Songs of Sacrifice

Giacomo Puccini’s timeless opera Madama Butterfly has endured as one of the world’s most beloved because of its simple beauty and universal themes that go beyond cultural mores. The libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica tells the tale of an arranged marriage between the American sailor Lieutenant Pinkerton and…

From Clay to Ali

Cassius Clay will forever be enlaced with South Florida’s international profile since he defeated Sonny Liston in six rounds in Miami Beach in 1964. It was in South Florida that Clay would meet the Black Muslims. It was in South Florida that he furiously trained under the eyes of Angelo…

Haochi Waves Releases Peggy: “She Lives Inside of All of Us”

Haochi Waves has been living up to the second part of its name for some time now. From the ashes of Pretty Please, husband-and-wife creators Juan Oña and Ana Farina Mackliff reemerged, joined again by Didi Aragon. And now they’re poised to release their latest band’s first full-length album, Peggy…

Sugar Cum: Florida Company Creates Pill to Make Your Spunk Taste Sweet

HîPleasures via FacebookIt’s unfortunate that in 2014, this far into human existence, American society at large still suffers from sexual apprehensions and taboos long shed by more progressive societies. Here at Cultist, we can’t ignore the psychological ills of a sexually repressed society, and we do our part by concentrating…

A Sea of Techies

In the fall of 2012, Tiger Direct celebrated the launch of Windows 8 and its OEM computer lines by hosting its inaugural Tech Bash. The event, filled with food and drink, hosted more than 4,000 folks eager to witness the operating system’s new features. In the spring of 2013, the…

Yuri Tuma’s Departure at Butter Gallery: A Minimalist, Kinetic Mixture

“While the works in Departure are, like most of Tuma’s oeuvre, re-shaped and re-contextualized photographs, they represent a literal departure from the intricate, ornate mosaics of his earlier collections.” And in one swift move, Butter Gallery’s latest press release on Yuri Tuma’s new solo exhibition manages to ambiguously suggest that…

Sex, Drugs, and Surveillance Collide in Emerson Dorsch Installation

Emerson Dorsch’s ambitious eight-week programming series, thisishappening has seen a number of abstract and provocative works already, like Franky Cruz’s savage poem of isolation and electronic renouncement, The Last Tiger and Carol Adrianza Ferdinand’s three-day exploration of spiritual purification through shamanistic and historical ritual. Joining this tapestry of diverse artistic…

Miami’s Ten Best Rockabilly Bands of All Time

There is more to Miami’s music scene than meets the eye. But surely, no one thinks, Rockabilly!, when the Magic City is mentioned. What a damn shame, because our city’s seen its fair share of quality rockabilly acts. Showing its Southern roots, Miami was home to a thriving rockabilly scene…

7 Seconds Talks 35 Years of Hardcore Punk

For 35 years, 7 Seconds has been a stalwart of the hardcore punk scene. Founded in Reno, Nevada, by brothers Kevin and Steve Marvelli (who adopted the new last names Seconds and Youth, respectively), this Sacramento crew has also figured prominently in the straight-edge movement. An energetic man by nature,…

PAMM’s Puppetmaster

Canadian installation artist Geoffrey Farmer has long admired the counterculture and music of the ’60s, a longing of someone who has realized he’s missed out on something. Growing up in the MTV and Atari generation has shaped his artistic outlook with an ADHD exuberance toward multimedia. As a result, his…

Jacopo “2501” Ceccarelli’s New Work at Yo Amo 305 Gallery Inspired by Hubris of Travel

The Fordistas project continues their “fostering unique and honest expression, while promoting burgeoning, undiscovered talent” with this month’s exhibit focusing on Italian street muralist Jacopo “2501” Ceccarelli. Known for his undulating monochromatic works depicting somewhat familiar creatures in defiant contortions, Ceccarelli was born in Milan and at 14 years of…