Sorry, this is the best we could do. No photos at the strip club.

We survived this year's Art Basel Miami Beach by complaining and drinking, crawling out at the other end of the grinding, art-stuffed week-long nightmare, barely clinging to life.

But The Overthrow crew didn't care that we're tired. They kept the party going at Goldrush Miami last night. And their Hard 2 Leave strip club bash added a definitively human, performative element to a week of corporate-sponsored parties and fairly commercial art fairs.
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​GZA
The Stage Miami
Saturday, December 3, 2011

Better Than: Waiting for anyone who wasn't GZA.

He arrived about two and a half hours late. We should have known -- Wu-Tang is notorious for being tardy to shows. In any case, GZA, the Genius, one of the founding members of the Clan, finally showed face at The Stage Miami around 2:30 a.m. with his entourage in tow.
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Photo by Ciara Osorio

​When we here at Crossfade got word that chi-chi Parisian nightclub Le Baron would be popping up at the Delano Hotel's Florida Room during Art Basel Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year, three quick questions flashed through our art-addled minds: (1) Avez vous déjà vu?; (2) Where's our mustache?; and (3) Will Hipster Hitler be there?

The answers: (1) Oui, vous avez déjà vu; (2) Our armpit, oddly; and (3) No, ol' HH was conspicuously missing from this year's Le Baron pop-up party.

Of course, Hipster Hitler's sister (see right) made a cameo. And she was hot. And she brought friends.
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Tom Tom's about ladies with drums.

The crowd at Churchill's Pub for Tom Tom Magazine's Basel showcase wasn't all chicks with drumsticks. But there certainly were many of both.

The night opened with an all-female percussion group, Gainesville's Cave Rave. A cave rave is apparently the opposite of a sausage fest. The place was pleasantly packed and it was neither a cave rave, nor a sausage fest.

Relaxed yet tight and totally stuffed with talent, a night with Tom Tom, the magazine about female drummers and beat-makers, was pretty much the perfect party to close out Art Basel Miami Beach. It was a lot of fun.
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Photo by Ian Witlen

Pharrell dropped by Basel Castle to hang with The Overthrow.

​See the full 38-photo Basel Castle 2011 at Overthrow Castle slideshow.

Basel Castle
With Pharrell Williams, Yelawolf, Penguin Prison, Caligula, Heroes x Villains, Tamara Sky, and a million others
The Castle
Saturday, December 3, 2011

Better Than: Getting stuck outside.

Somewhere around 2 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning, in a rainstorm of cheap beer and a mosh pit to Metallica's "Master of Puppets," Basel Castle officially became one of The Most Fun Parties of Art Basel Miami Beach week. Oh, and that was in the middle of a set by Yelawolf, one of the Next Great Rap Saviors who hails from various points across the South. No big deal.
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​DFA's 10th Anniversary Party
With Holy Ghost!
DJ Sets by Nancy Whang and Juan MacLean
Bardot
Saturday, December 3, 2011

Better Than: Spending midnight in Paris.

DFA Records, the label masterminded by LCD frontman James Murphy, Jonathan Galkin, and Tim Goldsworthy, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday night with an Art Basel Miami Beach bash at Bardot.

Common folk could gain entry for the exclusive fête for a mere $40. But tickets were already sold out before midnight. On the docket? DJ sets by Juan MacLean and Nancy Whang, and a live performance by Holy Ghost!
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Ron English with painting up in Wynwood.

​Artist Ron English is no stranger to iconic imagery. Creating paintings from a mishmash of familiar faces and images like Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Mouse is part of what he does. So it was no surprise that English joined forces with mega-superstar Chris Brown to create the cover of his album F.A.M.E.

The two collaborated again on the Dum English astronaut series, a line of necklaces and vinyl toys as well as a sculpture on display at Wynwood Walls. Plus, Brown actually shot one of his videos in the 305 in front of English's mural at the same space.

"We were talking about what it was like to be famous," English says. "It seems like something that's very attractive. But it can also be very isolating in ways."
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​TV on the Radio
Spotify's Music Loves Art
Ricochet Bar & Lounge
Thursday, December 1, 2011

Better Than: A Big Mac.

Last night, eating a double cheeseburger, drinking a Perrier, and considering trying Spotify's Kool-Aid, about two hundred people took iPhone pictures of TV on the Radio at Ricochet.
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Photo by Ian Witlen

​See the full 26-photo Yelle at Fillmore Miami Beach slideshow.

Yelle
With Housse de Racket
Fillmore Miami Beach
Friday, December 2, 2011

Better Than: Joining an actual safari.

We were a little worried before heading to the Fillmore Miami Beach on Friday night. With all of the free shows, pop-up shops, galleries, and Art Basel-related activities, what would that mean for Yelle?

Clearly, it meant only the most loyal of Francophiles would be in attendance -- and that was fine by us.
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All photos by Ciara Osorio

YACHT's Claire Evans.

​YACHT
Electric Pickle
Thursday, December 1, 2011

Better Than: Yachting on Biscayne Bay.

"Anybody have any questions?" asked frontwoman Claire Evans three songs into YACHT's set at the Electric Pickle last night.

"I love you!" someone shouted back.

"That's not a question," she answered.

True, but we really do love you, YACHT. And last night's show might have taken us over the edge into perilous adoration.
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