Where would Miami be without Beached Miami? Well, we're not entirely sure, but it would definitely be poorer without it.
Created and nurtured by Jordan Melnick and Robby Campbell, the blog has become a great source and insight into Miami's local music and cultural scenes.
"We had a feeling that the assumptions we'd accrued through the years -- generally, that Miami was a cultural wasteland -- would not hold up to closer scrutiny," Melnick explains. "We were right."
Covering everything from local music to the arts scene and the city's bike movement, Beached Miami has proved the city is not as apathetic as it seems to be. But not satisfied with only covering the city, Melnick and Campbell also contribute to it. The blog is also behind the crowdsourced epic poem that was part of O, Miami and events like Sketchy Miami, which seeks to create a portrait of everyone in the city. (They still have a long way to go.)
And with two years under its belt, Beached Miami is celebrating its second birthday with Krisp, Palette Town, and DJ Lolo at The Stage tomorrow night. So in honor of its birthday, we had Melnick pick out his favorite photos from the site's two years of existence. So, we'll let Melnick explain why the next ten images are some of his favorites. Take it away!
This photo comes from the New Times' Fountain Art Fair party during Art Basel 2011, which degenerated gloriously into Clockwork Orange-worthy ultraviolence.
This photo was taken during the March 2011 Critical Mass, which drew more than a 1,000 cyclists -- an inspiring testament to Miami's vibrant-against-the-odds bike culture.
This photo was taken during the dress rehearsal for Nox, a beautiful multidiscipline performance for the O, Miami poetry festival.
Nothing to see here. Just a beautiful woman walking in nothing but body paint down Northwest Second Avenue during Wynwood Art Walk.
In this recent photo from Metric's Fillmore Miami Beach concert, guitarist James Shaw makes a rainbow looker cooler than it ever has. Or the other way around.
Taken at The Stage during the kickoff party for Bruise Cruise 2012, this photo shows Fucked Up frontman Damian Abraham (right) getting up close and personal with a random dude in the crowd.
A little rain did not stop the band from marching in Liberty City's 2011 Martin Luther King Day parade.
Deaf Poets' fans stormed the stage during the duo's performance at Sweatstock 2012, of which Beached Miami was a proud in musical curation.
Another shot from Sweatstock 2012: Afrobeta leading lady Cuci Amador frays her vocal chords for the sake of the song.
Graffiti is not a crime in Wynwood, at least it wasn't when this dude bombed a wall during Art Basel 2010.
Beached Birthday Bash. With Krisp, Palette Town, and DJ Lolo. Saturday, October 6 at The Stage (170 NE 38th Street, Miami). Tickets $10. beachedmiami.com/krisp.
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