Q&A with Cassy, Playing at the Electric Pickle on Saturday

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Despite the hordes of electronic dance music artists living and working out of Berlin -- natives and foreign transplants alike -- few embody the spirit and sound of Berlin's contemporary EDM scene as fully as DJ/producer Cassy. Born Catherine Britton in England to a Caribbean father and Austrian mother, Cassy got her start performing as a guest vocalist on Elin's "Music Takes Me Higher" on Sabotage Records in 1999. Soon after she got bit by the techno bug and began honing her skills behind the decks.

By 2003 she made the move to Berlin, where she's staked her reputation as one of the city's most formidable DJs and most forward-thinking producers, with releases on the Cocoon, Minus, Get Physical, and Perlon imprints. Blending elegant atmospheric textures with understated rhythms and a distinctive soulful vocal style, Cassy sounds something like a futuristic minimal techno Sade. Her residencies at the esteemed Berghain and Panorama Bar nightclubs have made her a staple of Berlin's late-night scene, and in 2006 she was invited to mix Panorama Bar's debut club offering. Fast-forward to 2009 and Cassy is once again spearheading a new compilation mix, In the Mix - Simply Devotion, this time for the prestigious Cocoon label, and supported by a North American tour that fortunately for us includes a stop by the Electric Pickle on Saturday. This one's an early bird special starting in the afternoon, so be sure you make it in time for Cassy's set!

Cassy at Electric Pickle, with Will Renuart, Alejandro Sab, Michael Christopher and Basti. Saturday, November 21. 4 p.m.-10:30 p.m. 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami.  

Check out Crossfade's brief Q&A with Cassy after the jump.

The Bacon Brothers Perform at the Lyric Theatre Sunday

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If you thought that the fact he's only 6 phone calls away from everyone in the world made Kevin Bacon cool, prepare to be blown away. He sings. He and brother Michael (can someone start a 7 degrees of Michael Bacon meme, please) have been performing as The Bacon Brothers all of their lives, but professionally since 1995. While the folk country rock duo may not have crossed your radar yet, they're playing at the historic Lyric Theatre (59 SW Flagler Ave.) Sunday at 4 and 7 p.m. Click here to get acquainted with their sound and here to get reacquainted with Kevin dancing in skinny jeans.

Ronnie Spector: Last of the Rock Stars, at Magic City Casino this Saturday

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Unmitigated cool never goes outta style. Ever. Especially when said cool comes from one of the originators. See then it's something at once insidious and divine, a thing in and of itself, unexplainable, indefinable and blessed beyond belief.

That kinda cool also tends to be highly emulated. And no one was perhaps more emulated throughout the Swingin' '60s than a dame named Ronnie Spector, front chick of The Ronettes. The beehives, the tight skirts, the black slashes of heavy eyeliner, all spoke bad girl in a time when there really wasn't such a thing. And Ronnie's gang set the stage for all the good female trouble to come.

After Ronnie hooked up and marryied Phil Spector back in '63, she and the Ronettes had a run of Top 40 hits which included "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You," as well as a slate of Christmas classics that still get played to this day. But by the end of the decade their star had faded and Phil had pretty much lost his mind.

Celebrate ANR's Homecoming with an Art Show and Dance Party on Saturday in North Miami

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Photo by Ian Witlen
ANR just did CMJ, and celebrates its homecoming on Saturday at Studio 1419.
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Word is that Studio 1415 is an impressive new art/music space in North Miami. And it's been a while since Awesome New Republic have been home -- they recently did the whole CMJ thing in New York as part of a larger tour. (Click here to see some of our photos of ANR at CMJ).

So go check off these two items from your must-see list on Saturday, when the venue hosts an exhibition by its founder, Stian Roenning. His own web site bills him as an "Audio Visual Director," which sounds rather lofty and pretentious but is actually a good umbrella term for all the different multimedia works he creates. He's worked on those memorable videos for the old Black Sundays party at Bella Rose (R.I.P.), as well as created a number of other commercial and art video pieces. He's a talented, slick still photographer as well, and chances are there'll be a grab bag of everything on display.

But after the exhibition, which starts early -- 8 p.m. -- the night turns into a dance party to celebrate ANR's homecoming. The band doesn't need an introduction so we'll skip that; although you can click here for a roundup of the media mentions they garnered during CMJ.

Caliente! Music Festival, This Saturday at the AAA

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I'm going to resist the urge to use the name of this weekend's festival in question in some ill-conceived pun or a shoddy play on words, and just power through right into the info you seek. I'm also going to try to ignore that little bit of track music that begins to wrack my head from within at the mere mention of this name--you know the one, that incredibly annoying salsa loop that plays any time E, Bravo, Travel, FLN, Food Network or any other cable network does a show in Miami.

