Critic's Notebook

Every once in awhile, we here at Miami New Times and New Times Broward Palm Beach start looking around for some fresh meat (fresh as in sassy and new; meat as in freelance writers). That time has come again!…

Though artist Brian Butler began live-drawing concerts in the Northeast, he has perfected his style in Miami’s smoky bars and DIY spaces. Since moving to the area, he’s developed into a hotshot illustrator, been featured in a profile by Vice Magazine’s online video channel Noisey, and steadfastly documented our city’s…

They’re among Miami’s most beloved DJs. You can catch them playing out most weekends at one hotspot or another, including for their Scaramouche party alongside world-class headliners. And they’re also among Miami’s most respected underground dance music tastemakers, thanks to their Nightdrive blog — a Miami New Times pick for…

Miami’s Torche remains one of the most unique heavy bands ever, melding catchy, melodic vocals with a bludgeoning, slack-stringed guitar assault and drumming that has more in common with the sounds of a mortar assault than rock music. The resulting sounds are as potent as they are unique, which may…

It’s been two weeks since Mark Leventhal — a four-decade veteran of the club scene, well-known South Beach DJ, and father of three — fell “gravely ill,” in the words of his sister Amy, with “an infection that is affecting his body and his brain.” Following the onset of this…

For one reason or another, things never go as planned. Just ask Dope Ent’s Matt Zingler, 25, and his business partner, Tariq Cherif, 24. Take, for example, this past weekend: Nipsey Hussle had just left the building after his performance at Avenue D in Miami. And unfortunately, Zingler was forced…

Once you get a taste of that A-1 quality rap, then there’s no going back. No mid-level trash. Nothing but high-grade tracks. It’s be a little over a year since Miami rapper Jigg released the second installment of his on going HighGrade series with DJ Folk, a project followed by…

Now in its sophomore year, Miami Beach’s Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its 2014 nominees. In all, this latest class counts 24 singers-songwriters and composers who represent, in LSHOF members’ estimation, “the greatest Latin talents from all over the world in every genre. ” Among the shortlisted: Miami’s…

The least surprising news of the day is that tickets to Deadmau5’s free February 15 show at Ice Palace Studios were gone in about a minute. A source confirms the 60-second sell-out time is right and that people were only allowed to request two tickets per account. Still, there’s bound…

“We are not open.” And that’s the bottom line at Bamboo Miami Beach, the sixth best hip-hop club in the 305. Over the last year, the Washington Avenue club’s become a mandatory stopover for rap’s most famous jetsetters, from longtime MIA residents Rick Ross and Lil Wayne to out-of-towners like…

As a ’90s Miami kid, Jesse Perez has bass in his DNA. In a way, his signature bump ‘n’ grind style of house music — designed, as Jesse says, for “grinding chongitas” — is descended directly from the booty bass that ruled Miami airwaves in the ’90s via 2 Live…

It seems that Deadmau5 and Space made good on their promise of putting on a 100-percent free event in Miami. This evening, Deadmau5 announced that it will take place on Saturday, February 15, at Ice Palace Studios in downtown Miami. The all-access show will have a capacity of 4,000. Tickets…

“Mark Leventhal,” as we at New Times noted in 2008, “helped make SoBe happen.” And even over the past year, the 36-year club veteran has continued to keep the beat at local nightspots, restaurants, and private parties. But sadly, Leventhal fell “gravely ill” last week, according to his sister Amy,…

After last night’s Grammy Awards, everyone is talking about Daft Punk’s appearance (and a most awkward display of white people dancing), not to mention Beyoncé’s oh-so-very-hot performance, and Queen Latifah marrying everyone while Macklemore provided the music. But before all of that went down, while everyone was coming down the…

Beliebers are beliebing that there’s been some mistake. Yesterday, the Miami Beach Police Department confirmed via Twitter that Justin Bieber had been arrested on charges of DUI, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with an expired Georgia driver’s license. Later, the MBPD blasted out the Biebz’ mugshot and arrest report…

“Why the fuck are you doing this?” That’s what Justin Bieber whined when a Miami Beach Police Department officer halted the 19-year-old pop star and his homies’ impromptu, early-morning street-racing escapades along Pine Tree Drive. According to the MBPD’s arrest report, Bieber had “a flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and an…

DJ Woozles got his name from watching a movie where Winnie the Pooh takes a psychedelic journey by eating honey before bedtime. The DJ was with his grandma, who everybody called “Elephant.” And since a face-tripping Pooh Bear refers to elephants and weasels as “Hephalumps and Woozles,” he says, “I…

Are you tuned in to the constant hum of these streets? It’s steady bass pounding into the night. It’s a tinny hi-hat on repeat. It’s the indefinite groove of Miami. But who’s supplying the rhythm that our city dances to? Who’s carving a giant 305 into the side of the…

Over the weekend, a head-on car accident on Krome Avenue tragically killed three people. At approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, a Dodge Durango SUV driven by 19-year-old Erick Betancourt veered into oncoming traffic and smashed into a Chevy Cavalier. “The impact was so severe,” Florida Highway Patrol trooper Joe…

How did Justin Bieber celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day? He began by dropping a choice quote from the civil rights leader via Twitter: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” And…

Are Dubfire and Sharam finally getting back together? On hiatus since 2006, this house music duo, famously known as Deep Dish, have been independently pursuing solo careers for the last eight years. Today, though, a website at DeepDish.com began a mysterious “countdown to Miami.” UPDATE Deep Dish’s Dubfire and Sharam…

All across Miami, the roar of motorcycle engines is a signal that it’s time to ride. And the destination: Churchill’s Pub, where the drinks are cheap, the bands are loud, and the air smells like burning oil. Every Thursday night, the real bikers ride up to hang out, talk shop,…