“You let me know when we’ve made it,” says drummer Josh Garza, a passenger in a van headed for Cleveland, where his band Secret Machines will perform tonight before a cross-country haul to Seattle. He’s not talking about arriving at their destination but rather about the feeling of success that…
As any grindcore, thrashcore, hardcore, or fucking-heavy-as-hell-core fan will attest, there’s something absolutely exhilarating about being pulverized by fast, bludgeoning, ear-shattering, nerve-decimating, synapse-shredding guitars, kick drums, and guttural howls for a CD’s entirety. It can leave you completely drained, as if you’ve spent 45 minutes sprinting through a cornfield with…
It’s been a little under four years since Veni Vidi Vicious was released, and by all accounts the Hives have prospered. Since they owe heavy thanks to the “garage” explosion of late 2001 for their major-label deal, it seems like a tall order to produce a successful followup. But the…
A spongy dew of Pabst damping his beard, Vancouver’s Stephen McBean makes a puerile, halfhearted pass at the confessional intimacy of lo-fi country and Iron & Wine’s bedroom mobiles via his band’s self-titled long player. As its namesake implies, this loose outfit aspires to jocose insinuation and infatuation with sex,…
Long Gone Before Daylight, the Cardigans’ fifth effort overall and the domestic version of last year’s European-only release, is every bit the twilight affair hinted at in its title, amply stocked with the same sort of languid, lovestruck ballads that catapulted Norah Jones to fame two years ago. “Communication,” “And…
When your old band’s history runs wild with tales of incarceration, bad blood, label problems, public feuds, and, ultimately, Krishna consciousness, it might be hard to escape your past. As the ex-lead singer for Eighties New York hardcore masters the Cro-Mags, John Joseph brings his baggage as well as his…
A generation ago — or maybe two — before “Hey Ya” and Yahoo! helped define the cultural divide, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire frequently shared nesting time on America’s pop music charts. Notching up nearly 30 top ten hits between 1970 and 1990, Chicago, a once-innovative, jazz-influenced ensemble, went…
The title Living Legends is a mild term for a show boasting this lineup. DJ Hype has not touched down in Florida in more than five years, and the anticipation for this drum and bass forefather’s return echoes his namesake. Then there’s Fabio, who has championed the smooth sounds of…
Once upon a time, Fort Lauderdale was the spring break capital of the world. Well, not much has changed, but this Friday at Bikini Bob’s, you can relive those wild and crazy days with a much-improved soundtrack. Ringmaster Productions hosts Breakin’ Into Summer, a break beat extravaganza featuring sets by…
Thirty-five years ago Winston Rodney, adopting the name Burning Spear from the late president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, recorded his seminal debut single “Door Peep,” delivering the song’s spiritual yet defiant lyrics with hypnotic repetition. Since then Spear has remained a cultural standard-bearer, championing African history, Rastafari culture, and the…
It’s always a daunting task for a singer to tackle the classic American songbook, and standard tunes such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or “Fly Me to the Moon,” that everyone from Anita O’Day to Jackie Wilson has covered. But to do it for a first album, as local jazz…
Shaquille O’Neal was not at Amika’s grand opening this past Friday. I searched and searched for the seven-feet-one NBA superstar, expecting him to be there and hoping to corner him, but the closest thing I found was an Amazonian drag queen who plopped herself on one of the “loft lounge’s”…
“You get, you get, you get what you put in.” Those are the impassioned first words that pour out of vocalist Keeley Davis’s mouth on “Rogue,” leading off Engine Down’s upcoming self-titled disc — the Richmond, Virginia quartet’s fourth full-length since forming in 1996 — and neatly epitomizing the group’s…
Among mainstream hip-hop acts, few are known for albums that resonate beyond the genre’s own idiosyncrasies. But critical acclaim is little reward when rap domination is defined by the number of platinum plaques one collects. For the Roots, a band with notoriously outsized ambitions, the piddling two gold discs they…
The pop smorgasbord on Beenie Man’s previous major-label releases, 2000’s Art and Life and 2002’s Tropical Storm, disguised the vocal vigor of one of dancehall reggae’s most charismatic artists. But on his first authentic dancehall album in years, Back to Basics, he displays an impressive, at times astonishing deejay flow,…
Omara Portuondo has been called the Lady Day of Cuba, and on the surface, the comparison makes sense — Portuondo has spent time in small Cuban clubs, as Billie Holiday once did here in the U.S., and over a five-decade career she has achieved a stature in Cuban music similar…
The German collective Jazzanova tends to focus on original music and remixes instead of mix compilations. Nevertheless, the DJ/production sextet is also known for weaving together wildly diverse styles without a hitch in its DJ sets. Musically broad and well informed, the group often guides its listeners through an open…
Say adiós to any kitsch or retro notions you may have about tango. Sandra Luna, a 38-year-old chanteuse and mother from Buenos Aires, will make sure you never think of this most beloved Argentine art form the same way again. As part of a brief U.S. tour, Luna, accompanied by…
Let’s face it: Jimmy Buffett was Florida’s favorite son until fame and fortune stole him away. So which singer/songwriter best reflects our state these days? Local folkies will likely tell you it’s Grant Livingston. Dubbed Best Acoustic Performer in last year’s New Times Best of Miami poll, Livingston has recorded…
There are a handful of names that scream out sexy, smooth lounge, such as the Hed Kandi and Naked Music imprints, Thievery Corporation, and Stephane Pompougnac. The French producer has achieved a kind of fame among discerning adults for his Hotel Costes series, which amazingly manages to blend cool chillout…
Venues such as Flavour, which usually stick to DJ nights, have slowly begun to invite their midweek patrons to choose between the dance floor and the mosh pit. It’s a good sign that indicates the live music scene is being rejuvenated, and it allows bands to get their music in…
In the three years since the release of his first album, 2001’s Out of the Anonymous, Ulysses Perez has had a lot of time to reflect on the philosophies that guide him: attention, intention, and focus. The result is a well-crafted and highly refined followup, Masked Media. Creating a template…
