It’s a big night in Miami. Some indie music’s biggest names–Surfer Blood, Black Lips, Vivian Girls–are in town for the inaugural Bruise Cruise Festival, and before they set sail with 400 other seafaring hipsters tomorrow, they’re playing the Bruise Cruise Kickoff Party at Grand Central tonight. We’ll be there live-blogging…
Sirens & Sealions is a troop of six sea creatures with a mission to spread a bright, feel-good sound throughout the city of Miami. That’s not my line. It’s theirs. Now, I don’t normally open with a quote (notice, I even ignored grammatical convention and ditched the bunny ears), but…
There are a number of perfectly legitimate reasons you need to memorize the detailed band breakdown for tonight’s Bruise Cruise Kickoff Party. And we can think of three straight away: (1) Maybe you love Jacuzzi Boys, but you hate Black Lips (WTF?), and you’re launching a 38-city boycott; or (2)…
Ever since Poe Boy label alumni and North Miami native Billy Blue dropped swagger-heavy summer track “When U Hood U Good” in July 2010, he’s specialized in the kind of click-clack cooked up specifically for cruising the causeways between Miami Beach and the mainland at midnight. And his new-ish single,…
A band’s members can have all the talent in the world, and they can still suck as a band. Because for all the technical prowess, all the mastery of their instruments, you just can’t substitute that particular “X” factor, a seeming nimbleness that lends to improvisation on the fly. It’s…
The Bruise Cruise sets sail from the Port of Miami on Friday. And while there’s plenty of dope coming through Dodge Island, y’all better think twice about sneaking some out; narcs like to prey on unsuspecting travelers, especially theme cruise passengers. In January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents partnered…
The Coconut Grove Arts Festival. A Miami tradition. Whether you like crappy overpriced art or not, it is a ten-dollar people-watching extravaganza. On a gorgeous day, it is the perfect excuse to get liquored up with your friends, eat a gyro, and watch a great band like Suénalo at Peacock…
There is only one adjective that does the almighty Shitstorm justice … Relentless. For starters, can you think of a local act that plays faster, nastier and harder? We certainly can’t. Figure in that the grindcore outfit has been smokin’ suckers since 2004, and you’ve got a blasting, metallic stamina…
Que Bajo, mi gente?! No, we’re not speaking Spanish drunk with a mouth full of cotton balls. We just wanted to let you know about a killer party going down tonight at Transit Lounge. Que Bajo? is absolutely legendary on New York’s party scene. Featuring Afro sounds, cumbia, reggae, dancehall,…
Ultra Week may have the bigger names and parties, but Winter Music Conference is still going to give us plenty of reasons to become 24-hour party people.Case in point: The Vagabond’s WMC lineup is so well thought out and diverse. Whether it’s classic house, dubstep, or electro, the 14th Street venue…
After kicking ass on the Israeli rock scene for years, lawfully wedded rock star duo Hank & Cupcakes decided it was time for a trip to the Americas. So they hung out in Cuba for six months before trekking up to NYC where they joined the hipsteriffic population of Williamsburg,…
Unlike most bands named after seaside apparel and/or accessories (i.e. Swimshorts, Sunglasses, Sandals), bicoastal digi-pop duo Bikini doesn’t spin hazy, wavy sounds designed specifically for sunny, sandy days at the beach. Dark, distorted, and dance-y, this stuff is more like the soundtrack for a drugged-out midnight trip into deep waters…
Richard Walbert, better known as Chip (or xCHIPxSem) has been a member of the South Florida hardcore community for many years and he has performed with some classic bands like Destro and All Hell Breaks Loose. He’s also one of the nicest people around and an impulsive cataloguer of South…
An unfortunate side effect of experimental music in the 21st century is the inflated discography. In this age of instant access and oversharing, demos are pressed on vinyl and every piss, moan, and fart ends up streaming on the internet. Across genres — from nü-Fonz garag to table noise, and…
In a little over a week, the most ironic theme cruise in kitsch travel history will hit the high seas. That’s right, the first ever Bruise Cruise will set sail aboard Carnival’s Imagination “Fun Ship” with some seriously cool human cargo, including 400 hipsters, 10 relevant indie acts (including Miami’s…
See the cut for a free download of A Totally Non-Ironic TBD Party Mix. When you shake ass to Salt-N-Pepa’s superfun 1986 sex song “Push It” while guzzling a gallon’s worth of rubyfruit jungle juice shots, you better really, really, really freaking mean it? Otherwise, don’t even bother showing up…
As if Sunday School for Degenerates wasn’t already a crazy-ass concept, Made Event’s decided to dial up the wonk to an an almost unsafe level. Step One: Expand the deviant dance marathon from 24 to 36 hours. Step Two: Book Richie Hawtin, Tiga, Adultnapper, and a ton of others. Step…
As far as Puerto Rican boy bands with American crossover appeal go, Davila 666 easily beats out Menudo with its balls-out ability to rock, though there’s definitely some overlap in the wearing of leather jackets, chaps, and accessories. Offering both clean garage pop and raw rock ‘n’ roll, Davila 666’s…
You may recall that on Friday Crossfade reported that the Fuego Cuban Music Festival was canceled a little over a week after it was officially announced. But it seems the matter isn’t so simple. The reports circulating indicated that the Homestead Miami International Speedway pulled the plug on the show…
For those street heads whose chronic-sucking, crip-walking heyday is 15 years behind them, Queens-born Puerto Rican rapper Victor Santiago Jr. will forever be known as Noreaga. Partnered up with fellow NYC product Kiam Akasi Halley (AKA Capone), Santiago co-owned the East Coast rap game for a solid minute in the…
Did you waste three hours of your life watching the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards last night? Well, congrats … You got almost 15 minutes of genuine entertainment out of the deal. For one, Bieber took a beating at the hands of Best New Artist Esperanza Spalding. For another, Snooki stalked…
Cuban music aficionados and lovers of el cubaneo in general had reason to rumba in front of their computer screens last Wednesday when Fuego Entertainment dropped the news that it’d be producing the first-ever Fuego Cuban Music World Festival. But elation at the promise of this one-of-a kind music fest,…
