First off let me start off by saying that last year sucked really bad, and I am definitely not sad to see it go. We gained some friends, but lost a few too. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. But that's the beauty of the beginning of the year, a clean slate. So goodbye 2009, hello 2010.

To read past installments of South Florida According to Brooklyn, click here.

This week I would like to talk about the bleak future of music. The state of things is pretty shitty, and every band gets ripped off by the common man. As the old cliche goes, trends and styles go in circles. 
I remember when everyone thought Vanilla Ice was the best thing ever, and everyone ran out and bought his tape. (That's right, kids, I said "tape" -- yes, I am that old.) Then I remember when everyone suddenly was like, "Wow, this guy fucking sucks really bad." Now it's almost 2010, and New Times just had Vanilla Ice on the cover, and it seems somehow retro cool to admit to liking him back then.

After Ice's reign of course the same thing started happening. There was Nirvana, which signaled a change in music and fashion, and also the indirect resurfacing of punk into the mainstream. Eventually even my beloved hardcore became cool when bands like Hatebreed and Poison the Well signed to major labels.

More »

This past Sunday I put together a show at the Poorhouse with two of the best rock and roll bands in South Florida, the Furious Dudes and Mad Martigan, both from Miami. They are both underrated but awesome, and needless to say the show was amazing, just a good time to be had by all. Mad Martigan started off the show, and that night they sounded like a sludgier version of Black Sabbath. Later on though they sped things up with a Dead Boys cover, which was super impressive -- they pulled it off amazingly.

Next up were Furious Dudes, who are amazing guys and always provide a good time. They are exactly what rock and roll needs at this point -- just dudes going crazy, having a good time, playing with and for their friends. If you've never heard them before, they sound (and act) a lot like Turbonegro. For their entire set they jumped around the stage and repeatedly toasted each other, and you could see in their faces that they were psyched just to be onstage, playing for an appreciative crowd.

Both bands are amazing live. They're both playing at Churchill's this Friday, so if you're in Miami, it's worth stopping by to check them out.

Five Albums I'm Listening To This Week: 1) The Bronx, the Bronx 2, 2) Cave In, Until Your Heart Stops, 3) Damage, Final, 4) Day of Contempt, From the Inside, 5) Drowningman, How They Light Cigarettes in Prison

Quote of the Week: Follow your heart. It will never steer you wrong.

More »

​Fort Lauderdale had its own alley cat bike race this last weekend, the River Rat race put on by Justin Brunetti, who does the South Florida Fixed blog. It was sponsored by the Bike Spot, Atlantic Bikes, and Keirin Cycles of Miami, and they all also donated their time by working at the race's check points. This was an awesome weekend, an awesome race and an all-around great time.

If you're unfamiliar with an alley cat race, it goes like this. First you're given a manifest (map) of the check points -- in this race, there were 15. There are volunteers at each check point, and at each one you have to get your manifest stamped before you move on to the next one. There is no specific order in which they have to be completed; it's up to you to figure out the fastest route to get between them all. Once you get the last stamp, you haul ass to the finish line.



More »

​To read past installments of South Florida According to Brooklyn, click here.

While this blog has covered events there several times already, this week I want to talk about the Bubble in Fort Lauderdale. This place is what this town needs to bring back the D.I.Y. fist-raising of the late '80s and early '90s, when putting on a music or independent art show really meant something. This place is amazing because it combines both -- not only do local bands play there regularly, but it regularly features work from local artists like Rhee Polhamus, Matthew Barteluce, and Erick Arenas.

I first discovered the place recently when I went to go see the band Murderous Rampage play there. The band is fronted by Tommy Newman, the back bartender at the Poorhouse. It was an awesome show -- loud, fast, and evil, all the things you need for a good time, as far as I'm concerned.

More »

​A few months ago I wrote about the new anti-tether law that Joe Sanchez got approved in Miami-Dade County this past March. That was a step in the right direction to protect who can't speak for themselves. That was real progress. Which is why I'm even more pissed off, in contrast, at the return of Michael Vick.

Can someone please explain to me how a man convicted of over 15 deaths of harmless animals is free so soon? And how and the hell is he playing in the NFL again? The board of directors for NFL should be embarrassed of themselves. Vick has been brought to court and convicted
by a jury of his peers, and he doesn't deserve to play pro football again. In fact, he should still be behind bars -- if those were human deaths, he'd be on death row.
More »

​To read past installments of South Florida According to Brooklyn, click here.

I attended the local stop of the Warped Tour, on Saturday, July 25 at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, and was disappointed that no one really watched Bad Religion. I don't get it! These guys are pioneers of punk rock. If it wasn't for them, these young kids wouldn't have bands like the Devil Wears Prada, or the other crap like that, to listen to. (Well, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, but still.)

It bums me out that a lot of the kids there that day didn't seem to have any sense of that history. Bad Religion's first album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, came out in 1982 -- some bands playing the Warped Tour today weren't even sucking their mom's teat yet!

More »

​This week I would like to talk about how the punk rock and hardcore scene here really has no support anymore. Today, kids see "punk rock" on MTV and channels like that, but the truth is that shit's not real. The bands you see there are bands that really didn't do any footwork to get were they are -- they just happen to have been very lucky. Today's trend is have your mom and dad pay for nice equipment and buy your band a van so you can play crappy pop punk.

And there is not a whole lot of respect between this generation and even the previous crop of bands from the '90s! It wasn't that long ago, and I remember bands like Lifetime, Sick Of It All, and local heroes Poison The Well were all in vans, working their asses off to get from one show to the next. And trust me, there were days were these guys didn't eat because they didn't make enough money at a show, or their van broke down and they had to have it fixed to get to the next one.

More »

 Yes, it's no secret I hang out at the Poorhouse in Fort Lauderdale a lot. But here's a new event worth mentioning at the bar: My Pod Mondays. It started a few weeks ago and is hosted by the place's legendary bartender, Mr. Jon Owens. People interested in putting their iPods up for scrutiny make up playlists for the night, and hand them over. One iPod gets turned on and played, but if Owens thinks the song selection sucks, the iPod gets turned off, and the next one gets plugged in. Yes, crowd reaction counts, but Owens gets veto power in the end.

It's a simple idea, but a good one for socializing. You end up discussing the music people picked, and always end up thinking, Wow, I haven't heard that in a while. It's a really laid-back night, but everyone always ends up talking.

More »