Former Awesome New Republic member Michael John Hancock is back in Miami’s limelight with his new solo act, John Hancock ANR. Describing his latest tunes as dance, folk, rock and roll, and R&B, Hancock isn’t shying away from any genre. “Basically I put it all in a pot and see…
Despite deeming themselves progressive, the members of AGHORA appeal to those of the death-metal old school, those who like their guitar dirges irony- and humor-free. Lead vocalist Diana Serra very seriously suggested the staff at this newspaper wasn’t heavy enough to fathom AGHORA, saying, “Perhaps you should send someone from…
Mariah Carey. Glitter. No other combination of words evokes images of four-inch stilettos, dresses of about the same length, and a near-shattering fall from grace quite like those three. The past few turbulent years in Carey’s career have made it difficult to believe that one of the media’s biggest punching…
After a summer of touring behind their new full-length album, the twee-poppers of Miami’s Baby Calendar return to finish where their journey began — at Churchill’s. There the bandmates hosted a CD-release party in May for their third LP, Gingerbread Dog, and then went on a nearly three-month trek of…
After releasing countless EPs, Dominic Angus has made a name for himself as the harder and more experimental voice of dance music. Performing under the name Dom and Roland (Roland referring to Angus’s drum machine) for the past ten years, Angus has always followed a darker style, especially when compared…
Though he has only recently released his second album, Beto Hale has been a musician nearly his entire life. Performing at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City when he was eleven, Hale got an early start crafting his unique blend of pop-punk, Brit-pop, and New Wave. He learned the drums…
What makes the Lawrences an unusual punk band, aside from their conceptual albums and duet-style vocals, is their fierce hatred of the Warped Tour (and not because the group hasn’t been invited to it). The band played on the tour in 2002 and was kicked off for criticizing the tour…
Ryan Cabrera began his musical career in Texas playing guitar in a noisy punk band before discovering Dave Matthews and deciding he wanted to make music that sounded softer, trading electric for acoustic and forming alt-rock band Rubic’s Groove. The band grew popular in Dallas, opening for acts like Cheap…
Rapping and singing love-torn lyrics over jazz-tinged guitars and hip-hop beats on “Ms. Used” — the first track on Tiffany Miranda’s debut album, I Speak Music — Miranda has a genuine knack for blending R&B, jazz, and hip-hop into something refreshingly different. Now living in Miami, Miranda was born in…
Jamaican-born Eddie Kirkland has toured with Otis Redding, performed with John Lee Hooker, and has played guitar during a televised performance while standing on his head. Brought up in Alabama, Kirkland learned guitar, harmonica, and vocals before moving to Detroit, where he first met and recorded with Hooker in 1943…
Bandleader, singer, composer, trombonist, Grammy winner, political activist, and living legend Willie Colón has done it all. He cut his first album, El Malo, at the age of seventeen with vocalist Héctor Lavoe, another artist with a now-legendary resumé. El Malo helped define the “New York sound” — known today…
Zac Brown is a younger Jimmy Buffett, assuming Buffett traded his margarita for a beer and hung out with bikers. The lead singer and guitarist of the Zac Brown Band, Brown belts out sentimental lyrics with a hint of a Southern drawl over catchy, acoustic guitar notes and the backing…
Born Jasiel Robinson in Atlanta, Georgia, Yung Joc had a childhood nearly as aggressive as his lyrics. He got into fights, kicked out of schools, and arrested, all before he received his high school diploma. Young Joc, whose album New Joc City debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop…
Renowned for the tango hits he made over the course of his roughly twenty-year career, the late Adolfo Tudisco (stage name: Horacio Deval) would appreciate the tango-tinged event being held in his honor. “This is an homage to him, a tribute to who he was as a person and as…
At the age of seven, when you’re supposed to be eating Oreo cookies and watching Batman cartoons, Paquito D’Rivera was already a paid musician with an endorsement deal from Selmer saxophones. Born in Cuba and musically trained at age five by his father, he has performed with the National Theater…
Having made mix albums for parties hosted by P. Diddy, Lenny Kravitz, and Shaquille O’Neal, DJ Tom Laroc has become a popular musical source among those who are incredibly popular. However, it’s not just celebrities who appreciate Laroc’s unique ability to mix R&B, reggae, and hip-hop into energetic, danceable music…
Makeout Party doesn’t possess the hard-hitting lyrics and gangster thump that often whet the palates of hip-hop lovers, but the group’s candy-coated hopscotch beats won’t leave your mouth dry. Those with more of a sweet tooth and an appetite for the lighthearted antics of Peaches and Avenue D will enjoy…
To say Edwin Bonilla is an accomplished musician is an understatement. The Latin percussionist has been involved in more than 1000 recordings over seventeen years and is renowned for his work with Gloria Estefan. Other notches in Bonilla’s belt include Madonna, Shakira, and John Secada. Bonilla skillfully plays the djembe,…
At the age of eighteen, Niña Pastori became one of the youngest rising Spanish stars when she released her flamenco-pop debut album, Entre Dos Puertos, which sold more than 150,000 copies and spawned a hit single, “Tú Me Camelas,” that was played on radio stations and in clubs across Spain…
Jamaican-born Monty Alexander shares more with Bob Marley than a homeland. Though Alexander is a jazz pianist, his penchant for reggae runs deep throughout his music. One of his first albums released was Stir It Up, a Marley tribute, and although Alexander has since experimented with other genres such as…
Usually when you tell someone he hits like a girl, it’s meant as an insult. But the punch the all-girl trio AKA packs is anything but weak. The up-and-coming local group has been making a name for itself since 2004. Now with a different drummer and frequent shows at PS…
Cat Power is a fine example of simplicity at its best. For a decade the artist also known as Chan Marshall has charmed listeners with her ethereal voice and low-key music. Her minimalist sound is stripped to its bare essentials with moving vocals and sweet, sad melodies echoing from the…
