Miami Music Blog

via Flickr user Smaku

​Plenty to check out in Broward and Palm Beach this weekend, and no matter who you are, you'll find something that will scare you. David Allan Coe, for instance, is playing tonight at Culture Room. He's been known to scare more than a few people in his day. KMFDM are out at Respectable Street, if crazy German electro-bands are your thing. Sevendust is celebrating Revolution Live's fifth anniversary by "rocking" starting at 8, The Spam Allstars are lighting up Propaganda, and Big Mike Griffin is appearing at The Back Room Blues Bar.

Tomorrow night, for those who don't want to sit home and watch the parades of children beg for candy, check out the Diablo Dimes at Monterey Club (Formerly Zoo Bar), The Halloween Drum Circle (Seriously) at Orange Door, REO Speedwagon is playing Cruzan Amphitheater, KMFDM is playing Culture Room, and Celtic Mayhem is playing at Maguires Hill 16.

Sunday, as you're recovering from the monumental sugar buzz, chill out with the sounds of David Foster & Friends at Hard Rock Live or work off the rest of those carbs at the Attack! Attack! Show at Culture Room.

via Flickr user eytonz

​Fresh off their sting opening for Green Day, The Bravery are out on a headlining tour. Tonight, they'll be at Culture Room starting at 8. If you're looking for something a little less radio friendly, check out psychobilly rock gods Viva Le Vox at Respectable Street or Jason and the Punknecks at Propaganda. Finally, the Back Room Blues bar is hosting Mark Hummel's Blues Harmonica Blowout, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Tomorrow night, New Orleans' finest, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band are bringing their 33 years of funking experience to Culture Room, Singer-songwriter pioneer Leonard Cohen is playing BankAtlantic Center, Brad Paisley is at Cruzan, and the Rolling Stones tribute band Roll The Stones takes over CityPlace in West Palm.

Sunday, country singer James Otto plays Round Up, Latin-pop icon Olga Tanon is at Hard Rock Live, and English guitar virtuoso Robin Trower is at Culture Room.

Does bluegrass, punk, and southern rock with a gypsy twist sound interesting to you? If you answered no, move on to the next paragraph. If yes, you'll want to head out to South Shores Tavern and Patio Bar tonight to check out Black Finger. Just watch the video below, and if you're not convinced... there's no helping you.



If you'd rather check out something a little more laid back in an island atmosphere, check out Cutback at Mai-Kai. Just remember to order a couple zombies before the show, and everything will meld together into a sort of hazy rum fueled paradise.

Finally, in the battle of the cleverly named bands, The Talent Farm is hosting The Years Gone By, Hands Held High, Racing Kites, and Planet Parker while Murder at First Sight, Calling all Sirens, The Perfect Defect, A Purpose Driven Life, and These Arms of Faith are playing at Solid Sound Studios.

​Hey house junkies, turn off your computer and pack your bags -- you're going on a trip, and I'm not talking about the chemically-induced kind.

This tomorrow night, Space Global Sessions has invited 11 DJs to take you "Around the World in 12 Hours." The event starts at 11 p.m, and runs through Sunday afternoon, so all you night-crawlers should get there before your usual 4 a.m. arrival time to fully enjoy the fantastic voyage (slide, slide, slippity slide).

Unfortunately for us, the line-up won't include Coolio, but here is what you should expect:

• 11 p.m. - Dennis Demens, Venezuela
• 1 a.m. - Armand Pena, Columbia
• 3 a.m. - Big World, Germany
• 5 a.m. - Denis the Menace, Germany
• 5 a.m. - David Tort, Spain
• 8 a.m. - Patrick M, Argentina
• 12 a.m. - Louis Puig, Cuba

You didn't think it would end there, did you? Space is taking advantage of it's fairly-new Techno Loft, with performances by Dsan Powell from Columbia, Maurizo +  Danyelino from Italy, and Clive Henry from the UK.

To purchase tickets, click here.

