Novalima Goes Next-Level at Grand Central January 7

When listening to Novalima, fans will find many similarities between this modern Afro-Peruvian group and the highly percussive sounds heard every night in Calle Ocho’s nightclubs. After all, both Peru and Cuba have a long history of blending the music of formerly enslaved Africans with the drums of the native…

Art Department at Electric Pickle December 31

Although Toronto DJ-producers Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow are established scene veterans, nothing prepared them (or the world) for the tsunami wave of “Without You,” their 2010 debut as Art Department. A monstrous bass-driven banger oozing with raw sex and haunting Quaalude-hazed vocals, it dominated international dance floors and DJ…

Matt Tolfrey at Space January 1

Sure, the internet may be infinite, but all you laptop producers gotta understand it’s not OK to digitally release whatever noise pollution creeps out of your MacBook. Frankly, it’s time to stem the flow. Otherwise, like minimal-techno DJ Matt Tolfrey has said, “you’re just filling up a virtual record shop…

Steve Angello at LIV January 1

If he hasn’t already made plans to build himself a giant geodesic disco dome atop the Fontainebleau Hotel, Swedish House Mafia member Steve Angello’s top priority in 2011 should be purchasing a prime SoBe condo. Ever since he and fellow Mafia-men Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso headlined the main stage at…

Dead Kennedys at Revolution January 1

When news hit our inboxes that ’80s legends Dead Kennedys would be making a stop in South Florida on January 1, 2011, we didn’t know what to do. Should we hide our obvious New Year’s Eve hangovers and go out again in honor of our favorite San Fran-based hardcore punk…

Black Sabbath tribute at Tobacco Road January 1

When your predictions for the future of Planet Earth and the general good of all mankind are just as murky and doom-filled as the fourth and final verse of “War Pigs,” there’s probably no better way to acknowledge the passing of yet another year than waking up after sundown to…

Beach Boys at Hard Rock Live December 31

The Beach Boys have experienced a kind of resurgence by becoming a reference point for today’s most buzzed-about indie acts. For example, Grizzly Bear’s super-tight harmonies and layered instrumentals are an obvious throwback to Pet Sounds. But none of the polish and sparkle of the Beach Boys’ songs would’ve been…

OMG! Usher Does New Year’s Eve With 19,600 of His Closest Homies

Unlike so many other pop lotharios, Mr. Usher Raymond IV didn’t opt for some superexclusive NYE party attended only by celebs and their imaginary friends. Instead, the R&B star with the rippling abs decided to take his OMG world tour to the AAA so he could hang with 19,600 of…

Suenalo at Transit Lounge December 25

Are we the only ones shocked it’s already the end of 2010? Damn! It’s certainly not the first time we’ve been assaulted by the sudden passage of an entire year. Still, there’s one local group for whom passage of time has been especially auspicious: Suénalo. Long one of Miami’s hottest…

Bill Orcutt at Sweat Records December 28

Back when a president called Clinton ruled the White House, a band called Harry Pussy lorded over Miami’s tiny noise rock scene. The explosively experimental unit first emerged in 1992 when guitarist Bill Orcutt and drummer Adris Hoyos decided to cause general musical mayhem for no real reason besides their…

BFGF at the Electric Pickle December 23

Ever loved your sugar pie honey bunny pookie bear soooo much that your relationship already felt like beautiful music? We guess that’s what local musicians Me She and Chris V were feeling when they decided to express it in song. The enamored couple (look, they even have similar haircuts!) formed…

Lanzallamas Monofonica at Van Dyke Cafe December 24

Making up words is fun, but it rarely yields any expression worth keeping (unless you count Peter Griffin’s festizio). The band name Lanzallamas Monofonica is an exception. It isn’t entirely fabricated: If you speak Spanish, you know lanzallamas to mean flamethrower. Meanwhile, monofónica refers to single-channel recording. Though the band…

The Gutter Queens at Monterey Club December 25

Intergalactic surf rock act The Gutter Queens is ensuring that every willing participant can have a very retro and ribald Christmas this year at the Monterey Club. Led by guitarist-vocalist Ryan Black, the Coconut Creek natives (currently students at USF in Tampa) do a mean rendition of Dick Dale’s “Misirlou”…

Art Department’s Jonny White Talks Debut Albums and World Domination

For awhile now, Toronto DJ-producers Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow have been established scene veterans. But nothing could have prepared them (or the world) for the tsunami wave of their 2010 debut release as Art Department, “Without You.” A monstrous bass-driven banger oozing with raw sex and haunting Quaalude-hazed vocals, it dominated…

Swedish House Mafia Throws Masquerade Motel Party Opposite Ultra Fest UPDATE

​What’s next on Swedish House Mafia’s to-do list? Total global takeover? Almost. This evening, word has arrived that Mafia members Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, and Axwell will challenge Ultra Music Festival’s exclusive claim to the last weekend of March by throwing one of their Masquerade Motel parties on Saturday, March…

Bieber Fever! The Dangerous Breakout of an Androgynous Boy Wonder

You can joke about Justin Bieber’s lesbianism all day. But the Biebz reigns supreme. Powered by asexual androgyny and cotton-candy songcraft, he has brainwashed tween girls, their mothers, and even, in the most extreme cases, their fathers. You could be next. Seriously, if JB didn’t look (and sound) like an…

Top Ten Christmas Gifts for the Broke-Ass Musician

Is there a broke-ass musician in your life? Well, if not, just look to your left and you’ll find a guy named Danny in a band called Dirty Cherry who can’t even afford a simple bar of soap. Now look to your right and meet Jake, a bass player with…