Miami Music Guide
This guide is curated by William Alton, the man behind the @beachedwilly Twitter feed and the bottle of beer missing from your fridge. The guide is in reverse-chronological order and every date is a link. You’ll figure it out.
Saturday, February 25
Headline: Beached Miami presents Sumsun, Can’t Stop, The State Of, Honey Train
Where: Electric Pickle
Cost: $10
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen:
Notes: Spearheaded by West Palm Beach native Judson Rodgers, Sumsun creates electronic soundscapes with a chillwave palette that transport listeners to a land where the rain is warm and everyone dances. In 2011, Sumsun opened for Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells.
Led by filmmaker and Animal Tropical/PLAINS drummer Jorge Rubiera, Can’t Stop is currently recording a follow-up to its excellent debut LP, ‘Neighborhood’. The band will be premiering new material at the Feb. 25 show.
The Miami duo of Stephanie Taylor (lead vocals, piano, synth) and Nabedi Osorio (vocals, drums) are economical composers with a dramatic sound. Their music bursts with sorrow and anger as it moves across the pop rock spectrum with moody rhythm.
Newcomers from Ft. Lauderdale, Honey Train rides an old style with authenticity and flare. Their eight-track 2011 demo features a collection of scuzzy garage jams, including “Yo Toad/Deepness”, #35 on the Top 50 SoFla Songs of 2011 list.
Friday, February 24
Headline: Floor, Post Teens, Holly Hunt, ShroudEater, Sure Charm
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $10
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “In a Day” — Floor
Notes: One of Miami’s most storied bands, Floor reformed a couple years ago to tour in support of their Robotic Empire-released Below & Beyond box set, the most comprehensive collection of any South Florida band, comprising 10 LPs, 8 CDs, and one 7” spanning their 10-plus years together. Guitarist Steve Brooks, who would go on to form Torche soon after Floor’s demise, founded the influential thunderous sludge band in 1992 with current Holly Hunt drummer Beatriz Monteavaro and bassist/guitarist Anthony Vialon. Floor would go through several drummers while experimenting with a still-menacing melodic injection before disbanding in 2004. Surrounded by a cast of Miami’s strongest doom, sludge, and drone, Floor’s Churchill’s show is mandatory for anyone with even an inkling of interest in innovative metal. Floor was selected to play the Mogwai-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in London in May, along with other all-time heavy hitters Slayer, Mudhoney, Chavez, the Afghan Wigs, and many more.
Thursday, February 23
Headline: Warren G (show cancelled)
Where: Bardot
Cost: $22
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Regulate” — Warren G
Notes: Warren Griffith III, aka Warren G, was last relevant in 1994 with the release of Regulate…G Funk Era, so it might surprise people that the Long Beach rapper (and former Crips gang member) has since released six albums. And now that ’90s hip hop is officially a thing of a nostalgia, Warren has plans to release Regulate…G Funk Era Part 2 sometime in the near future. Mount up!
Sunday, February 19
Headline: Shameless Burlesque with Dangerfun Sideshow, The Butchers, Riot Act, Honey Train
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $7
Ages: 18+
Event Page: HERE
Notes: The art of burlesque is always best enjoyed with a side of good old fashioned rock and roll. Rising South Florida bands Honey Train, Riot Act, and the Butchers will provide the scuzzy soundtrack to the grandiose seductions of Holly Peno, Betty Beignet, and Lulu La Crème.
***
Headline: 1st Annual Jamfest (Day Four) w/ Electric Piquete
Where: The Stage
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Saturday, February 18
Headline: Arboles Libres and Ketchy Shuby
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Yellow Man” — Arboles Libres
Notes: Like peanut butter and jelly, Arboles Libres and Ketchy Shuby are a natural and delicious pairing. On the verge of (finally!) releasing their debut full-length and first recording since their 2010 self-titled EP, Arboles Libres is due to break out in a big way. The trio’s folk sensibilities are funneled through mighty rock guitar rhythms without the music wallowing in the folk-rock doldrums. Ketchy Shuby is fresh off their Downtown Soul covers album, which features funkdafied renditions of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?”, The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb”, Ween’s “Ocean Man”, and “Broke Like My Soul”, a Ketchy Shuby original so indebted to Otis Redding’s “Can’t Turn You Loose” that the band lists the King of Soul as a co-songwriter. Ketchy will be playing the three-day Aura Music and Arts Festival in St. Cloud, FL, on Mar. 10 alongside The Heavy Pets, ArtOfficial, Psychedelphia, and many more.
