The Guadian reports that R&B creeper R Kelly is laid up “indefinitely” as he recovers from emergency throat surgery. The singer — whose innumerable hits include “I Believe I Can Fly,” “Ignition (Remix),” and “I’m A Flirt (Remix)” — had recently been complaining about his sore throat on Twitter after…
Chest Pain and Mindless at Churchill’s Pub July 26
Hey, America, not sure if you got the memo or not. But Chris Brown is public enemy number one. Before 2009, Crossfade admired the young performer’s vocal chops and sharp, Timberlake’d Jacko dance swagger. But ever since he beat the shit out of his then-girlfriend, R&B siren Rihanna, we have…
Joel Grind is Toxic Holocaust, a one-man metal militia that unabashedly indulges every single thrash cliche, from the speed-shred of ’80s standards like Slayer and Motörhead to lyrics almost exclusively about annihilation, nuclear or otherwise. However, Grind’s throwback is most potent in its style: he and the shredders-for-hire who back…
Yesterday, Top 40 hip-hop megastar and occasional actor Ja Rule was sentenced to two years in prison for failing to file his taxes. Remember the good old days when rappers were taking each other out on their records and in real life? Or they wrote verses about crackhouses from inside…
The taunt of poserdom — that is, a self-proclaimed authority’s suggestion that you just might be a wannabe — is a stinger. And since punk, rock ‘n’ roll has suffered new standards of legitimacy (be it fashion, playlists, or diets) with every wave proclaiming itself to be the New Wave…
Yesterday, Cheap Trick narrowly averted a very-public demise. The classic ’80s power-pop quartet pulled the plug on its set at the Ottawa Bluesfest when an approaching storm created serious gusts of wind that made the band a little nervous. Rightfully so, as the stage deflated like a pathetic balloon shortly…
Why are music cruises all the rage? Is it some kind of reactionary Great Recession diversion for those few who can actually afford it? Back in February, Miami’s young-adults-in-leather-jackets got a taste of the open seas with the garage rock-themed Bruise Cruise. Atlanta scuzzballs Black Lips were there. So were…
Hot Graves is a Gainesville-based D-beat/black metal combo making its way to Beelzebub’s Cave this Saturday for a punk-and-metal meeting of the minds. Earlier today, Crossfade contributor Liz Tracy reported on Slashpine — also performing at the Cave — and its Florida-centric black metal ideology. Hot Graves has a similarly…
Yesterday, hip-hop pioneer Tone Loc plead not guilty to dual charges of domestic violence and unlicensed possession of an assault rifle. The rapper and cartoon voice actor was arrested after a dispute with the mother of his children turned physical. Police found the Colt AR-15 Sporter when responding to that…
Nightdrive Miami is a nightlife entity proving it can stand the test of time. First it was a party – then just “Nightdrive” – at the once-popular, now-forsaken Harvey’s By The Bay at the American Legion. Then, the promotion and blogging consortium – now comprised of founder Patrich Walsh, WVUM music…
It seems like culture is only going to get more and more obsessed with itself. More movies are going to be based on old TV shows, and, soon, movies will be based on the film remake of the original. Internet memes recreate at lightning speed, and people are sewing images…
Jenny Lewis’s indie-pop band, Rilo Kiley, has broken up. And girl, it’s nasty. Guitarist and singer Blake Sennett told Spinner.com that he initiated the bands dissolution after “a lot of deception, disloyalty, greed” and assorted other grievances. He also talked shit about the band’s last record, Under The Blacklight. Crossfade’s…
If Crossfade had a time machine available, the first thing we’d do is travel back to the late 1950s when everyone was up in arms over Elvis and his gyrating pelvis. We’d turn off The Milton Berle Show, plug in the turntable, and give them a crash course in powerviolence and fastcore…
Earlier this week, Crossfade reported on Coheed and Cambria bassist, Mic Todd, being arrested in Massachussetts for stealing oxycontin from a Walgreens hours before his band’s opening gig for Soundgarden. Well, it’s a good/weird week for rock star arrests as Nick Oliveri, ex-bassist for the Dwarves, Kyuss, and Queens of…
Torche With Big Business and Helms Alee Churchill’s Pub Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Better Than: Staying home and watching Easy Rider. As to be expected, most practitioners of stoner rock are pretty lazy. We don’t care how blazed you are, man, but jams can not live on one-riff. That’s why…
A good party always has a theme. Everyone’s already seen each other horrifically drunk, like, a million times. So unless you’re getting folks to dress up like their favorite sun-slash-sex god to compete in an alcoholic sporting event (say beer pong or vodka pole vaulting), you’re going to end up…
There was a period of time — from, let’s say, Tha Carter II to the first few mixtapes after Tha Carter III — when Lil Wayne was maybe actually for serious The Best Rapper Alive. The second Carter LP is the capstone of the early 2000s tinny, minimal, and dumb…
Last night, TMZ reported that Coheed and Cambria bassist Mic Todd was arrested for robbing a Walgreen’s pharmacy in Attleboro, Massachussetts. Apparently, Todd wrote out a note on his cell phone demanding oxycontin and threatening the store employee with an alleged bomb. The best-slash-worst detail is that Todd was not…
When word first started to spread about Torche, shortly before their first show at The Fest 3 in Gainesville, many were excited to hear the latest from Steve Brooks, guitarist and vocalist for legendary sludge band Floor. Miami’s high school-aged punk scene was particularly excited over Brooks drafting bassist Jonathan…
Jim Drain and Forcefield’s “Warmup” soundtrack the end/SPRING BREAK Friday, July 8, 2011 Better Than: Laying in an alley on broken glass and bumming out. Last night, nomadic multipurpose space, the end/SPRING BREAK, rechristened the old Spinello Gallery as a vibe den where patrons lie on the floor, on top…
The Insane Clown Posse is the most successful DIY b(r)and in the history of independent music. They move merch like bona fide hustlers, tour like Black Flag in the ’80s and serve as the centerpiece of a million-dollar Dark Carnival of spin-off artists and related projects, not to mention the…
