Miami Music Blog

Night Watch is a regularly occurring bar review with nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.
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Liquor is a cruel, messy mistress, and she doesn't love me. The last time I saw her, she left me with a hangover that lasted for three days. So, as I do every time she leaves me aching, I swore her off. It won't last, of course -- but it will give me ample time to make her jealous by experimenting with her smart, sexy, multilayered cousin, Miss Beer.

Early in life, my parents impressed upon me the beauty of beer. Beer is the answer to hot summer days; beer is the answer to a long day at work; good times come straight from the brewery. South Florida might be overrun with more people who enjoy consorting with Miss Liquor than those who love soaking up the thick, foamy, imported flavor of Miss Beer, but I was determined to find the beer-loving hot spots scattered throughout the region. They're out there, and, as I discovered, they're worth looking for.

My first stop was Ye Olde Falcon Pub (2867 S. University Drive, Davie; 954-424-0300, or click here).

Photo by Aki Pekka Stilinoski

Annie

​Mark this as a must: Annie, who is best known for her tracks "Chewing Gum" and "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me," will be making a quick stop at LIV in Miami Beach November 25 for a DJ set alongside Ross One and Contra. We'd really like for this to have been a live performance, but let's hope she graces South Florida with her presence some time in 2010 (looking at you Ultra organizers).

The Norwegian singer has just released her wonderfully superb electropop sophomore effort Don't Stop. It picks up where 2004's Anniemal left off, except not as retro-sounding. The album was delayed several times due to label disputes and what not, and despite having released two wonderful singles for the album -- the aforemention "Girlfriend" and the italo-disco track "Anthonio" -- neither was include in the final tracklisting.

But don't fret, the album is still packed with wonderful tracks. Some of our favorites include "Don't Stop," "I Don't Like Your Band," and the lead single "Songs Remind Me of You."

Check out the video for "Songs Remind Me of You" after the jump.

via groovemaker.com

​Can you hear that faint thump? It's the heads of turntable purists smacking their heads against their desks. Still, like it or not, what constitutes "DJing" has forever changed with technology -- it's only a matter of time before somebody figures out how to use the DJ Hero controller in the club. Still, people have been using iPods to DJ since the devices came out, so why not the iPhone and iPod Touch?

Three local DJs -- Chris Domingo, Speechless, and Scratch-D from Dynamix II -- will do just that at Voodoo Lounge tomorrow for the iPDJ Mobile Groove DJ battle. The event is sponsored by IK Multimedia, the club, and Sonoma Wire Works, and is meant to showcase IK's new apps, Groovemaker and FourTrack. Each DJ will face off using the software, before playing their own full sets for the rest of the evening.

Okay, so Groovemaker's tagline might make some purists cringe -- "Everyone's an iPhone DJ with GrooveMaker!" The app comes themed to various genres -- house, hip-hop, techno, drum'n'bass, electro, and "club," whatever that means exactly. Each is loaded with loops and beats you can rearrange, speed up and slow down to create tracks in real time. There are up to eight tracks, and you can change elements as the music plays without a break.

Skot Olsen

​A few months ago, New Times Broward-Palm Beach announced that we would be giving away $4,000 to local artists through our first-ever MasterMind Awards, sponsored by the Amplitude Academy of Musical Arts, a new music school in Boca.

This past Saturday, winners were announced at the Artopia event at Crobar@Exit 66. We received about 165 entries for the contest. The quality and variety of work was amazing.  None of it could be discounted. Difficult as it was to do, the pool was narrowed to 35 entries that our panel of judges looked at closely.  The judges scored those entries.  The Top 13 were announced in last week's print edition, and the Top 4 were given $1,000 checks at Artopia.

The judges were:

-- Janet Gold, visual artist / professor, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
-- Michael McKeever, playwright / actor / visual artist
-- Meredith Lasher, producer, Sixth Star Entertainment & Marketing / founder, Women's Theatre Project
-- Michelle Weinberg, creative director, Girls' Club Foundation
-- Brandon K. Thorp, New Times theatre critic
-- Michael Mills, New Times art critic
-- Amanda Magnetta, founder, Bear & Bird Gallery
-- Lori J. Durante, founder, Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History
-- Tate Ottati, owner, Tate's Comics

And the four winners are:

Kara Walker-Tome, who is usually so busy celebrating other artists that her own incredible skills can go relatively unnoticed. For eight years running, she's commandeered the chic Hotel Biba for a night, making way for artists to set up elaborate installations in each room. More recently, the independent curator has unleashed her guerrilla-style tactics on a self-storage facility. artsitepictures.shutterfly.com