***
Headline: 1st Annual Jamfest (Day Three) w/ Aquaphonics, Jimkata, Green Sunshine
Where: The Stage
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Friday, February 17
Headline: The Band in Heaven 7” Release Show
Where: The Vagabond
Cost: FREE
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Sleazy Dreams” — The Band in Heaven
Notes: West Palm Beach’s The Band in Heaven (TBIH) will celebrate the release of their brand new 7” via esteemed indie label HoZac Records. The duo started off the new year with a fantastic albeit horrifying music video and the 7” vinyl, which was released on Jan. 20 by HoZac, whose catalogue includes releases by Blank Dog, Black Lips, Dum Dum Girls, Davila 666, Mark Sultan, UV Race, and South Florida’s Teepee and Jacuzzi Boys. The Chicago label was seduced by TBIH’s slow-burn drone and the disturbing images that Alice Cohen wove together for the trio’s “Sleazy Dreams” video. Core TBIH members Lauren Dwyer (vocals, keys) and Ates Isildak (vocals, guitar) are now rounded out by permanent drummer Ryan Schemm, who played his first show with the band on New Year’s Eve after just two practices. The trio’s four-song HoZac release features a re-recorded version of The Band in Heaven’s “Summer Bummer” (No. 6 of the Top 15 South Florida Songs of 2010) with Surfer Blood front man John Paul Pitts on lead guitar.
***
Headline: Orbweaver, Ether, Devalued, and Manifest Test Subject
Where: Beezlebub’s Cave
Cost: $5
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Orbweaver, whose “Those of Non-Being” appears on the just-released Swamp Abyss Sorcery compilation, leads a pack of hungry noise mongers. Ether’s slow-developing ooze and battle-tested demon growls are always a good fright for virgin ears. Devalued’s hardcore-inflected frenzied transitions (see their 54-second screamer, “Coke Dick”, which appeared on the Top 50 SoFla Songs of 2011) and Ft. Lauderdale’s Manifest Test Subject’s metal-tronic experimentations complete a diverse night in the Cave.
***
Headline: Yonder Mountain String Band
Where: Revolution
Cost: $28.99
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Sometimes I’ve Won” – Yonder Mountain String Band
Notes: The Colorado quartet hasn’t released an album in nearly three years, but that shouldn’t stop jam heads from checking out the improv-happy noodlers. The Stop, the band’s last LP, was a double album affair that featured both traditional and crossover bluegrass material and live recordings.
***
Headline: 1st Annual Jamfest (Day Two) w/ Bobby Lee Rodgers and The Legendary JC’s
Where: The Stage
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Thursday, February 16
Headline: Third Thursdays with Guy Harvey, New Coke, and Lil Daggers
Where: Electric Pickle
Cost: $5 (before 11:32), $10 (after 11:32)
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen:
Notes: Recently featured in Brooklyn Vegan, Guy Harvey plays a solar-powered brand of alt-pop revival that catches the ear like a riptide. Singer Adam Perry recently appeared with Surfer Blood on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Guy Harvey’s “Something in the Way” Nevermind Miami cover is probably the best thing you’ll hear today. Snagging the #7 spot on the Top 50 SoFla Songs of 2011, Lake Worth-based New Coke is poised to rock the local scene hard this year. Check out the trio’s delightfully sinful debut 7” on their bandcamp. Darkly cinematic, Miami-based Lil Daggers make the music of imminent danger. Stream their self-titled 2011 LP on their bandcamp.
***
Headline: Surfer Blood and PLAINS
Where: Bardot
Cost: $15 (advance), $20 (door)
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Seemingly a grudge match between melodic plain-clothed white guys, this harmonious pairing of South Florida’s finest indie rockers could prove to be one of the year’s best shows. Surfer Blood, fresh off their appearance on Jimmy Fallon (with Guy Harvey’s Adam Perry sitting in on keys), made a triumphant comeback from the indie buzz graveyard in 2011 with the release of their Tarot Classic EP, which features the Weezer-like hit “Miranda”. PLAINS, whose debut LP was one of last year’s best albums, seem destined for a similarly successful future. With plans to release a 7” record in March, PLAINS will also embark on an official showcase at South by Southwest in Austin, TX.
