Riptide Music Festival Returns With a Mix of Nostalgia and New Music

Just a year and a half ago, program director John O’Connell and his crew at 104.3 the Shark were gearing up for the radio station’s first foray into music festivals, Undertow Jam. The Shark quickly moved on to a second gathering, Riptide Music Festival, which returns this Saturday and Sunday, December 2 and 3, for what promises to be even more wildly successful.

The Drums’ Jonathan Pierce Comes Out — Again

Make no mistake: Jonathan Pierce has always been the creative force behind the Drums. Since the indie-pop band’s early days, he’s written all of the lyrics and most of the music. He maintained the collaborative façade partly because he feared vulnerability, he says. If the creative process was out in the open, any criticism of the music would reflect directly on him.

Björk Is More Than the Girl Who Wore the Swan Dress

On her latest single, “Blissing Me,” Björk relishes the thought of once again being in love. “All of my mouth was kissing him/Now, into the air, I’m missing him.” She sounds practically giddy, which is a far cry from the songs on her 2015 album, Vulnicura, a deeply personal retelling…

The Best Concerts in Miami This Week, November 27-December 3

There’s barely a month left in 2017, but Miami is heating up musically as the event season kicks into high gear. This weekend, Riptide Music Festival will take over Fort Lauderdale Beach Park with two days of music, each with its own distinct flavor. The first day will present Weezer, Cage the Elephant, Portugal the Man…

Woodystock Returns With Spam Allstars for a Fifth Year of Fundraising

James “Woody” Beckham feels some fundraisers can be a little too expensive for the general public to attend. He would know. His nonprofit, the Woody Foundation — which he says has raised over $1.5 million for people living with paralysis — hosts a lobster meal, golf outing and fishing tournament…

The Best Concerts in Miami This Week, November 20-26

Things are a little quieter this week thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday — but it’s not completely dead. Right before you’re set to chow down on some turkey and pumpkin pie, Trap Circus is bringing hip-hop’s reigning queen, Cardi B, to the RC Cola Plant. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper shot…

Tamboka, Gypsy Latin Band, to Play at New Times’ Tacolandia Saturday

The Miami band Tamboka plays a unique fusion of flamenco, cumbia, swing, jazz, and bossa nova. According to guitarist Tyrone Iregui, the musical mixture came together in 2011 outside the Wynwood gallery Plant the Future. “I was friends with the owner,” Iregu recalls. “I said if I played music outside, I could bring people into the store. We got 200 people to come out and dance.”

RJD2, Pioneer of Instrumental Hip-Hop, Brings the Beats to the Ground

Songs with lyrics tend to be specific and topical, says Ramble Jon Krohn, who records and performs under the moniker RJD2. Purely instrumental music, though, is different for him. Without a vocalist telling the listener what to imagine and how to feel, everything is up for interpretation. “The beauty of…

Ed Droste on Grizzly Bear’s Art-Rock Symphonies: “It’s Chaos, but It Works”

If there is something orchestral and old-timey about the music of Grizzly Bear, it might be due to osmosis. That’s according to the band’s singer and founder, Ed Droste. “My mother was a music teacher, and her father was a music professor. From as long as I can remember, they would gather around the piano and we’d sing old songs like ‘A-Tisket A-Tasket.'”

The Best Concerts in Miami This Week, November 13-19

After making its live debut in Miami in 2013, Grizzly Bear returns for another show. The band had been performing long before its appearance here four years ago and had released its debut album, Horn of Plenty, in 2004. Grizzly Bear is touring in support of its fifth LP, Painted Ruins. Catch the quartet at the Fillmore Miami Beach this Thursday.

Metronomy’s Joseph Mount Is Just Not That Into Guitars

Music has played such a big role in Joseph Mount’s life that it’s easy for him to think of instruments as people with personalities. The drums, for instance, are like an easygoing, affable drinking buddy. He considers the bass guitar more serious and thoughtful — maybe someone who abstains from…