No matter which current incarnation of Black Flag you may prefer to see or which former lineup is your favorite, there is no simply no arguing with the fact that the essential appeal of this band (beyond the imposing sonics, beyond Raymond Pettibon’s vital imagery, beyond the legends chronicled in…
It would seem that everyone not bent on being a DJ these days is buying a guitar. In recent years, there have been unprecedented national advertisements for large chain music stores like Guitar Center all over radio and television, and the fact that a company like the aforementioned grew so…
Miami has a long history of putting out great, unique sounding heavy bands. In much the same way that the marsupials of the Southern Hemisphere have evolved with combinations of traits unlike those of any other mammalian group, Miami’s isolated heavies are a genus unto themselves. And now, in particular,…
The reunion of Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, and bass guy Geezer Butler — you know, the seminal dark lords of metal — has helped keep the heavy-metal masses smiling. With crossed arms, of course. Even without legendary original drummer Bill Ward thundering the skins, Black Sabbath is…
UPDATE: Fleetwood Mac has canceled its South Florida tour stop. More details at “Fleetwood Mac Cancels Reunion Tour Show in South Florida.” The term “hipster” is one that has evolved from a benign adjective used by grandmas and square folk to describe those with an inclination toward the arts and…
Tragedy With Rotting Palms, Maruta, Nerv, Devalued, and Nunhex As part of Speedfreek’s last show Churchill’s Pub, Miami Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Better Than: What else were you doing on a Wednesday night?! Promoter Roger “Speedfreek” Forbes has decided to call it quits. Forbes, occasionally in partnership with Torche/Shitstorm drummer…
Orbweaver and Shroud Eater at Propaganda Lake Worth May 31
Eric Clapton’s Secret Weapon, Doyle Bramhall II, Isn’t “Playing Any Games”
Better than: 90 percent of your other options on a Tuesday night.”We do what we do for this, right here” decreed Every Time I Die lead singer, Keith Buckley, as he stood tall at the edge of Grand Central’s stage, extolling the sanctity of sweaty club dates. Buckley’s declaration was…
When Every Time I Die hit the national scene with Last Night in Town in 2001, they forged a sound that, at that point, had not really been considered by hardcore and metal fans. The band played aggressive music built on a foundation of classic rock that was grown in…
Terror and H2O With Backtrack and Code Orange Kids Presented by Breakeven Booking and Speedfreek Churchill’s Pub, Miami Tuesday, February 5, 2013 “We are not a rock ‘n roll band,” insisted Terror vocalist Scott Vogel, as he addressed the sweaty mass of hardcore fans between songs during one of the…
Corrections House With Shroud Eater and Holly Hunt Presented by Speedfreek Churchill’s Pub, Miami Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Better Than: Not being “destroyed,” “annihilated,” “depressed,” and “confused” on a Wednesday night. In the Internet age, it is pretty much impossible for anyone with a computer to be surprised by a…
In Flames at Revolution Live February 2
Better Than: Karaoke night with your co-workers. Retribution is a beautiful thing. And after nearly 28 years of pumping out tough riffs and churning circle pits, punk legends Slapshot finally brought Boston hardcore to Miami. The show (which many in the scene considered a gift after so many years of…
Pig Destroyer With Priapus, God Harvest, Implosive Disgorgence, and Maruta Churchill’s Pub, Miami Saturday, December 15, 2012 Better Than: Thurston Moore doing anything in Miami. Churchill’s Pub had itself a busy weekend. Right on the heels of Friday night’s Torche/Holly Hunt album release party, the legendary Pig Destroyer laid siege…
Holly Hunt’s Year One Album Release With Torche, Post Teens, and The Tunnel Churchill’s Pub, Miami Friday, December 14, 2012 Better Than: Any episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that didn’t have to do with a spaceship battle or a malfunctioning holodeck. Over the weekend, Miami was given a…
In the rapidly proliferating world of stoner/droner/doom metal, it has become increasingly more difficult to say something original and relevant. While most anyone with a taste for the sludgy side of things appreciates any band doing something of quality (regardless of innovation or lack there of) in this realm, sometimes…
Cannibal Corpse Grand Central, Miami Thursday, December 6, 2012 Better Than: Cardboard gun shop. Stuck precariously in the middle of Miami’s yearly ascension to the international spotlight of artistic and cultural relevance (AKA Art Basel Miami Beach week) was a Cannibal Corpse tour date…
Cypress Hill With Action Bronson and ¡Mayday! Grand Central, Miami Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Better Than: The “giggle stick.” Grand Central’s main cave was filled with a thick and sticky cloud of party smoke well before beat one was dropped at last night’s Cypress Hill show. But despite the night…
The Dwarves Churchill’s Pub, Miami Saturday, October 27, 2012 Better Than: Getting hit in the head with a beer bottle by Josh Homme. At one point in time, a Dwarves performance came with the caveat that you were guaranteed to either witness or take part in fistfights, public nudity, illicit…
Cat Power Grand Central, Miami Thursday, October 11, 2012 Better Than: Manhattan after a nuclear war. For Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, the weight of her gifts has proven a heavy burden to shoulder over the years. And as such, most fans understand that purchasing a ticket to…
Public Image LTD Grand Central, Miami Friday, October 5, 2012 Better Than: Getting pooped on. The opportunity to see one of the originators of punk-rock iconoclasm perform in an intimate setting is a rare one indeed. However, Miami was treated to just such an experience on Friday night courtesy of…
