Thelma and the Sleaze Aim to Sound Like a Monster Truck in a Thunderstorm

LG, guitarist and singer of Thelma and the Sleaze, has three goals every time her rock band hits the stage. “I want people to get turned on as a sexual experience. I want people to be a little frightened wondering if I’m going to hit them. And I want people after the show to go home and want to play their guitar to make rock ‘n’ roll to share with the world.”

Big Freedia Brings Her Trademark Performance and Bounce to Churchill’s

Big Freedia might just be the most resilient, hardest-grinding artist alive. Over the past decade, the New Orleans-born-and-based bounce artist has withstood trumped-up criminal charges, family tragedy, and mixed audience reception to become a beloved international party host and MC. She’s been sampled by the queen of pop herself, Beyoncé,…

Ultra Music Festival 2018 Winners and Losers

The weather was beautiful, the music was awesome, and the bullshit level was rather high at this past weekend’s Ultra. Following a great New Times tradition, we rate what worked and what didn’t. Winner: The Resistance Arcadia Spider Stage. This stage has been bringing the heat – literally and…

Smvt’s Ale Campos on Writing Punk Taylor Swift Songs

Why does Ale Campos pronounce her band’s name, Smvt, as smut? “When I first started the band, it was me playing aggressive music by myself,” she says. “It was really heavy. Smut was the most intense, gross word I could think of to describe those feelings,” Campos explained. Campos is Miami born…

The Best Concerts in Miami This Week March 26-April 1

Now that Ultra Music Festival and Miami Music Week have come and gone, you may be looking for your next musical fix. Some Ultra artists, like GTA, are hanging around town a little longer to quell your festival withdrawals. A huge party led by the Queen of Bounce Big Freedia is on the horizon this Friday, while Demi Lovato and DJ Khaled take over the AAA and legendary drummer and Prince collaborator Sheila E. plays a free (yes, free) show at Palm Court in the Design District.

Who Will Be This Year’s Surprise Guests at Ultra 2018?

By far, the most rampant rumor is a Swedish House Mafia reunion, and with Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso in town to play the festival, speculation has heightened even more. We asked Ultra attendees their guesses at to who this year’s Sunday night surprise guest might be.

Here Are the Ultra Music Festival 2018 Set Times

Ready for the Ultra Music Festival mayhem set to take over Bayfront Park this weekend? You have your festival-approved clear bag stocked up with essentials, you’ve carefully selected the crew you plan on PLUR’ing out with, and you’ve figured out how the hell you’ll get to Bayfront Park (Metrorail, please). Now…

Eats Everything Helps Bring J.E.S.u.S. to Miami

Although he is a globe-trotting, chart-topping DJ/producer, Eats Everything prefers to be described as a raver. The man born Daniel Pearce is known for getting as excited about dance music as his crowds, and it’s common  to catch him throwing down with the masses between sets. So there’s a palpable disappointment…

The Nine Best Miami Music Week 2018 Pool Parties

Tattoos and thongs meant something once upon a time. Now they’re as typical as DJs performing with orchestras. You’ll be able to see all the trends this Miami Music Week in a pool party lineup that’s primetime for exhibitionists and ratchets. Equally, it’s a time for the sophisticated to laze in the shade…

Cedric Gervais on His Breakout Hit “Summertime Sadness” and Ultra’s Influence

Miami’s globetrotting house DJ Cedric Gervais first made waves by debuting his controversial song “Molly” at Ultra Music Festival 2012. The next year, his remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” became a massive hit on pop radio, going double-platinum in the United States and earning him a Grammy. The song’s runaway success was nothing Gervais could have planned.

The Ten Best Acts at Ultra 2018

This weekend, Ultra Music Festival will kick off a three-day exercise in all forms of dance music. House, techno, bass, EDM, dubstep, trance, and other styles will be well represented by acts from all over the world. It’s something Ultra has been able to do extraordinarily well for the past 20 years.

Ten Unforgettable Moments From Ultra’s First 20 Years

From South Beach to Bayfront to Bicentennial and then back to Bayfront, Ultra Music Festival has lived many lives. From simple stages to foggy tents to massive structural wonders, Ultra has grown from a bright idea to a monolithic temple of electronic dance. It was one of the first music…