Reviewing the Reviewers

It’s been a tough couple of years for the Futureheads. Following the mixed reception to 2006’s ambitious News and Tributes, the British postpunk quartet was dropped by its label and briefly considered packing it in. Instead, they soldiered forward, forming their own label and releasing their third album, This Is…

Rancid

Like Green Day, Rancid was once reviled as a band of poseurs by much of the punk-rock intelligentsia but is now seen as a standard-bearer for the genre — and sheer persistence is a big factor. Early discs such as 1995’s And Out Come the Wolves were so derivative of…

O Rappa

One could say Jamaican singer Papa Winnie had a serendipitous hand in the creation of O Rappa, the Rio de Janeiro-based fusion reggae/funk-rock band that performs this weekend in Pompano Beach. In 1993, Winnie arrived in Brazil for an extended tour with no backing musicians. A pick-up band was quickly…

Modest Mouse

The most bizarre voice in rock these days belongs to Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock. His Tom Waits-esque yowl guides an array of drunken characters through the churning guitar swirl that has been the band’s bread and butter since its earliest recordings with Calvin Johnson. Now proud members of the…

Head Spins: Drop.D

Less knowledgeable folks might be tempted to consider Drop.D nothing but another DJ in a long line of hip-hop-spinning wide boys who’ve come to set up shop in South Beach. But they would be wrong: The kid called Drop.D (a.k.a. ill skill) outclasses his half-ass predecessors, and does so at…

Trashy Treasure

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And nowhere is this more evident than in a Southern small-town thrift store, where beer helmets and broken furniture end up as impromptu amusement park rides on lawns and libidinous nights. It’s the place in a college town where students and townie kids…

Paul van Dyk

The course for superstar trance DJ Paul van Dyk is all-ahead full. In Between, his fifth album of original songs, remains the record he’s been giving the most push since its release in August last year. And deservedly so, what with the high-profile collaborators who appear on the album, such…

Your Company Name Here

With corporate-sponsored arenas, America’s sports teams were among the first to pimp out naming rights for a buck. And lately our nation’ rock stars have been lining up for their own slice of the pie. It seems these days that nearly every beverage, clothing line, and car maker sponsors its…

Trick Daddy Bids Farewell to Slip-N-Slide

The light reflects off Trick Daddy’s gold grills as he explains his personal evolution, as he tells it, and a recent move that will shock longtime followers of 305 hip-hop. “No more Slip-N-Slide Records,” he says of his longtime label and frequent past lyrical shout-out. “No beef or nothing, but…

PrunkTV – Trick Daddy Still Loves the Kids

Was I really sitting on the toilet while videotaping this week’s episode of Prunk TV? Read the entire story here. Yes, I did accept Jesus in Ted’s office. Read about it here. Congratulations to Jerry and Ricky. They won some Cash Money. Special thanks to Lil Jon for sending me…

Why the Sirius-XM Radio Merger is Good for Consumers

As of yesterday, the long talked about merger between satellite radio giants, Sirius and XM radio, is one step closer to happening. FCC chairman Kevin Martin, approved, on principal, a merger which would allow the two companies to become one based around a series of concessions and a three-year price…

Racist slurs and drug nods: more Amy Winehouse home video horror

This abject Amy Winehouse video surfaced on the Internet today, a viral outbreak that started with British tabloid News of the World posting it to their site. The video, shot by Winehouse’s continually-incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, shows Winehouse and a friend singing a song that delivers slurs to all sorts…

Last Night: Mudhoney at Churchill’s

Mudhoney With Birds of Avalon and the Getback Friday, June 13, 2008 Churchill’s Pub, Miami Better Than: Most other new-jack “indie” shows I’ve seen in the past couple of months. The Review: I was originally going to take a vacation from scribbling notes at shows and just check out this…

Last Night: The Cure at the BankAtlantic Center

Ivon David Rojas Last Night: The Cure Friday, June 13, 2008 BankAtlantic Center Better Than: Explaining to your parents why straight guys can wear lipstick. Diehard fans of the Cure were in luck this Friday the 13th when the band performed a set lasting more than three hours, including four…

7/26 Cinderella Show at Pompano Beach Amphiteater Cancelled

….And so is the whole tour. Seems lead singer Tom Keifer’s vocal cords have hemorrhaged (who knew that could even happen? yikes). Refunds are available at the point of purchase. Below is the official statement from Keifer’s camp. — Arielle Castillo “It’s with unbelievably deep regret that it must be…

Alison Hinds Performs in Fort Lauderdale Tonight

According to a press release that was forwarded to me a couple of days ago from the incomparable Afrobella (who you all need to check out), Bejan superstar Alison Hinds is performing an intimate concert tonight in Fort Lauderdale. Her gig tomorrow night in West Palm Beach at the South…

Last Night: Pearl Jam at Cruzan Amphitheater

Pearl Jam Wednesday, June 11 Cruzan Ampitheatre, West Palm Beach Better Than: Waiting another five years for the guys to come to town. Flashing lights, smuggled cameras, and lots of hoopla inside of the Cruzan Amphitheatre signaled that something big was going on. Last night, Pearl Jam opened up their…

Rahsaan Drops Two New Videos

If you’re on the hunt for one of South Florida’s hottest up and coming MCs, let us end your quest right now. Rahsaan has been making a strong name for himself in the local hip-hop world in a very short amount of time. He’s got old school swagger, versatile rhymes,…

Five-Star Fusion

Argentine guitarist and producer Erico Schulz has spent the past few years showcasing a higher-falutin’ musical fusion at the city’s five-star hotels and restaurants. In fact 2008 marks his band’s fifth year in residency at Baleen, at Grove Isle Resort. What’s kept it there is a decadent instrumental mix of…

AZ

Let’s put it this way: When was the last time you heard a non-bling-oriented MC not say modern hip-hop is a fucking old mess? For some rappers, making inflammatory statements about the state of the game might simply be part of the business plan. Brooklyn MC AZ has been uttering…