Let's rehash one of those classic nuggets of wisdom that's cliche but oh so true: "Things aren't always what they seem."
Take, for example, that recently released bomb Splice, which seemed on the surface like a modern sci-fi manned by a respectable cast, but was in fact just crap wrapped in celluloid. Or the mystery meat in most of the things you order at Taco Bell circa 4 a.m., which is a lot like Splice in at least that last regard, only wrapped in a flour tortilla.
Um, but then on the musical tip, there is the deceptively eclectic Colombian band Skampida. It says "ska" right there in their name, after all, and that style is, in fact, one you hear from these Bogota exports. Still, it's far from the only one.
Skampida formed in Bogota back in '98 with the specific intent of creating a fusion unlike anything the people of Colombia had heard before. It's safe to say they accomplished that, and now, 13 years later, they're still rocking crowds everywhere they go.
This week, those crowds will be in Miami Bardot tonight, July 20, or, if you're trying to skip the mid-week debauchery, Transit Lounge on Friday.
Skampida. Tuesday, July 20. Call for start time. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up with ID. 305-576-5570, bardotmiami.com
Friday, July 23. 11 p.m. Transit Lounge, 729 SW 1st Ave., Miami. 305-377-4628; transitlounge.us