Skot Olsen, who makes elaborate paintings that convey both his love for and awe of sea. He depicts freaky creatures in wild celebrations and rituals; terrible sea monsters and naked ladies; and sea squids who gobble up sailing ships whole. www.skotolsen.com

Victoria Skinner, who blurs boundaries with her cyanotype collages and chimera sculptures. Her work is a mix between human and animal, organic and mechanical, science and art, imagination and knowledge. Her work often achieves what she describes as "a balance between apprehension and amusement, the disturbing and the beautiful." gallery.me.com/vskinner.whnatysh
 
Francene Levinson, a former art teacher who discovered the obscure art of Chinese unit paper folding, "Zhe Zhi." She works now full-time on intricate paper sculptures. Each piece might use 3,500 sheets of recycled paper, and each takes months to create. www.francenelevinson.com

Congratulations to all winners, and we hope everyone else re-enters next year!

Audion

A heads up to Miami's downtown cognoscenti: Michigan's esteemed Ghostly International label will be celebrating 10 years of forward-thinking music and subculture at White Room on Saturday, December 5. Founded in 1999 by DJ Sam Valenti, Ghostly has become one of the most highly-acclaimed international platforms for cutting-edge and genre-defying contemporary music and multimedia, along with its more dancefloor-centric sister imprint Spectral Sound.

Ghostly's eclectic musical contingent will be represented on December 5 by the experimental Detroit techno/avant-pop forays of Audion, a.k.a. Matthew Dear, electro-tech producers Michna and Bodycode, and synthpoppers Solvent, along with Get Physical's M.A.N.D.Y. and Miami's own DJ Conway. This much anticipated musical extravaganza also marks the return of Miami's beloved SAFE, who brought us some of the finest underground electronic dance music bookings of the last couple years, and will be teaming up with Miami's legendary festival audio designer Terry McNeil to guarantee this will be one night of mind-blowing sounds. 

Click here to get your $15 pre-sale tickets.

Ghostly International 10 Year Anniversary Party. Saturday, December 5. 10 p.m.-5 a.m. White Room. 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami.

​Getting old sucks. I mean seriously. Remember what it was like being able to stay up all night drinking, then rolling into work the next day with nothing more than a cup of Starbucks and mixed visions of the previous one's debauchery and those of the one to come dancing behind your glazed eyes, before the onset of debilitating hangovers? But getting old doesn't always have to suck. There's midlife crises and senior citizens discounts to look forward to. Plus blaming convenient slips of the mind on the early onset of senility!

Also embracing growing old with grace, Tobacco Road. It's hard to believe, but Miami's oldest bar is getting even older, celebrating its 97th anniversary this week! And they're doing it up in style. No, not with pastelitos and a game of bobbing for dentures. But rather a two day bash, starting this Friday and rolling on through Saturday, featuring their famed 97 cents for 97 minutes happy hour drink special, twice on Friday and a third time Saturday. Plus there'll be music. LOTS of music. Among the performers, Suenalo, Electric Piquete, Bachaco, Iko Iko, Elastic Bond and Afrobeta. Now that's a lot of local goodness.

Tobacco Road (626 S Miami Avenue) celebrates its 97th anniversary on Friday, November 20, from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. and Saturday November 21, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Proof that music journalists are sometimes good for something, Thomas Koch, a.k.a. DJ T, made his true mark in the industry by founding Groove magazine some 20 years ago. With Koch at the helm as editor and publisher, it quickly became the bible in his native Germany for everything related to electronic music culture. But Koch was probably more happy behind the decks than behind a keyboard, having first fallen in love with hip-hop and early electro in the '80s. By the early '90s, he was spinning acid house and techno in the important taste-making underground venues of his native Berlin, and in 1999 with friends opened his own venue, Monza.

Weekends are so busy there is bound to be stuff we've forgotten to highlight. But here are two high-profile events you might just want to check out:

​First up, Samanthan Ronson, who's better known as Lindsay Lohan's on-again/off-again girlfriend than for her DJ skills, will be helping Louis at the Gansevoort South celebrate its one-year anniversary tonight. Ronson's appearance at the club isn't exactly unexpected, since she and co-owner Roman Jones are half-siblings. Will Lohan be making an appearance? Doubt it, but Miami is probably safer because of it. There really is no cover charge at Louis, but getting in probably cost more to your self-esteem than any monetary figure.

