While the words “Miami” and “literary” are two words you see infrequently in the same sentence (except, maybe, in a joke), there are increasingly frequent glimmers of hope for the city’s word-lovers. The latest example: the return Thursday night of Bookleggers, an event that began, ostensibly, as a one-off last…
The mainstreaming of tattoo culture in America has paid off for everybody. More recognition for artists means more motivation and support for them to pursue their craft. More interest means better ink and technology for enthusiasts. And more people getting over the old stigma means a new era of tattoo…
Face it: The Grove might be a mellow, tree-lined hood in which to live, eat, and maybe shop, but it’s not exactly ground zero for the upscale, beautiful-people party circuit. Perhaps to blame are certain unnamed, reviled City of Miami commissioners and relatively early bar closing times. Still, there’s always…
Over the past five years of its official existence, the on-again, off-again Night of Weirds has morphed into a kind of bizarre extra limb for Churchill’s Pub (5501 NE Second Ave., Miami). In other words, it’s hard to imagine one without the other. The event is infamous around town for…
Earlier this summer, a handful of generous motorists pulled over to pick up a mustachioed hitchhiker on the side of the freeway, only to discover he was, in fact, iconically weird director John Waters. Over eight days, the brain behind kitschy cult classics such as Hairspray and Pink Flamingos thumbed…
It’s always summer in Miami, which means our population is just a little more fitness-obsessed than the denizens of the average flyover state. We’re also a city obsessed with the shiniest, latest trend. So we’re putting our asses on the line (literally) and sprinting, swimming, and suffering through the world…
Being a geek is cool again. But no, busty girls with lensless glasses all over Instagram, you don’t count. We’ll define a real geek, lovingly, as someone who knows almost everything — maybe way too much — about his or her subject of choice. And you don’t really earn your…
In the very particular universe of reality TV weight-loss and workout show personalities, superstar trainer Jackie Warner is neither the most punishing nor the most manic. Her past shows for Bravo — Work Out and Thintervention — were, of course, edited for maximum drama. With her clients themselves, though, Warner…
In the digital age, vinyl records are pretty much museum pieces. With even CDs obsolete, those old black circular slabs can seem downright prehistoric. Still, there’s something about the satisfying crackle and pop of a record. And in today’s cool-kid culture of considering everything old to be new again, it’s…
Robert Elias and the Revenge at the Clevelander Hotel May 30
See the full 36-photo slideshow of Rusko at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Rusko With DJ Sigma Fillmore Miami Beach Saturday, May 19, 2012 Better Than: Making out with a tree. Any talk about dubstep in its current, wildly popular and commercially viable form, always devolves into hand-wringing. But if anyone…
The debate over the merit — or lack thereof — of various Miami venues for live music recurs pretty much every day across the local blogosphere and social media landscape. One day, it’s commercial radio rock that’s getting the shaft. The next day, it’s all bands, indie rock or not…
Constant intrascene belly-aching aside, a few local (and local-ish) acts are managing to squeeze out of South Florida geographical isolation this summer for big stages. A number of major national festivals are featuring homegrown talent on the bill. And rightfully so. Here’s a quick rundown of South Florida (and SoFla-related)…
Rise Against at Sunset Cove Amphitheater April 28
On this holy weekend, God bless Sweat Records for putting on all-ages shows that aren’t in obscure warehouses that make anyone who is over 18 (or 21) feel like an abject weirdo for showing up. Rather, the shop’s in-stores are some of the few events where a truly wide age…
There’s really no such thing as Good Thursday, which we’re defining here as April 5, the night before Good Friday and Passover. But if you haven’t been sticking to your Lenten commitments, you can at least earn some points for showing up to support local music. To ring in the…
For rock bands of a left-field and perhaps nondanceable bent, it’s still pretty damn hard to get taken seriously in this town. Now, imagine how much harder it would have been 30 years ago, before the artsy Miami renaissance of the past decade or so, and worse, before social media…
Astrea Corporation at Dada March 31
I Am the Avalanche at Speakeasy Lounge March 31
Standing elbow to elbow last night with people going out of their minds in front of the live stage, it was easy to forget that Pretty Lights’ first Miami show was at the Vagbaond, just over two years ago. In October 2009, the then-cult Colorado producer born Derek Vincent Smith…
It’d be an understatement to say New Order’s performance at Ultra Music Festival last night was a rare treat. Instead, it was a benchmark for Ultra’s ultimate booking muscle and its massive importance on the local concert landscape. Let’s be real — when could you ever expect to see both…
Last night’s heaving, multi-room party thrown jointly by L.A.-based Smog and Miami-based Basshead was intense in every aspect. The volume was at 11. The revelers’ energy was at 11. The level of confusion trying to get around the sprawling downtown club Mekka was at 11. (Seriously, the place is like…