Because let's face it. Caliente Music Festival sounds damned corny. But the lineup is smokin' (...damnit, I couldn't resist). Legendary Colombian salsa group Grupo Niche, the "Pavarotti" of salsa Tito Nieves, one of Santo Domingo's greatest merengue exports Hector Acosta "El Torito," and Jerry Rivera, the man behind hits like "Amores Como el Nuestro" and "Cara de Niño," all under one roof? Dare I say that roof will be on fire? No. No, I don't. And I'm ashamed for even attempting it.

Calliente! Music Festival takes place on Saturday, November 21 at 7:00pm in American Airlines Arena. Tickets run $35--103.

Music at Art Basel: Q&A With the Golden Filter, Playing Electric Pickle December 5



The Golden Filter's take on late-'70s downtown glitz has taken Manhattan's club scene (and the blogosphere) by storm. Consisting of record producer Stephen and vocalist Penelope, the duo is notable for its chilly arpeggios, pulsating beats, and plush vocals -- as well as their elusive personas. (No, those aren't their full names.)

What is known about the Ohio-born knob-twister and the Australian chanteuse is that they met in New York through a mutual appreciation for photography. After putting out a sensational debut single, the disco-noir cut "Solid Gold," the Golden FIlter cemented its reputation with brilliant nu disco remixes of Cut Copy's "Far and Away" and Peter, Bjorn and John's "Lay It Down." Couple that with a successful opening slot for the Presets on a recent North American tour, as well as a highly anticipated follow-up single "Thunderbird." In its physical form, it's a limited-edition 12-inch with a glittering disco-pop cover of The White Stripes' "The Hardest Button To Button" on the B-side. 

Crossfade caught up with the enigmatic duo by e-mail a day after they played Iceland's Airwaves Festival. Read the Q&A after the jump.

The Golden Filter. Saturday, December 5. Poplife at Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave. Doors open at 10 p.m., tickets cost $10 in advance from wantickets.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-456-5613; epoplife.com

More Art Basel Music: Amanda Blank Twice in One Night, December 2


With her much-anticipated solo album, I Love You, out since August, the sassy rapper/singer Amanda Blank is repping Philly hard during Art Basel Miami Beach. Well, at least on Wednesday, when she'll be performing live twice in one night. The biggest booking coup? An opening slot for Ebony Bones at the free Art Loves Music official fair kick-off party, where she's got the most opportunity to win over new fans. (Not familiar with Ebony Bones? See our earlier post about her here.) Later on that night, Blank will mostly be preaching to the converted at Dirty Hairy at LIV, where a DJ set by the Misshapes guarantees a crowd so hip it hurts. 

Here's the video for I Love You's lead single, "Might Like You Better." (Random post-punk influence factoid: That line "I might like you better if we slept together" is also the refrain of Romeo Void's awesome 1982 jam "Never Say Never."

Amanda Blank, with Ebony Bones at the Art Loves Music kickoff party for Art Basel Miami Beach. Wednesday, December 2. Oceanfront at Collins Park, between 21st and 22nd Streets. Show starts at 10 p.m., admission is free. 305-674-1292; artbaselmiamibeach.com

With the Misshapes. Wednesday, December 2. LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Ages 21+ with ID. epoplife.com

A Primer on the '90s Survivors at the Ska is Dead Tour, Thursday at Culture Room

The fourth edition of the recurrent Ska is Dead tour lands at Culture Room on Thursday with a bill straight out of 1997. Ska has been reviled and declared dead for about the last 30 years, but it seems its horn-heavy effervescence just can't be dampened. The genre itself pre-dates reggae, coming out of Jamaica in the early '60s and incubating the careers of later stars. 

Outside of the island, though, its flickers in the mainstream have, to be honest, come through white punk kids' appropriation of the genre's rhythms into new hybrids. In the late '70s and early '80s there was the Two-Tone movement in England, concurrent with punk, which pushed for racial unity and gave the world eventual pop stars like the Specials and Madness. Then, in the mid-'90s in America came a similar ska rediscovery, this time without the political platform but again musically hybridized.

The leaders of this so-called "third wave" of ska were undoubtedly the Toasters, whose founder, Rob "Bucket" Hingley, also founded the ultimate American all-ska record label, Moon Ska. Moon put out all the important records of the mid'-90s, and even maintained a healthy retail store in Manhattan's East Village, before finally shuttering earlier this decade. But Bucket and his band prevail, with a clean, bright sound mostly uncluttered by punk, as well as a Two-Tone-spirited message of unity. 

Megadeth at Revolution on November 25... Yes, Really, Revolution

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One of the most tragicomic moments in the 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster features not the band itself, but rather Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. In an touchy-feely, on-camera counseling session, Mustaine reveals some seemingly major inferiority issues to Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich. He even seems to come uncomfortably close to tears as he recalls how fans, in the '80s, would yell "Metallica!" at him on the streets.