***
Headline: 1st Annual Jamfest (Day One) w/ The Resolvers, Ketchy Shuby, Fusik, DJ Haitian Hillbilly
Where: The Stage
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Tuesday, February 14
Headline: “Hated for Loving” Smiths Tribute Night w/ Ordinary Boys, DJ Dracula’s Daughter
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “I Am Hated For Loving” — Morrissey
Notes: Churchill’s continues its solid run of tribute nights with Smiths/Morrissey cover band The Ordinary Boys. If you have a significant other who wants to spend Valentine’s Day within the dank confines of a beer-soaked pub listening to Moz covers, you’ve got yourself a keeper.
***
Headline: Sleigh Bells, Diplo, and Liturgy
Where: Grand Central
Cost: $27.76
Ages: 18+
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Sleigh Bells, Diplo, and Liturgy take a page out of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s book for a Florida-only tour with a bewildering but tantalizing triumvirate of bass, electro, and metal. While vastly different from one another, all three units command attention with vet-like stage presence and flair. Sleigh Bells, the noise pop duo of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, will release Reign of Terror, their second LP and first since mid-2010, on Feb. 21. Liturgy, the metal trio from Brooklyn, is still basking in the unanimously positive critical reception of their 2011 LP Aesthethica, and ignoring the absurdity of traditionalism (black metal can indeed be played by people who don’t look like they play black metal).
Sunday, February 12
Headline: The B-52s
Where: Arsht Center
Cost: $25-$25 (plus $15 parking)
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Rock Lobster” — Peter Griffin
Notes: “We were at a party. His ear lobe fell in the deep. Someone reached in and grabbed it. It was a rock lobster. We were at the beach. Everybody had matching towels. Somebody went under a dock. And there they saw a rock. It wasn’t a rock. It was a rock lobster!”
Saturday, February 11
Headline: Com Truise with Cosmo Baker, and Abdecaf
Where: Bardot
Cost: $12
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Sundriped” — Com Truise
Notes: Somebody definitely has a crush on Miami. Returning for the third time in less than a year, Seth Haley, aka Com Truise, creates electronic vibes that bare a strong association to the Magic City’s colorful landscape.
***
Headline: Sleigh Bells, Liturgy
Where: Revolution
Cost: $27
Ages: 18+
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Comeback Kid” – Sleigh Bells
Notes: See notes above for the Sleigh Bells, Diplo, Liturgy show on Feb. 14.
Friday, February 10
Headline: Rachel Goodrich with The Jacob Jeffries Band and Tristan Clopet
Where: Bayfront Park (see update below)
Cost: FREE
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “A Chat with my Brain” — Tristan Clopet
Notes: The DWNTWN Miami Concert Series and Sweat Records teamed up to bring hometown girl Rachel Goodrich and hometown fellas Jacob Jeffries and Tristan Clopet together at the Tina Hills Pavilion in Bayfront Park on what should be a beautiful Miami night. Last year, the smooth-singing Clopet released his debut LP, Name It What You Want, a refined grouping of indie romantipop that calls out to Clopet’s most resounding influence, Jeff Buckley (see Clopet’s killer Best of 2011 list). The Jacob Jeffries Band, whose LP, Tell Me Secrets, is due out in May, is Ft. Lauderdale’s melodically proficient four-piece poppers led by Jacob Jeffries’ effortlessly beautiful voice.
Update: The show at Bayfront Park has been cancelled, according to tweets by Goodrich and Clopet. Of course, the show must and will go on: Goodrich and the Moneybags will be playing at the Vagabond, set to start at 11 p.m.
