Subject: Ben Thacker

• Over the Weekend: Sneaker Pimps and Surf Nazis on Ecstasy

  The rain doesn't stop! We know it's "the rainy season," but this is getting ridiculous. We can't remember the last time it rained this much. Let's hope rain is all we get this season, because hurricane season has officially started. So while we stock up on canned good and batteries, here is what you missed over the weekend:Sneaker Pimps at the Moore BuildingJipsyWe've got to admit, we don't understand how grown men have basically turned the sneaker into a shoe obsession. It's sort of like when y

  June 1, 2009

• Last Night: Agent Orange at Churchill's Pub

  Ben Thacker SoCal surf-punk band Agent Orange rocked Churchill's Pub Saturday night. Click here to view the full slideshow. Agent Orange with To Be Hated and O.P.S. Saturday, November 15, 2008 Churchill's Pub, Miami SoCal surf/skatepunk legends Agent Orange gave an all-out performance last night to a packed crowd at the colorful Churchill's Pub in Little Haiti. The trio of forty-something-year-olds came on at around 1 a.m. and kept the party rocking like it was 1989 after solid sets by local

  November 16, 2008

• Last Night: Broken Social Scene at Club Cinema

  Broken Social Scene with Land of TalkSaturday, November 22, 2008Club Cinema, Pompano BeachCanadian experimental/indie-rock supergroup Broken Social Scene descended on South Florida last night like a swarm of indie bees, and buzzed up a two-hour storm for jubilant fans at a packed Club Cinema in Pompano, on the last night of their U.S. tour.  Land of Talk, also from Canada, opened the show with an enjoyable yet forgettable set, featuring talented young Montreal-based vocalist and guitarist

  November 23, 2008

• Friday Night: DWNTWN Concert Series with Conjunto Progreso and Special Guest Arturo Sandoval

  Ben ThackerArturo Sandoval playing with Conjunto Progreso at the DWNTWN Concert Series. Click here to view the full slideshow.Conjunto Progreso w/ special guest Arturo SandovalFriday, April 10, 2009Tina Hills Pavilion at Bayfront Park, MiamiBetter Than: Badminton in Belarus.Friday night marked the end of this year's Downtown Concert Series, the monthly happy-hour picnic event held at Bayfront Park's Tina Hills Pavilion. The series, sponsored by the Miami Downtown Development Authority, the John

  April 14, 2009

• Friday Night: Aterciopelados and Curumin at North Beach Bandshell

  Ben ThackerAterciopelados performing at the North Beach Bandshell as part of the TransAtlantic Festival. Click here to view the full slide show.Heineken TransAtlantic Festival with Aterciopelados and CuruminFriday, April 16, 2009North Beach Bandshell, Miami BeachBetter than: Cafeteria breakfast.The good people at the Rhythm Foundation kicked off their seventh annual Heineken TransAtlantic world music festival Friday night with Colombian folk/rock/lounge superstars Aterciopelados, along with Braz

  April 20, 2009

• Over the Weekend: Aterciopelados and Miami Beach Gay Pride

  While our sister paper celebrated Beerfest north of the county line, we kept a low profile this weekend. Well, maybe it's the city that's keeping a low profile. We definitely think things have slowed down since Winter Music Conference, and with the low season only a month away, we don't see things picking up until the fall.But before the summer heat rolls in, here is what you missed over the weekend:Aterciopelados and Curumin at the TransAtlantic FestivalBen ThackerColombian rockers Aterciopela

  April 20, 2009

• Saturday Night: Swamp Stomp Music Festival at Jimbo's

  Ben ThackerCuci Amador of Afrobeta performing at Swamp Stomp Music Festival at Jimbo's. Click here to view the full slide show.Swamp Stomp Music FestivalSaturday, April 25, 2009Jimbo's, Virginia KeyBetter Than: The average assignment.The Third Annual Swamp Stomp independent music festival, under a mystical cloud of weed smoke, joyfully stomped the shite out of the swamp Saturday night. It was a down-home backcountry bait shack stomp-fest at Miami's official fugitive hideaway/fashion shoot hot sp

  April 27, 2009

• Over the Weekend: Swamp Stomp, Tom Jones, and Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

  The humidity stayed away all weekend, so the weather was as perfect as it gets in Miami, so let's hope all the swine flu hysteria didn't keep you indoors. But in case you spent the weekend spraying disinfectant on all the pork products in your refrigerator, here is what you missed over the weekend:Swamp Stomp Music Festival at Jimbo'sBen ThackerRachel Goodrich, Jahfe, Cleaveland Jones, Afrobeta, and others performed at the annual Swamp Stomp Music Festival at Jimbo's on Virginia Key. Click here

