Johnny LouisCheck it! 2008 was a busy year for clubland. We saw the departures of Pawn Shop Lounge, Studio A, Circa 28 and Suite, while we welcomed new venues like The Vagabond, Louis, Aero Bar, Bella Rose and Heathrow Lounge. And to our surprise, there was plenty of action beyond…
With 2008 coming to a close, we are taking the time to look back at the crazy blog fodder the Magic City provided us with. Everything from Dolphins Cheerleaders to “hairy” e-mails struck a chord with readers. So let’s look at the top blog posts that were unknowingly picked by…
There were plenty of exciting things that happened during 2008, but the final week of the year was just as busy as any other. Mild, sunny weather meant it was a great weekend to relax poolside and call up your friends up north to remind them that you haven’t even…
Back in my days over at Miami Nights, I liked to close out the year by looking back at all the music I discovered where I spend most of my time — in nightclubs. It’s always interesting to see what makes it big the following year, because downtown club in…
You don’t need a half-wit music critic to tell you it’s been a remarkable year for America, one historians will be discussing and researching for centuries to come. War, financial collapse, politics, technology: All have been dinner-table topics for many Americans. Racial barriers in 2008 were demolished by a Midwestern…
We aren’t kidding when we say times are tough. Money isn’t as disposable as it once was, and we’re all just praying that we’ll come out alive once the recession is over. So to make sure you still have one rockin’ New Year’s Eve we decide to do a little…
Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn’t nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn’t feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper’s fantastic Furr…
It’s time to rank the best of what went around and came around again. BILLY JOEL The Stranger (Columbia/Legacy) As punk and disco exploded, the Piano Man’s deeply unhip 1978 breakthrough proved that top-shelf Broadway/Brill Building songwriting could still sell – and, occasionally, rock. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” and…
Hip-hop A-listers including Rick Ross, Akon and Plies were caught grossly exaggerating their gangster credentials this year. (Turns out they were painfully law-abiding. The horror!) But even if your favorite rapper wasn’t caught in a lie, you can bet he or she put out a hilariously absurd record or two…
Revolution Fight ClubDecember 19, 2008Gusman Center for the Performing ArtsBetter Than: Who knows?Forgive me, but I don’t have any photos of Friday night’s Revolution Fight Club. No, I didn’t lose my camera. And no, it didn’t break. And I wasn’t shirking my assignment, either. I don’t have a snap because…
A couple of weeks ago, an expert on the Harry Potter series told an audience of high school kids how lucky they were to have this Big Shared Experience–these seven books and 41,000 words in common. What does Harry Potter have to do with hip-hop in 2008? In an age…
And now it’s time for the “I love you like a fat kid loves cake” memorial Worst Lyrics of 2008, March Madness-style tournament, this year a terrifying mélange of appalling oral-sex requests, bargain-bin philosophies, grammatical atrocities, and cringe-inducing pillow talk. To elevate the drama, I provided a trusted colleague with…
In 2008, independent rock returned to the underground, where it belongs. Given the grand catastrophe that is today’s record industry, most major-label executives don’t have the time or energy to convince music fans they might like something a little out of the ordinary. They’re too busy recycling variations on what…
Slip-N-Slide’s 15th Anniversary Party at Hotel Victor in Miami Beach was definitely the best party of 2008. Baby tigers, porn stars, open bars, and lots of millionaire thugs showing off their jewelry. Trina was posing for photos as Keith Sweat performed. I got to sit and talk to Slip-N-Slide’s founder…
Any knucklehead with DSL and a laptop can now make an electronic track. With a half hour of clicking and fiddling, you can sample enough cheesy beats and mashups to clog arteries from here to Berlin. Simple dropdown mouse maneuvers can transform electro tracks into progressive house tracks (from dry…
In a year worthy of your rage, metal delivered in spades. What with the economy circling the drain and Sarah Palin coming down from the tundra and then refusing to go back, 2008’s been the kind of year that really makes you want to smash your head into walls or…
‘Tis the season, ya’ll! And the Opium Group wants you to open your wallets, er, for charity of course! It goes without saying, we are all hurting a bit financially this season, but there still are a lot people worse off than you. So if aren’t aware already of all…
Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that’s true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The…
Americans who still think of Latin music as mariachi bands and gyrating Ricky Martins and Shakiras might want to lend a closer ear to the genre. This country’s Hispanic population isn’t just growing, it’s growing more diverse. More and more unique musical styles are being gobbled up, and that should…
As far as DJs we’re dying to see, we’ll admit that Dim Mak/Cinespace founder Steve Aoki is pretty low on our list. It’s not that Aoki isn’t entertaining, he is, but at times he seems to be more about the showmanship than the music. But love him or hate him…
They say distance makes the heart grown fonder, but we sort of dropped the ball with On the List; its being almost three weeks since our last compilation. Don’t fret children, we’re back! And we promise we will never leave you — er, again.We aren’t sure how many of you…
Yesterday, we told you that Otto Von Schirach, Jose El Rey and El Tigre, who together form Miami Bass Warriors, would make their small-screen debut on Pitbull’s La Esquina on mun2. Their video for (their only song?) “Going Back to Calle Ocho” — which we’re pretty sure is play on…
