Melissa Etheridge on Cancer, Songwriting, and the Magic of Marijuana

February, 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in sunny Los Angeles. There she was: 45-years-old and bald as a lightbulb. Chemo therapy had taken her hair but, it seemed, not much else. The 47th Annual Grammy Awards was perhaps the defining moment of Melissa Etheridge’s career. After being diagnosed with…

Radioboxer Is Back, and You Can (Sort of) Thank Us for It

Vanessa “Vanne” Dazza seems calmer and more composed than the last time I interviewed her in the spring of 2011. This may be because our first interview was conducted — at the insistence of her band, the “bi-polar power pop” outfit, Radioboxer —  inside of BT’s Gentleman’s Club on free beer…

A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg Helps Rec Room Celebrate Three Years

It’s been a classic three years for the Gale Hotel’s LDV Hospitality Group: three years of rockin’ beats at Rec Room, three years of clinking glassware at the Regent Cocktail Club, and three years of delicious tartufo and thin-crust pizza at Dolce Italian. “Longevity in this town is sometimes hard…

Win Two Tickets to See Phil Collins at the Fillmore Miami Beach

Lately something interesting has been happening in the world of Phil Collins. He’s finally getting some goddamn respect. See, for years it’s been easy to take jabs at Mr. Collins. Why, exactly? Who knows. It was a weird mob mentality sort of thing that seemed to spread throughout the internet…

Skylar Spence Might Be the Hero Pop Needs

Straight from his dorm room to the depths of the internet, Saint Pepsi quickly became one of the biggest names of the internet-inspired, politically charged genre vaporwave. As his peers sampled Muzak and smooth jazz, Pepsi — real name Ryan DeRobertis — appropriated house hooks and disco melodies, which left…

Video: How Vanilla Ice Learned to Love Life Again by Flipping Houses

Somewhere in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Lake Worth, sledgehammering his way through dusty concrete, a pop culture icon recognized the world over struggles with his friends to meet a renovation deadline. “I did ‘Ice Ice Baby’ when I was 16 years old,” the rapper-turned-reality star renovator says. “If you would…

Miami’s Five Best Concerts This Week

YoungArts Salon Series with Fab 5 Freddy. Wednesday, November 18, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Jewel Box at National YoungArts Foundation, 2100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-377-1140; youngarts.org. Tickets cost $20 to $35 via eventbrite.com. Fab 5 Freddy may be considered one of the godfathers of rap and hip-hop, but the musician is,…

Jake Shimabukuro Will Make You Respect the Ukulele, Dammit

Though he had made several albums, become a regular on the coffeehouse circuit in his native Hawaii, and attained the status of a popular concert draw in Japan, ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro was virtually unknown as far as the rest of the world was concerned. Then a YouTube video of…

Tiefschwarz on the New Album, Left: “We Love to Cross Borders”

Brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz have had over three decades to build up a widespread loyal following under the Tiefschwarz banner. Which is still saying a lot, considering the pair’s relentless stylistic mutations over the years. From the mellow deep house of their early DJ days in Stuttgard, Germany, to…

The Cure Is Coming to Bayfront Park; Presale Tickets Available Friday

After the U.K. punk revolution, we needed a break. Because when the anarchy ended and the dust settled, the world realized something: we were sad. That’s when the Cure came along. The four-piece schoolmates from Crawley, West Sussex, England, tapped into a long-neglected nerve in music fans across the globe…

Magic Giant Brings West Coast Vibes to Miami Beach

When you go to summer camp as an adult, it’s already pretty clear that you’ve refused to grow up. So, naturally, you’ve got to have theme music to accompany your fairytale life. That’s where Magic Giant comes in. For the last two summers, Magic Giant has played private concerts for…

Twin Shadow on His Dominican Heritage and Embracing Criticism

By the sound of it, George Lewis Jr. has just woken up. He’s on the West Coast, meaning the relatively early scheduled interview might be cutting into his sleep. “Hey, what’s up?” he says after a long sigh. It’s not that Lewis is being rude. For the next 15 minutes,…

Miami’s Five Best Concerts This Week

Diplo’s Mad Decent Bon Voyage Party and Birthday Celebration. Tuesday, November 10, 11 p.m. E11even Miami, 29 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-305-6611; 11miami.com. Tickets cost $30 to $50 plus fees via 11miami.com. Ages 21 and up. Diplo has a lot to celebrate this week — his birthday on November 10 and his Mad Decent…