It's with that in mind that it only seems more stinging, then, that just a couple months after Metallica's super-triumphant show at the packed BankAtlantic Center arena, Megadeth rolls into town ... at the 1000-ish capacity club Revolution. It seems, though, that playing such venues was a calculated move on their part for this national outing, supporting the band's 12th studio album, Endgame. The rest of the dates brings the band to similarly intimate spots. Well, it's better to have people clamoring to get into a packed club, than worrying about the echo of empty seats in a more cavernous venue.

And Megadeth should, of course, still draw plenty. For all the insults that Metallica's fanboys lob at Mustaine and his glorious feathered mane, the fact of the matter is that he remains one of the best guitarists in metal, and perhaps overall, playing today. Rivalries aside, Megadeth was, indeed, one of the innovators of thrash, and Mustaine's distinctive playing style remains much imitated, but never duplicated.

Megadeth. With Machinehead, Suicide Silence, and Arcanium. Wednesday, November 25. Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Show starts at 6 p.m., tickets cost $33
954-727-0950; jointherevolution.net

O.P.S. Miami Punk Rock Band Opening For Battalion of Saints Tonight at Churchills



O.P.S. stands for Once a Piece of Shit. They are a Miami punk rock band. Tonight they open for old style Southern Cali hardcore punk band Battalion of Saints at Churchill's Pub in Little Haiti. If you've never been to a show there you should check it out. It will be fun.

Other bands playing tonight are The Angst, To Be Hated, and The Ruins.

Log on to myspace.com/ops4u for more music and info.

La Quinta Estacion, at The Fillmore Miami Beach, This Friday (UPDATE: Show is Postponed)

La Quinta Estacion (The Fifth Station) only rose to Latin pop prominence in the U.S. in recent
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years, first making an impact with their 2004 sophomore release Flores de Alquiler (Leased Flowers). It may have taken them a minute to catch on, but once they did, single after single became hits, including "El Sol No Regresa," "Algo Mas" and "Daria." Two studio albums later (and an acoustic compilation album in the mix), La Quinta Estacion have picked up a few platinum records, a couple of Latin Grammys, and hordes of fans.

They also lost one of the members, guitarist Pablo Domniguez. However, guitarist Angel Reyero and vocalist Natalia Jimenez carry on. The following statement may be a bit bold, but here goes: the beautiful and ubber-charming Jimenez has the best set of pipes in Latin pop. Seriously, she could belt it out underwater. There's evidence on the discs, but recordings hardly do her justice.

La Quinta Estacion perform live at the Fillmore Miami Beach on Friday, November 13 at 9p.m. Tickets range...something, but their page on Live Nation has been down for a few days. Check back later.

The show has been postponed. Details on a rescheduled date are forthcoming.

2 Live Crew Plays White Room on Friday, November 20

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​Downtown-type promoters love booking 2 Live Crew. (It hasn't been too long since they played the Vagabond, and there were those shows at the old Studio A before that.) This always creates a magical mash-up of a crowd that falls along a very, very wide irony spectrum. The thing is, no matter what kind of stupid outfits people may wear to a 2 Live Crew show downtown, or how openly they express their enthusiasm, underneath it all pretty much everyone loves the Crew. While other people grew up on a childhood memories full of some kind of sugary pop music, if you grew up in Miami, your childhood memories are full of cousins' backyard parties with a rental DJ playing "Pop That Coochie." 

The latter-day incarnation of 2 Live Crew doesn't include Luther Campbell -- in fact, he has taken pains to distance himself from it. These days it's helmed by founding member Chris Wongwon, a.k.a. Fresh Kid Ice, a.k.a. Chinaman. (Campbell, or Uncle Luke, was added to the group relatively late in its history. Fresh Kid Ice set the record straight in the New Times last year; click here to read that story.) 

The November 20 gig at White Room is presented by Notorious Nastie and IAmYourVillain's Joel Meinholz. The opening act is the new girl-girl bass group Basside, and between-act DJ sets come fro Otto von Schirach, Debbie D, Chris Video, and Dr. Feathers. One can only imagine the kinds of confusion that will arise among the audience's various factions; this is all the more reason to attend.

2 Live Crew. Friday, November 20. White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m. Girls are in free before midnight; otherwise admission is $10. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-995-5050; whiteroomshows.com

Dynas Album Release Party at Champion Sound at Electric Pickle Tonight

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Ah, Champion Sound. This weekly jam at Electric Pickle deserves ten gold stars for being one of the few regular parties in Miami where quality hip-hop lives. Tonight's edition is special for two reason: One, it's a birthday celebration for Crossfade/New Times music contributor Esther Park. Happy birthday, Esta!

