In a destination entertainment capital like Miami, the long weekend is packed with invitations to overpriced clubs with overpriced bottles and rooftop parties full of girls wearing the same makeup to the pool that they wear to the office. But For those who aren't club kids, want to skip the money drain, or just want something new to try this Labor Day weekend, we offer another option: live music. The holiday weekend is
10. Peyote Coyote. 37 Years of Churchill’s 5 Day Music Festival. 6 p.m. Saturday, September 3, at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Miami; (305) 757-1807. churchillspub.com. Admission is free.
With a name like Peyote Coyote, perhaps you'd expect a
9. Magic City Hippies. Ball & Chain Music Festival. 12 p.m. Friday, September 2, at Ball & Chain, 1513 SW 8th St., Miami; ballandchainmiami.com. Admission is free.
Would a weekend music guide be complete without Magic City Hippies? These guys love our city so much they made it their namesake, and lately have been seen at venues all over Miami on the regular. While Ball & Chain’s Music Festival lineup skews mostly toward Latin music and jazz, the venue couldn't pass up the chance to add the indie funk Hippies to their Sunday lineup. The band recently released their slightly NSFW music video for “Fanfare.” Here's hoping they bring some half naked tennis to the stage this weekend.
8. Slow Coast. 7 p.m. Sunday, September 4, at Open Stage Club, 2325 Galiano St., Coral Gables; (305)-441-7902; openstageclub.com. Tickets cost $5 at the door.
Sometimes you just need to sit at the bar and listen to some good
7. 18th Annual Afro Roots World Music Festival with Uma Galera. 5 p.m. Saturday, September 3, at North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; (305) 672-5202; NorthBeachBandshell.com. Tickets cost $15 via brownpapertickets.com.
Uma Galera is an eclectic band that embodies the melting pot of cultures and sounds Miami is all about. The group's music runs the gamut from ska and funk to a more
6. Spam Allstars. Ball & Chain Music Festival. 12 p.m. Friday, September 2, at Ball & Chain, 1513 SW 8th St., Miami; ballandchainmiami.com. Admission is free.
If you live in Miami, chances are you've seen Spam Allstars play whether you realize it or not. The band is known for their
5. Cashmere Cat. 3 Days in Miami Music Series. 9 p.m. Friday, Sept 2, at The Hangar, 60 NE 11th St., Miami; thehangar305.com. Tickets cost $15 via 3days.redbullsoundselect.com/miami.
Norwegian DJ,
4. Jahfé. Reggae Family Fun Day at the Wynwood Yard. 12 p.m. Sunday, Sept 4, at Wynwood Yard, 56 Northwest 29th St., Miami; 305-771-4810; thewynwoodyard.com. Tickets cost $5 to $20 via eventbrite.com.
Jahfé can be seen and heard at many of Miami’s weekly reggae nights, including the Labor Day edition of Kulcha Shock’s Reggae Family Fun Day. "A rebel without
3. Astari Nite. 10 p.m. Sunday, September 4, at The Bar at 1306, 1306 N Miami Ave., Miami; 1306miami.com. Tickets cost $15 at the door.
Astari Nite is a band from another time and place. The group released its latest album, Until the End of the Moon, in May, and it would have fit right in between the Cure and the Smiths on your '80s cassette playlist. You might be a little sad while you listen to them, but it's the good kind of sad you can still dance to. You can't wear white after Labor Day so wear all black and attend the Labor Day edition of MASS at downtown's 1306, a night billed as “a night of alternative sounds for alternative minds.”
2. PALO! Ball & Chain Music Festival. 12 p.m. Friday, Sept 2, at Ball & Chain, 1513 SW 8th St., Miami; ballandchainmiami.com. Admission is free.
PALO!’s
1. Aurelio. 18th Annual Afro Roots World Music Festival. 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept 3, at North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; (305) 672-5202; NorthBeachBandshell.com. Tickets cost $15 via brownpapertickets.com.
Aurelio Martinez, also known simply as Aurelio, is a Garifuna singer, songwriter, and musician. The Garifuna people are descendants of the West African, Central African, and Arawak people, and Aurelio is seen as one of his culture's foremost representatives. He travels the world playing Garifuna music and his appearance in Miami for the Afro Roots World Music Festival will be his first in about a decade. Get a history lesson while you drink a beer this Labor Day Weekend.