BEST PIANO MAN Mike Orta He’s toured and recorded with Arturo Sandoval and alternated tracks with jazz legend Chick Corea. He’s played with Paquito D’Rivera and in Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra. And his day gig is director of jazz studies at Florida International University. But most nights you can…
With the execution of ZETA (WZTA-FM 94.9) at the hands of Clear Channel executives, things seemed bleak for the rock-radio listener. It appeared that the only recourse would be classic rock station WBGG-FM (105.9), where Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Creedence Clearwater Revival frequent (really frequent) the airwaves, and the…
BEST REGGAE RADIO PROGRAM 96 Mixx (MIXX-FM 96.1) www.96mixx.com Most of the major urban FM stations have one: a reggae program stashed away late at night or on a Sunday evening. The mainstream DJs all do fine work in the few hours the programming gods grant them, but they are…
BEST UNSUNG ROCK VENUE Gusman Center for the Performing Arts 174 E. Flagler Street Miami 305-372-0925 The packed show by Bright Eyes this past January displayed what both Miami International Film Festival and Philharmonic attendees have long known — the Gusman is one of this town’s jewels. Great acoustics, a…
BEST ROCK VOCALIST (FEMALE) JD Natasha www.natashaville.com At seventeen, precocious upstart JD Natasha may seem to be a bit young for this category. But, as evidenced by her debut Imperfecta/Imperfect, she’s on her way to becoming a great rock vocalist. A far cry from the glossy pinups that dominate Latin…
BEST ROCK VOCALIST (MALE) Ivan Marchena With great power comes great responsibility. Such should be the credo of the male vocalist. Always front and center, almost always the object of the ladies’ affection (or at least attention), the vocalist has the job of making each woman in the audience feel…
BEST LOCAL ROCK BAND The Brand www.myspace.com/thebrandmusic Great rock bands — at least until they blow up nationally — are like community leaders. They not only grab the spotlight for themselves, but they also help to shine it on an entire movement. The Brand is well on its way to…
BEST LOCAL RAP ARTIST/GROUP Garcia “Some people label me a thug in an effort to prejudge/Not trying to be something I’m not,” raps Garcia on “None of Dem.” But he’s no backpacker, and his solid debut album Anti-Social is packed with raw and uncompromising tracks: On the title number, one…
BEST LOCAL RAP RELEASE OF THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS “Let’s Go” Trick Daddy Of all the hits that were either recorded in Miami or made by Miami artists, one track deserves to be singled out. Released in advance of his gold LP Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets, Trick Daddy’s…
BEST LOCAL POP BAND Humbert “Pop” could very well be taken as a dig, along the lines of the title of “Miami’s own Britney Spears,” which wouldn’t exactly be a compliment. So for all those who claim Miami has “the worst music scene ever, dude,” hey, at least this city…
BEST LOCAL BAND/MuSICian OF ALL TIME Jaco Pastorius Jaco, they called him. In jazz circles it’s a show of respect to call a musician by his first name. “Jaco” universally refers to the greatest bass player the world has ever heard. He completely revolutionized not just the bass, or even…
BEST CONCERT SERIES Latin Funk Festival Two years ago Easton Bravo Productions, a partnership between Lizzie Easton and Tanya Bravo, launched Latin Funk Festival, an ongoing showcase that takes place in New York and Miami. Save for the occasional headlining act (Spanish salsa star Lucrecia headlined a Sunday on the…
BEST VENUE FOR LIVE MUSIC Mansion 1235 Washington Avenue Miami Beach 305-532-1525 www.mansionmiami.com After Level was purchased by the Opium Group, renovated, and renamed Mansion, this linchpin of South Beach nightlife has become the place for excited celebrity-seekers thanks to the many models and hip-hop stars it draws. It also…
BEST NEW MUSIC TREND Dance rock Okay, like most trends that blow up in Miami, this one isn’t necessarily new. DJs at downtown nightclubs such as Soho Lounge and I/O have been mashing together tracks by rock bands such as LCD Soundsystem, electro artists such as Miss Kittin, and even…
BEST LOUNGE ACT Rose Max Brazilian chanteuse Rose Max has been around for years, singing in clubs like Van Dyke Café and Jazid and frequently backed by the Don Wilner Quartet. The product of a long line of Rio de Janeiro musicians, Max moved to Miami twelve years ago, slowly…
BEST LOCAL LATIN BAND Locos por Juana www.locosporjuana.net The nine-member collective known as Locos por Juana, which recently released its second album, Música pa’l Pueblo, isn’t a typical Latin band. The players have a strong pop sensibility, mixing salsa, timba, ska, reggae, and merengue beats into an accessible but high-spirited…
BEST LOCAL SONGWRITER Sam Beam www.ironandwine.com Under the pseudonym Iron & Wine, Sam Beam has garnered positive notices in magazines and newspapers around the world. His plaintive, modest recordings (including this year’s Woman King EP), which possess a rustic sonic quality that makes them seem like they were created a…
BEST LOCAL MUSICIAN TO LEAVE TOWN Lee Williams Sleek funkateer, former New Times columnist, and inveterate letter-writer Lee Williams has moved to New York City to ply his jazz-inflected rap stylings in a town he deems more hospitable to his musical talents. And given Miami’s strict hip-hop division into either…
As much as we hear about Miami’s lack of a music scene, there are bands worth coming home smelling like an ashtray and risking that train-ran-over-my-head feeling the morning after. Secret Service, three guys doing punk-meets-pop with high energy and a decibel level to match, took shape in 1998. They…
BEST LOCAL BAND NAME Buddha Gonzalez and the Headless Chiwawas If you don’t get it, you need to spark up some buddha and listen to Buddha and his funky gang as you let the THC soak in…
BEST LOCAL BAND NAME OF ALL TIME Adam Walsh and the McArthur Kids Amber Alert. It has been some time since anyone heard of these unscrupulous punk rockers with the audacity to capitalize on missing and murdered children. The Kendall thrashers had a short run ripping up local venues before…
BEST LATIN MUSIC PROGRAM Fusión Latina Weeknights from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. WDNA-FM (88.9) Distracted by beautifully moving bodies at dance clubs, many people easily forget that a great deal of today’s popular Latin music has roots firmly planted in the jazz tradition. Thanks to a clever mix of old…
