The talented Argentine interpretive pianist Marcela Martinez will have her hands full as she presents the American musical debut of the work of Cuban composer Ramiro Valdés Puentes, who was born in Havana in 1963. Martinez will introduce audiences to Valdés Puentes’s “Sonata Americana” and will also perform other pieces,…
The showcase of hip-hop overachievers seems at first offing to be an effort toward creating one of the most dour concerts of the year, given “conscious” rap’s reputation for PBS-correct depictions of urban dwelling. The Roots, however, have become more interesting and more verbally aggro, following the failure of 1999’s…
DJ Vadim, the Russian turntablist who’s part DJ Krush, part DJ Shadow, and all musical revolutionary, has teamed up with the amazing New York MC Blu Rum 13 and Yarah Bravo, the petite Swedish-born Chilean/Brazilian MC/songstress whose smooth lyricism can be compared only to that of the great female rapper…
Imogen Heap describes her music as “living and breathing.” That’s accurate, if you imagine a world where every word is alive with electro breathlessness. As the vocal half of the unlikely sensation Frou Frou, Immi (as she’s known) received the coveted Zach Braff seal of approval and tracked big in…
For the past couple of years, as we near the dreadful Florida summer, nothing comes as close to “good omen” as a brand-new Baby Calendar release. Seriously, the group’s saccharine goodness helps combat the humid heat that takes over the Magic City and, though not substantially proven yet, might actually…
Elefant’s Diego Garcia definitely ripped a page from the Morrissey book when he crafted both his songs and public persona. Like Morrissey, the natty, reed-thin frontman deliberately cultivates an aura of mystery — a previous performance at I/O had some audience members speculating as to whether those were bandages on…
Honesty and picaresque humor embody the work and attitude of Brazilian sensation Seu Jorge. For one of his performances this past fall, I/O was packed to the point of turning people away. And though you might know him only from his work in the instant classic Cidade de Deus (City…
One of the better skeins spun by Andrea Echeverri — Colombian enchantress and singer for that country’s alt-folk-rock sensations Aterciopelados — is the one in which the traditional Latin female submission role is shattered. When machismo rears its ugly head, Echeverri diffuses it with sweet melodies and smart lyrics. Humorous,…
Though vintage-conscious trance snobs will forever deride breakbeat as the Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill of the electronic music vineyard, diehard fans of Orlando-based DJ Baby Anne and her compatriot de deck Jen Lasher are happy to chug away the night and morning immersed in the duo’s traded-off trap-kit-beats and acid…
Headlining Metropolis’s first hip-hop show/MC battle will be South Florida’s most notable hip-hop group, SoulWhat?, which comprises three young Miami natives — 23-year-old Juan “Afterlogic” Pedraza, 23-year-old Danny “Newsense” Villamil, and 20-year-old Samuel “Parable” Donado — who have opened for hip-hop legends like Digable Planets, Fat Lip, and Jeru the…
A onetime musical apprentice of the legendary Junior Wells, Albert Castiglia has earned legitimacy as a blues singer. Still, Castiglia’s oeuvre is more than simply standard blues redo; his blend of repartee, impromptu asides, original songs, and material mined from a diverse classic-rock repertoire makes him one of the most…
Nouvelle Vague is an imaginative and genre-bending group that has emerged from the French electronica scene, which is populated by many worthwhile acts that never see these shores. Those who think cover bands are worthless hacks with nothing to offer haven’t heard this Parisian duo (Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux)…
Atlanta’s Family Force Five creates a dubious first impression at best. Much like the mustached, pudgy crooner Har Mar Superstar, the act could be a colossal ironic joke the rest of us might not be getting. After all, the slogan of this group of five pasty-white hipsters with emo-style haircuts…
It is the curse of the blues musician, the tragic twist of fate that seems to haunt every player since Robert Johnson was said to have sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads in exchange for musical immortality. The Crossroads Curse is rumored to have struck Lynyrd Skynyrd,…
Trumpeter Hugh Masekela is the one South African musician almost everybody has heard of. His American profile received a big boost when he was a member of Paul Simon’s traveling Graceland extravaganza, but he’s had a strong international presence since he fled apartheid in 1960. His blend of jazz, township…
One of the better things happening in town right now is the emergence of Wynwood’s Stop Miami bar. Stop offers a solid array of delicious and not-so-easy-to-find wines/beers at relatively affordable prices, as well as Asian, Spanish, and Middle Eastern gourmet finger foods. This coincides with the resurfacing of one…
Like Christopher Lee’s Dracula in the classic Hammer horror films from the early Sixties, speed metal cannot be killed off. Every time we think it’s finally dead and done, a new band comes along and resurrects the art of the endless guitar riff. Power trio High on Fire is the…
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who, when young, earned a living playing in taverns frequented by prostitutes. He was later introduced to the great manic-depressive composer/pianist/writer Robert Schumann, who hailed Brahms a genius in an article titled “Neue Bahnen” (“New Paths”) in a German music publication. Brahms…
Do you like loud things? Then you’ll love the Oakland-based hard-rock quintet Watch Them Die. With enough tattoos to ensure they’ll never return to office work, the bandmates are stopping in Miami as part of the tour to promote their very aggressive new album, Bastard Son. Influenced by groups like…
Quirky New Hope, Pennsylvania duo Ween can’t be put into any sort of musical genre box or category. So don’t even try, big-booty bitch. Over the past two decades, Gene and Dean Ween (Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo) have kept their devoted fans amused with music only a fifteen-year-old boy…
It seems like there’s some unwritten law dictating that all great American jazz performers must migrate to Paris in order to be appreciated back home. Dee Dee Bridgewater is no exception. During her self-imposed exile in France, Bridgewater’s great voice finally found its place as a great interpreter. Her majestic…
Angst. Anger. Apathy. Issues. That’s what you get from L.A.’s Get Set Go. A self-professed slacker, singer Mike TV fesses up that he’s a loser, unworthy of rock-star reverence. The new album, Ordinary World, is buttressed by self-effacing irony, insecurity, and ineptness. Bereft of cash, girls, ambition, and purpose, he…
