Ever since the album Buena Vista Social Club was released, Afro-Cuban music has been on the radar of mainstream trendspotters both old and young. But the majority of new releases and re-releases since then have concentrated on the Caribbean side of the equation (with the possible exception of Senegal’s Orchestre…
Despite the fact that his latest album, the optimistically dubbed Face the Promise, represents his first new set of songs in nearly a dozen years, Bob Seger is, to borrow the title of one of his most resilient oldies, still the same when it comes to his blue-collar brand of…
The Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, and Mandy Moore are undoubtedly Orlando’s leading claims to pop fame. But a newcomer is threatening to add its name to the roster. The rock quartet Big 10-4 makes what might kindly be called bubblegum-flavor crack disguised as music. After getting their start from a…
“I’m sick of being haunted by every cliché that I know,” moans Rock Star Supernova victor Lukas Rossi in “Be Yourself (and 5 Other Clichés).” What a way to sum up this as-seen-on-TV abomination — which couldn’t come up with a less obvious name for its opening track than “It’s…
Punk and metal bands don’t die like they used to. These days they just keep coming back. In the case of seminal SoCal surf/skate trio Agent Orange, they come back again and again and again — like punk-rock zombies. This time around, the band promises to play its 25-year-old songs…
Walk into Sweat Records and chances are you’ll see a single employee quietly sitting at the desk in the corner. On occasion this employee is Paul Gaeta. You’ll know him by his tall, lanky figure topped with dirty-blond hair framing a baby face. Given his appearance, it is easy to…
To millions of people around the world, music is the focal point of their lives. With the rapid development of technology, in just 30 short years society has moved from vinyl records to Internet MP3 file-sharing and downloading. In this day of “Pod-estrians,” it has become convenient to sit in…
Getting a record label established, up and running, and respected is often a long, arduous process involving a lot of hours, capital, exposure, and perseverance. But Andy Clavijo, guitarist for the Miami reggae-rock fusion band Jacuzzi Fuzz, has put together what could be deemed a little self-promotion for his new…
They’re a group of young men not far from boyhood, but don’t lump this Orlando-based quintet in with the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, or any other processed cheese band to pop up from the world of Disney. Between the Trees, considered an indie band with branches slowly stretching into popdom,…
In 2006 can a child see a musical film and say to herself, That’s what I want to do. I’m going to be a singer, and say it with any conviction? The master manipulators at Disney would surely cite their recent Cheetah Girls series as an affirmative example. But the…
For nearly a decade, the giants of electronic dance music, a cold-blooded cadre mostly from northern Europe, lumbered across the earth. Tiësto, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules, and Fatboy Slim dominated small suburban dance floors and Ibizan caverns with crafty disco assembled from chest-rattling bass lines…
The Nashville way of making music is unlike any other, comparable only to the studio system of Hollywood’s golden age — a closed system of songwriters, producers, record labels, and artists that creates most of the sounds you don’t want to admit you listen to on the radio when no…
Another year, another wave of quirky British bands pouring into the States. It’s got all the makings of a new British Invasion. Well, except for one thing: the invasion. For every Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand that succeeds in North America, there are dozens more that barely make it across…
Nobody needs a primer on indie rock. We all have our own idea of what it is, right? Nonetheless, why is it that so few of us can agree on who deserves such a designation? Fact is, attempting to define indie rock universally is as futile a task as trying…
The criterion for this list was simple: Only the hardest, heaviest metal albums were considered. Bands who play a hybrid style of metal that is not thrash, speed, death, black metal, hardcore, grindcore, or some amalgamation thereof were not included. What follows is pure f’n metal. Bang your head off…
Most music fans think they know the story of the Sex Pistols fairly well, but when you mention Glen Matlock to them, the name often draws blank stares. They might remember he was their original bass player and left just before the media circus took over, but few realize he…
Time once again to round up that favorite European-born friend-with-benefits (and funny teeth) and bop over to Space for whatever pops into Armin van Buuren’s head. Sure, van Buuren is another staple spoiling the fashionatti around town with frequent appearances, but it’s that time of year to count your blessings…
New Jersey hamster-wheel-metallers the Shake Up will headline Churchill’s this Friday, and now this tip for bands: Remember the daydream you had last week about being in bed with ten chicks who dug your show at the Giganto Center last night? It’s not going to come true if your MySpace…
As an antidote to the faux-swing movement of the Nineties (led by the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, et al.), the John Pizzarelli Quartet is most effective. Who would have thought that the more satisfying interpreters of swing would come from the jazz angle rather than from rock…
As a director, Woody Allen has demonstrated infuriating narcissism and lobotomy-worthy judgment by continuing to cast himself in his own films. While the rest of his actors outdo themselves at their craft in order to fulfill his still-vital ideas, Allen insists on burdening his work with his overworn nonacting, essentially…
Latin/Anglo crossover is what Latin American artists have always dreamed of and what American artists are beginning to realize they need to pull big sales numbers out of a shrinking market. Crossover success means jackpots in both concert tickets and CD sales, so expanding a fan base across genres, countries,…
It was, according to no less an authority than the New York Times, the year rap went regional. There was plenty of recent evidence to support this claim, beginning with the suddenly paltry record sales by some of hip-hop’s heaviest weights. There was also lots of historical evidence: Ever since…
