After wildin' out to the brutal, punk-y, funky, bass-y, fuzzy strains of only ten Best Miami Bands of All Time (i.e. Scraping Teeth, Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, Iko Iko, ANR, Miami Bass Warriors and Nuclear Valdez, The Goods, Locos Por Juana, Cynic, Avenue D), our ears are already freakin' bleeding.
But deaf or not, this party don't end till Number 1. So check the cut for numbers 40 to 36 in Crossfade's ongoingly epic list.
40. The Agency
Late 20- and early 30-somethings who grew up in South Florida's late-'90s punk(ish) scene still get misty-eyed over this long-departed trio. That's probably because, musically, they gave us far better than we deserved. A stylistic outlier among the bands with which they shared bills, The Agency somehow managed to mix punk, power pop, strains of emo, and even a little prog. Bolstered by the technically flawless playing of bassist Chris Dureke, guitarist Klaus Ketelhohn, and drummer-singer Mike Marsh, the end result was simultaneously introspective and anthemic. -- Arielle Castillo
39. Pygmy
This outfit was a genre unto itself. Of course, the group's guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and synthesizers would suggest so-called rock 'n' roll. But from 2000 to 2004, Pygmy was a gorgeously ugly duckling in a by-the-book hardcore/punk scene cycling through tech-metal, grind, and screamo. Gutarists Kris Pabon and Max Johnson laid an intricate, math rock-like foundation of interlocking guitars, upon which drummer Jorge Rubiera and bassist Jose Castello (and later, Jarrett Hahn) built complex rhythmic structures. On top of it all was the crooning, wailing and screaming of Edward Adames, the group's own bombastic descendent of Iggy Pop. Today there are few remnants of Pygmy: four self-released, barely distributed CDs, and a dead-end MySpace tombstone. Ironic then, that one of Miami's most original soundmakers may end up going virtually unheard. -- Matt Preira
38. Suénalo
If you ever unwittingly wander over to the edge of Little Havana (say the corner of Calle Ocho and SW First Avenue) as the earth goes all a-tremble with the throbbing, thrusting beat of Afro-Latin-baby-makin'-descarga-funk ... Don't worry. You aren't about to find yourself at the center of a loud and sweaty public gangbang. That's just the sound of Suénalo, our city's nastiest fusion crew and a multiple winner of New Times' Best Latin Band award.
As the eight full-time freaks (currently Carlos Guzman, Amin De Jesus, Michelle Forman, Juan Turros, Chad Bernstein, Allan Ramos, Abner Torres, Adrian Gonzalez, and Eric Escanes) handling brass, strings, vocals, piano, and percussion might say: Suénalo always does it right. Twice. -- S. Pajot
37. Triple C's
Before Rick Ross went on a nationwide talent search, assembling his Maybach Music Group posse from as far afield as Philly (Meek Mill), D.C. (Wale), Ohio (Stalley) and L.A. (Omarion), the Dade-based Carol City Cartel was his primary posse. The Triple C's debut Custom Cars & Cycles was pretty much a commercial bust. But it did give us our first introduction to Gunplay, the most most entertaining and quotable Miami MC of the current moment. And it set the precedent for The Bawse's ever-expanding MMG empire. -- Jesse Serwer
36. The Crumbs
These punks' early success was a direct result of their 1950s greaser look and deceivingly simple songs -- not to mention a willingness to tour the country before they even had proper amps and guitars. When Green Day's first home, Lookout Records, quickly picked them up, it seemed as though The Crumbs would soon reign as the Kings of Pop Punk. But then they expanded their musical palette, became garage punk before the garage punk explosion of 2000, and ended up alienating the post-Dookie crowd.
Yet, 20 years and a fistful of lineup changes later, The Crumbs are still fucking here, releasing records that won't be fully appreciated till the next decade. -- Jose Flores
Check out the other installments of Crossfade's 50 Best Miami Bands of All Time:
-From 50 to 46: Scraping Teeth, Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, Iko Iko, ANR, Miami Bass Warriors
-From 45 to 41: Nuclear Valdez, The Goods, Locos Por Juana, Cynic, Avenue D
-From 40 to 36: The Agency, Pygmy, Suenalo, Triple C's, The Crumbs
-From 35 to 31: Quit, Young and Restless, The Reactions, Afrobeta, Cavity
-From 25 to 21: Critical Mass, Phoenicia, The Dogs, Chickenhead, Floor
-From 20 to 16: Buckwheat Boyz, The Mavericks, Against All Authority, T-Connection, The Eat
-From 10 to 6: Murk, NRBQ, Exposé, Poison Clan, Load
-From 5 to 1: KC and the Sunshine Band, Sam & Dave, Harry Pussy, Miami Sound Machine, 2 Live Crew
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