Second, it also celebrates the release of local MC Dynas' new album, The Apartment. We previewed it a little while back (click here for that post, which includes a free MP3 of the track "Totally Tanya.") Although the album was originally scheduled for a September 28 release on BBE Records, it was worth the wait. Besides Dynas' worthy golden-age style rhymes, the record features contributions from marquee names like DJ Spinna, Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina, Slick Rick, and even the late, great, Dilla.

Helping Dynas celebrate tonight are fellow local greats carrying a torch for quality hip-hop: Basic Vocab, Wrekonize, LMS, Streets Buchanan, and Mike Beatz. Of course, resident DJs Sire Esq. and A-Train will keep the party going, and there'll be a special guest set by DJ KNS as well. Plus, beers are only $5 all night. Do it.

Wednesday, November 11. Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., admission is $5. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-456-5613

FYI, It's Tracii Guns' Version of L.A. Guns Playing Culture Room on Friday

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via myspace.com/losangelesguns
​In the early '80s, the guys of L.A. Guns were proudly members of the dirtier subset of Sunset Strip denizens. Acts like Poison tarted themselves up in blush and aimed for pop crossover from the beginning, but the Guns and their fellow sleaze-rockers were almost more punk-inspired. The L.A. Guns were too fast for love, eschewing their peers' big ballads in favor of speedy, scuzzy songs with titles like "Over the Edge" and "Sex Action." The band's heyday came in the late'80s and early'90s, when it featured what is considered its classic, five-piece line-up, helmed by guitarist and founder Tracii Guns. It was then, also, that the band scored its biggest bona fide mainstream hits, the radio favorites "Never Enough" and "The Ballad of Jayne."         

These days, it's impossible to talk about L.A. Guns without explaining the band's two current "official" incarnations. It borders on the Spinal Tap-ishly absurd: Around 2002, Tracii Guns started a side project, Brides of Destruction, with Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. His increasing focus on that frustrated his bandmates, drummer Steve Riley and guitarist/vocalist Phil Lewis. They decided to soldier on without him, replacing him with a guitarist named Stacey Blades. But Tracii Guns struck back, starting his own version of the band around 2005. Though he's the only member of the original act, this incarnation also tours under the L.A. Guns name. (Both bill themselves online as the "official" version.) It's this band that plays Culture Room on Friday, fronted by a vocalist who goes by the classy pseudonym Jizzy Pearl. 

L.A. Guns. Friday, November 13. Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 8 p.m., tickets cost $12. 954-564-1074; cultureroom.net

Head Spins: DJ Ipek, at White Room This Thursday

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photo by Gokhan Kali
​Latin and Caribbean beats may be in Miami's blood, and when you track the rhythms back to Africa, their enduring presence does make a sort of sense. But of all the beats in all the world, wouldn't it make just as much sense for us to embrace the rhythms of East as well as West? But unfortunately, even in a town as wildly diverse as Miami, that kind of collision of cultures is damn hard to come by. 

That's why next Thursday's set from DJ Ipek is so heavily anticipated. The Munich-born, Berlin-based superstar spinner happens to be the offspring of Turkish immigrants, and was raised appreciating the finer threads in rhythm. Consequently her patented blend of East/West electro fusion sounds as if it springs straight off the Bosporus. 

Of course it helps her fusion that Ipek "keeps one leg in Istanbul," and that she spent a "few years in [the Turkish city of] Izmir." A year in London obviously didn't hurt either. But it's Berlin, where she's lived since 1982, that truly informs Ipek's form-splitting swing between worlds. It's a swing, by the way, that many considered anathema till Ipek came along and showed everyone just how it was done. 

Thursday's Evergreen Terrace Show Originally Set for the Dugout in Miami is Now at Ground Control in West Palm

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via purevolume.com/evergreenterrace
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Thursday's show was meant to be a huge booking coup for Miami all-ages venue the Dugout; warehouse drama has now shifted the show to Ground Control, a similarly bare-bones venue in West Palm Beach. Evergreen Terrace is arguably Jacksonville's most famous musical export in recent years, a mega-popular heavy band who manages to garner the respect of both tough-guy hardcore types and metalcore kids in tight pants. This is because, first off, the band is heavy as hell -- no dialing it in.

Second, and most importantly, the band has earned its spot at the top of the heap, slowly grinding away from the bottom, d.i.y.-style, over the past 10 years. The band's 2001 debut full-length was released on the indie Georgia imprint Indianola Records. From 2005 to 2008, Evergreen Terrace would release another three records on local hardcore stable Eulogy. In the past couple years, the band finally graduated to Metal Blade, and its first studio album for the label, Almost Home, dropped this past September. It's suitably brutal for its new label, but happily still chugs along with a break-neck punk rock energy.

