“I have a hard time with modern technology,” Brazilian icon Gilberto Gil says, describing the theme of his latest CD, Banda Larga Cordel. “I admit that I use it with moderation, but I am nevertheless fascinated by it.” This awe was the inspiration for his first disc of original material…
The pale, delicately boned wraith known as Peter Murphy gained his seat as an anointed dark king in the Seventies and Eighties as frontman of the legendary Bauhaus. Channeling the glam theatrics of David Bowie by way of the morgue, he was drama incarnate, a Count Vlad look-alike who sometimes…
Ewun, hailing from Rochester, New York, has made a lot of drum ‘n’ bass hay out of his love for hip-hop, distortion, and glitchy breakbeats. Unbeknownst to d’n’b scenesters, though, a set of Justice-like electro grooves has been lurking in his hard drive, waiting for the right time to make…
The Electric Bunnies’ music makes me feel like I’m beating off to pornography while my wife sleeps in the same room. Good thing I ain’t married and can enjoy the Electric Bunnies in public. Wow! It’s a solid followup to the Eskimo seven-inch. This four-track, vinyl-only EP is an excellent…
Singer-songwriter David Berman is as much of an ironist in life as he is in art. After landing in rehab following a Xanax overdose (an act with sardonic aspects of its own), he belatedly embraced Judaism — a belief system he’d never taken seriously despite his band’s name. Even after…
“Life is life. There’s only X amount of time to shine,” says Chris Wongwon, a.k.a. Fresh Kid Ice, a.k.a. Chinaman, on a recent Wednesday afternoon. The cofounder of notorious Miami bass group 2 Live Crew is wearing a black hat emblazoned with “305,” a black Levi’s T-shirt, black denim shorts,…
If you’ve been to any club on South Beach over the past decade, you’ve swung to the beat of Mark Leventhal. Okay, maybe not any club, but any club that mattered. In fact, Leventhal not only has spun at almost every club you’ve ever been to, but also probably spun…
We have come a long way since July 4, 1776. A real long way. But pseudo-commentary on the Bush administration aside, one thing a bunch of dead, crusty white dudes will not deny is that at least nowadays we have a whole bunch of options at our disposal! This coming…
“Put it this way: I want to not only be the leading man, I want you to be able to say, ‘Common’s one of the great actors of our time,'” the rapper known as, well, Common, says with all earnestness. He’s lit up, discussing his latest movie role in the…
Seeing Sounds is the third album from N.E.R.D., the “artist” project from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of production team the Neptunes, along with their buddy Shay Haley. It’s the musical equivalent of an ad campaign trying to appeal to the sorta-grown-and-totally-sexy Red Bull and BlackBerry generation. “It’s gotta be…
The Virgins may be inexperienced, but on their debut album, naiveté proves to be an asset. Where the Strokes (to whom the NYC foursome is often compared) traffic in jaded, professional cool, the Virgins stumble and fumble with a kind of genial glee. In contrast to the romanticized tenor of…
(Travis McCoy, from mtv.com) Yesterday’s Warped Tour stop at Maryland Heights’ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater wasn’t all sunburns, music and fun for one of the bands. Gym Class Heroes front man Travis McCoy was arrested after tussling with a fan who had been heckling him during his band’s day-closing set. Sergeant…
The Electric Bunnies Chewing Gum (Florida’s Dying Records) The Electric Bunnies’ music makes me feel like I’m beating off to pornography while my wife sleeps in the same room. Good thing I ain’t married and can enjoy the Electric Bunnies in public. Wow! It’s a solid follow-up to the Eskimo…
Jose El Rey If you haven’t seen local artist Jose El Rey perform live yet, you are missing one of the best spectacles out there. He easily won my heart over when I saw him perform at White Room earlier this year. And when he gave his cousin (niece?) Yarisleydi…
The folks at the Verve Music Group are trying to make sure that the great jazz vocalists of yesteryear are never forgotten. So for the last six years, they’ve been creating a stellar remix series where they select some of the world’s most respected DJ’s and crate diggers, give them…
Bryan Falla Wisin Y Yandel Saturday, June 28, 2008 American Airlines Arena Better Than: Watching your mom and dad grind inappropriately to “Noche de Sexo” at last year’s New Year’s party. By 8:45 p.m., the arena had filled up almost entirely and the crowd was antsy. With every cadence, every…
Sayre Berman Keyshia Cole Lil’ Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Akon and more at SummerFest 2008 Saturday, June 28, 2008 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise Better Than: Throwback hip-hop fest Power House from the ‘90s with a side of Pop Rocks and OE. For South Florida hip-hop enthusiasts, Saturday night’s South Florida SummerFest 2008…
The excellent New York quartet Locksley opens for Rooney tonight (along with the Bridges) at Revolution. Still unsigned, thanks to their catchy Brit-inflected power pop, and a fierce penchant for self-promotion, the band already boasts an enviable string of high-profile television appearances and tours. Here’s what I had to say…
If you’re not familiar with local avant jazz guru Kenny Millions, then you’ve got some catching up to do. The man is a saxophone virtuoso and if you listen to his music, without knowing anything about his storied past as a musician in other cities, you get the sense that…
Nic Fanciulli In a sort of last minute booking, British DJ extraordinaire Nic Fanciulli is stopping by the Vagabond Saturday night for its Back Door Bamby party. Don’t know who Fanciulli is? Well let me expand your musical knowledge. He’s a British house DJ that is associated with acts like…
It’s hard to hold an interview with Argentine rock band the Gardis at Finnegan’s Pub on Lincoln Road. Each question is interrupted by a bartender, bar crawler, or obsessive Gardis fan patting the boys on the back, kissing them on the cheek, or dropping free beers on the table. What…
The L.A. quintet Rooney has not exactly suffered from its Hollywood connections or good looks. Frontman Robert Schwartzman is the brother of actor (and occasional rocker) Jason. This makes him son of producer Jack Schwartzman and part of the extended Coppola clan that includes his mother Talia Shire, uncle Francis…