  April 27, 2009

• Over the Weekend: Urban Beach Week, Best of the Best and Lanzallamas Monofonica

  Hopefully, the extra day off gave everyone enough time to recover from the mayhem the Memorial Day weekend brings to Miami every year. Not even the rain seemed to dampen the spirits of people looking to relax. There were plenty of things to do this weekend, so if the weather did keep you home, here is what you missed:Urban Beach Week 2009Logan FazioEvery year, the Memorial Day Weekend brings Urban Beach Week to South Beach. Click here to check out the scenes on the Ocean Drive strip.Best of the

  May 26, 2009

• Last Weekend: So Raw Festival, Miami

  photo by Ben ThackerJacuzzi Boys played Saturday night.So Raw Festival'ISM Gallery and Upper Eastside Garden, MiamiJune 19 and 20, 2009Better Than: Packing into yet another dance club and emptying your wallet.The Review:I have only good things to say about the So Raw Festival, which celebrated its inaugural edition last weekend across Miami's urban wilds. The scrappy, triumphant, zero-bullshit vibe of the two-day event was a welcome reminder of what "indie" really stands for -- independent! Than

  June 24, 2009

• Concert Review: Jahfe at the Clevelander, July 19

  photo by Ben ThackerJahfeJahfeThe Clevelander, Miami BeachSunday, July 19, 2009 Better Than: Actually being in Cleveland The Review: Miami's hottest roots reggae/Haitian culture band Jahfe officially released (again) its long-awaited album, The Solution, Sunday night with an early evening poolside performance at the Clevelander. Sunday is "Island Love" day at the newly renovated party hotel, and the weekly party is a regular gig for Jahfe, who delivered three sets of beautifully arrang

  July 21, 2009

• Concert Review: Miami Wings' Thursday Night Jazz Jam

  Photo by Ben ThackerEvery Thursday, Miami Wings hosts a jazz jam event.Click here to view the full slideshow from this event.Miami Wings Jazz JamThursday, July 23, 2009Better Than: Bedtime on a Thursday night.Miami Wings is a wings joint(duh)/sports bar way down in B.F.E that hosts a weekly underground jazz jam with the help of local serious jazz radio station 88.9 FM WDNA, and longtime neighborhood instrument shop Musician's Discount Center, which is located next door. Though a highly unlikely

  July 24, 2009

• Concert Review: Big Sam's Funky Nation at Transit Lounge, July 24

  photo by Ben Thacker​Big Sam's Funky NationTransit Lounge, MiamiFriday, July 24, 2009Better Than: JambalayaThe Review:New Orleans funkmeister Big Sam Williams brought the bayou to Brickell Friday night, for a regular old boot-stompin', booty-shakin' hootenanny at a bustling Transit Lounge. The band of six, led by large - and - in - charge Williams on slide trombone and vocals, tore through the night with two sets of its skunk - funk fire, inflicting mortal grooves on the masochistic masses.&nb

  July 28, 2009

• Concert Review: Davila 666 at Churchill's Pub, August 11

  Photo by Ben ThackerDavila 666 at Churchill's Pub Tuesday night.​Click here to view the full slideshow from the event.Davila 666 with Jacuzzi Boys, Electric Bunnies and Lil DaggersTuesday, August 11, 2009Churchill's Pub, MiamiBetter than: BerlitzPuerto Rican neo-rock 'n' roll group Davila 666 shook things up Tuesday night for a happier-than-usual crowd at Churchill's Pub in Little Haiti. The six-piece, tambourine-toting band of brothers (Davila is their alleged common surname) was supported by

  August 13, 2009

• Concert Review: Mayhem Fest at Cruzan Amphitheatre, August 12

  photo by Ben Thacker​Click here to view a full slideshow of photos from the show.Mayhem Fest main stageBullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, Slayer, and Marilyn MansonCruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm BeachWednesday, August 12, 2009Better Than: Sitting at an office desk!The Review:Mayhem Fest is Warped Tour Kevin Lyman's metally offspring, a similarly scaled summer package tour now in its second year. Last year's inaugural edition was fun in its relative scrappiness -- the line-up ranged ev

  August 14, 2009

• Our Music Recommendations From Among the Official Sleepless Night Events on Saturday

  photo by Ben ThackerLanzallamas Monofonica play the Rhythm Foundation stage.​Sleepless Night returns this Saturday to Miami Beach. Staying up all night there is nothing new, but the event is way more high-falutin', asking you to stay awake for things like opera and experimental dance. That can seem like a tall order in this town, but the last edition was surprisingly well-attended, and it's nice to at least say you did something cultural, no? (You can read a general explanation of it here.)I h

  November 5, 2009