Evergreen Terrace. With For the Fallen Dreams, Asking Alexandria, Serenade of Sorrows, and Thick as Blood. Thursday, November 12. Ground Control. 122 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. Doors open at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $8 in advance, $12 at the door. myspace.com/chinupbooking

Wolf + Lamb and No Regular Play at Electric Pickle on Friday

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Few contemporary dance music labels, even by underground vanguardist standards, can take credit for the sort of daringly forward-thinking and wildly imaginative flavors that have come to distinguish Wolf + Lamb Music in recent years. Founded by the eponymous DJ duo of Zev Eisenberg and Gadi Mizrahi in 2005, Wolf + Lamb's close-knit family of artists includes established producers like Seth Troxler, Lee Curtiss, and Soul Clap, in addition to the provocative emerging sounds of newcomers like Nicolas Jaar and No Regular Play, who are bringing a refreshingly broad-minded and organic new approach to electronic dance music.

Originally exponents of the darker stripped-down aesthetics of minimal techno, the Brooklyn-based imprint and artistic collective has since come to embody a far more multifarious and quasi-psychedelic take on post-minimal house music that embraces subtle disparate influences -- from underground hip hop, to jazz and world music. Leave it to the never disappointing PL0T crew to provide us with some intimate Wolf + Lamb face time this Friday night at the Electric Pickle, which in this incarnation will include both Eisenberg and Mizrahi plus No Regular Play on the decks. They'll be joined, of course, by PL0T residents Michael Christopher and Basti for what is sure to be an incomparable night of mind-expanding and body-jacking dance music fare.

Wolf + Lamb and No Regular Play at Electric Pickle, Friday, November 13, 10 p.m.-5 a.m. 2826 N Miami Ave., Miami.

     

A Slice of Early Hardcore Punk History, From Battalion of Saints A.D., At Churchill's This Friday, November 13

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via myspace.com/battalionofsaints
​For most, the thought of Southern California in the '80s just brings to mind a Less Than Zero-style existence full of cocaine and Ray-Bans. But the sun-baked swath of turf from L.A. south became, at the beginning of the decade, the cradle of searing underground punk. London's punk had its angular, spiky, plaid thing going on, and New York had its black-leather-jacketed Ramones-y vibe. But the SoCal bands were, arguably, often fiercer. Surrounded by suburban sprawl in a neon land of plenty, bands there were slightly less consciously citified, and more bored, angrier, louder, and faster. Here is where the earliest stirrings of hardcore began, and among those leading the charge was the San Diego band Battalion of Saints.

Led by singer George Anthony, this Battalion was speedy and aggressive, fueled by a seeming nihilism that had the group's longevity doomed from the start. The original lineup split by 1985, leaving the band, over time, a cult favorite of record collectors. In the mid-'90s, Anthony reformed the band, though he was the only remaining original member (two had died, and the original drummer refused to re-join). Taang! Records in Boston re-issued most of the previous'80s material on a compilation, Death R Us, which is also now out of print. But under the updated name Battalion of Saints A.D., the new foursome put out a new album, Cuts. At 13 tracks and barely more minutes in length, it's as stripped-down and amped-up as the early stuff.  

Battalion of Saints A.D. With the Angst, To Be Hated, O.P.S., and the Ruins. Friday, November 13. Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. Ages 18+ with ID. 305-757-1807; churchillspub.com

Q&A with DJ Ralph Lawson of 2020Soundsystem, Playing LIV on Saturday

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In this age of laptop-toting faux live electronic dance music acts, an actual band employing actual live instrumentation and vocals is a rare thing, especially when said band is delivering funked-out dancefloor bangers like 2020Soundsystem. The musical brainchild of Leeds-based DJ and esteemed 2020Vision label owner Ralph Lawson, the Soundsystem was formed in 2003 as a means of interweaving live electronics with his DJ sets and transcending the tried-and-true record-jockeying formula at the clubs.

Originally a duo comprising Lawson and percussionist Danny "Dubble D" Ward, the project became a quartet when Argentine transplants Fernando Pulichino and Julian Sanza where invited to join on bass and keyboards, respectively. Furthermore, the band began to experiment with guest vocalists, including an early collaboration with singer Diane Charlemagne, of Goldie's "Inner City Life" fame, although Pulichino himself has since taken up lead vocal duties.

The band has enjoyed increasing recognition since 2005, when they closed the Sonar music festival in Barcelona to an audience of 10,000 people, the live recording of which became disc 2 of their first album, No Order. The Live at Sonar disc is now widely regarded as a seminal work of live electronica and DJ/musician collaboration, and gave the band's sound more cohesion as they worked towards the completion of sophomore album, Falling, released in September 2009. Crossfade had a chance to catch up with DJ Ralph Lawson on the cusp of 2020Soundsystem's live performance at LIV on Saturday night and ask him what they're all about.

