Saturday
Black girls are taught that blond is beautiful, that there is no place for their joy, that they are invisible. But Brooklyn-based educator, writer, and activist Mahogany L. Browne uses poetry to counter this shameful American truth. Her poem Black Girl Magic does just that; it went from being featured on PBS NewsHour to a becoming a book with illustrations by Jess X. Snow. Browne will be celebrating the release of the new book with champagne, some networking, and swag bags at Shinola's Black Girl Magic Mixer. Also featured are poets T. Miller and Christina Olivares, as well as live painting by Stephanie. It'll be the perfect time to connect with other people of color in a safe space filled with hope and joy. 6 p.m. Saturday, February 3, at Shinola, 2399 NW Second Ave., Miami; shinola.com. Admission is free.
The musical minds at Strutter USA bring some of the best surf rockers to town. This week, at the filthy but lovable Allapattah bar Las Rosas, they'll be presenting all-female band Boytoy from NYC along with tunes from Ben Katzman's DeGreaser and beloved Miami trio SMVT. Expect a mix of absurdity, wild dancing, true talent, and a lot of shredding. This is a free rager, so leave your wallet at home and bring only your strutting shoes. 9 p.m. Saturday, February 3, at Las Rosas, 2898 NW Seventh Ave., Miami; lasrosasbar.com. Admission is free.
In the age of the internet, it can seem like everything that exists has already been discovered, memed, and turned into the subject of a contrarian think piece. But amazingly, an uncut 35mm print of the 1977 Dario Argento film Suspiria was recently unearthed by the Chicago Cinema Society in an Italian cinema that had been shuttered long ago. It adds six minutes of never-seen footage to a story about a ballet student who transfers to a German school and enters a nightmare. Film buffs won't be the only ones to flock to this flick — with a score by prog rock band Goblin, music nerds will be in paradise as well. 11:30 p.m. Saturday, February 3, at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; gablescinema.com. Admission costs $8.
Artist Carrie Mae Weems offers some of the most beautiful, powerful, and engaging works being made today. At a time when political art resonates more than ever, her work rises to the top. You may have seen her photographs at the MET, the Whitney, MOMA, or the Guggenheim — pretty much everywhere that is anywhere in the art world. She will be presenting a new performance-lecture, Past Tense, at Miami Dade College and other venues around Miami. The cross-disciplinary performance uses text, music, projection, and video to explore the classic tale Antigone and the dynamics of race, gender, families, class, and politics in America today. This is a must-attend event for any thoughtful art lover in the tricounty area. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 3, at Miami Dade College, 300 NE Second Ave., Miami; brownpapertickets.com. Admission costs $15.
Though Crossfitters always talk about their paleo diets, you don't often hear them say much about what they drink. But don't be fooled; some of them do hit the bar. In fact, there's a Crossfit gym drinking tournament being held early this Saturday evening — from 4-8 p.m., of course, cause they've gotta get up early to get to their WODs. The competition will include beer pong, flip cup, drinking Jenga, and more. Titled Gym of Thrones, the festivities will go down at Shots in Wynwood. What do you get out of going to this booze fest? A Gym of Thrones trophy. Well worth the hangover. 4 p.m. Saturday, February 3, at Shots Miami, 311 NW 23rd St., Miami; shotsbar.com. Admission is free to $50.
Sunday
You probably want to watch the Super Bowl without hearing anyone's racist uncle complain about players taking a knee. So check out the Super Bowl LII Watch Party at the Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex in Overtown. Presented by Black Archives and Stogietv as part of the Black Archives History & Research Foundation 2018 Black History Month kickoff, this funky party will feature music by DJ H2, some next-level networking, pool games, and, of course, cigar smoking. Watch football on the largest screen in town under the stars. 6 p.m. Sunday, February 4, at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami; bahlt.org. Admission is free.
Sometimes it's nice to to experience Miami like a tourist or anyone uninterested in ironic footwear or to watch the Super Bowl among friends who admit to liking football shamelessly. Hit up the Wharf for exactly that experience, with ten-foot screens broadcasting the game on the Miami River. You can even bring your dogs and kids before sunset. There'll be music by Hushmoney and food by Garcia's Seafood Open-Air Fish Market & Raw Bar, King of Racks BBQ, and the ever-delicious Mojo Donuts. Noon Sunday, February 4, at the Wharf, 114 SW N. River Dr., Miami; wharfmiami.com. Admission is free.
Tuesday
British electronic producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Elderbrook is headed to Miami's Floyd this week to bring his chilled-out beats to local ears. He recently told New Times, "Since I was superyoung, it's been my dream to do a tour of North America, and that's about to happen. I couldn't be happier with where I'm at." Miami will be just as happy that his dream has come true. The guy started as a teenage acoustic singer-songwriter who turned electric in college and more recently shed his live band. Now he has a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Record under his belt for his single "Cola," a collaboration with CamelPhat. Expect him to take some risks while playing recognizable tunes at this show of his childhood fantasies. 10 p.m. Tuesday, February 6, at Floyd, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 786-618-9447; floydmiami.com. Tickets cost $10 to $15 via ticketfly.com.
Wednesday
Kid Rock once killed a cougar for sport. He allegedly divorced Pam Anderson because he saw her cameo in the Borat movie. He's a libertarian-Republican who let Romney use his song "Born Free" in his campaign. He endorsed Ben Carson. But despite all the grossness of the man born Robert James Ritchie, it's hard to hate the guy. When it comes to making rap-country-rock, he really does kill it. The man behind the rap is coming to town to tout his talents at Hard Rock Live this week. Wear a cowboy hat and leave your liberal views at home. 8 p.m. Wednesday, February 7, at Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; seminolehardrockhollywood.com. Admission starts at $70.
