Thursday, April 14
Miami's favorite grilled-cheese purveyor, Ms. Cheezious, along with New Belgium Brewing, will present a special dinner pairing this Thursday. The MiMo District eatery will open its doors for an evening of beers and tasty, cheesy bites. A nice, cold Fat Tire will welcome guests. Then comes plenty of other good stuff: crab bisque with lemon croutons will be paired with Ranger IPA; a Snapshot wheat beer will go with some smoked wings; tangerine IPA Citradellic will be served alongside a bánh mì melt; and last, a dessert of caramelized peach ice cream will be matched with a peach wheat wine. Before each pairing, New Belgium brewer and manager Eric Salazar will talk about beer.
The New Belgium Beer Dinner begins at 7 p.m. at Ms. Cheezious (7418 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). Tickets cost $40. Visit facebook.com/mscheezious.
Friday, April 15
If you're sick of the same old sounds (because most of us have had enough of EDM and Pitbull), Barrage 8 is an entirely new musical experience that's here for you. The ensemble blends old-school instruments with new-school performance style.
The number "8" in the project's name is a reference to its instruments: four violins, two violas, a cello, and a double bass. Group members stomp their feet, strum their strings, and cover songs in a totally original way. The evening is full of fun, powerful, and positive vibes. These musicians might make you wish you'd stuck with those cello lessons in middle school.
Dreamed up by John Crozman, Dean Marshall, and Tony Moore — creators of the hit show Barrage, which had a whopping 3,000 performances in 27 countries in 2012 — this performance will be the cure for your winter electronic-house-overload blues. The show begins Friday at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center (3385 NE 188th St., Aventura). Tickets cost $40 and $45. Call 877-311-7469 or visit aventuracenter.org.
Saturday, April 16
Kids today are ruined by smartphones, Snapchat, and basically the internet. In the good old days, we walked miles to school, made phone calls via landlines, and scoured encyclopedias at the library for school research papers. Generation X knew the value of hard work, and it's about time Generation Z gets with it. This year's Global Youth Service Day is the perfect chance for wayward youngsters to restore their moral fiber and work ethic. Hundreds of volunteers will gather at the site of the future Ludlam Trail to beautify its northern section. They will cover graffiti, remove illegally dumped trash and debris, and participate in some pop-up projects along the path. Registered volunteers will also earn community service hours — and score four tickets to a Marlins game.
The event is led by HandsOn Miami's Youth Advisory Council (a board of 13-to-17-year-old students), along with Florida East Coast Industries (the company behind the green space project). All ages are welcome, so there's no excuse. There will be a bike valet too, so leave the gas-guzzler at home. The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at A.D. Barnes Park (6959 N. Waterway Dr., Miami). Participation is free. Visit handsonmiami.org/gysd.
Halloween is still months away, but the Gold Coast Railroad Museum and Haunted South Florida have teamed up for some spooky springtime activities. Instead of your normal October haunted hayrides, the two organizations present Ghost Tours on the rails. The event will show off the museum's collection of passenger cars, freight cars, and locomotives. It includes a walking tour of the grounds to look for and learn about supernatural spirits, tarot, chakra, candles, crystals, brews, and potions, and the paranormal equipment used to detect and intensify spirits. Pretend you're in an episode of Supernatural and Sam and Dean will save you if an angry spirit appears.
Ghost Tours take place at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum (12450 SW 152nd St., Miami) Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $25 and include a drink and appetizers. Discounts are available for museum members. Call 305-253-0063 or visit gcrm.org.
Miami-Dade College's performing arts series, MDC Live Arts, is one of the most innovative and progressive of its kind in the Magic City. And as part of its 25th-anniversary season, the organization welcomes Chilean theater company Teatro Cinema to Miami Beach's Colony Theatre. Known for its literal (and figurative) use of smoke and mirrors, Teatro Cinema has earned a reputation for creating illusions that expand the range of the physical theater. In particular, Saturday night's performance of Historia de Amor — the final piece in a trilogy based on a graphic novel by French author Régis Jauffret — features a range of special effects. Audiences should brace themselves as performers use photographed backgrounds, illustrations, and animations to help re-create the imagery of Jauffret's graphic novel.
