Premios Juventud

The thumping sound and poignant verses of “Pobre Diabla,” the ear-pleasing harmony of “Lloran las Rosas,” the lyrical poetry of “Mi Corazoncito”: Musically diverse though they may be, Don Omar, Christian Castro, and Aventura, the respective singers of those tunes, will find themselves under the same roof in Coral Gables…

Skymall

The sounds that Miami’s Skymall, a.k.a. Ed Prence, makes are the musical equivalent of Tourette’s syndrome, and that’s meant as big praise. Frenetic beats, nasty bass, and offbeat sampling might be hallmarks of the area’s electronic underbelly, but Skymall’s volume goes to 11. His single and EP releases are scarce…

Wykked Wytch and Kalakai

Death comes to Churchill’s this Saturday in the skinny form of South Florida’s hottest extreme/death/thrash-metal acts. Miami-based headliner Wykked Wytch has been making records for 10 years. Powered by the caterwauling vocals of Kittie-sound-alike Ipek, the band tempers its extreme metal sound with a fetish for theatrics that recalls King…

Warped Weekend

The Vans Warped Tour, that all-day extravaganza of punkish rock bands, extreme sports, and alternative youth lifestyle branding, turns lucky 13 this summer. In celebration, the sprawling, multistage, all-day affair has grown even larger. The band lineup alone features something like 55-plus names. And then there are all the vendor…

Reining in the Blood

Over the course of the band’s 25-year career, the thrash-metal pioneers of Slayer have been accused of inspiring murder and necrophilia (check out www.elysemarie.org). They’ve covered “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” for the Less than Zero movie soundtrack. And just last year they won a Grammy for the song “Eyes of the Insane,” off their…

Not-So-Spooky Kid

It was 4:40 p.m. when the telephone in my cubicle rang. “You will have 15 minutes,” said the publicist on the other end of the line. A moment passed, and then another voice: “Hello? This is Marilyn Manson.” Although Manson, born Brian Warner, grew up in Ohio, South Florida is…

Interpol

Interpol’s major-label debut, Our Love to Admire, isn’t as monochromatic (or monotonous) as its previous two albums. “Pioneer to the Falls” is arguably the richest song the the band has ever recorded, a track that channels the stormy textures of the Cure’s Pornography. Death-march piano and woodwinds add countermelodies, a…

Bob Marley and the Wailers

Remix collections based on legendary artists or record labels are often dicey propositions concocted to introduce a younger generation to a classic sound in a form that listeners are expected to somehow find more palatable. Sometimes these offerings aren’t well-thought-out and go a long way toward damaging the legacy of…

Smashing Pumpkins

In the summer of 2005, when Billy Corgan took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune to announce the reformation of the Smashing Pumpkins, few would have guessed we would get Zwan instead. But perhaps it was just wishful thinking on our part. After all, this reincarnation of the…

Mala Rodriguez–Tonight at Templo Ultra Lounge in Miami

Mala Rodriguez looking muy mala The way she holds the voice recorder reveals that some of her fingernails are painted teal. Her middle fingernail sports this color completely, while ring finger is split vertically: half teal, half bare. That’s Mala for you, the reigning queen of Spain’s hip-hop scene. She’s…

Matisyahu Tonight at Sound Advice Amphitheatre

At first glance, it´s easy to consider Matisyahu as a novelty act within reggae music. The tall, slender, and heavily bearded Jewish crooner seems about as far as you can get from Jamaica, and, in appearance, he´s unlike anyone else who´s ever made a living as a reggae singer. But…

Morrissey at Mizner Park Ampitheatre

Morrissey July 14, 2007 Mizner Park Ampitheatre Photo by Jeffrey Delannoy Better Than: For Morrissey fans: everything besides sex. But then again, considering that Mozzer is famously “asexual,” for some diehard fans even that may not be the case… The Review: There is a famous Baroque sculpture in the Cornaro…

Lyve Kaos vs. Wrekonize–BATTLE

Local MC’s are always vying for the number one spot. Despite the amatuer camera skills used to record this, wordsmiths Lyve Kaos of Brokensound BLVD/Deadbeat Writer’s Lab and freestyle champion Wrekonize go at it in a top notch battle that’s full of sharp barbs and comical punchlines. Hip-hop fans should…

Dire Emergency for Internet Radio!!

Passing this along from Pandora’s e-mail list… Hi, it’s Tim one more time… Disaster looms! Yesterday a federal court denied a plea to delay the massive increase in rates webcasters must pay the record labels. This means that, absent immediate Congressional action, the new ruinous royalty rates will be going…

Andy Garcia, Arturo Sandoval Together Onstage

Seven years ago actor Andy Garcia portrayed Arturo Sandoval in a biopic film about the renowned jazz musician. On Sunday Garcia and Sandoval will stand side-by-side on stage. Garcia will try his hands on the congas alongside the Cuban trumpet-player and friends at the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club in Miami…

LAMC Part III

So I finally headed out to the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the Latin Alternative Music Conference’s headquarters are stationed. At the showroom, you are inundated with an array of products ranging from Gibson Guitars to Microsoft’s Zune, which is trying to beat the iPod in its own game…

LAMC Day Two!

Latin Alternative Music Conference Indie Musician Showcase July 11, 2007 New York, NY So last night I headed out to the Mercury Lounge, where the LAMC indie showcase was already unfolding. The venue is a small room located in the city’s Lower East Side (also dubbed East Village), and is…

Dispatch from the Latin Alternative Music Conference, NYC

Once a year, Latin Alternative musicians – those who don’t play salsas, tangos, boleros or other regional beats come together in New York City for a series of industry panel discussions,networking opportunities, open bars (there is a cocktail party that begins at 1 PM on Thursday!),promotional stops and of course…

Concert Preview: Aymee Nuviola at Club Mystique

Aymee Nuviola will play Mystique on Saturday, July 14th. On more than one occasion Aymee Nuviola has emphasized her inability to socialize and vocal inclination as traumatic hurdles she encountered as an adolescent. “A raspy voice and lack of social skills will do that to you,” says Nuviola. “Let’s just…

Marc Anthony Comes Close, but is no Lavoe

Not even the shorest glimpse of the movie El Cantante is not necessary to understand Marc Anthony is no Hector Lavoe. Short on schooling but long on raw ability and bravado, Lavoe had a unique propensity – unlike Anthony whose antics at times seem forced – to grasp a stage…

Last Night: As Tall As Lions at Culture Room

As Tall as Lions July 11, 2007 Culture Room Better Than: Paying $200 for recycled nostalgia The Review: Coordinated in vests & dress pants like they were late to play a VH1 afterparty, As Tall As Lions’ hit the stage at freeway speeds, merging their sounds in and out of…