WMC 2010: Dan Ghenacia at Grass, the Eden Roc, and the Victor

​You wouldn’t know it by his minimal but funky robo-beats, but Parisian star Dan Ghenacia started off his DJ career enamored of deep house. Yes, he was lured to the psychedelia dark side during a year abroad in California, and brought back the soulful sounds to his native Paris, where…

Jean Live at Jazid, Next Friday

Talent runs in the Rodriguez Lopez-Cepero family. It certainly graced Luis Alfonso, better known as Latin Grammy winner Luis Fonsi. And it didn’t pass his younger brother Jean Carlos, who goes simply by Jean, by either. The Puerto Rican born singer-songwriter, has a distinct style all his own, heavy on…

Over the Weekend: Air, Fashion Miami, and Calle Ocho

South Florida’s busy season of events is in full swing. With Winter Music Conference seven days away, there is still plenty of more to come. Still, in case you missed it, here is what happened over the weekend:Air at the Fillmore Miami BeachIt’s hard to believe since the release of…

Tonight! Crime in Stereo at Talent Farm

After earning New York cred by joining hardcore stalwarts Kill Your Idols for a 2003 split release, Long Island’s Crime in Stereo developed a scorching yet melodic brand of hardcore on its first two full-lengths. The band’s third LP, 2007’s Is Dead, put them on the map as a visceral…

Concert Review: The Wave Pictures at the Vagabond, March 12

The Wave PicturesThe Vagabond, MiamiFriday, March 12, 2010Better Than: Having to hear about your own lost loves.The Review:When I heard word Sweat Records and the Vagabond were bringing the Wave Pictures to town, I must admit that I got a little giddy. Not fan-boy giddy, mind you, but the kind…

Tonight! Art Alexakis at Adrienne Arsht Center

Way back in 1995, Everclear’s “Santa Monica” (off the album Sparkle and Fade) was one of the best songs on the radio. Although often unfairly accused of being Nirvana-lite, Art Alexakis and his revolving cast of backup musicians were capable of channeling a lot more than grunge into their clever…

Concert Preview: Deicide Brings Unholy Metal to Revolution Sunday

Deicide is death metal at its goriest. From lead singer/bassist Glen Benton’s burning upside-down crosses into his forehead to the band’s receiving death threats from animal-rights activists because Benton once shot a squirrel during an interview, the Tampa troublemakers have been a contentious presence for disciples of the genre. Love…

Concert Review: Steel Pulse at Revolution March 10

Steel Pulse with Fourth Dimension Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale The Review: There is nothing like being in the presence of a vintage Rasta man, and David Hinds, Steel Pulse’s frontman, is an especially potent one. He’s been the driving, spliff-cheefing force behind the monster reggae act since…

Jose Feliciano Brings the Magic to the Magic City Casino Sunday

Blind people jokes and creative reinterpretations of “Feliz Navidad” aside, my knee-jerk reaction was, is this dude still alive? Yup. Alive and active. He’s been keeping busy on the live circuit and in the studio, releasing a pair of digital albums last year (American Classics and Djangoisms) and shopping for shades…

Tonight! Eric Clapton at BankAtlantic Center

Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists alive. The man — currently gabbing with Buddy Guy on his signature T-Mobile phone on TV — long ago earned his place in the pantheon of rockers as a guitar god.Clapton began his career in the early ’60s playing with British blues-rock…

Tonight! Chicken Little at Radio-Active Records

Acoustic duo Chicken Little (it typically adds an exclamation point) brings old-time post-punk to an in-store Radio-Active Records show Thursday. How do those two disparate styles mix? Chicken Little’s overt Appalachian bluegrass backbone makes the old-timer bit really easy to make out, but one has to dig deeper into the…

Diocious

Hard-working and constantly touring, Orlando’s psychedelic funk-rock act Diocious is definitely making waves throughout Florida and the Southeast. The trio is riding a swell of shows through March, including three dates opening for the prominent San Francisco jam band Tea Leaf Green and a slot at the La Viance Music…

Locos por Juana

Locos por Juana’s new EP, Evolución, is aptly named. The band’s perpetually in a state of motion, and not just in the midst of their frenzied live performances around town, but in everything they do. For starters, you might have noticed that the group’s lineup is now two members slimmer…

Air

French duo Air has always occupied a singular astral plane. J.B. Dunckel and Nico Godin create compositions that are nominally electronic but above all organic-sounding. They’re slightly retro, dabbling in the experimental ’70s, while also otherworldly and futuristic. They’re Teutonic in their love of machinery but Gallic in their embrace…

Lanzallamas Monofónica

Making up words is fun, but it rarely yields anything worth keeping (unless you count Peter Griffin’s festizio). Lanzallamas Monofónica is an exception. The band name isn’t entirely fabricated: If you know Spanish, you know lanzallamas to be flamethrowers. Meanwhile, monofónica refers to single-channel recording. Though the band most definitely…

Menya

New York City trio — well, maybe threesome is a better word — Menya delivers the kind of tech-savvy genre blending that could emerge only from a college dorm in 2K10. These NYU undergrads have file-shared, cut up, and flipped the script on electro-pop, coming up with a project that’s…

Aretha Franklin

It ain’t easy being queen. There’s the gospel career derailed by pregnancy before you reach your midteens and the six-year jazz-pop career that never really gets out of the box. There’s the return to roots under the auspices of Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records and the transformation into “Soul Sister…

Tonight! Steel Pulse at Revolution

Just a reminder that Steel Pulse is in South Florida this evening at Revolution. Arielle has more to say about the legendary reggae group here. This morning, we would merely like to mention that Biblical figures “Daniel, King David and Abraham Israel were all black men,” which is the crux…

Bachaco Playing UM Thursday, DWNTWN Series Friday

The members of Bachaco are going to be busy little bees over the next few days. Well, ants maybe. Because, as you know, their name refers to a Brazilian leafcutter ant. Entomology lessons aside, the SoFla-based fusion group is going to be performing live at UM for the Patio Jam…