2020Soundsystem at LIV. Saturday, November 7. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. $25 cover. 4441 Collins Ave. (Fontainebleau Hotel) Miami Beach. 305-674-4680.

Read the full Q&A after the jump.


Guerrilleros de Nadie Assaulting Churchill's Tomorrow Night

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Girls who rock...plus Johnny.
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Alright, if you're not headed up to FLIFF tonight to catch Radioboxer at Cinema Paradiso, but you are in the mood for a little local rocking this weekend, there's a simple solution. It involves floors covered in a perpetual sheen of freshly spilt beer, a haze of cigarette smoke so thick it makes the eyes water and a bathroom where at least seven new infections as yet unknown to man are no doubt being cultured at this very moment. That's right, I'm talking about Churchill's. Where else would you find such a decidedly rock 'n' roll element in Miami?

And tomorrow night they've got a pretty sick lineup waiting to make a hell of a lot of noise. They've got Guilty Fingers (but who doesn't?), Sector 11 and Eztorbo Social. And Guerrilleros de Nadie. The three-piece band, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Michi, bassist Twan and drummer Johnny, play loud, and they play fast. And they're music is really, really aggressive. Plus, they kick ass bilingually, which is like getting a beatdown with the SAP turned on. If you want to rock hard, Guerrilleros' thrash punk is your ticket.

Guerrilleros de Nadie perform at Churchill's Pub (5501 NE 2nd Ave.) on Saturday, November 7.

Q&A with Brendon Small, Co-Creator of Metalocalypse and "Guitarist" for Dethklok, Playing Sunday at Pompano Beach Amphitheater

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William Murderface, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Nathan Explosion, Pickles, and Toki Wartooth
Late Generation X'ers and Gen Y blasted the notion that cartoons are only for kids. Maybe we didn't want to grow up, or maybe we just didn't want to trade creativity and imagination for the drudgery of every-day adulthood. Either way mature themes have been mainstream on animated series since MTV's Liquid Television or The Simpsons. Adult Swim, seemingly run by a bunch of stoner geniuses, has since picked up the torch for the late-night set, and its series Metalocalypse is quite possibly the most violent (translate awesome) show on television.

If you haven't seen it, Metalocalypse follows the misadventures of Dethklok, a melodic-death-metal fivesome who are as much genre cliches as they are hilarious. The show subtly injects (if you can call mass slaughter subtle) social commentary about society's obsession with celebrity. But at its gory core, it's mostly just epic and fun.

Yet the music is no joke. Show co-creator Brendon Small is a Berklee College of Music grad, writes all the music, and plays all the punishing riffs as the lead guitarist. He's also the gut behind lead singer Nathan Explosion's growl. to his credit, Dethklok's first album debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and, because it was a limited release, will run you at least $500 if you can find it. The band's latest, Dethalbum II, debuted at 15, making it the highest charting death-metal record ever. The band is currently on tour with Converge and Grammy-nominated heavy-metal group Mastodon. The tour will stop by Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Sunday. Brendon Small recently spoke with New Times about scoring drum-god Gene Hoglan, the lack of females in metal subculture, why This is Spinal Tap rules, and why Metalocalypse had to distance itself from the glorious film.

See interview after the jump:

So Raw Organizers Switch It Up and Present a Show Tomorrow with Free Admission, Cheap Beer

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via myspace.com/ridersofallah
Yussuf Jerusalem
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We loved the So Raw festival, and it's heartening to know the cool people behind it have organized a couple shows since then. I'm happy to report this small trend is combining with that of the latest re-discovery of the American Legion Bar, in Legion Park on Biscayne and 64th Street. Get to know and love this place -- it's a rare spot within the City of Miami borders with no-hassle parking, extremely cheap drinks, clean facilities, and a seeming attitude of letting whoever book whatever random events there. Chances are, too, that if you're the kind to frequent the left-of-center shows currently being put on there, you probably live in or near the neighborhood.

Anyways, the So Raw people, while they usually do cheap shows with built-in-free beer, are changing things up and. Friday night at the Legion they're doing a free show, with cheap beer -- from the bar, of course. The bulk of the music comes from local staples like the garage-y Electric Bunnies and Jacuzzi Boys, and the solo electro-goth (awesome) weirdness of This heart Electric. They've got a foreign headliner, though, Yussuf Jerusalem. That's actually a co-ed French trio that sings in English and plays more lo fi, vaguely psychedelic rock. The group recently released a 12" on the Orlando-based Florida's Dying label, and this Miami show is part of a fairly extensive trek through the United States.

