No local band could better encapsulate Neil Young’s doom-y axiom that “It’s better to burn out/than to fade away” than defunct trio Beings, who took the SoFla scene by storm, toured with Torche, released one of Crossfade’s favorite records of 2010, and then announced their final show seemingly out of…
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, contemporary music’s Cleveland equivalent to Major League Baseball’s Cooperstown, has announced its class of 2012. As we here at Crossfade expected, Guns N’ Roses made the cut. But the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and “Hurdy Gurdy Man” singer Donovan will also…
Once upon a time, a little wooden liar named Pinocchio took a trip to Pleasure Island with a pig-nosed, red-headed punk. “They say it’s a swell joint. No school. No cops,” the punk told Pinocchio. “You can tear the joint apart. And nobody says a word.” Sounds a little like…
When false rumors about the closure of Mamushka’s Midtown spread throughout the Miami scene like some kinda nasty, textually transmitted disease, Sirens and Sealions singer-songwriter and Mute Miami booking boss Johanna Viscaino got a little skittish, shifting Au Revoir Simone’s Miami gig to another venue. “I moved the show because…
Less than 20 days from now, Jesus Christ will turn the big 2-0-1-2, though he doesn’t look a day over 33. Around the world, Christians will celebrate his birth with an appalling display of hyper-consumerism and overconsumption. And of course, crappy Christmas music. However, one track that isn’t likely making…
It’s been approximately 32 months since self-described Brooklyn “keyboard band” Au Revoir Simone released the dark and dreamy 2009 album, Still Night, Still Light, and its sparklingly spooky single “Shadows.” Understandably, plenty of music geeks with a fetish for moody twee melodies (e.g. Crossfade, our current makeout partners, and you)…
About a month or so after Arcade Fire rocked the music industry by walking away with the Grammy for Album of the Year, the Montreal-based group celebrated with some friends in Haiti. Some 250 people packed into the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince — many of whom were “expat aid workers…
Artist Ron English is no stranger to iconic imagery. Creating paintings from a mishmash of familiar faces and images like Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Mouse is part of what he does. So it was no surprise that English joined forces with mega-superstar Chris Brown to create the cover of his…
Invented in the late ’80s by electronics wizard Roger Linn, the Music Production Center is a pimped-out drum machine on steroids, usually equipped with eight to 16 pressure- and velocity-sensitive pads, multiple MIDI inputs and outputs, a superpowered sequencer, advanced sampling systems, and an entire universe of highly evolved effects…
It’s been five full years since Time Magazine named Daddy Yankee to its list of the 100 most influential people on the planet. And using the mag’s metaphor, the recording industry’s registers were ringing like mad over reggaeton in 2006. “Yankee has sold 2 million copies of his album Barrio…
UPDATE Au Revoir Simone’s Miami show will now be totally free! Even though shocked status updates, email blasts, and half-drunk texts might’ve pushed the rumors of Mamushka’s demise into overdrive for a period of about 12 hours, there hasn’t been any major fallout in the wake of that premature closing…
Ever since Sean Michael Anderson snatched up a mike and spit some rhymes, this 23-year-old rapper from Detroit has seemed to be dropping hints about the enormity of his future plans. He began by adopting the not-so-humble stage name Big Sean. He coaxed notorious egomaniac Kanye West into giving him…
About a month and a half before Twin Sister packs its dreamy indie-pop into a van and treks across the United States for a 22-city tour, the Long Island quintet figured a stop at Midtown Miami’s Bardot would be a fitting warmup. Scheduled for December 15, this show is part…
Late last night, rumors concerning the demise of Mamushka’s Midtown began filtering through the local scene via shocked status updates, email blasts, and half-drunk texts. On the venue’s official Facebook page, a few members of Miami’s music and boozing community started eulogizing the hangout in a mix of English, Spanish,…
The Herd is stampeding toward SoFla. Almost 22 years ago, East Coast fusion rockers Donna the Buffalo led a mass gathering of its friends, fellow bands, and followers — nicknamed The Herd — to Ithaca, New York for the inaugural Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival. In the intervening decades, this annual…
Man, no one loves to give away massive amounts of cash like the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Last night, the foundation held its annual Knight Challenge Grant award ceremony, dropping a $2.9 million jackpot on 31 local South Florida arts organizations, including the Bas Fisher Invitational, Coral…
Behold Black Friday! No doubt, the day after Thanksgiving belongs to the Devil. The sun becomes a black hole. Unrepentant gluttons suffer atop overflowing toilets. And endless legions of zombified shoppers stalk the malls and big-box stores in search of awesome deals that might set them free from Satan’s eternal…
For many fans of the Black Eyed Peas, last night was a sorrowful occasion. It was the quartet’s final concert together as a band before a “break,” not a breakup. At least, that’s what Taboo told New Times. But everyone knows that a “break” is usually code for breakup. Most…
What were you doin’ the night before Dinosaur Jr. alum and indie demigod Lou Barlow announced that his highly emotional side project, Sebadoh, would be visiting Downtown hipster superclub Grand Central for a pre-Weezer Cruise concert on January 18, 2012? Well, Crossfade was having the weirdest dream about bein’ at…
”He is one of our coworkers, a friend, and a loyal patron,” says Mamushka’s bar manager Javier Sanchez, describing former Bar employee Dylan Nunn, known as Crunk. Currently in a dangerous coma-like state, Sanchez says, “He’s battling for his life and we want to show his family support.” You might…
For the last decade, Trina has been a reigning member of the 305’s rap royal family. No doubt, she is the Magic City’s Diamond Princess. And nobody rocks those blinged-out “Red Bottoms” like her. She’s raw, real, and regal. She’s badder than all them other bitches. But Ms. Trina is…
Miami’s wildest keg party is just five months away. Of course, we’re talking about New Times’ Brew at the Zoo, the all-you-can-drink extravaganza presented by Miller’s Ale House. While we’ve locked down the venue — Zoo Miami — and the date — April 28 — we’re still trying to figure…