​Tonight, Miami duo The State Of is playing at Propaganda in Lake Worth, blues rockers Iko Iko invade Maguires Hill 16 in Fort Lauderdale, Cat Shell and the Categories are plaing Lake Worth Rum Shack, and the Alligator Alley Allstars (Albert Castiglia and JP Soars) are playing a few sets at Alligator Alley. Click the links for more information.

Tomorrow night you might have planned to see LA Guns at Culture room, but that show has been moved to November 13. Instead try local dub legends in the making Spred the Dub at Kahuna Bar, Jr. Drinkwater Blues Band at The Back Room Blues Bar, Panic Disorder at Briny Irish Pub, or Hep Cat Boo Daddies at Poor House in Fort Lauderdale.

Bruce Springsteen is in town Sunday, so if you're a fan of music you should probably be at that show. There might even be some cheap tickets still available through Live Nation.

Tom Wilco

Nabedi Osorio (left) and Steph Taylor of the State Of

Shows this weekend by local artists, or concerts that are otherwise under-the radar in Broward and Palm Beach.

Friday:
Piano and drums mixed with vocals that are simultaneously haunting and tough define the sound of The State Of, the female duo from Miami playing Propaganda tonight. While you can really hear their influences (Fiona Apple, Portishead, Tori Amos, to name a few) they blend them so seamlessly, the final product falls beyond the sum of its parts. Afrobeta and Sno Cones will open. Propaganda is located at 6 S. J Street, Lake Worth. For more information, call 561-547-7273.

Nachtmahr likes his electronica dirty. He took a hiatus from his electro/EBM roots for a while after becoming disappointed with the Industrial scene. But now he's back, face partially shielded from the audience, creating what he calls "brutal, uncompromising club-oriented music." Expect lots of screamy vocals and abrasive electronica. Oh, and sometimes he dresses like a militaristic fashionista. Nachtmahr plays Respectable Street Café with Alter Der Ruine. Respectable Street Café is located at 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. For more information, call 561-832-9999.

Bored? Money burning a hole in your pocket? Or do you just have a burning urge to see a fading pop icon try to bring the magic back to her act without resorting to public displays of indecency? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, then there are still tickets available for tonight's Beyonce Show at BankAtlantic Center. Although the lower priced ($18) allotment are gone, the second tier pricing is still available ($53). Yeah it's a big jump from the first tier to the second, but if you've waited this long to pick up your tickets, you'll probably be more interested in the videos after the jump than picking up tickets through Ticketmaster.

No, they're not playing together, but Animal Collective and Bon Iver are both playing tonight. Animal Collective and Black Keys Dice are set to play the Culture Room tonight starting at 8 p.m. If you don't already have tickets, you're in some trouble as the show is sold out. So either be prepared to try to scalp a ticket or head over to Revolution Live to check out music on the opposite end of the spectrum. Folk darlings Bon Iver and Elvis Perkins are playing at 7:30 tonight at this all ages show. Ticketmaster still has tickets available, so if you're hankering for live music, it's probably your best bet tonight. That, or you could hit the jump and just watch videos over and over again.

It's not too late to pick up some tickets for tonight's No Doubt, Paramore and The Sounds show in West Palm Beach. Lawn tickets are still available for just $10. Call 561-795-8883 or visit the website for tickets. Hit the jump if you need more motivation to see this show.

Tonight is the last night the Opera Mash-Up series at Area 7 will be featuring jazz musicians as the event moves on to recruiting bluegrass musicians next week. Renee Turner will record several opera numbers, and then sound engineer Billy and jazz musicians Greg LeBlanc, Brian Collins, Dominick Pfefferkorn, and Stefanie "Scratch" Osorio will improv over Turner's recordings. A recent addition to the event consists of an "encore noise" session, essentially an open-mic for noise experimentalists from 1 to 3 a.m., which will tonight feature Jesus Fish Experience, DJ Grasshopper, and spoken-word-turned-noise-maker James A. Roberson. The promoter Bunny Foofoo assured me during a previous event that nobody will be turned away, so now's the time to screw around with those audio samples you downloaded to your Nintendo DS. If you want to participate in this event or future events send Bunny a message through her MySpace page.

