Thursday, December 3
Vivian Girls. It's the Brooklyn trio's second recent South Florida performance, although it's the first in Miami proper. When they played at Propaganda in Lake Worth, their dreamy, punky ditties got the crowd surprisingly rowdy. It remains to be seen if the same will happen at the Pulse Art Fair. The girls kick off a series of quality bookings that again make Pulse one of the must-see satellite fairs. The great lo-fi, vaguely surfy coed local act Little Beard will open. — Arielle Castillo
Pulse Art Fair, at the Ice Palace, 1400 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Show begins at 6 p.m. Fair admission is $15, or $10 for students and seniors. pulse-art.com.
King Britt. In a departure from his usual soulful house sets, the Philly DJ/producer gets glitchy and left-field in the Miami installment of his ongoing series of events called Saturn Never Sleeps. King and buddy Rucyl will man the beats on laptops and other sundry gadgets, including, possibly, a Nintendo DS. The free gig is a three-night stand, running through Saturday night. — Arielle Castillo
The lobby of the Gansevoort South, 2377 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Performance lasts from 7 to 9 p.m. each evening. Admission is free. 305-604-1000; gansevoortsouth.com.
Mike Bones and Brian DeGraw. Max Fish is the coolest no-bullshit bar on Manhattan's Lower East Side, and in celebration of its 20th birthday, the good folks at O.H.W.O.W. have re-created the bar in its entirety here in Miami. Although bands don't really fit in the real venue — though they've been known to squeeze in the back — this version features live bands and cheap drinks every night. Thursday will host moody troubadour Mike Bones, along with Brian DeGraw, better known as a part of the artsy musical collective Gang Gang Dance. — Arielle Castillo
Max Fish at O.H.W.O.W., 3100 NW Seventh Ave., Miami. Bar is open 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Admission is free. 305-633-9345; oh-wow.com.
OK Go. In a Fendi-sponsored collaboration with designer Moritz Waldemeyer, the power-pop band continues its nightly performance at the Design Miami/ fair. It involves custom Gibsons shooting lasers from the necks — really. Click here for more about the performance. — John Hood
At Design Miami/, NE 39th Street and NE First Court, Miami. Performance is from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Admission to the fair is $20. 305-572-0866; designmiami.com.
He Say She Say. Million Dollar Mano was already a favorite on Chicago's free-spirited house/hip-hop crossover scene. His new project, though, might get even wider attention, thanks to the addition of a little female energy in the form of frontwoman Drea Smith. Over squelching electro-pop, she singsongs frank but empowered stories of doing naughty things. — Arielle Castillo
Cinema, 637 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 10 p.m. Admission is free before midnight with RSVP to [email protected].
Kairo, the Universal Citizens, Modernage, and the State Of. For a no-fuss night of local music, head to the Electric Pickle this Thursday. Our pick for the downstairs stage is the Anglophilic, postpunkish quartet Modernage. Upstairs, we recommend the dark, girl-girl, piano-driven electro-pop from the State Of. — Arielle Castillo
Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Show begins at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-456-5613.
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Friday, December 4
Exene Cervenka. Cervenka is a tireless artist in every sense of the word. She publishes books of her poetry and exhibits her collages and journals in art galleries. But the 53-year-old is perhaps best known for her musical projects: the punk band X, rootsier rock group the Knitter (which features X bandmates John Doe and D.J. Bonebrake), and the Sinners. These days, though, she's celebrating her solo album, Somewhere Gone, released recently on Bloodshot Records.— Annie Zaleski
At Pulse Art Fair at the Ice Palace. Show begins at 5 p.m.
Kid Sister. After two years of unexplained delays, Chicago electro-rapper Kid Sister finally dropped her proper debut album, Ultraviolet. Expect plenty of tracks from it at this liquored-up party presented by Giant Step and Svedka vodka. Ubiquitous local favorite DJ Induce will provide the soundtrack. — Arielle Castillo
The Delano, 1685 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is free with RSVP at giantstep.net/events.
