Asked to recall an amusing anecdote or particularly memorable Miami memory, Brad Petering, the acerbic lyricist and frontman of the Los Angeles-based TV Girl, makes good on the promise offered by his band’s playfully cynical and self-deprecating lyrics. “We only played Miami once before, and our old booking agent would…
“I never really go with trends at all,” insists gothfather/guitar innovator Daniel Ash. “I think that’s the kiss of death, to do that.” On Stripped, his first album in more than a decade, the reclusive Brit breathes new life into highlights from his years as the guitar craftsman behind the…
Growing up, I had a friend whose dad was older and often in poor health. He was a Cuban immigrant who spoke very little English. He did, however, speak one language: Zelda. Day in and day out, homebound because of his illnesses, this man in his 70s who had more…
The most widely seen Iggy Pop concert was not performed by the man himself. In writer-director Todd Haynes’ 1998 cult classic Velvet Goldmine, itself a fictionalized, Citizen Kane-style account of ’70s glam rock, Jedi and Scottish sex symbol Ewan McGregor plays Curt Wild, a not-so-subtle analogue to the punk progenitor…
Pearl Jam fans, young and old, flooded the American Airlines Arena on Saturday evening for the band’s first stint in the 305 since they played Bayfront Park back in the mid-1990s. But these weren’t so much fans as a congregation. And the six men on stage weren’t so much rock…
For this year’s TransAtlantic Festival, The Rhythm Foundation scored what was possibly its biggest coup in the event’s 14 year history in bringing Beirut to the North Beach Bandshell for the group’s first ever Florida performance. Beirut, a six-piece based out of New York, blends influences as varied as mariachi…
Hip-hop is at a crossroads. With rap dissolving into a hazy swirl of over-produced beats and brain dead, mumble robots like Future and Young Thug topping the charts, it’s easy to fall prey to the notion that all the real MCs and lyricists are long gone. Thankfully, that’s far from…
Ryan Leslie is not your standard musician. He earned a 1600 on his SAT. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in government. He was one of just four orators selected to speak at his senior graduation ceremony. Since then Leslie has produced tracks for artists like Britney Spears,…
A good indication that you’re really, really cool is if any living thing you interact with becomes really, really cool simply by association. This is what happened with Iggy Pop’s pet Cockatoo yesterday. Known as Biggy Pop, it took the bird all of a few hours to take the internet…
Speaking before his DJ set at Electric Pickle last August, Stones Throw Records founder Chris Manak — better known to hip-hop heads, vinyl junkies, and funk enthusiasts as Peanut Butter Wolf — told Miami New Times he planned to return to Miami sooner rather than later. “Next year is our…
Ishmael Butler has been writing charged up, innovative rap since 1992’s seminal hip-hop single with Digable Planets, “Rebirth of the Slick (Cool Like Dat).” When Digable Planets retired, he dabbled in a funkier, sexier sound with Cherrywine, before finally joining instrumentalist Tendai Maraire and creating Shabazz Palaces. While Shabazz Palaces…
The members of Pearl Jam have never shied away from activism. They’re the Bernie Sanders of rock ‘n’ roll. They’ve railed against President George W. Bush, rallied behind pro-choice policies, and raised awareness for Crohn’s disease. And after 25 years, the bandmates are addressing a crisis they contribute to: hearing…
It took over two years for Brooklyn-based EMEFE to record its self-titled debut album. Band leader Miles Arzten calls it a labor of love, stressing the word “labor” more than “love.” It’s isn’t easy to orchestrate an eight-piece ensemble, after all — especially if you’re sitting behind a drum kit…
What happens when two of the most bestselling artists of all time join forces for a concert? An embarrassment of riches that was almost too much to handle. Friday night at Bayfront Park, Miami was spoiled rotten by headliners Duran Duran, who not only played damn near all of their…
10. La Fiesta Loca: Spring Break Edition with Locos Por Juana, Uma Galera, DJ Main Event, and DJ Mr. Brown. 8 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St. Miami; 305-447-8678; thewynwoodyard.com. Tickets cost $12-$25 via eventbrite.com. 9. Nevermind: 6th Annual Nirvana Tribute with Dorothy’s Surrender, Armada!, The…
Last April, locals Modernage broke a hiatus with their first show in almost two-and-a-half years . The thrill of the single moment was enough to inspire the group — consisting of guitarist Xavier Vazquez, guitarist/keyboardist Garcia Freundt, bassist Izzy Silva, and drummer Alex de Renzis — to create again, which…
Our society is in a crisis of cultural appropriation. JK Rowling’s History of Magic in North America injected still very active Navajo traditions into her fictional world of wizardry as carelessly as The Life of Brian rewrote the Bible. Katy Perry’s inane and convenient adoption of Native American, Egyptian, and…
March in Miami was decidedly one-sided. With Miami Music Week and Ultra storming into town, if you didn’t enjoy dance music, you probably spent a lot of time inside catching up on Netflix. But we have good news, Miami. April is looking pretty damn eclectic. We’ve got Duran Duran on…
A unifying theme for those who grew up in Miami’s tightly-knit hardcore scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s was the abundance of quality bands that churned out releases and filled the calendar with events. It was a wonderful time for hardcore in the Sunshine State and the world…
For a man obsessed enough with geography to not only name his band Beirut, but to write songs with titles like “Gibraltar,” “Perth,” and “Santa Fe,” it’s surprising that Zach Condon has never before played Miami. “I have visited many times,” the Beirut founder tells us over the phone. “I…
Pearl Jam is finally on its way to Miami next week after what feels like forever. But this time the godfathers of grunge may not escape with simply getting drunk at Club Deuce and jamming out in Little Haiti. Vedder and company will have to dribble through Dwayne Wade first…
You have to hand it to Duran Duran. Nearly 38 years since the group formed, it’s still going strong, adapting to changing times and forging its own path forward. Once dismissed by critics as poseurs of Britain’s so-called New Romantic movement — replete with those multitiered haircuts and garish fashions…
