Songs like this one — by multiplatinum artists going off the beaten path to create music that comes right from the heart, or at least the ones of their producers — are exciting. DJ Premier grafts the backdrop, giving a postmillenium jazzy, hip-hop tribute to classic soul singers and jazz…
The hype surrounding Sa-Ra has been tremendous, owing to this silver-screened promo, which showcases the trio’s penchant for Eighties drum machines, effects, and pitched DeBarge-like vocal harmonies. Imagine Fonzworth Bentley styling at a Versace runway show with mounds of contraband for party favors, and you will get the Sa-Ra flavor…
The twenty-year-old British S-O-V, affectionately nicknamed by Def Jam president Shawn Carter, delivers her first U.S. single for rebellious young teens and unassuming hipsters. A disciple of message boards and grime-music offshoots, the self-proclaimed midget MC drops honest, childish lyrics (sans ghostwriter) over Casio keyboard riffs and “Planet Rock”-like drum…
The Pink Panther puts down summertime game on the sampled, candy-apple Eighties R&B flavor of the S.O.S. Band’s original. Killa spits signature syllabic flow such as “You model material/You need a runway/So let’s run away/We could hit the runway,” and along with the smooth reworking, you’ve got the unreleased jam…
Fort Lauderdale MC Butta Verses lately has been making noise on the underground circuit and continues to put in work with this aptly titled offering. The guitar-driven, drum-layered beat grips you from the get-go, as Butta sounds off on paying bills and serves his version of the come-up. Carrying De…
Drawn to “creepy things” since childhood, Melora Creager wrote her first song, which was about Lizzie Borden chopping up her mom, at the age of five. The tune featured stabbing piano chords to capture the force of the 40 whacks Borden gave her mother with an ax. Creager describes her…
Christmastime is here. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Here comes Santa Claus. We’ve all heard it before, and we don’t need to hear it again. Before you plan a holiday bash or go on a three-hour road trip, burn a mix of these fresh holiday tunes. Winter…
In case we didn’t get you to break down and check out Jive Collective at its last Jazid show, luck is with you, because the band will be there again December 11. Bar-goers weary of the house/trance same-sameness everywhere in the city might find Jazid something of a sanctuary, even…
A year ago the New York Dolls performed at Art Loves Music, the free concert on the sand that’s part of the official opening-night festivities for Art Basel Miami Beach. They must have liked it here, because this year they’re back. Sort of. Two members of the pioneering American glam…
International salsa queen Lucrecia has made it to Miami quite a few times during her long and prolific musical career. She has consistently shown equal adeptness at calming the crowd via soothing serenades like the romantic “Declaración de Amor” and livening up shows with thumping numbers like “Despiste.” One particular…
These past few years, the term garage rock has been bandied about in the mainstream press and on music channels in a way that could make one think there’s some sort of revival going on. You know the names and the videos, but if you think a couple of Stooges…
The talents of trumpeter Wallace Roney, an alumnus of the latter-day Miles Davis group, have sometimes been obscured by the shadow of that venerable jazz giant. The three-time Grammy winner’s gifts include the fine lyricism and sensitive dynamics he brought to Me’Shell NdegéOcello’s intermittently bombastic opus “Al Falaq 113” from…
The Wagon Wheel Gang is an ever-growing, eclectic group of artists from diverse musical backgrounds with the common goal of spreading joy through re-creating their country, roots, and bluegrass originals. Six members of the Lutton family provide vocals for the Gang, which is led by Miami’s eccentric drummer and banjo…
Since its resurrection four years ago, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami’s jazz series has attracted some of South Florida’s most renowned jazz artists. Somewhat breaking the mold, the church has invited Miami-based singer Wendy Pedersen to perform for the third time. An award-winning jazz vocalist, she is equally at…
Over at Space, a Digweed-less Sasha will light up his Mac for the up-all-nighters, hoping to wipe the been-there off of their faces via an ever-changing mix of mantle-deep house and experimental downloads fresh off the boat. Constantly barraged by new MP3s from electro-tweaking hopefuls around the world, the superstar…
Remember that scene from Freaky Friday in which Lindsay Lohan wins the battle of the bands and her family becomes reunited and everything is great and grand? No? If you don’t know that movie, maybe you are familiar with the concept of a battle of the bands. Several groups compete…
The early 1990s belong to the silver age of the American do-it-yourself music scene. By the time the new decade dawned, the ability to record, print, and distribute a record or CD was well within the reach of practically anyone in the States, and the amount of product in stores…
Ana Vega, mother of the lead singer and guitarist for Miami-based rock and reggae band Kayak Man, sits at a pub in her son Leonardo “Tato” Seoane Vega’s native Rosario, Argentina, wringing her hands in distress as she sips her drink and recalls Tato’s tumultuous political childhood. “My poor son,”…
1. Match the erstwhile retiree, i.e. Jigga and Stallone, to his middle name: A. Corey B. Gardenzio 2. To which upcoming project did Coldplay’s Chris Martin make the biggest contribution? A. Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come (out November 21), for which he adds vocals on the foreboding “Beach Chair.” B. Sly Stallone’s…
After how many permutations in lineup and how many trips around the nostalgia circuit does a band remain, well, itself? The Rolling Stones, of course, are the Jurassic exception; not only do they continue to record new material, but they do so with a shocking member-retention rate. More typical of…
It’s been awhile since Olivia Newton-John won a Grammy — 1984 actually — but crusading spirits do prevail. At age 58, she is prevailing her way across the States, promoting breast health and singing the standards that brought her international fame. She’s all about health nowadays, after surviving breast cancer…
San Francisco’s Kaskade seems to drop a new album of original material every other month. But that perception exists merely because most electronic musicians rarely release any of their own music, instead making compilations ad nauseam. Kaskade has never been one of those artists; he is all about the original…
