Crossfade announced earlier that Counting Crows will be playing August 18 at the (by that time) newly renovated Bayfront Park Amphitheater on August 18. The news just got much more exciting as Michael Franti & Spearhead and California rockers Augustana will be joining the Crows for the awkwardly titled “The…
Green Day announced that The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, and Kaiser Chiefs will take turns opening during this summer’s tour. On August 4 in Miami’s American Airlines Arena, Kaiser Chiefs will be warming up the crowd before Green Day hits the stage. If you’re hoping to see The Bravery or Franz…
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Surf Nazis on Ecstasy are a thrash-punk trio who, despite their name, are neither beach bums nor fascists. And they definitely don’t do raves. By their own words: “We’re not artsy. We’re not Nazis. We only play all-ages shows.” It’s an operational ethic that regularly brings…
Since the late 1970s, Micky Fitz and the Business have been doing their thing — writing songs for the working class, in the tradition of street punk and Oi! Fitz formed the band as a reaction to the arty types co-opting the punk subculture. To that end, he focused the…
British DJ/producer Nic Fanciulli’s career had an auspicious start in the early 2000s when he piqued the interest of big names such as Pete Tong, Deep Dish, and John Digweed. Thus he quickly went from being a 20-year-old small-town spinner to a globetrotting DJ sensation. Adding to an impressive portfolio…
Local fivesome the Mission Veo specializes in a dripping-black variety of dance-rock, shot through with tribal drumbeats, minor-key melodies, and darkwave keyboard stabs. And, sure, plenty of bands these days attempt this kind of dark dance-floor psychedelia, but the Mission Veo has another serious weapon in its arsenal: frontman Jonny…
When your dad was one of the most innovative musicians of all time, and you’ve got ample ability of your own, it’s only natural you’d carry on in the family business. In this case, the extraordinary paternal figure happens to be the late Jaco Pastorius, an extraordinary bassist who fused…
That Gwen Stefani hasn’t become a caricature of herself is either testament to her utter savvy or to the fact that she basically began as a caricature in the first place — and beat everybody to the punch line. That’s not to say that, back in the day, No Doubt’s…
It seems that contempt for his radio-friendly ’70s tunes such as “The Joker” and “Fly Like an Eagle” drove Steve Miller off the stage in ’80s. He told Rolling Stone in 2008, “Bands like X were the big thing in L.A., and my work was being called unmitigated slop. I…
Click here to read Crossfade’s Q&A with Judy Torres, and click here to read the Q&A with Johnny O. When someone asks me what freestyle is, I play them Nice & Wild’s “Diamond Girl.” This song has it all: infectious hooks, English and Spanish vocals, an ominous rap part, lyrics…
To read yesterday’s interview with Johnny O, click here. Judy Torres is the singer of the freestyle hits “No Reason to Cry” and “Please Stay Tonight.” She is currently a radio host on WKTU 103.5 in New York City. And there is no doubt that she is the Queen of freestyle!José…
If you like your local music smart, conscious, uplifting, and all kinds of other complimentary adjectives, then you’ve probably heard of Soulflower. If not, get with the program — she’s one of the few visible female MCs in the local underground circuit, and is dedicated to getting more women participating…
For those of you still aching for some ich bin Berliner tech grooves after Phonique’s stellar set last week, Format: B will be in town and throwing down an exclusive live PA at the Electric Pickle on Friday night. This dynamic production duo from (where else?) Berlin have been making…
Somehow I didn’t notice that Pennsylvania’s War Pigs are playing at Goo tonight, Wednesday May 27. Think of if Black Sabbath met Motorhead but they grew up listening to 1990’s HC and post-HC. Amazing shredding, raw intensity, deep riffs – it’s all fucking in there. If you haven’t picked up…
The parade of super clever names continues with Boys Like Girls hitting the Culture Room on June 24th in support of their brilliantly titled upcoming album “Due or Die”. The Boston based pop rockers are touring across the U.S. and seemingly hitting every Six Flags in the nation along the…
Mark your calendars boys and girls, I’ve got your Saturday night plans all lined up for you. Now, I know you don’t normally like to commit to an outing until you’re four to six drinks deep at a Friday afternoon happy hour, and well on your way to the 48-hour…
Saturday’s Freestyle Explosion features some of the biggest names in the genre, and Crossfade’s own columnist, Jose El Rey, interviewed most of them. We’ll be publishing one or two interviews a day in celebration of the show, which takes place this Saturday night at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables…
You may recall reading about a group on these pages called Tiempo Libre. If you’re a Cuban coffee drinker, there’s a chance they may even peek at you from the side of your can of grounds every morning as you curse the five day work week. That’s right, they’re those…
Twenty one years is a hell of a long time to be playing music, much less to be playing someone else’s music, but The Machine is doing just that. They’ve been hailed as the best Pink Floyd tribute band by numerous people, and Spin.com claims they sound “exactly like Pink…
Buy a ticket for a Hank Williams III show and you’re probably expecting to hear a whole lot of country songs about heartbreak, good old boys, and life on the wide open plains. Show up to the Hank Williams III and Assjack show at Culture Room in July and you’ll…
Trey Songz Sunday, May 24, 2009 Sobe Live, Miami Beach Better Than: Anything I could have expected, given the hectic nature of Memorial Day Weekend. The Review:On Memorial Day Weekend the streets of South Beach were full of culture, excitement, and overall craziness, and the same could be said for…
To view a slideshow of pictures from Best of the Best, click here. Best of the Best 2009 featuring Bounty Killa, Mavado, Beanie Man, Rick Ross, Young JeezySunday, May 24, 2009Bicentennial Park, Downtown Miami Better Than: Being stuck on Collins Avenue The Review:Memorial Day signals time for dancehall diehards to…