Danger. Hipster girls flashing their tits and a DJ with a French touch — what could be better? Yes, this party is sponsored by infamous photoblog LastNightsParty. If you aren't familiar with French DJ/producer Franck Rivoire, AKA Danger, you're forgiven. Bloated press releases call him the next Daft Punk or Deadmau5, which you can take with a grain of salt. Still, Danger disguises himself from head to toe, allowing only his music and visuals to speak for him. Note: Danger will go on by 12:30 a.m. in order to give electro-house addicts enough time to catch Justice at Mansion that night. Thank Opium Group for the consideration. — Jose D. Duran
Louis at the Gansevoort South, 2325 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 11 p.m. Call for admission price. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-531-4600; louismiami.com.
Justice DJ Set. The French DJ duo hasn't really played a proper club set since Winter Music Conference 2007, when it spun at the Fixed/Ed Banger party at Studio A. They've made subsequent Ultra appearances, but this will be the first "intimate" South Florida setting in almost four years. They rose to mainstream consciousness after the release of their album † and scoring an MTV VMA nomination for their breakthrough video for "D.A.N.C.E." However, 2009 has been a quiet year for Justice, with no new material being released except for a remix here and there. It's safe to presume this gig might be a preview of a busier 2010. — Jose D. Duran
Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 11 p.m. Tickets cost $40 in advance from wantickets.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-531-5535; mansionmiami.com.
Fuck Art, Let's Dance. Aquabooty's annual December throwdown will feature DJ sets by Tomas Ceddia, DJ Harvey, and Osunlade.
Click here for more info. Electric Pickle. Doors open at 10 p.m. Call for admission price.
Radio Slave. Berlin DJ Radio Slave was all over this year's Winter Music Conference, so his return to our shores should be triumphant. He'll headline Safe's second annual party, Safe in the District, with support from Miami's best local DJ made good, Lazaro Casanova. — Arielle Castillo
Grass, 28 NE 40th St., Miami. Doors open at 11 p.m. Tickets cost $15 in advance from wantickets.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-574-3355; grasslounge.com.
G. Love. In the beginning, Philadelphia native Garrett "G. Love" Dutton — hitting the national music scene like a fourth Beastie Boy crossed with splashes of Beck and Bob Dylan — created the song "Cold Beverage" with his two-man backing band, Special Sauce. The year was 1994, the shambling song came from the trio's self-titled debut, and it slowly became a radio and MTV hit, fusing hip-hop to vintage blues, jazz, and funk. That was the peak of his commercial success, but as a must-see live act that consistently packs venues, he has actually grown his fan base. —Michael Alan Goldberg
Fountain Art Fair, 2505 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Show begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for an all-weekend fair pass. fountainexhibit.com.
Endless Boogie and the Jacuzzi Boys. Despite the jam band-sounding name, Endless Boogie is actually a Brooklyn band that remains fairly overlooked. This act is heavy in the best way — somewhere between metal, psychedelia, and the classic hard rock of acts such as Cream. This Friday, they'll team up with the similarly swirly Miami favorites Jacuzzi Boys, who take their psych in a more surf-punk direction. — Arielle Castillo
OK Go performs again at Design Miami/.
King Britt performs again in the lobby of the Gansevoort South.
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Saturday, December 5
The Blow. Since erstwhile band member Jona Bechtolt defected and formed YACHT, the Blow is pretty much just the Portland-based chanteuse Mikhaela Maricich. When performing live, she wavers between singing chirpy pop over minimal electro beats, and performing abstract spoken monologues. Given the artsy setting of this performance, it's safe to expect a little of both. The opening act will be one-man band Teepee, providing some swagger and snarl in contrast to Maricich's sweetness. — Arielle Castillo
Pulse Art Fair at the Ice Palace. Show begins at 5 p.m.
Chairlift. Through its TV ads, Apple catches lightning in a bottle with songs that become successful vehicles for the computer giant's newest technology. Brooklyn-by-way-of-Boulder electronic pop trio Chairlift is the outright epitome of iPod fame. The band's song "Bruises" landed in a Nano commercial, and the rest was history. This Saturday, the group will headline an evening of music curated by Filter magazine. — Michael Lopez
Fountain Art Fair. Show begins at 7 p.m.