Oh yeah, besides a beer-chugging competition, also planned is a "mummy contest," and your guess is as good as ours on that one.

Friday, November 6. American Legion, 6445 NE 7th Ave., Miami. Show starts at 9 p.m., admission is free.

Our Music Recommendations From Among the Official Sleepless Night Events on Saturday

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photo by Ben Thacker
Lanzallamas Monofonica play the Rhythm Foundation stage.
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Sleepless Night returns this Saturday to Miami Beach. Staying up all night there is nothing new, but the event is way more high-falutin', asking you to stay awake for things like opera and experimental dance. That can seem like a tall order in this town, but the last edition was surprisingly well-attended, and it's nice to at least say you did something cultural, no? (You can read a general explanation of it here.)

I have to say, though, that this year's musical line-up is somewhat disappointing. There is, indeed, a ton of live music all over the place as part of Sleepless Night, but most of it generally falls along the very wide spectrum from Latin to jazz to Latin jazz. Okay, jazz, I won't hate on, because about the only place to hear it around here these days is the Van Dyke, and jazz lovers gotta get a bone tossed to 'em some time. 

But most of the event line-up completely ignores the opportunity to bring in a crowd that would usually give artsy events a wide berth. It would have been a lot more fun and smart to mix in some more dance music, hip-hop, or rock in with the program of short films, art, theater, and dance. 

The only organizers who really aimed for a youthful, more party-type crowd are the people behind Rhythm Foundation, who, for the evening, control a stage at the 21st Street beach. However, even they played it safe by asking the Spam Allstars to headline. Yes, people love them, but it's not exactly like there's a shortage of events or venues in Miami regularly featuring Spam and Suenalo.

Anyways, there are a few music-type performances on the official Sleepless Night schedule that sound different and worth seeking out. Check out a few recommendations after the jump. 

MP3 of the Day: "Cybernetic Girl" by Dainamite, Playing Milly's Cafe Bohemio This Saturday

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via myspace.com/ycentertainment
​The last time New Times caught up to Dainamite, Miami's hardest-working reggaeton artist was bouncing back and forth between a seminar called "A Millionaire's Approach" (where he was the lone invited performer) and American Tévé (where he was about to make his third appearance in as many weeks). Well, less than two months later, things don't seem to be simmering for the burgeoning superstar; in fact, they seem to be heating up nicely. 

On Saturday night, to take advantage of both Sleepless Night and the Urban Latin Music Conference, Dainamite will be performing at the notorious Milly's Café Bohemio. A late-late place primarily for dames of a certain persuasion, Bohemio is one of our town's truly hidden gems. That Dainamite even knows it's there shows he's three steps ahead of the pack; that he's deigned to set stage in the joint proves he's earned his lead. 

But don't think this tireless MC is simply content with another engagement, as wild as it may be. No, Dainamite's also got another track up his sleeve, a brand new ditty he's titled "Cybernetic Girl," which features electro mashing up against reggaeton. If the incredibly infectious hook is any indication, this won't be the last. Hell, it could very well be the hit that helps Dainamite explode. Hear it for yourself right here, and get show details, after the jump.

Q&A: A Game of Either/Or With Peaches, Who Plays Revolution This Friday

Peaches has, among other things, a (relatively) new LP (I Feel Cream), a new clip (for the song "Take You On"), a new band (the Berlin-based Sweet Machines), and a new tour. That last one brings her to Revolution this Friday, November 6. It also gave New Times a chance to play a quick game of "Either/Or" with the electroclash superstar when we chatted with her recently. Read a longer account of that chat here, and check out how the game played out, below.

New Times: ESG or L'Trimm?

Peaches: That is so hard but I have to take ESG. I mean I love ESG so much. Their early stuff is just perfect. And I've seen them lately too and it's just amazing that they're carrying on the tradition with their daughters. I love ESG so much.

MIA or Santigold?

I've got to pick MIA.

Lady Gaga or Pink?

Next question.

Sasha Plays SET on Sunday

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Welsh DJ/producer Sasha (born Alexander Paul Coe) is that rare breed of artist that has managed to balance massive commercial success and notoriety with artistic integrity throughout his long-standing career. I won't go into too many details about his myriad accolades through the years, which include over a decade of consecutive top 10 votes on the DJ Mag polls and various international awards and nominations at the WMC, Grammy and DJ Awards. Needless to say, and as most of you know, the man is one of the most highly-acclaimed figures in electronic dance music and one of its most recognizable names.

Yet unlike many of his peers who share a monolithic stature in the EDM history books (I'm looking at you, Paul Oakenfold) Sasha hasn't really sold out or compromised the innovative edge of his musical output. He continues to experiment with the possibilities of sound and genre, while pushing the envelope both in the studio and onstage, where he applies the latest and most cutting-edge audio technologies (some of which he has co-developed himself.)

