El Show Secreto

Mix America’s largest social networking website with its fastest-growing part of the population and what do you get? MySpace Latino, a recently official bilingual subsite of the juggernaut. And just like the original MySpace, it boasts star-studded “secret shows,” to which admission can be gained only by friending the Secret…

Iron and Wine

There’s a metaphor somewhere in Sam Beam’s hair. Something that equates his newly expansive locks with the richer, full-bodied sound he now peddles as Iron and Wine. Something that correlates the furtive minimalism of his early recordings (done while he was teaching film at the University of Miami and Miami…

Falete

Alhough this 30-year-old flamenco singer had been performing in Europe for more than a decade, it was only after his debut solo recording, Amar Duele (Love Hurts), was released when he became a star in his own right. Born Rafael Ojeda in Seville, Spain, Falete boasts a larger-than-life stage presence,…

The Morning Of

The Morning Of is a sextet of fresh-faced indie youngsters from upstate New York who have suddenly found themselves waking up on the sunny national stage. Boasting major distribution via their label, Tragic Hero Records (which was recently absorbed by Warner Music Group), these kids are riding a wave of…

More on Caribou

Last Night: Caribou at the Culture Room Saturday, April 5th, Better Than: Making your own Tie-Dye Shirt. The Review: Pulling into the parking lot of the Culture Room, I felt a little bittersweet seeing all the available spaces. It’s rare when an indie band like Caribou decides to grace S.Florida…

Last Night: Say Anything at Revolution

Say Anything, Manchester Orchestra, Biffy Clyro, Weatherbox Friday, April 4, 2008 Revolution Live Better Than: Being spoon-fed dinner in a straight jacket Say Anything lead singer Max Bemis has got enough issues—enough to, well, write a 27-song double disc detailing those issues, which he did in the band’s 2007 sophomore…

Last Night: Caribou at the Culture Room

Caribou Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale April 5, 2008 Better Than: Having The Amboy Dukes drop by to help you with your homework. First things first. I (and you, if you were lucky enough to be there) have gotta thank Ahmed Gallab of Sinkane, who took over the traps for Caribou’s…

Cappadonna A No Show

Lucy Orozco Better Than: Being home alone drunk on a Saturday night, listening to Wu-Tang on your iPod. Cappadonna, a lesser known part of the Wu Tang Clan family, was supposed to perform Saturday at Studio A. Instead, club personnel posted a sign at the entrance asking anyone to call…

Last Night: The Mars Volta at the Fillmore Miami Beach

The Mars Volta April 2, 2008 The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theatre Better Than: Being cooked in a cauldron of chaos. If it is true, as some rabid fan boys might believe, that you haven’t lived till you’ve been nearly kicked in the kisser by Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s…

Rick Udler

Brazil is known for many things — its cosmopolitan ambiance, a wealth of spectacular beaches, the wildest Carnival celebration in the civilized world, and hordes of beautiful babes decked out in skimpy bikinis. Those assets aside (did we mention the babes in bikinis?), it’s also worth noting the vibrant musical…

Poppa E

Not long into our conversation, Poppa E settles into his preferred intimacy zone by dubbing me “Brother Eric. ” So take it from a brother: The 60-year-old blues guitarist — and pretty much permanent Tobacco Road fixture — is on a roll these days. A tune of his, “Terraplane,” was…

Caribou

As the irresistibly luminescent new CD Andorra demonstrates, Caribou’s Dan Snaith has come a long, long way since being legally stripped of his old Manitoba moniker. These days the same guy who once playfully goofed on post-rock’s fetid corpse (on albums such as Up in Flames and Start Breaking My…

Punk Bunny

A word of warning: Punk Bunny shows aren’t for the prude. In fact don’t even bother heading to this concert unless you’re superhorny and/or strong-stomached. The only thing you know for sure when you watch Punk Bunny perform is that you’re going to get figuratively — and maybe literally —…

Last Night: Handsome Furs with Violens at PS14

Handsome Furs, Violens Thursday, March 27, 2008 PS14 Better Than: Fighting the WMC crowds for a taste of something electronic. While the majority of Miami pulsed to the sounds of big name DJs at Winter Music Conference, a select group of indie-minded hipsters enjoyed the electronic-infused rock show by Montreal…

dirtybird records

Though an official label for only three years, dirtybird records and its quad crew of freq-y producer/DJs are no fledglings. San Francisco-based Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Christian Martin, and Worthy have been flapping their wings since around 2000. They first built a Yay Area reputation pushing air as support DJs…

Gui Boratto

At a time when São Paulo, Brazil, gets a whole lot of ink in the hipster press for its street-hewn favela beats, city resident Guilherme Boratto is focused on an entirely different sound altogether. In fact it’s one that often has him mistaken for a native of a whole different…

Daz-I-Kue

The Dirty South has a fascinating new musical addition, with Londoner Daz-I-Kue now dividing his time between the UK and Atlanta. This should open up a world of possibilities for a fellow already known across the pond for creating complex yet insanely grooving records. They soar past other so-called black…

Damian Lazarus

Before settling into his current and hopefully permanent role as a producer and DJ, Damian Lazarus wore a few different hats in the music and media businesses. In the early Nineties, he was an editor for London style mag Dazed and Confused, and followed that journey with a sidestep into…

Amp Fiddler

Hailing from Detroit, this singer and keyboard player is more like a man with a mission. Amp Fiddler travels in a multitude of directions, challenging the listener as he switches among soul, funk, and dance, keeping a keen eye on the present and future of music while still paying homage…

Night of the Weirds

Inspired by a subculture that has taken years to coalesce into a shared identity, the free monthly Night of the Weirds was first mounted at Churchill’s in August 2007. Planned for the first Tuesday of every month, the event was created by Jeff Rollason of www.nartworld.com and has since been…