Really, the Horrorpops show tonight is going to be more of an event than a concert. Even if you lose your hearing just before walking through Culture Room's doors, you're in for a hell of a good time. Horrorpops is an extremely high energy New Wave/punk/goth/metal/rockabilly/any other genre you care to fit here band with a flare for a dramatic stage show. We're not talking huge pyrotechnic dragons breathing fire (but don't rule it out absolutely...) it's more a group of musicians tearing up their instruments onstage and showing a real passion for what they do. Oh and there may be a few scantily clad dancers joining them too.

On any given day in South Florida, there are literally hundreds of band playing. Here are a few of the highlights for this weekend:

Kill Miss Pretty is playing the super swanky Pangaea in Hollywood on Friday at 8 p.m.

The Pretty Faces are at Propaganda in Lake Worth at 8 pm. Check them out before they get too big to play intimate venues.

Local favorite Albert Castiglia will be shredding The Backroom in Boca Raton at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Grand Funk Railroad are playing in Pompano Beach on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Nickelback is at Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Saturday night.

Finally, Hed Pe is closing out the weekend at Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale.

via flickr user Alex Kasin

South Florida darlings and pop punk powerhouse New Found Glory is coming back home tonight. NFG is touring in support of their new album "Not Without A Fight", which is receiving slightly above average reviews on Metacritic.  Bayside and Set Your Goals are opening for NFG, so get ready to overdose on semi-angsty power chord driven pop punk.  For your viewing pleasure, Crossfade has placed a smattering of videos from tonight's featured bands after the jump. The doors open at 6 and tickets are available through Ticketmaster for $17.50.

Debbie Attias, aka Debbie D of the now-defunct Avenue D, is throwing a so-called Sneak Peek Showcase at the Upper Eastside Garden tonight, i.e. Tuesday, March 24, 2009 (that's for the easily confused, such as myself).  Look for performances by Dancetasy, a professional dance troupe featuring Debbie and several other Miamians, José el Rey, the debut of Bootie Shorts, Palm Trees, as well as a duet by Sarah from Little Beard and Tee Pee of the Electric Bunnies.  If you haven't been, the Garden is a super fun place that regularly hosts movie nights, (including blue features!!!) and has a really cool putt-putt course designed by local artists.   Debbie seems to be getting out and about quite a bit these days, with a recent performance with the Miami Bass Warriors at Calle Ocho, a regular DJ spot at Flamingo Fridays, and free dancercise lessons with Dancetasy every Sunday at the Garden.  This event is FREE (that's right, FREE) and has free booze till it runs out. It's also DAMN EARLY, MIAMI.  It starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.  Don't cry for me Miami, if you get there late and miss everything.

On a side note for all you value conscious mini-golfers putt-putt only costs 5 bucks and that includes a Grolsch. That's what's up.

- Dominic Sirianni

Nothing says St. Patrick's Day like an English rock band and a Pennsylvania based grunge act. Bad Company (yeah, the Bad Company that rocked the 70's) and Live (think Lightning Crashes) are banding together and hoping enough green beer is consumed that the crowd will literally feel like they've been transported back in time. But the best news of all, if you go to Roxy's Pub's website, you can sign up to get in for free, leaving plenty of extra cash to aid in your time-travel experiment. The whole event is going off block party style, so be sure to get there early enough to get a good spot... you know, one close to the bar.

It's time to get your jam on tonight. Well, sorta... EOTO is made up of former members of String Cheese Incident, but people who are expecting to hear versions of that group's songs will most likely be disappointed. EOTO is much more of an improvisational dance collective than a jam band; They claim that not a single note is prerecorded or even prearranged, but the thumping beats, keyboards and hand percussion spell a radical departure from STI.