A child of the British acid house explosion and Manchester's legendary club Haçienda, Sasha's sound has evolved from the upbeat tribal rhythms of early rave house and the epic sweeping progressive house of his Northern Exposure days with John Digweed, to an energetic and mind-bending signature blend of electro-infused tech house, trance, and breaks. Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to see the legendary world-class DJ perform outside of the usual tumult of WMC and in a considerably intimate setting when he stops by club SET this Sunday night. Sasha will be joined by Hallucination Limited's DJ Three, another house and techno specialist and cutting-edge tastemaker with a finger on the pulse of contemporary underground dance music.

Click here to get your pre-sale tickets.

Sasha at SET. Sunday, November 8, 11 p.m.-5 a.m. 320 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. 


Tags: Sasha, SET

Radio Galaxy Live at Wednesday Blues Jam at Titanic Brewery



Check out this killer guitar solo from Radio Galaxy's performance at the Wednesday night blues jam at Titanic Brewery by the University of Miami in Coral Gables.

Click here for Radio Galaxy's myspace.

Like blues music? Check out the jam tonight from 9 p.m. to midnight with an open blues jam hosted by Chris Cosner.

The bar is running specials with $2 Triple Screws, and it's also Mug Club night. So, check it out, kick back some microbrews, bring your guitar, harmonica, voice, or whatever, and bang out your wang dang doodle.

Titanic Brewery and Restaurant, 5813 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. 305-668-1742

Global Cuba Music Fest Returns as Part of Sleepless Night on Saturday at the Fillmore Miami Beach

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A joint project by FUNDarte and the Miami Light Project, the Global Cuba Fest returns for its third annual edition this weekend. But where last year it was a multiple-day, stand-alone event with daily concerts that weren't cheap, organizers have wised up this year. It's now being mounted in one evening, as part of the Sleepless Night art shebang all-nighter this Saturday on Miami Beach. The line-up has a definite jazz bent this year, a genre sorely under-represented in Miami's current musical landscape. Best of all, admission is free, and the music happens in a full-on, legit venue -- the Fillmore Miami Beach! This is likely the only time you'll get into the place gratis, so pay attention.

Here's a run-down of the entertainers on the bill, which kicks off at 6 p.m.

6 - 9 p.m.: DJ Snowhite

Big up the female DJs! Snowhite is a Miami staple who has specialized in crossing cultural boundaries with her mixes. She even won Miami New Times' Readers Choice poll for Best DJ in 2003. She'll get the evening started off by spinning in the Fillmore lobby before and between the live sets.

Big D and the Kids Table, Unlikely Survivors of '90s Ska, Play Propaganda November 10


Frankly, the many-membered Boston act Big D and the Kids Table were not, at their inception, among the front-runners for survival of ska's so-called "Third Wave" in the '90s. The band started a little too late - 1995 - to be seen as truly authentic at the movement's peak, around '97 or '98. Its hometown, too, was seen as an also-ran to the big ska epicenters of New York City and Southern California. What's more, the band's slap-happy, distorted punk guitar stylings alienated the genre's so-called "traditional ska" purists.

Yet here we are in 2009, and Big D and company are going as strong, with as big a lineup, as ever. Where the band excelled in the beginning was in ignoring the snobbery from all sides and instead, growing its fan base grassroots-style and always keeping a sense of humor. Take, for instance, that 2003 disc of rap versions of its own songs, or that gonzo cover of the Specials' "Little Bitch." This may be cringe-inducing to some, but to many others, it's a welcome, brass-fueled escape from Real Life Problems -- and it's hard to hate on that too much. 

Further, surprisingly, the band's latest album, Fluent in Stroll, takes an unexpected turn. While the "stroll" in the title is, supposedly, a new genre-blend term coined by the band (sigh), it means a melodious blend of slightly less spastic ska, surf rock, dubby reggae, and vintage soul.

Big D. & the Kids Table, with illScarlett and the Methodaires. Tuesday, November 10. Propaganda, 6 S. J St., Lake Worth. Doors open at 8 p.m., tickets cost $10. Ages 21+ with ID. 561-547-7273; propagandalw.com 

Video: Best Halloween Song Ever, the Misfits' "Halloween"



There is no better Halloween song than The Misfits - Halloween. The Fiend Club will be out in force when the band, featuring Danzig's brother Jerry Only, and Dez Cadena, and Robo from Black Flag, hits Culture Room on December 4th. Here are the lyrics to The Misfits - Halloween.

Bonfires burning bright
Pumpkin faces in the night
I remember Halloween

Dead cats hanging from poles
Little dead are out in droves
I remember Halloween
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