Taking Back Sunday’s slow-but-steady rise to stardom is one of the most genuine post-hardcore success stories. Forming eight years ago in Long Island – historically a hardcore hotbed – the quintet got their start the true d.i.y. way, grinding away on the all-ages circuit and self-releasing their music. And that…
Anyone ever listen to Diplo’s seminal 2004 debut release, Florida, and find themselves rewinding the best frigging song on the album, “Diplo Rhythm,” endlessly trying to recapture that little snippet of Rio baile funk he slips in for the last 2 1/2 minutes of the track? It’s the one that…
When you set out to do a biographical film about a public figure who’s well known to much of the audience, you start in a deep hole. But give the makers of El Cantante some credit. Marc Anthony, with a slender physique and a pair of retro aviator-style specs, is…
Southern rap magazine Ozone hustled its way into the awards show game last year, presenting a program as musically satisfying and gossip-fueling as its informative and edgy printed pages. It was mounted in conjunction with TJs DJs Tastemakers DJ/Music Conference, a weekend of artist showcases and practical panel discussions. The…
After witnessing her stage bravado, her rheumatic and melodic vocalization, one finds it difficult to imagine that singer Aymee Nuviola faced many difficulties as an adolescent in her native Cuba. From the way she passionately croons, gracefully grinds her hips to the music, and spontaneously trades barbs with band members…
Local group Aboriginal holds the distinction of being one of the very few bands — if not the only one — that can boast of having opened for both Black Sheep and L.A. Guns. Few acts could, but true to its name, the quintet’s sound is raw and fresh. The…
More than 30 years ago, a lanky Dominican kid with a deep but piercing voice could do no better than third place on El Festival de la Voz (“The Festival of the Voice”). The talent search show, à la American Idol, had been organized by a local artists’ association in…
This time of year most superstar DJs are reclaiming their residencies off the coast of Spain, entertaining the beautiful people summering in Ibiza. Fortunately for Miami, Austin Leeds is a travel junkie, and his tireless schedule brings him to Studio A for a set before he heads off to the…
The deliciously sinister beats of Dom & Roland have been fueling the drum ‘n’ bass scene ever since there was a drum ‘n’ bass scene. Recording for seminal genre labels like No-U-Turn and Moving Shadow (and latterly DRP, for Dom & Roland Productions, home to top artists like Klute and…
If it’s Tuesday, there’s another hidden local gem playing at Churchill’s; this time it’s Self Run Will. These four guys are masters of MySpace self-deprecation, littering their page with admissions that they’re “white trash” and that they sound like “the same old shit.” That would be all well and good…
A few years back, some uncreative journalists announced a new “Latin explosion” was sweeping the American music scene. That so-called movement turned out to be combustible. But three decades earlier, a true Latin explosion had hit the nation: New York’s salsa renaissance of the Seventies, counting among its leaders the…
Buy a ticket to the Projekt Revolution concert, and your purchase will contribute to eliminating an estimated 167 tons of carbon emissions this year — which should make you feel pretty damn good about yourself. In fact give yourself a pat on the back for hitting up a tour that…
While its slacker neighbors in Austin were busy making Gordian prog-punk or bluegrass covers of Snoop Dogg tracks, Spoon obsessed with the Pixies, overachieved, and got a major indie (and then a major) deal out of it. As it got dropped from Elektra and dropped the “The Agony of Laffitte”…
The Bang Gang has attracted international attention as one of Sydney, Australia’s sweatiest, most forward-thinking club nights, where techno trash and indie slop coexist happily. This double-disc mix set, a group effort by the night’s masterminds, is a hypercaffeinated mishmash, a snapshot of what would be one of the most…
This latest disc from San Francisco singer, songwriter, and audio auteur John Vanderslice was borne from mitigating circumstances, mostly having to do with immigration authorities denying his French girlfriend a visa. Apparently the legal limbo had a tumultuous effect on his psyche, because it reverberates in the skittish melodies and…
Although Frank Black’s tenure at the helm of the Pixies overshadows his solo career, his individual efforts deserve this recap, an extensive compilation of 23 tracks culled from a decade’s worth of recordings. Archivists, take note: The track list stops just short of the more pensive material contained in Honeycomb,…
We’ve got the winners for our Projekt Revolution ticket contest. The trivia question was: What number appears in some form on the cover of every Taking Back Sunday album, and what does it refer to? The answer: 152. It’s explained here, in a a VH1.com interview with frontman Adam Lazzara:…
Erykah Badu & Common August 4, 2007 Chakra The Review: This past Saturday, a dose of real Hip Hop and R&B drowned out the typical South Beach sounds of music. Hours after the curtain closed on the uber-hype Rock the Bells festival, Gorillas Lifestyle Marketing ( www.gorillasrevolution.com) brought conscious rap…
Hip-hop junkies and beat heads need to familiarize themselves with DJ Houseshoes. He’s one of the foremost experts on all things Dilla related, which is a technical way of saying the two came up together in the same gritty Detroit night clubs and vibed outside of the typical DJ/MC relationship…
Say it ain’t so! First, rumors keep popping up that Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa are getting a divorce–which entitles the soon-to-be ex Mrs. Bryant to HALF of everything Kobe is worth. It’s California and they had no pre-nup. No sympathy there… fools and their money always part. You…
Combichrist Studio A August 3, 2007 Better Than: A double dose of spankings The Review: An assortment of mesh, vinyl and exposed genitalia gathered around Studio A on Friday night to await the coming of Combichrist, as well as to celebrate various kinds of alternative sexual fixations. The party was…
Hippiefest The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddi, Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, Mitch Ryder, The Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent (Time of the Season), Country Joe McDonald, Mountain featuring Leslie West & Corky Laing, and Badfinger featuring Joey Molland Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino August 2, 2007 Better Than::…
