Thirty years ago, singer-guitarist Mike Palm and the rest of his Southern California trio, Agent Orange, got the good idea to mix first-wave punk rock and hardcore with ’60s and ’70s surf music, holding onto the loud/fast/snotty approach while delivering melody and clarity too. And with that, they all but…
The Big Day Out Festival is one of those “some-day” trips to daydream about. An annual series of massive one-off fests throughout Australia and New Zealand, it’s like a Reading or Leeds done Down Under, with the world’s biggest festival draws ever. This year’s edition features seven dates from January…
Did somebody say, “jam band”? But wait, there’s no Hacky Sack and no tie-dye, and what’s with all of those laptops (like, four of ’em) onstage? If you haven’t figured it out by now, Sound Tribe Sector 9 is not your average jam band. Sure, they noodle on guitars, but…
Pop and indie figure high on this list of the year’s best Latin albums
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Matt Keating – Between Customers Keating’s follow up to 2007’s astonishing double disc opus Quixotic is another revelation, a collection of richly affecting songs, ranging from the heartbreaking “Louisiana, a passionate paean to the victims of Katrina, to “Better Than That,” a plaintive ballad that sounds like one of Neil Young’s…
The Deep Dark Woods – Winter Hours Both the band’s name and the album title may seem intimidating, but in truth, Winter Hours shines light on warmly-lit environs via easily embraceable melodies, supple arrangements and the most earnest of sentiments.Bap Kennedy – Howl On The ever affable rocker turned country troubadour who…
Slaid Cleaves – Everything You Love Will Be Taken AwayAfter toiling in the trenches these many years as a folk-tinged journeyman singer-songwriter, Cleaves has finally painted his masterpiece, one that ought to make both his longtime fans and those who are still novices react with awe.Richie Furay – AliveThe good…
Over the next few blog posts, Crossfade contributor Lee Zimmerman gives his top picks of the best unheralded rock releases of the past year.Lee Alexander & Co., Mayhaw Vaudeville Retro never sounded so remorseful, but thanks to Lee Alexander’s forlorn, affecting vocals, Mayhaw Vaudeville provides a perfect example of an…
We’ve talked about DJ/production duo LA Riots plenty on this blog. And how can you blame us? It seems like they are in town every chance they get. Recently, they spun at Fort Lauderdale’s Exit 66 only to return soon there after to take over the decks at LIV. Over…
What other DJ can speak it into existence like Khaled does? Maybe none.For a guy whose job it is to play records, he makes it seem like the most important job on the planet, like the entire future of world civilization depends on it, like the very fabric of space…
Night Watch is a regular feature about bars and clubs by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg. The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano has its own universe of bars and restaurants to explore — and if you’re dressed well enough, you can hit all of them. When my friend Beard and…
Local DJs like Oscar G and Cedric Gervais may get all the glory on a national level, but they better watch out for Lazaro Casanova. The young musician has gone from obscure indie-party DJ to legit techno/house producer. He even paired up with Jay-You to create a bi-coastal record label,…
Do you find yourself scrambling for something to do every year on New Years Eve? Are you one of those people calling around at the last moment, “Hey! Is so-and-so finally having a party?” and “Hey! So what are you finally doing?” Well, you could end up at a lame…
Broward County’s Macknifa$ent has just uploaded a new video where he raps his remix to Tupac’s song “Hit Em’ Up.”Macknifa$ent is from Ft. Lauderdale and represents Pairadice Music. You can hear more of his songs at myspace.com/macknifasent…
Why is it that everyone expects New Year’s Eve to be so awesome when the preceding 364 days sucked so hard? Maybe all this emphasis on the End is just some banal expression of Western Civilization’s apocalyptic mindset. Or maybe we’re all a bunch of overstimulated creeps incapable of enjoying…
Alright, so while it briefly crossed my mind to check out Candyland 14 this past Saturday, in the end I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. I attended a couple of the early numbered editions of this party in the late ’90s/early ’00s, and then popped back in last…
Every time I look at Propaganda’s web site and see the drink specials and cheap prices, I want to crawl up inside it and stay. Unfortunately that’s not an option, as I have to report to offices in the counties south of Palm Beach. But if you live in northern…
Night Watch is a regular feature about bars and clubs by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg. The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano is seriously like Disney World for degenerate adults. Seriously, you lose entertainment-and-booze filled hours in a casino and walk out to find it’s already dark (or light, whichever…
Live in South Florida long enough, and the idea of the cruise loses its luster with the appearance of ever sunburned, hair-braided tourist clutching a cardboard box of souvenir rum. It’s okay, says Jason Beukema, founder of the Miami Beach-based Whet Travel agency. “I’ve been on 35 cruises, and it’s…