Ghostly International Ten-Year Anniversary Party. Michigan's esteemed Ghostly International label will celebrate ten years of forward-thinking music and subculture at White Room this Saturday. Founded in 1999 by DJ Sam Valenti, Ghostly has become one of the most highly acclaimed international platforms for cutting-edge and genre-defying contemporary music and multimedia, along with its more dance-floor-centric sister imprint Spectral Sound. Audion (AKA Matthew Dear) will perform live, with additional sets by Michna, Bodycode, Solvent, and even a DJ set by Get Physical star M.A.N.D.Y. — Sean Levisman
White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $15 in advance from theghostlystore.com/collections/tickets. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-995-5050; whiteroomshows.com
The Golden Filter. This act's interpretation of late-'70s downtown glitz has taken Manhattan's club scene (and the blogosphere) by storm. Consisting of record producer Stephen and vocalist Penelope, the duo is notable for its chilly arpeggios, pulsating beats, and plush vocals — as well as elusive personas. (No, those aren't their full names.) —Alex Rendon
With a DJ set by Chairlift. Poplife at Electric Pickle. Doors open at 10 p.m. Tickets cost $10 in advance from epoplife.com.
Kinky and Mala Rodriguez. The band Kinky remains one of the best Mexican crossover acts that fuses its country's native sounds with contemporary rock and dance sounds. Mala Rodriguez, meanwhile, is a fierce female rapper from Spain whose sound relies heavily on flamenco. Together they'll provide the soundtrack to a multiculti night of music in Wynwood sponsored by Converse. — Arielle Castillo
The Awarehouse, 550 NW 29th St., Miami. Show begins at 9 p.m. Admission is free with RSVP at conversepresents.com/basel.
Bluetech. This Hawaii-based producer can be considered part of the extended constellation of the jam band scene, playing and collaborating with other hippies-gone-electronic such as EOTO and Flying Lotus. Still, Bluetech is fiercely experimental, citing the likes of Brian Eno, the Orb, and even Erik Satie as influences. He'll perform in Miami as part of the Moksha Art Fair, a gathering of lightly crunchy souls exhibiting psychedelic art. The Nag Champayons, the Moksha Family Allstars, and a host of other local friends and family will also perform. — Arielle Castillo
At the Moksha Art Fair multimedia main event. Seventh Circuit Studios, 228 NE 59th St., Miami. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40 in advance, $50 at the door. 305-757-7277; mokshafamily.com.
TV Baby and Jailbait. TV Baby is a shadowy, lone figure with a vague connection to A.R.E. Weapons and a muttering style of singing, like Lou Reed rambling over experimental electro. — Arielle Castillo
Max Fish at O.H.W.O.W. Bar is open 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.
OK Go performs again at Design Miami/.
King Britt performs again in the lobby of the Gansevoort South.
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Sunday, December 6
Millionyoung. The term chillwave might have been coined sarcastically by the parody blog Hipster Runoff, but the music blogosphere has taken it and run with it. Delivering a sort of 2k9 reiteration of the old "down-tempo," these producers are influenced more by Animal Collective than Massive Attack, and create tracks with a distinctly tropical flair. Coral Springs' Millionyoung is South Florida's own entry into the fray and one of the few artists in the genre who actually lives in year-round sunshine. — Arielle Castillo
At the Multiversal Group Show at the American Legion, 6445 NE Seventh Ave., Miami. Show begins at 10 p.m. Admission is free. multiversalgroupshow.com.
Jesse Rose. The hipster-approved, Berlin-based thumping house producer plays an event sponsored by — what else? — Scion. The real star here, though, is Rose's label, Made to Play. Each of the artists performing this Sunday (with the exception of local hero Induce) has put out tracks with the imprint, and they're all cheeky and intelligent. Click here for more about Rose. — Arielle Castillo
With Riva Starr, Zombie Disco Squad, Oliver $, Idiotproof, and Induce. Rokbar, 1905 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 11 p.m. Ages 21+ with ID. Admission is free with RSVP at scion.com/avrelease.
