Music Without an Expiration Date

The joint is tucked away on SoBe’s 17th Street, past the busboys’ cigarette spot and a strangely ubiquitous heap of the Delano’s daytime trash. Admission is an “I belong” smile to the stone-faced security guard. On Tuesday nights, a stroll down the steps, through the glass doors, and along a cavelike hallway lands you in a world where fedoras and moonshine feel more de rigueur than a BlackBerry. You could blame the vibe on the speakeasy décor of the Florida Room (1685 Collins Ave., Miami Beach), but more appropriately on the sounds wafting from the club’s back room. Each week, Brendan O’Hara & Komakozie - The Big Bounce take over the spot and mesh folk, hip-hop, big band, and soul to create a sound with the chops to enrapture a crowd of hipsters, professionals, and Marlboro Light-suckers from all walks of life.

With Brendan commanding the mike and Lucite piano, Komakozie on the beatbox, and a rotating cast of upright bassists, trumpeters, saxophonists, and tap dancers, the tunes sound like something heard on the streets of 1920s Harlem. “The idea for me is to play music that I would like to listen to,” O’Hara explains. “We’re Jerry Lee Lewis meets A Tribe Called Quest, at times Bob Dylan meets the Beastie Boys; Slick Rick and Billy Joel.” Translation: They’re dope. Visit www.brendanohara.org for a taste and a schedule of upcoming performances. The show takes place from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Tuesdays, 2009