​Saturday, once the Wynwood Art Walk wraps up, head over to White Room for Atlanta DJ Klever. The man is pure insanity once he takes over the decks. He's a two time USA DMC champion and second-place runner up in the DMC World Championship. He's shared the bill before with our own local DMC champion DJ Craze, but this time around Damaged Good, Juan Basshead and Troy Kurtz get to share the spotlight. Tickets are still available for $10 via wantickets.com.

​Benjamin Acero and the Un_Mute crew have another all-night techno extravaganza in store for Miami tonight when internationally-renowned DJ/producers Marco Carola and Ilario Alicante stop by Eden Terrace Garden at Nocturnal. Marco Carola is a veteran of the early '90s international techno scene and Italy's foremost authority on the genre, boasting a series of acclaimed releases on labels like Plus 8, Minus, Cocoon, and his own Design Music imprint. With his intense and upbeat brand of percussive minimal techno, Carola will no doubt be keeping the Terrace crowd enthralled tonight. Ilario Alicante is another Italian and Berlin-based producer who has garnered increasing recognition in the last couple years with releases on the Cecille and Sci + Tec labels and a quirky imaginative take on funky techno that commands any dancefloor. So if you're feeling limber tonight, head over to Nocturnal for this much anticipated marathon set that will keep the action going well into the daylight hours on Saturday.

Friday, November 13, Eden Terrace Garden, Nocturnal. 50 NE 11 St., Downtown Miami. Doors open at 11 p.m.      

Miami's true house music aficionados need not be reminded that South Beach is, for the most part, the last place one goes to find quality underground dance music. With the exception of a few sporadic misplaced bookings here and there, venturing east over the causeway means entering a wasteland of top 40 radio pollution and tacky commercial pop-house cacophony. But tonight, as fate would have it, there are two redeeming parties going down that will be showcasing some of our finest local exponents of authentic deep and soulful house music, and since our locals don't get nearly enough love on Crossfade, I felt I needed to give them a shout-out today.

​Retox Wednesdays at Blue is SoBe's best-kept secret and it's about time they get the credit they're due for playing what is simply the best underground house music in South Florida on Wednesday nights. The brother/sister DJ duo of Baby Sean and Inbal have been running this night for a couple years now and have featured some stellar guest appearances by the likes of Christian Martin, Vincenzo, and Sunshine Jones. Baby Sean and Inbal will be keeping the deep vibe alive tonight, as they do every week, along with special guest DJ Carlos Ortez. With no cover, 2 for 1 drink specials, and the chill intimate ambiance of this cozy Espanola Way lounge, this is the ideal weeknight setting for your house music fix.

Retox at Blue. Wednesday, November 11, 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. 222 Espanola Way, Miami Beach.  

​(786) Wednesdays at Purdy is hosted every week by DJs Ray Milian, Joshy Josh, and DJPJ and usually features a debonair open format of electro, disco-house, indie rock and miscellaneous funky goodies. Tonight they've invited the boys of Boogie (DJs Strickly B and Will Renuart) onboard for a special house-intensive late-night session. Alot of you may know the phenomenal duo as the resident DJs at Electric Pickle, where they consistently bang out the finest sexy deep house and funked-up tech house every week. With no cover, cheap drinks, and its crowd of friendly locals, this party is guaranteed to make you hate yourself tomorrow morning when you stumble into work still wasted and going on 2 hours of sleep, cause there was no way you were gonna quit early!

(786) at Purdy. Wednesday, November 11, 10 p.m.-5 a.m. 1811 Sunset Harbor Dr, Miami Beach.

​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

photo by Gokhan Kali

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

The Lion & Eagle English Pub (2401 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton; 561-447-7707) was a dignified, stately establishment replete with a rich wooden bar, regally upholstered booths, paintings (of soaring eagles, mostly), decorative kettles, lanterns, and model ships. It was also not large--and quite busy.

Liz, the blond, bubbly bartender, told me that the place was very well-established; owned by a pair of brothers; and had a loyal regular base.

"When I first started working here, I figured there'd be no way I'd make much money in tips," she said. "But we get slammed. It's not been a problem."

​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.

     

via xperimento.com

​If you missed them last week, here's a little heads up fo' yo' ass (not a head up yo' ass...like that guy in front of you on your way to work this morning on his cell phone, giving you an even worst case of Moooooondays than you had to begin with). Xperimento have landed themselves a weekly slot at Jazid, every Wednesday through the end of the year. It's well deserved; they've earned it. But you, the Hump Day alcoholics, stand to gain the most from this development. I mean, it'll still cost you money to buy drinks, but you'll be richer in enjoyment.