The godfather of hippies is officially here! Tonight at Hard Rock Live, Willie Nelson brings his original outlaw country ways to South Florida, and he's sure to leave thousands of fans in his biodiesel/pot fueled wake. If we're being honest with ourselves, there just aren't many opportunities left for us to see this Country Music Hall of Famer live in concert, so now's as good a time as any to pay homage to the living legend.

David Allan Coe is a sort of an icon in country music. He certainly seems to name himself among the greats any time he's interviewed and asked about it. And of course, he drops their names into quite a number of his songs. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of David Allan Coe's career is one he simply won't talk about. His Underground CD, which is now out of print, is absolutely littered with some of the most racist and homophobic lyrics ever recorded...but he claims he's not a prejudiced man.

via myspace

Sometimes you hear a song on the radio, a television show, or a commercial and simply must find out who sings that song. I'm sure this was the case with many people who heard "Where I Stood" on Grey's Anatomy and I'm just as sure that those people who decided to look a little deeper into the haunting voice behind the song were pleasantly surprised with what they found. Missy Higgins has one of those unmistakably soulful voices that can chill you right to the core, and the icing on the cake is she's just as stunning to look at as she is to listen to.

via myspace

Tonight is the night for those who would have been gearing up for Langerado this week to forget about the defunct festival and revel in a somehow-still-undergroundish artist who would have fit perfectly in the jam festival's earlier years. Clarence Greenwood, aka Citizen Cope, brings his breezy brand of acoustic lounge rock to Fort Lauderdale tonight at the Culture Room. Equal parts romantic and political, Citizen Cope has a Jack Johnson type feel to his music, but delivers a more poignant message to his ever growing fanbase. Grab a couple fistfuls of your intoxicant of choice, as Cope is often late in starting his sets, and enjoy a night of political musings set to acoustic melodies.

via www.nicholasmonaco.com

It's time to dig into the back of the closet, pull out a flannel shirt grab your chain wallet and pick up a 12 pack of Red Dog in preparation of tonight's throwback to '90s grunge rock at the Hurricane Bar and Lounge in Delray. Fort Lauderdale based Grindstone doesn't play games when it comes to their sound. Think Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Candlebox and you've got a great idea what to expect from this show. You owe yourself a flashback this week, get it at the Hurricane Bar and Lounge in Delray.

Friday, September 26:

*Smart-guy metal bands the Sword and Clutch play at Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale. Click here to read more about both.

*The South Dakota-based, Nakota nation band Indigenous performs at the Seminole Hard Rock, blending classic rock riffage with Native American traditions. Click here to read more about it.

Saturday, September 27:

*Up during the -- gasp -- early evening? There's some free live music at Sweat Records, starting around 8 p.m., courtesy of Sirens & Sealions and some other new local acts. Just don't melt. Click here to read more about the event.

*Henry Rollins, formerly of Black Flag, doesn't seem to play much music today, but he sure loves to talk. Check out the first of two nights in South Florida, at Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale, of his latest spoken-word tour. Click here for more information about it.

*If you haven't attended a Notorious Nastie event lately, tonight is as good a night as any: the Collision Music and Art Festival at PS14 presents Mod'Lone, Fitzroy, the Down Home Southernaires, and a bunch of other multimedia excitement. Click here to read more about the event.

Friday, September 19:

*Argentine rock en español legend Fito Páez performs a relatively intimate concert at the Arsht Center, hoping to gain more fans in the states. Read about his impressive musical track record here.

*The album tribute act Classic Albums Live again performs at the Hard Rock, and this time they'll tackle the Doors.

Saturday, September 20:

*The Crumbs are the Miami punk band that just won't die. That's a point of pride for them, as well as their happily adopted moniker, "Dade County Trash." Read about the phenomenon here. They play a free .

*Popular musical-stew collective Suénalo Sound System plays with Lights Down Low at Jazid. Read more about the group here.

