People seem to forget that Miami used to be a swamp. Since then, European explorers, waves of people from all over the world, and Pitbull have been poured into and over it, creating a wild west on the southeastern tip of this country like no other place. However, all that glitter…
When Kat Reinhert held the final copy of Spark in her hands, it was surreal. She’d put nothing short of blood, sweat, and tears into her second LP, and its triumphant message of courage and strength was more important than ever given her recent divorce. She’d done all of this…
At 8:30 p.m. the parking lot for the Frost Museum of Science seemed exceptionally full. Walking towards the lobby a security guard warned passersby, “All the shows are sold out.” A sign scotch taped on the entrance reiterated the same message. It was Saturday night, the final night of the…
Richard Mason and Laz have come a long way together since the ninth grade Hialeah High School science class where they first met. “I was in a talent show and Richard saw me perform,” Laz remembers. “He convinced me to join the chorus and we’ve been singing together ever since.”…
If you drove around Miami in the 1990s, you probably remember the name DJ Ballistic Billy. At 7 and 9 on the dot every night on Power 96, he would play his mixes, mashing up rock with hip-hop and house. Though he found himself broadcasting on a major radio station…
Though the quirky name hasn’t changed, local soul outfit Ketchy Shuby’s appearance Thursday at Bardot will be the debut of an almost entirely new lineup. “Me and the bass player [Matt Pyatt] are the only original members,” Ketchy Shuby’s outspoken singer/guitarist Jason Hernandez-Rodriguez says. The band has added a new…
The members of Soundwall are excited. I had arranged to meet with one of them to discuss the unique new creation, but when I arrive, there are four members of the Miami music scene’s new “artist’s collective” seated at the table for our lunch meeting. All four are local musicians…
Carol City’s Gunplay released his debut studio album, Living Legend, today alongside a fantastical video for the track “White Bitch.” In the video, we see Gunplay team up with the last standing Cocaine Cowboy, Mickey Munday, to move weight from the jungles of Colombia to somewhere in South Florida. In…
When he was seven-years-old, Michael Barksdale’s father gifted him a guitar. Ever since, he’s been tinkering with sounds. Now known as Culture Prophet, the electronic producer who grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, decided when he made the move to South Beach last September that he wanted to change…
When Notorious Nastie releases a new music video, brace yourself. You really never know what you’re going to get. His work ranges from the bloody “Jesus Was a Jewish Zombie” to the Iggy Azalea parody “I’m So Nasty.” It’s brash, rude, offensive, and, well, just plain nasty. His most recent…
Kendall is kind of like the Miami music scene’s middle child. We all know it’s there, but we either don’t notice it, or just don’t care. That’s a shame. Because there is some talent coming out of our neglected southern sibling. For proof, look no further than Sigh Kicks. Sigh…
After having to reschedule an interview with local jazz singer Nicole Henry I texted her, “Thanks for being understanding.” She texted back, “I’m a singer that’s my job.” When we were able to talk she elaborated, explaining how empathy is a key component to what she does. “I tell stories…
Bands get together. Bands break up. From national arena acts to tiny garage bands, no musician is immune. Even when things are going well, you never know when a cymbal might fly across the recording studio, striking a lead singer in the forehead and forever ending your favorite group’s career…
The newest addition to the Chica family is a hairy little sweetheart named Gunner, a black Labrador retriever just shy of 2 years old — or around 17 in dog years. That makes him roughly the same age as his owner, Joseph Chica. Though the pup, a guide dog in…
Love it or hate it, everyone knew about Will Call. The hybrid venue perched at the doorstep of the American Airlines Arena for the last four years was many things to many people. Modeled to be a great rock n’ roll venue, Will Call served the needs to many a folk. Some of the…
When Aja Monet and Umi Selah were first tossing around the idea of building their own recording studio, a lot of decisions needed to be made. First, a name. It was Aja who came up with Smoke Signals. Umi Selah (formely known as Phillip Agnew) explains its significance like this: “A…
Selena. Gloria Estefan. Jennifer Lopez. The past is full of strong, sensual, and talented Latina superstars who continue to shine in our hearts and on our screens, but look to the budding young faces of the present, and there’s a certain vacancy. That’s what Miami’s Monique hopes to change. Talking…
As the number of music cruise choices increase, so does the diversity. No longer the novelty they were as little as ten years ago, these excursions are now becoming as diverse and plentiful as the number of genres represented. In Miami alone, we have the ever-popular Holy Ship, Motörhead’s MotörBoat, and…
There was a sense of warmth in the air during the afternoon’s events on Thursday, July 9, but it wasn’t just because of Miami’s unbearable heat. A group of individuals that could essentially be called a family had gathered in a cozy, vibrant room in Allapattah, Miami, decorated with children’s…
Despite it being nearly 1 o’clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday, the house is dark as night. Outside the front door sits a pile of shoes, their barefoot owners lying, passed out, on a black leather couch inside. Denzel Curry, one of the few awake, sits shirtless, ready to…
Fourteen years since its formation, the Miami-based Tiempo Libre is at a point in its career that most up-and-coming bands dream about. Three Grammy nominations, worldwide recognition on stages and television, and several albums later, the group is in the midst of a promotional tour for its first release under…
A little over a month ago I found myself sitting on a couch in between Rick Ross and Gunplay. The two Carol City natives and childhood friends had just wrapped up a Memorial Day show at the BB&T Center, and, at that moment, I was the meat in between their…