Like the Wu Tang Clan, Xperimento's groove ain't nothing to fuck with (saw how far back I reached for that one?). Their unique take on reggae blends funk and Latin influences, kind of like LPJ does. Which isn't shocking, as they have some key members in common. But these guys have a certain psychedelic element that's altogether new, and plays nicely with the other kids in the mix. Kind of experimental...get it? But don't take my word for it--I am, after all, full of crap at least half the time. Go check them out at Jazid for yourself. Your ears will thank you. Your liver, however, will still be pissed.

Xperimento performs live at Jazid this and every Wednesday until the end of the year. Cover is zero-daddy-dollaz, to make you holla.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg.

Last weekend, it took a minute for me to muster up the courage to enter The Warehouse Pub (1599 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton; 561-392-3798).

Sure, this was Boca, but still -- the pub was located in a dark part of town, and pick-up trucks (blaring country music) packed the parking lot. Good ol' boys stood smoking and laughing raucously out front.

I darted inside and was relieved--I discovered a narrow, well-lit room that smelled overwhelmingly like buttered popcorn. The place sported disco balls, lots of mirrors, paper Halloween decorations, and homey, wooden walls. The black-marble bar was narrow, but ran into a bigger room, with a few pool tables and several framed collages filled with drinking, smiling faces--many sporting big mustaches and outdated haircuts. The place was slammed, too--with the sort of familiar-faced, knee-slapping, hard-drinking crowd you find in the local watering holes of tiny country towns.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring nightlife column by Tara Nieuwesteeg.

Boca is not renowned for much except its manicured shopping plazas, delicious lunch spots, and its armies of early-bird-special-seeking Q-tips who make the roads a little less safe and the frozen yogurt shops a little more busy.

But Boca and I have a long and complicated history; our lives are as entwined as a pair of melodramatic lovers caught between adulation and detestation; constantly rolling in and out of each other's beds; packing suitcases, flinging vases, and then naming our future children. The point is, I love Boca (sometimes) and believe its bright spots should be brought to our readership's collective attention. Just because most things in Boca close before 8 PM doesn't mean the fun spots do.

Girls who rock...plus Johnny.

​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.

​Is it just me or does it seem like there's a whole lot going on this weekend? This time of year always gets a bit crazy, I suppose. Thanksgiving (and Black Friday) is just a couple weeks away. Holidays and holiday parties right around the corner after that. Art Basel is fast approaching too... the list goes on and on. Competing for your affections this weekend, Sleepless Night, and FLIFF.

That's right, the 24th annual Fort Lauderdale Film Festival is already upon us, the festivities having kicked off yesterday on October 23rd. But tomorrow, there's a special treat you won't want to miss, and it doesn't compete with Sleepless Night at all! It's going down in the Paradiso Patio Courtyard at Cinema Paradiso--the Florida Filmmaker Party and Auteur Explosion, featuring a performance by one of Miami's most buzzed about bands, Radioboxer. If you haven't caught them live for yourself, you're seriously missing out on a hell of a live performance. And what better opportunity than this, in which you can support the arts across the board, and impress your friends and coworkers, saying, "Oh, tonight? Just going to support the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival." It'll make you seem classy. Unless you were already planning on going there, in which case, carry on.

Te event cost is a mere $5, unless you attend the A Taste of Florida Film screening just prior in which case it's free. Score!

The Florida Filmmaker Party and Auteur Explosion takes place at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale) on Friday, November 7 at 10:30p.m.and Radioboxer is expected to play at 11. The event is preceded by A Taste of Florida Film.

​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. 

via myspace.com/djmednas

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

The sign for the Village Well glowed through the darkened shopping plaza like a beckoning blue promise of beer and all that is good and pure in the world.

The smoky, rectangular room was homey but still classy; the place was all wood, with the mirror-and-liquor bottle-lined bar stretching along one side, a high shelf (packed with books, clocks, miniature lighthouses, model ships, and other trinkets) along the other, and pool tables, dart boards, and seating all somewhere in between.

The age range was remarkable--truly, it is the kind of relaxed venue in which 20-somethings can go get shitfaced with not just Mom and Dad but also Granny and Gramps.

​Night Watch is a regularly-occurring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

On a recent evening in advance of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, I decided to check out bars near the 17th Street Causeway, and ended up at the yachtie mecca, Southport Raw Bar.

It's a 1960s-style, let-it-all-hang-out kinda place, and the sign by the door reads: "Eat clams, last longer; eat fish, live longer; eat oysters, love longer." Inside were booths with fish-patterned upholstery, two bars, and a host of browned-with-age ceiling tiles that had been written upon over the years ("Bonnie's Yacht Service," read one; "Happy Birthday, Dana, 6-19-88," read another). Old-timey beer ads, small wooden surfboards, and ocean seascapes garnished the walls; the floor was covered with a worn green carpet.

