Louis Amanti Is Melting Miami’s Heart One Song at a Time

Life would have turned out quite differently for Louis Amanti had the jazz singer’s first career choice worked out. “I started playing baseball with my grandpa when I was three, and apparently I could hit the ball,” he laughs. “I played toward high school. I was scouted by the Tampa…

Astari Nite Premieres New Music Video This Friday at Kill Your Idol

“Everyone thinks because of the way we look that we’re a Goth band, but we’re post-punk indie rockers,” explains singer Mychael Ghost over the phone. His band, Astari Nite, is often thrown into a box based strictly on appearances, but it’s not fair to typecast this diverse group of Miami…

The Five Most Important Women of Miami Bass

I’ll never forget when 69 Boyz’ “Tootsie Roll” came on at an elementary school dance in 1997. This wasn’t the first time I had heard the Miami bass hit — my PE coach had already used the tune to choreograph a line dance for the girls to perform at an…

The Mavericks Earn Two Grammy Nominations for Mono

The Mavericks have never been the kind of band that readily fits one simple and convenient niche. “We never got picked up by the mainstream country market,” singer/songwriter/guitarist Raul Malo told us in an interview last September. “Of course, you can argue that we never were part of it. The…

Eight Things the Rest of the World Gets Wrong About Miami Nightlife

Ask the world to close its eyes and say the first thing that comes to mind when it thinks of Miami nightlife. Chances are you’ll get a lot of Scarface, boobs, EDM, bottle service, and the occasional naked, ketchup-covered woman twerking at a Johnny Rockets.  All of these things are technically…

DJ Khaled for Dummies

Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, and Zig Ziglar could have never foreseen that the most well known motivational speaker of the last fifty years hasn’t penned a single self-help book (although don’t rule out the possibility).   In 2016, Snapchat brought to the forefront a man who’s become so popular for…

Michael Brun Traveled to Haiti and Came Back With a Song

Miami-based DJ and producer Michael Brun has become an international presence over the past five years via progressive house hits such as “See You Soon” and “Tongue Tied July.” But one particular spot on the globe still holds sway over his heart — his native Haiti. Though he’s long incorporated…

DJ Khaled’s Journey of Success Began Long Before Snapchat

“He was quiet.” Imagine that. Of all the words in all the land one could use to describe DJ Khaled, Gary Holzenthal chose “quiet.” It would have been less jarring to learn that his best friend was a llama. “We have had our fair share of characters, but as far…

DJ Khaled’s Seven Most Essential Keys to Success

Perhaps you’ve been wondering why we haven’t really been covering DJ Khaled’s spectacular rise from zany hip-hop character to national icon. He’s a Miami-based artist. He’s ridiculous and fascinating. His story is important and hilarious and inspiring all at once. He meets all our criteria.   Well, for the last…

Fundraising Campaign for Blowfly’s Funeral Needs Your Donations

Since Clarence Reid died last Sunday from liver cancer and organ failure, the Miami legend’s stage persona, Blowfly, has been eulogized in Rolling Stone and the New York Times. Celebrities from Ice-T to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea to Run the Jewel’s El-P have paid tribute to Reid on…

New Wynwood-Based Radio Station, Revolution, Plays EDM for True Fans

The Revolution might not be televised, but it is blasting nonstop through the airwaves, pumping an infectious and continuous beat from the northern Keys all the way to southern West Palm Beach. “A lot of stations have tried to bring EDM, or an electronic dance music format, to Miami, but…

Furious Leisure’s “Vape Life” Is Miami’s One and Only Ode to Vaping

For many health-conscious stoners, vape is life. So, it’s only fitting that Miami indie pop/hip-hop band, Furious Leisure, just dropped “Vape Life,” an ode to the healthier, less smokey version of marijuana consumption: the vaporizer. The video is stoner comedy meets educational film. Furious Leisure’s Bodizepha and Damian Major, accompanied…

Clarence Reid, AKA Blowfly, Dies of Liver Cancer UPDATED

It’s a sad day for Miami music. It’s a sad day for all music.  Yesterday afternoon on Blowfly’s Facebook page, a message was posted declaring Clarence Reid, also known by the stage name Blowfly, had entered hospice care after suffering organ failure as a result of terminal liver cancer.  Dear Blowfly…