Friday, September 5:

*That retro-fried garage rock stuff that's going strong in the rest of the country doesn't often seep down here, so catch a little of while you can tonight, when the Seattle foursome the Boss Martians hit Churchill's. Click here for the scoop.

*The Microdots play the weekly indie-centric Friday-night shindig at the Vagabond. They're described as "trippy and funk-laced" -- wow, what a surprise! http://www.miaminewtimes.com/events/microdots-at-the-vagabond-1127370/ to read the full scoop.

*Brazilian forró seems to be on an upswing, and as proof, that genre's master Chico Cesar plays at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale. It's a Rhythm Foundation production, naturally. Click here for the whole story.

*More from Brazil: multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Fidelis plays for a crowd of his countrymen at Boteco. Hey, the guy even made it onto the Brazilian version of American Idol -- this means he's also got a pretty face]. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/events/gustavo-fidelis-1126468/ for details.

Saturday, September 6:

*If you like Florida-bred, loud-as-fuck rock and roll, there is simply no excuse to miss one of Torche's rare hometown shows at (where else) Churchill's. The cat's out of the bag folks -- Spin, Mojo, Decibel, and even Pitchfork have slobbered all over the band's second album, Meanderthal. Click here to read more about it.

Tonight, Friday, August 29

*The big deal for scruffy indie lovers tonight is My Morning Jacket at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Some people say they're the best live band ever -- hyperbole? You decide.

*Rock en espanol darling Geordano Henriquez plays at Jazid -- and maybe someday he will finally get around to releasing a proper album.

*How could you not love a punk band called the Crack Whore Sweethearts? And where else would they play besides a converted hulking strip club monstrosity? (That would be the old Crazy Horse, in Miami Gardens, easily visible from I-95.). Click here to read more about it.

*Up in Delray, the ever-hopeful, local Anglophile workhorses Nothing Rhymes with Orange play at Dada. (They're also at the Dubliner in Mizner Park on Saturday, where the hordes will be amassing for Slightly Stoopid.)

Saturday, August 30

*Former hardcore dudes, are you creaming your pants yet? The amazing, amazing H.R. (of the Brad Brains!) plays at Churchill's. It's with his solo band though, so you'll have to chill out a little. Click here to read more about it.

*Obvs, the big event for weirdos in Miami is Club Jupina Colada at PS14, thrown by New Times faves Otto von Schirach, Jose El Rey, and Peasants with Feathers. Click here to read more about Peasants with Feathers, and get all the details.

*Not live, per se, but a special DJ event: check out B-more's Dave Nada at tonight's edition of Money$hot at the Vagabond. Click here to read more about him, and click here to check out a Pitbull remix by him.

*Something a little more high-brow: Ellis Marsalis (yep, like Wynton) performs at the Coral Gables Congregational Church. Click here to read more about it.

*Up-and-coming Oregonian jazz chanteuse Esperanza Spalding (what a name) plays at Jazziz -- um, not to be confused with Miami's older Jazid, it's a club inside the Seminole Hard Rock complex. Click here to read more about Spalding.

*As part of its monthly showcase series at the Florida Room at the Delano, the forward-thinking label Giant Step presents Little Jackie, a singer with a big voice and plenty of Sixties soul samples woven into her beats.

-- Arielle Castillo

Friday, August 8:

*Florida's only working Joy Division tribute act, 3 One G, plays at the Vagabond. You sort of have to be a superfan to care, but JD superfans are legion, so you should click here to read more about these guys from Winter Haven.

*Further north, more tribute action: Classic Albums Live plays at the Paradise Live in the Seminole Hard Rock. Tonight, they'll re-create, note for note, Hendrix's Are You Experienced? Click here to read more about it.

*In the news of old bands actually reforming in real life, Bad Company plays tonight at the Hard Rock Live, featuring original members Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirk, and Mick Ralphs. Weirdly, this South Florida gig seems to be a one-off. Click here to read more about it.

