Opinion & Commentary

As our great Banana Republic of Miami-Dade County gets ready to celebrate Independence Day, I decided to scour the campaign financial reports of Mayor Carlos Alvarez and the seven county commissioners running for reelection. After all, nothing is more patriotic than greasing the wheels of politics. I matched up names…

Jose D. Duran On my way to White Room Monday night, I spotted a man painting a mural along the corner of NE 14th Street and 1st Avenue. It is basically at the entrance of Overtown, right along the corridor were you can find PS14, Vagabond, Ice Palace and the…

So thanks to my girl, Afrobella, I was reminded that today is the anniversary of R&B legend Luther Vandross’ passing. The soulful singer who turned the entire urban music world on his ear for 20 years was only 54 at the time of his death in 2005, but he left…

So Independence Day is right around the corner. Of all the music gigs taking place in South Florida over the three day weekend, arguably, the one that’s creating the most buzz is 2 Live Crew’s upcoming performance at the Vagabond this Thursday night. It’s been awhile since a lot of…

Swimming with Sharks Gimme a break: Regarding “Shark Huggers” by Amy Guthrie (June 12): Too bad about that jerk who got killed by sitting on a box of chum, 11 fathoms down, amid a crowd of ravenous bull sharks. How many times have we heard the expression “Look for trouble…

I first discovered my iPhone’s musical taste this past March, at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Watching a very epic metal bill at the outdoor barbecue joint/venue Stubb’s (Enslaved, High on Fire, Napalm Death, Motörhead), I shot out a few boozy, excited mass text messages. Although most responses were along the…

Jose D. Duran When it seems like I’ve exhausted all of Wynwood, I stumble upon this mural along NW 6th Avenue. I slammed on my brakes and sat in my car for a minute thinking, “How the hell could I have missed this?” It was enormous, wrapping around a property…

Since we’re on an old Miami dance trip here at Crossfade today, I’ll throw my hat into the ring with this old gem: “Journey into Bass” by DJ Laz. Somewhere between freestyle, electro, and bass, this is a prime example of Miami-fying a sound by adding some tinkly synth and…

So I’m definitely coming late to the party on this one, but wow. I’m digging through the archives of some old Miami bass videos and I just came across this one from Disco Rick called “The Nasty Dance.” I’m admittedly not from South Florida originally and didn’t grow on this…

Here’s an old school Miami bass joint from way back in the day. Some of you might remember Half Pint from the early ’90s. He was a short, stocky, and permanently oiled-up little rapper with lots of spunk and stamina. He didn’t release a whole lot of material, but his…

Faux Fury Judging a book by its cover: Francisco Alvarado’s “Last and Furious” (June 5) article about the Miami Fury football team was informative and enjoyable. These ladies seem to have a strength for survival off the field that carries onto the gridiron. In most cases, surviving means a high…

Most followers of the Eighties/Nineties American rock underground have heard of Mudhoney. The band became known back then for influencing other Seattle-area groups that later became huge — who can forget Kurt Cobain’s array of Mudhoney T-shirts? The label Sub Pop recently reissued the 1988 debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, in…

Jose D. Duran The Cat’s Pajamas. In the final installment of the graffiti I documented at the Margulies Collection in Wynwood, here is what the backside of the building looks like. Unprotected by a chain-link fence and barbwire, it’s exposed, inviting graffiti artists to tag it…

Here’s one from the vaults that all but the most dedicated heavy music geeks in South Florida have probably forgotten about. And those guys were possibly all at that recent Opeth show at the Fillmore. (I’m not going to pretend I knew about them this whole time; thanks Juan from…

All Food, All the Time Let them eat pancake!: Great writing from Lee Klein in “Flapjack Flip-Off VIII” (June 5). I’m not much of a pancake fan, but I feel drawn to both the Icebox Café and Original Pancake House after having read the article. Thank you for providing me…

Kerry Ball A few weeks ago I received a e-mail from Miami photographer Kerry Ball, who specializes in photographing graffiti around the city. She pointed out a series of hearts that have been popping up all over town, particularly in the Downtown, Wynwood, Midtown and Overtown areas…

Miami’s blogosphere has sprouted a new ass-kicking government watchdog. Investigation Miami started off slow with only four postings this past April, but the blog’s unknown author has consistently been on point recently, digging deep into the self-serving escapades of Miami city commissioners, particularly mayoral candidate Tomas Regalado and wannabe populist…

Here’s an old school jem from way back in the day. I remember the first time I heard the track, “A Lo Cubano” while I was on holiday in Managua and it blew my mind. The groove is all hip-hop and African via Cuba and Colombia with just the right…

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten one of these Lost and Found requests, but I’ve actually managed to reunite a few musicians (thanks Internet!) so I hope this one works out as well. Steve Satterwhite is looking for a fellow musician who goes by either Nes, Raraavis, or Nestor…

Here’s an oldie but goodie from the disco years. Foxy was formed right here in Miami in 1976, led by the Cuban-born Ish Ledesma — and also featuring Tito Puente’s son Richie on percussion!. The group’s big-time hit, “Get Off,” was released in 1978, and hit number nine on the…