Historia de Amor begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Colony Theatre (1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach). Tickets cost $25 ($10 for MDC students). Call 305-237-3010 or visit mdclivearts.org.
The old, dusty record ain't so dusty anymore. In 2015, the 33, 45, and 75 saw a surge in sales by 30 percent. Turns out millennials really love that warm, crackly sound — after all, vinyls are part of the hipster uniform. Of course, industry celebrations such as Record Store Day do a lot to boost morale and pique interest, especially because the annual event is all about exclusive releases, rare re-issues, and other limited-edition offerings. Audiophiles are already warming up for Saturday's activities, with plans for plenty of rockin' out alongside the obvious crate digs. The City of Miami has three participating record stores: the expansive warehouse of Museo del Disco (1301 SW 70th Ave.), the vintage vibes at Yesterday and Today (9274 Bird Rd. Miami), and the hipster hangs at Sweat Records (5505 NE Second Ave.).
Sweat always brings the party on RSD, and this year is no different. Music fans will be treated to the store's extensive collection as well as a performance next door at famous punk-rock pub Churchill's. Local performers include Party Flag, Eons, and Bleaubird, topped off by Seattle headliners Shabazz Palaces. The show is free for all ages. Parking is limited. Ms. Cheezious and Rolling Stove will bring the bites. Call 786-693-9309 or visit sweatrecordsmiami.com. For the full list of Record Store Day releases and participating venues, visit recordstoreday.com.
Sunday, April 17
Modern Miami architecture suffers from a serious high-rise addiction. There was once a time when the Magic City was dominated by beautiful haciendas, midcentury modern marvels, and art deco-style homes. Many of that centuries-old architecture stands in Morningside, east of Biscayne Boulevard from NE 50th Terrace to NE 63rd Street. Also known as the Upper Eastside, it's a charming neighborhood that's growing as fast as the rest of the city — though not quite as tall. Residents are so proud of their heritage, they're inviting you into their homes to see how the other half lives.
The 27th-annual Morningside Historic Home Tour returns Sunday to offer architecture and history enthusiasts a chance to step inside private interiors ranging in eras and design, including Mediterranean, revival, and art deco. The tour is self-guided and also offers food trucks and bites from Upper Eastside restaurants. The tour begins at noon and lasts till 5 p.m., rain or shine. The whole family is welcome. The event begins in the Morningside neighborhood at NE 56th Street and NE Sixth Avenue. Free parking is located at Blvd 57 Sales Gallery (5700 Biscayne Blvd., Miami), with complimentary trolley service to the tour entrance. Tickets cost $25 to $35. Visit morningsidehometour.com.
Tuesday, April 19
Two-Player Video Game Night at Concrete Beach Brewery, hosted by 8bitLexicon, is back. It brings together locally crafted brews and all-time great
The event is part of the brewery's ongoing calendar of events, happening every Tuesday at Concrete Beach Brewery (325 NW 24th St., Miami). Gaming begins at 7 p.m., and admission is free. Call 796-2727 or visit concretebeachbrewery.com.
Musically speaking, Iggy Pop has reached the same point David Bowie and Johnny Cash reached later in their careers and their lives. With the release of his 17th studio album, Post Pop Depression, the eternal punk is penning songs that are more reflective than ever. The volume is a nine-song collaboration with Josh Homme, frontman for Queens of the Stone Age. The songs are smart and stylish hard rock, clever without being abstractly intellectual. Fleshing out the lineup of collaborators for the record are multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita, also from Queens of the Stone Age as well as the Dead Weather, and drummer Matt Helder of Arctic Monkeys. The album is essentially an homage and farewell to Bowie, a close friend of Pop's who produced the 1977 album Lust for Life. The new LP also marks the start of a new tour and something Pop never does: play a show in his adopted home of Miami.
Catch a rare sighting of an odd bird this Tuesday, when Iggy Pop and Josh Homme descend like vultures on the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Doors open at 7:30 p.m., showtime is 8, and local kids the Jacuzzi Boys are the evening's opener. Tickets cost $64.50 to $105. Call 305-673-7300 or visit livenation.com.
