September 28th 2008 Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale Better Than: The same ol’ hipster shtick. Fitting that I’d have to drive through a torrential rain storm in order to catch the latest…

Last Night: Fergie at the Seminole Hard Rock Live

Sayre Berman Fergie performs as the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, as part of the Ambassadors of Rock Tour. Click here to view the full slideshow. Fergie Ambassadors of Rock Tour And VIP Party Friday, Sept. 26 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, Hollywood Fergie’s The Duchess. Fergie’s a fashion…

The Weekend In Live Music, September 26 – 28

Friday, September 26: *Smart-guy metal bands the Sword and Clutch play at Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale. Click here to read more about both. *The South Dakota-based, Nakota nation band Indigenous performs at the Seminole Hard Rock, blending classic rock riffage with Native American traditions. Click here to read more…

Vivalevox Live Tomorrow Night at the Vagabond

One of my favorite things about the Friday night party about the Vagabond is its mixture of just enough live music — one band on the patio a week — with the usual DJ fun. But beyond that, since the party is co-presented by Sweat Records, the live lineup is…

Benefit Show For Sweat Records Tonight

It all started out as a pleasant Sunday. Lauren Reskin, owner of Miami staple Sweat Records, was trying to relax two weeks ago and enjoy her lone day off. Unfortunately, the day’s tone changed dramatically when she swung by her business for a quick meeting and found out that her…

Clutch and The Sword

It’s possible the musicians of Washington, D.C.-area punky, metally, bluesy hard rock quintet Clutch do not know how to take a break. They blasted out of the gate in 1991 with a seven-inch single, “Passive Restraint”; snagged a deal with EastWest Records; and hit the road. Since then, across 12…

Sirens & Sealions

A break-in at Sweat Records during the wee hours of September 15 cleaned the place of its valuable electronics and trashed everything else. But Sweat is nothing if not resilient — this is, after all, the store that survived for months in an annex of Churchill’s after a hurricane destroyed…

The Glimmers

What’s delectably greasy, crunchy, tasty, and from Belgium besides frites? Well, the Glimmers, for one, the electro-disco-punk duo of Mo and Benoelie, who hail from Ghent. The current crop of Internet wannabe electrohouse producers wishes it had such an instinctive understanding of the dance floor as these DJs, remixers, and…

Notorious Nastie and Buffalo Present: Collision Music and Art Festival

Saturday’s multimedia, multigenre Collision Music and Art Festival is the sort of locals-only, wildly scattered affair that could only come from the bowels of infamous local promoter “Notorious Nastie” Shahoulian. Good thing, because although he’s been maintaining his weekly Switch event and designing a few one-off shows, it’s been a…

Kaskade

Kaskade arrives at Set’s weekly Sundance party when he comes to town to support Strobelite Seduction, his latest artist album, released this past May. The San Fran-based DJ/producer has the mystical ability to set the perfect mood and warm you from the inside out. In fact Kaskade is so powerful…

Jazmine Sullivan Performs This Thursday at the Florida Room

So today, new R&B sensation Jazmine Sullivan has her debut album, Fearless, available in stores worldwide. She’s got a voice that’s at times, reminds me of Lauryn Hill like on the song above, “Need You Bad,” and at other times, she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever heard. The Philadelphia-raised singer used…

Last Night: Fito Paez at Knight Concert Hall

Argentine rocker Fito Paez made a rare U.S. appearance at Miami’s Knight Concert Hall. Fito Paez Friday, September 19, 2008 Knight Concert Hall, Miami Better Than: Listening to one of those “Rock en Español” anthology CDs. This being my fifth time seeing Fito Paez live, my expectations were very high…

The Weekend in Live Music, September 19 – 21

Friday, September 19: *Argentine rock en español legend Fito Páez performs a relatively intimate concert at the Arsht Center, hoping to gain more fans in the states. Read about his impressive musical track record here. *The album tribute act Classic Albums Live again performs at the Hard Rock, and this…

Enrique Iglesias

In many ways, you could consider this Madrid transplant a Latin pop pioneer. He was one of the first Spanish-language artists to play for arena-size audiences in the United States (a feat accomplished during his 1997 Vivir tour) without the support of a crossover hit. In addition, his 2002 video…