There is a never-ending debate over who’s the best rapper of all time. The arguments always change, but the names somehow remain constant. Rakim, ‘Pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nasir Jones — a.k.a. Nas — are consistently considered rap’s lyrical upper class. Of these five emcees, though, Nas is probably your…
For LL Cool J, or Ladies Love Cool James, the man who made the terry cloth fishing hat into de rigueur streetwear, the hits just kept a-coming. From his breakout single “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” in 1985, the first for Def Jam Records, to the double-platinum Mr. Smith…
Since creating Electric Frankenstein in 1991, bassist/mad scientist Sal Canzonieri has taught his rock and roll monster well. Balls-out, AC/DC-influenced punk rock: good. Wimpy alternative rock: bad. After 11 years, 10 LPs, 10 EPs, and countless singles, Electric Frankenstein has perfected its Misfits-meets-Kiss-meets-Jerry Lee Lewis “New Rock” just in time…
With songs like “Martian Martians,” “I’m a Little Aeroplane,” and “Abominable Snowman in the Market,” it’s hard to believe that troubadour Jonathan Richman played such an important role in the burgeoning punk movement of the 1970s. But the Talking Heads, Television, and even the Sex Pistols (they covered the Richman…
Once the Goths get enchanted with you, they never let you go. Loyal and a tad masochistic, Goths love their icons till death, even if their icons don’t love them back. Which is why Peter Murphy can hide out in Turkey reading Rumi, release albums only sporadically, have those albums…
Forget about Spider-Man and his hots for his high school honey. And if you’re looking to Star Wars for love interest, well, look again. For truly otherworldly passion among superhumans turn to the Patakin, the stories of the dalliances and daredevil antics of the orishas, the deities of the once-powerful…
Some say the battle has already been won. That the long reign of compas kings T-Vice has come to an end. No, the pretender to the throne is not KDans, Djakout Mizik, or Zin. The upstarts are the newest of the New Generation Compa: Carlo Vieux, Richard Cave, and Mickael…
When a musician cites influences as diverse as the poetry of William Blake, the country blues of Sleepy John Estes, and the field recordings of Alan Lomax all in the same breath, you know you’re in for something interesting. With all that poetry and roots mixed with jazz, rock, and…
Is Laurie Anderson the coolest chick on the planet? Not only has she thrived all these years with her artistic integrity intact, but she’s done it while scoring a number-two hit on the pop charts (in England, even cooler), making the critically acclaimed concert film Home of the Brave, and…
Cabaret Diosa — the nine-piece extravaganza of guitars, horns, mambo, swing, jazz, and, of course, dancing — is a band that exudes more drama than a late-night Springer marathon. The Boulder-based neo-Latin ensemble always folds a hearty dose of theater and cartoon-caperish quality into its episodic stage shows. Diosa vocalist/guitarist…
Living in Miami since 1987, Cuban-born Carlos Gomez and Canary Islander Marta Ramirez have been offering audiences a rich blend of traditional and original trova interpreted with impressive authenticity. This weekend the husband-and-wife duo celebrate the release of their much-awaited debut CD, Trova Bolero, with a series of shows serving…
Miami may be a noisy place, but it’s not noisy enough for some. So our own beloved Rat Bastard is importing noise acts from abroad. The Flying Luttenbachers come in from Chicago on little cat feet, or more likely in a big dilapidated van, to dump a big heap of…
After slowing down to croon a few tunes with producer Kike Santander, Gisselle is back to merengue and has thrown a little bachata, ballad, and even ranchera in the mix. But this former choreographer — who first grabbed the mike when one of the singers in the Puerto Rican girl…
Like a good neighbor, the slogan goes, State Farm is there. And so is Isis, the manager of a team of claims reps here in the insurance company’s South Florida offices. But after hours, the Cuban-American chanteuse offers a different kind of consolation — the kind that fills a smoky…
From 1985 through 1989, guitarist/shouter Jesse Alvare and his band FWA! ruled the roost of the Miami punk-rock scene, playing every legal (and some not-so-legal) venue at the time — including four legendary shows at the Cameo Theatre. In 1987 FWA! released a self-titled LP of raging hardcore salvos with…
To every fiefdom, a festival. At least that’s the general rule in the Magic City, where one look at the musical lineup usually gives a pretty clear idea of who will be lining up for tickets. And then there’s the annual Bob Marley Caribbean Festival, the one festival that consistently…
Ed Hale and Transcendence touch down this week with a CD-release party for their new Rise and Shine. Atlanta transplant Hale first appeared on the Miami scene as one of the Broken Spectacles. When the Specs broke for good in 1994, Hale hit the road for two years, traveling the…
Ever wonder what old Specials or Madness songs would sound like in Yiddish? Or hear a reggae memorial to those who died in the Holocaust? King Django will let you know, as well as sound out plenty of funky drums, reggae backbeats, and rockin’ guitars, with a dose of loop…
They’ve got the look, they’re gettin’ the buzz, and their sound is straight out of a New York garage via Memphis. This is the kind of lo-fi, hi-fuzz sound that rattled the windows of the neighbors’ houses across the U.S.A. — 30 years ago plus. Named after a couple of…
The modern history of Mexican rock has two eras: before and after “La Negra Tomasa,” the cumbia-rock cover immortalized on the self-titled 1994 album from Caifanes, the most important Mexican band of the late Eighties and the group that spearheaded the rock mexicano renaissance. And even though Caifanes recorded four…
Punk/ska/reggae band The Monjees is currently at work at the University of Miami studio recording what will be its first album, due out early next year. Singer Paul Orehovec and his fellow Monjees — Andrew Stoch (trombone, keyboards), Aaron Seiden (bass), Jason May (drums), and Harry Gamez (guitar) — together…
The Latin Grammys bolted, and the Source Hip-hop Music Awards won’t be back. Who needs ’em? This weekend on the Latin tip, AMOR (WAMR-FM 107.5) is bringing us all the love we need. Colombian cuties Los Tri-O supply the retro romance while Willy Chirino promises an Afro-disiac. Pablo Montero croons…