*"Crazy Fingers" Sanchez leaves aside his usual band, Ozium, for a solo gig at Tobacco Road. In case you couldn't guess by his name, yes, it involves a keyboard. Click here to read more about it.

*Brazilian pop-jazz chanteuse Maria Rita plays at the beautiful Gusman Theater in Miami. Again, promoters: Please use this venue more! Click here to read more about Maria Rita.

Today, a former prison guard (who won't admit it) gives back to his old 'hood in Miami, spacey nu-prog rockers touch down in Ft. Lauderdale, and two top-notch weekly events keep on keeping on. -- Arielle Castillo

*This is really more of a free daytime charity event, but if you find yourself around Carol City this afternoon, stop by the annual Rick Ross Be Out Day, which promises a few star appearances. Click here to read more about the event.

*Modern-day space rockers Coheed and Cambria play at Revolution, their first club gig in South Florida in a while. Their opening acts, Russian Circles and Secret Machines, show the band is aiming to further expand its fanbase and its sound. Read a quick bit about them here, or check out a feature on the band from the Miami New Times last November, when the band had just released its most recent record, No World For Tomorrow.

*Crazy Foolz and Stray Bombs play at the weekly Dub’d Out event at Delux in Delray Beach. Between the bands and the Djs, expect a blend of groovy vibes from surf rock, to reggae, to ska, to a little punk, to, of course, dub. Click here to read more about it.

*Over at Churchill's in Miami, the featured guests at tonight's edition of Can You Rock a Little Softer? are Ravelsteen and Sol. Click here to read why CYRALS got the Miami New Times nod this year for Best Open-Mike Night.

*Who knows who will turn up at any given event of the dinner-party-turned-just-straight-up-party, Miami L.I.V.E. at Santo? With a live R&B band, any number of urban music illuminati have, and continue to, show up to throw down. Click here to read why Miami New Times named it Best Weekly Party.

Tonight looks good for those who like, well, beats. Beyond a regular open mike, tonight's picks involve hip-hop, reggae, and the blues. -- Arielle Castillo

*Up-and-coming Broward County MC Swazy Styles travels south across the county line to hit Flavour, in Coconut Grove. Nice to know this underused performance space might kick back into gear (where art thou, onetime punk show promoters who booked this place all the time?). Click here to read more about the gig.

*The Open Mike Gong Night continues at the Chocolate Moose in Davie. Kudos to those brave enough to enter. Click here for more details.

*The blues stylings of both Albert Castiglia and Graham Drout are always a safe bet. Both play tonight at Tobacco Road.

*Need a reggae fix? Head to the appropriately chilled-out Bougainvillea's Old Florida Tavern, which is getting a weekly Tuesday reggae night under way. Don Sha and the Lalibela band play, with DJ DrasticX on the decks between sets.

The week's basically in full swing with several national shows today and tonight, so get moving. -- Arielle Castillo

*If this is the first you're hearing about it, it may be too late for you to get to the Rockstar Mayhem Fest today at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach... But just in case, it's a star-studded (if subgenre-mixed-up) traveling circus of all things loud and able to be played on "active rock" radio. Headliners are Slipknot -- on a surprisingly acclaimed comeback -- and fellow nu-metallers Disturbed... But hey, there are a number of other diverse acts including the awesome Mastodon, Dragonforce, Underoath, and Miami's own Black Tide -- if you missed my recent cover story on these guys, click here to catch up.

*Return to Forever, the closest thing jazz ever had to a popular supergroup, plays at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Click here to read more about the trio.

*I guess you should.... ride your bicycle to the Flobots/Busdriver gig at Culture Room. They're against the whole SUV thing, right?

*Spam Allstars play at Purdy Lounge, and that's always a surefire bet.

*If you like gambling and country music, here's your dream evening: Earl Thomas Conley performs at the Miccosukee Casino (which seems to be hosting an awful lot of live music lately, for better or for worse).