If you’re in the up – to – 24 demographic, then you may have already heard of the Brooklyn indie-pop duo This Is Ivy League. Or, if not, you’ve almos definitely heard of the band in which its two members, Alex Suarez and Ryland Blackinton, play as their “day job”:…
Buggah D. Govanah, president of On Point Entertainment and Marketing is sick of bootleg rap shows with bad sound and no production value. He’s set out to change that through a benefit for Haiti that’s creating a platform for Caribbean artists and artists of Caribbean descent to get together on…
Holy Ghost Saturday, December 13, 2008 The Vagabond, Miami Better than: 100% of the godless ultra-commercial dance crap polluting the Beach. It’s past midnight and I’m at the Vagabond sipping my whiskey straight and waiting for Holy Ghost! to start their DJ set in the main room. It’s my first…
David Byrne Saturday December 13, 2008 The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre Better Than: Just about any show you’ve ever been to. Really. I’ve gotta apologize to David Byrne, because every time his acrobatic sidekick Lily Baldwin took the stage during last night’s dynamite Fillmore Gleason show, I…
I just got word yesterday that R&B’s newest sensation, Jazmine Sullivan is going to be in Pembroke Pines on December 21st. She’ll be at Cafe Iguana (who seem to be booking a lot better shows lately) performing songs off of her solid debut album, Fearless. Most people only know Sullivan…
The Miami Light Project and FUNDarte, the nonprofit sponsors of the annual Global Cuba Fest, focusing on contemporary music from throughout the Cuban diaspora, have announced the dates and lineups for the 2009 edition of the weekend-long concert series. The concerts will take place on February 6, 7, and 8,…
She’s landed four Grammy nominations, seven number-one singles, and two platinum-selling albums, all in only three years. Thus, it’s safe to say Keyshia Cole deserves a place in that illustrious echelon of female artists known as Divas, though she may not realize it yet. But not the “get me my…
A couple weeks ago, Miami New Times introduced you to Dangerflow, the latest high-energy, multi – genre – fusion party band to score a coveted weekly residency at Jazid. Like fellow Jazid favorites Locos Por Juana, Dangerflow touches on cumbia and other Latin rhythms. But the addition of soul singer…
Many of today’s hip-hop personalities and R&B royalty would have fans believe they’ve got the genuine Midas touch, but few in recent years can truly back that claim up. The Tallahassee-born T-Pain, however, is one of these chosen few. It’s no wonder Akon snatched him up for his own imprint,…
There are quite lofty aspirations apparent in naming a concert Bossa Nova: Celebrating the First 50 Years. Anyone other than sensitive, crafty guitarist/bandleader/host Oscar Castro-Neves would be hard-pressed to pull it off. Castro-Neves, the breeze in this concert’s sails, is the type of veteran acoustic guitarist who draws beautiful sounds…
Writing about Lil Wayne this late into 2008 is a difficult challenge — mainly because there’s almost nothing left to say. The popular 26-year-old rapper grabbed the hip-hop world by its balls roughly a year ago with a series of free mixtapes that kept the blogosphere on fire with commentary…
For the first time since the 1980 Drama tour, British supergroup Yes is touring without frontman Jon Anderson, who fell ill after an asthma attack a few months back. In fact, because of this incident, the band’s original plans for a 40th anniversary tour with the “classic” formation (Anderson, Chris…
A Chromeo DJ set, Crookers, MSTRKRFT, and now Switch? Whoever is responsible for the string of bookings at Heathrow Lounge deserves a gold star, because it’s getting ridiculous. Switch, born Dave Taylor, is the U.K.-based whiz responsible for producing dance-floor staples for artists such as M.I.A. (“Boyz,” “Jimmy,” and “20…
After much Internet gossip and rumor-mongering, the folks behind Langerado announced they would release the first phase of the festival’s 2009 lineup yesterday morning. That didn’t happen, with a delay as organizers “finalized last-minute details.” Still, this morning they’ve come forward with a few names, several of which will be…
As half of Skinny Puppy, Nivek Ogre (or just Ogre, or Kevin Ogilvie) created, in the Eighties, a much-imitated, arresting blend of industrial and hard rock, belched forth amid bewildering onstage theatrics. A showman from the beginning, Ogre quickly used his theater of the horrifically absurd as a platform to…
Miami’s favorite Latin – rock – cumbia – whatever mash-up band, Locos Por Juana, has finally got its due from the awards gods. The Locos have finally scored their first Grammy nomination, in the category of Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album, for La Verdad. Note that this is in…
Hah! Ultra is sounding better and better! Looks like the organizers have also flip-flopped their booking M.O. this year. Since the festival’s expansion into a two-day affair, things have generally gone more experimental the first night, with the classic dance music titans taking over the second day and night. Not…
Prefuse 73 with Eliot Lipp and PG 13Sunday, December 7, 2008Heathrow Lounge, Miami BeachBetter Than: Any of the usual Sunday night mainstream hip-hop club nights. One of the many cool things about Art Basel is all the cool music acts that it brings down to our sandy shores. Case in…
MSTRKRFT with Pauly Crush and Jessica Who?Saturday, December 6, 2008Heathrow Lounge, Miami BeachBetter Than: Ninety percent of the other Basel parties during the week.Art Basel brought plenty of musical performances during the week. Unfortunately, most of them were invite-only or secret parties no one knew about. But Saturday night, Heathrow…
Art Damage with Panda Bear and No Age Friday, December 5Karu & Y, Downtown Miami Better Than: Everything happening that night on the planet Earth if you happen to take Pitchfork or College radio charts as the gospel. The Review: The rumors of a No Age/Panda Bear double bill during…
Billboard unveiled this morning the very first phase of the lineup for the 2009 Ultra Music Festival, and it’s actually time to get excited. As the festival has expanded in size, its organizers have made laudable stabs at taking the lineup into the new dance-music frontiers of the 21st century…
If you are into dazzling, disjointed hip-hop beats, then you have probably heard of a whiz kid and producer that goes by the name of Prefuse 73. Born in Miami, but raised in Atlanta, Prefuse 73 (born Scott Herren) also records under various monikers like Savath & Savalas and Delarosa…