​Techno heads looking to work their feet on Halloween night need look no further than Space, where internationally-acclaimed Israeli producer Guy Gerber will be performing along with Berlin-based DJ/producer Tom Clark. Boasting a distinctive and futuristic brand of proggy melodic tech house, with releases on the Cocoon, Bedrock, and SAW imprints, Gerber is Israel's most highly regarded contribution to international EDM and a hardworking touring artist that commands dancefloors worldwide. Tom Clark, owner of the esteemed Highgrade label, is a pivotal figure in the Berlin minimal scene with an imaginative and floor-friendly take on contemporary techno. Get your groove on this Saturday night with Guy Berber and Tom Clark at Space, where they'll be joined by Pacha NYC's DJ Boris and residents Dsan Powell and Maurizio & Danyelino.

Guy Gerber and Tom Clark at Space. Saturday, May 2, at 11 p.m. 34 NE 11 St., downtown Miami.      

​Well, it's that special time of year kiddies, when real kiddies get to go door to door yelling "trick or treat!" and collecting candy, most of which their grandmothers will warn, "esta envenenado" ("it's poisoned"). Meanwhile, grownup kiddies get to dress like strippers and dipshits (I managed both at once two years ago with "guy out of the shower", donning only a towel and shower cap) and get drunk while reveling and celebrating the birth of Candy Corn. It's all good wholesome fun, truly. And if you don't believe me, then why did they make an awesome Peanut's special for it?

Giving you one more reason to love it while simultaneously providing a damned good place for drunken revelry and celebration of the birth of Candy Corn, Spam Allstars and Hoy Como Ayer. This Halloween, come party in true Miami style down on la Calle Ocho at Vampiros en La Habana, named for a Cuban animated film. Fanged cubaneo, yeah! As you already know, Spam, quite simply, are the kings of Afro-Caribbean Latin funk hybrid descarga in Miami and abroad. And Hoy Como Ayer is offering ladies in free and two-for-one boozers 'til 11 p.m.

So do it up. Don your loincloth or your way-short Judy Jetson garb. And save me a tiny Snickers, if you nab one. I friggin' love those things!

Spam Allstars perform at Hoy Como Ayer (2212 SW 8th Street) on Saturday, October 31. Doors open at 9 p.m.

​Miami has Poplife and Fort Lauderdale has Heater. But for a while the Broward party seemed to have all but disappeared. But I have good news for the 954's indie-dance scene: the party is coming back! November 6 to be exact. The resurrection is happening at the Exit 66 space Rock Bar (not to be confused with Rokbar in Miami Beach).

On the decks will be the night's long-time resident DJs Marvelous Kendall, Sean Weeks and Comissioner. Also scheduled for the opening night is local electronic artist Million Young.

Heater with resident DJs Marvelous Kendal, Sean Week and Comissioner, along with special guest Million Young, Friday, November 6, at Rock Bar (219 S Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). Doors open at 10 p.m. No cover.

​Oooooohhh! This is the ghost of nightlife past coming to haunt your dreams of weekend debauchery. It's been a while since I've recapped all there is to do across the Magic City, but let's hope I can revive the column from the dead for what's left of 2009.

If you've been vigilant you know that I've already written previews for The Other Hollywood at Awarehouse, Tera-Ween at Cameo, The Cat's Meow at the Raleigh, Playboy Halloween Party at the Shore Club, and "Devil's Disciple" After-party with Busy P at Electric Pickle, so no need to rehash those. But there plenty more Miami scares to be had all weekend long:

Brooklyn's Tommie Sunshine is back to haunt us with sounds of electro past. The DJ/producer takes over the decks at Louis at the Gansevoort (2325 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) Friday night. If you want a real scare, Louis' door policy will take care of that.

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Note: Night Watch is a regularly-occuring feature by Broward/Palm Beach nightlife columnist Tara Nieuwesteeg

You've got to love Fort Lauderdale: where stilletoed women drink directly from the beer tap, where "happy hours" last eight-hours, and where the geriatrics can put 'em away with the best of them.

During a single outing, I can rest my happy bar-hopping self at a classy hotel bar, then walk across the street to an old-as-dirt raw bar, and finish out the night a few blocks away, at an immaculate Irish pub. The point is, in Fort Lauderdale, it's never hard to find a place that rocks, although finding the best might take a bit of stumbling around. First stop: the E Spot.