Everything about Substance Recordings is impressive. The snazzy, ultramodern Website. The stark CD cover art. The swank Collins Avenue office. The penetrating gaze and intelligent patter of label head Greg Chin — a striking Chinese-Jamaican transplant who also happens to be the electronic indie’s principal artist, a.k.a. Stryke. The Kingston-born…
Enron, WorldCom … Billboardlive? Amidst a wave of recent staff departures and murmurs of cash-flow difficulties, the mood inside the beleaguered South Beach club is jittery, according to employees both past and present. Of course, intimations of “creative” accounting are nothing new at Billboardlive — they’ve dogged the $20 million,…
Become a Dancer in Three Easy Steps Pump some iron, add some silicone, climb into a cage: After reading Ashley Fantz’s article about nightclub dancers (“Dancing for Dollars,” July 25), I understand why the public in general has such a misconception of dancers. I am a dancer and belong to…
At the newly remodeled warehouse on the banks of the Miami River, a clamp-on construction lamp lights the way up dusty stairs to the nightclub of Pepe Horta’s dreams. When the silver-haired host extraordinaire moved his beloved little Cuban dive — the original Café Nostalgia — from Eighth Street to…
What’s that Little Bird Doing in My Soup? Ummm…the backstroke? Mike Clary has written a great report on the situation surrounding the Cape Sable seaside sparrow and Everglades restoration (“God’s Eye on the Sparrow,” July 18). Those federal agencies and private groups comprising the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force…
Staging a comeback on the same MTV screen that spurred Teen Pop Mania, Ozzy Osbourne not only officially buried the bubblegum phenomenon, he brought back to life the roots of rock and roll. It’s strange enough that the man to revive rock in the 21st Century is a symbol of…
Officer, Arrest That Republican And charge him with holding schoolchildren hostage: Regarding Rebecca Wakefield’s article about schools superintendent Merrett Stierheim and wealthy businessman Joe Arriola (“Bleeding Stierheim,” July 4), I think it is criminal that Republicans like state Rep. Ralph Arza are trying to destroy the Miami-Dade County public schools…
The camera is trained on two young men holding a Haitian flag. They wear Haitian-flag bandannas, Haitian-flag T-shirts, and Haitian-flag shorts. The girl standing between them whips the Haitian flag up and down to the beat of “Dance Muthafucka!” — the urban club anthem by local rappers Southern Affiliate that…
Porn For All Why limit it to mere images? I give a wholehearted two fists up to the idea of the porn industry relocating to South Beach, which Brett Sokol announces is a real possibility (“The XXXstasy Biz,” June 27). Instead of the shallowness currently on display in this sexually…
The last thing Luis Goecoechea planned to do was play in another Latin band. Never mind that he heard nothing but the likes of Orquesta Aragon, Machito, and Chico O’Farrill when he was growing up. “My father would put on his records and say, •I want to hear you sing…
It’s pretty hard to ruffle Andrew Yeomanson (a.k.a. DJ Le Spam). After all, this is a man who can keep a straight face while asserting that the inspiration for assembling his Spam Allstars band was seeing Mr. T’s Ten Commandments video. “Come on, ‘I pity the fool who doesn’t have…
If he has to reach waaaaaay down, Jesus will pick you up. Oh, yes he will! If he has to reach waaaaay down, Jesus will pick you up. Down in the ghetto! Waaaaaaaaay down. Down in the valley! Waaaaaaaaay down. Oh, yes he will! Oh, yes he will! Oh, yes…
What We Are Missing Why beat up on Liz Balmaseda? After reading the piece “Buying Time” by Rebecca Wakefield in the issue of June 27, I feel compelled to write. First I think Jim DeFede’s addition to the Herald is as good a move as they’ve made in a long…
Ol’ Scraggy Blue Eyes Not everyone in my building hates the homeless: I own a condo here in the Helen Mar and I just wanted to tell you that I thought John Lombardi’s “The Heart Goes For a Haircut” was a great story (June 13). I rarely read the New…
No one will ever see the video. The man getting a massage in the first frame is dead now, gunned down last January at a gas station on South Beach. The police don’t know who did it, but that’s not the reason this video will never be released. If the…
All About My Brother They’re here, they’re queer, they’re relatives: Well, I’m surprised to hear that Manny Diaz’s brother is gay; like does everyone have a gay family member? (“They’re Here, They’re Queer, They Vote,” Brett Sokol, June 13). Alex Penelas’s brother is quite out and proud, which means the…
Let’s be clear on what kind of town this is. This is a place with great recording studios, phenomenal producers, and engineering wizards, so if you’re a big star and you’ve got a hefty budget, you can lay down tracks here as good or better than anywhere else. Doesn’t matter…
What does Jorge Diaz look like? “I’m just your average Cuban,” he jokes over the phone before a lunch meeting with Kulchur. Well, not exactly. True, Diaz arrives at Coconut Grove’s Monty’s restaurant dressed in a crisp white guayabera and slacks. And despite apologizing for what he calls a sweaty…
Of Ramp Rats and Cheap Men What do you mean only in Miami? Well, maybe: That was an amazing story by Kathy Glasgow about ramp workers and what they take from your luggage (“Ramp Rats’ Revenge,” May 30). I have to accept the veracity of your story and interviews, but…
No matter how many times it happens, the moment still stuns. A star shoots from the firmament over Latin America and lands somewhere in Miami: On this June night, Celeste Carballo touches down on an armchair in the corner of a dimly lit living room in the Design District, balancing…
Sadiq and E-Trap were talking about Saturday’s Mike Tyson/Lennox Lewis heavyweight championship fight from their stools near the stage at Big Mac’s Foxy Lady Lounge, 1800 NW 79th St. in Liberty City: “Mike comes in light — under 220 lbs.? — he will knock that faggot out!” E-Trap predicted confidently…
Got a Gripe? Take It Elsewhere, Pal Yes, I know this is the land of free expression, but give me a break, okay? Regarding Alfredo Triff’s article about the vandalism at Maxoly Art Cuba gallery (“Anatomy of Suppression,” May 23), I would encourage all foreign militants to take their wars…
