Dyslexic Postcards Spare the Altar (Self-released)myspace.com/dyslexicpostcards There is something magnificently debauched about Miami’s Dyslexic Postcards that might be hard to put into words without actually triggering your porn filters. That said, these guys (in particular longtime frontman Joshua Xmas) put that seed of corruption into my teenage mind many, many…
Nobody’s Hero S/T (Achála Productions) myspace.com/nobodyshero305 It would be easy to make unusual and extraordinary demands on Nobodys Hero. And it would be easy to dismiss them too, if you’re feeling like a prick. This band’s pedigree is like the Wu-Tang says: “Nothing to fuck with.” Seriously, you’re talking about…
Hesychia Involuted Departure (Self-released) There’s something poetic and soft about Patrick Norris’ Hesychia. But it’s also laced with obfuscation and subterfuge. On the surface, there is a desolate landscape of industry’s wrath. Yet upon careful inspection, really diving into the minutia of the minimalist guitar instrumentals within these sixteen-odd minutes,…
Amazing Grace Entities (Self-released) myspace.com/amazinggraceofficial Amazing Grace is a band that I know more about through research and word-of-mouth than I do from personal interaction. Reputedly, these guys were the kings of South Florida’s punk rock scene in the sense that they pretty much nailed every groupie in town and…
Over the past couple of years, tribute shows have kind of become a staple of Churchill’s programming. And I’ll admit that at first I thought of them as a kitschy attempt to fill slots. But more and more, the whole tribute show thing seems to be a better and better…
Troy Roberts is a jazz musician who followed his heart’s lead from Perth, Australia to the sunny promise of South Florida. His weapon is the saxophone. He’s currently on the part-time staff at the University of Miami. And his accolades stretch from the Great Down Under to the continental USA…
The Chant Two Car Mirage (Safety Net Records) The Chant’s Facebook page It is no secret that I usually do these things backwards, starting with third and second releases before tackling debuts. But there’s a reason for that approach: I usually do it by matter of personal acquisition. Hence why…
I guess there’s a Rolling Stones joke somewhere when you mention rock ‘n’ roll powerhouses that have been around for what seems like an eternity. And sure, like the Stones, there have been highs and lows for everyone. But when it comes to the thirty-two years that Fishbone has been…
XBand Pleasures of Life EP (Yomamas Records) Here’s a piece of Northwestern Florida punk rock that I happened upon while trolling the internet. It is a happy crossover of thrash and hardcore with some hard rock touches. It sounds really good on paper. And what really makes it endearing and…
There is something culturally synchonous about the moments that gave rise to punk rock and hip-hop. Both were musical genres that began as reactions. And one need only peruse the photo work of Glen E. Friedman and see that they were both there, growing independent of each other, but achieving…
Out of the Anonymous with Astro Blak, Space Between Words and Bulletproof Tiger Fox’s Sherron Inn Friday, February 25, 2011 Better than: Staying in and letting personal delusions take over. While I find the ongoing capital improvements to Fox’s somewhat inspiring, I’m having a hard time judging the depth of the…
We must not put wax in our ears. We must answer the siren’s call. We will gladly steer our boats into the rocky hell she promises. There is nothing wrong with going down into a watery grave when her chant is so sweet, so inviting, and so resplendent. Nicole Henry…
Out of the Anonymous CD Number Four (Self-released)oota.com The last time I had the pleasure to review Out of the Anonymous within these pages was way back in 2004 with their sophomore release, Masked Media. And this trio of extremely adept musicians has now shared more than a decade together…
Cavity Wounded EP (No! Records) myspace.com/cavitysludge I remember Dan Gorostiaga tracking me down amid the many thoroughfares of Florida International University back in 1998 and giving me a copy of this seven-inch. Like all Cavity releases, it featured great cover art and even better music within its grooves. But like…
Richard Walbert, better known as Chip (or xCHIPxSem) has been a member of the South Florida hardcore community for many years and he has performed with some classic bands like Destro and All Hell Breaks Loose. He’s also one of the nicest people around and an impulsive cataloguer of South…
It is a well-known fact that the Toronto of the mid 1980s is not the stalwart and vibrant community that it is these days. No, those were bleak times where heavily-armed, extremely polite Canadians wiled their days away with dreams of hockey glory and how to better their already pretty…
CavityGoin’ Ann Arbor/Sometime Sweet Susan 7″(Rhetoric Records) What can I say? It doesn’t always work out. Case in point: My mother tried so hard to make me an upright citizen, a contributor, an eventual CEO, MBA candidate, whatever-the-fuck. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that I’d be some abject…
Still reeling from all the tragic losses the local punk rock scene suffered during 2010, this year opened with another shot of pain when esteemed scenester Jose “Boner” Faria passed away in a vehicular accident January 8. He had not resided in South Florida for some time. But he certainly…
Here’s a track from our very own MC Serum off his upcoming sophomore release, P. C. P. (Pre-Campaign Propaganda), which is slated to drop this month. That’s good news for fans of his 2008 compilation mixtape Calm B4 the Brainstorm and 2009’s full-length debut Brainstorm Troopah. While I haven’t heard the…
The Essentials Fast Music in a Slow Town (Safety Net Records & Tapes) The Essentials were part of the early South Florida punk explosion of the late ’70s and early ’80s. And this EP, Fast Music in a Slow Town, is a sweet blend of straight-up punk rock with touches…
Easily one of the most multitasking players in the contemporary jazz field, Joseph “Jowee” Omicil returns to South Florida, this time to delight art patrons at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, it’s easy to lose focus that he is primarily one…
Shroud Eater Thunder Noise (Self-Released) shroudeaterrocks.com Well, the people asked for it and here it is: our beloved Shroud Eater’s first full-length effort, Thunder Noise. And I can tell you whole-heartedly that it continues the savagery and unrestrained stoner metal doom laid out in 2009’s self-titled EP. Nothing short of a…