Thursday, February 9
Headline: Bruise Cruise Kickoff Party (Day 2) with Fucked Up, Jacuzzi Boys, Thee Oh Sees, King Khan & the Shrines, The Soft Pack
Where: The Stage
Cost: $25 for two-day passes
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Notes: The second of two pre-Bruise Cruise parties is chock full of modern punk rock’s favorite children. Leading the charge is Fucked Up, punk’s heaviest hitters from Toronto with a flair for invention. Led by the unapologetically shirtless and always stimulating Damian Abraham, aka Pink Eyes, the sextet experienced rare mainstream success in 2011 with their third LP David Comes to Life, an even rarer hardcore punk rock opera set in late ’70s England about a light bulb factory worker who falls in love with an activist named Veronica. San Fran’s Thee oh Sees, a unanimous favorite from last year’s Cruise thanks in part to charismatic frontman John Dwyer, returns with two new full-length LPs in tow. Psychedelic garage heroes King Khan & the Shrines and San Diego’s The Soft Pack fill out the lineup, along with Miami’s hometown heroes, Jacuzzi Boys.
***
Headline: Zola Jesus with Axe and the Oak, Talk Normal, and Lolo
Where: Bardot
Cost: $15 (early bird sold out)
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Seekir” — Zola Jesus
Notes: Nika Roza Danilova, aka Zola Jesus, is an indie’s experimental goth darling. Just 22 years old, the Wisconsin-raised singer released her third LP, Conatus, a sparsely twitchy take on gothic-tinged landscapes that shows off her unmistakably robust croon. While she may stand on the shoulders of Siouxsie, Zola Jesus’s musical direction is all her own. Fittingly, Miami’s dark men of rock, The Axe and the Oak, will get things started.
***
Headline: GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance (Opening Day)
Where: Virginia Key
Cost: Various ticket packages
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Virginia Key Beach Park will host the inaugural GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, a four-day camp out (Feb. 9 – Feb. 12) with headliners Chaka Khan, Arrested Development, Fishbone, and the Del McCoury Band. Besides the headliners, notable local acts include Raffa & Rainer, ArtOfficial (whose “Black Birds” was one of the Top 50 SoFla Songs of 2011), Elastic Bond, Big Brass Juke, The Heavy Pets, and DJ Bill Kelly, the co-founder and director of the Winter Music Conference.
Wednesday, February 8
Headline: Bruise Cruise Kickoff Party (Day 1) with Blowfly, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, The Togas, Mikal Cronin, and Deaf Poets
Where: The Stage
Cost: $25 for two-day passes
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Swamp Buggy Badass” — Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Notes: The first of two land-bound parties offers an eclectic mix of musicians before the Bruise Cruise floats away to late-night buffet heaven/hell. Miami R&B legend Blowfly and peripatetic organ-grinder Quintron bring the required fucked-up debauched funk to the party. Show-goers will be privy to a rare treat as the freshly formed supergroup The Togas are made up of Ty Segall, Philip Sambol of the Strange Boys, Shannon Shaw of Shannon and the Clams and Lance Wille of the Reigning Sound. Cali fuzz popper Mikal Cronin and Miami blues rock duo Deaf Poets round out the night.
***
Headline: “Brown Bag” Wednesday with Talib Kweli (DJ Set) and DJ Immortal
Where: The Green Room
Cost: $10
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Ft. Lauderdale’s Green Room has quickly become a go-to venue for showcasing worthy local talent and housing nimble-wristed resident DJs. Not resting on those laurels, Green Room will introduce Brown Bag Wednesdays, the venue’s weekly celebration of underground hip hop. And what better way to kick things off than with Talib Kweli manning the decks? Future Brown Bag shows will feature ¡Mayday!, ArtOfficial, and 9th Wonder.
***
Headline: International Noise Conference 2012 (Day One)
Where: Burger and Beer Joint
Cost: ?
Event Page: HERE
Notes: The five-day freakout kicks off (strangely) at the Burger & Beer Joint before moving to its natural Churchill’s habitat. The opening night features stellar up-and-comers like Luma Junger and Jackie Ransom, metal brain-shakers Slashpine, lo-fi melody impresarios 90s Teen (Ricardo Guerrero) and Dino Felipe, and a score of others for four hours of Roofless Rex-curated (read: eclectic, brow-raising) music.
***
Headline: Daymoths
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $5
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Back In Time” — Daymoths
Notes: A duo from St. Paul, Minn., Daymoths are bringing their D.I.Y. dream rock to Churchill’s almost a year to the day since their South Florida debut. With sweet-voiced pianist Emily Dantuma and minimalist drummer Ollie Dodge, Daymoths plays with space, psychedelia, and naturally ethereal singing to create hauntingly playful experimental pop. The resounding sounds of West Palm Beach’s baroque rockers Raggy Monster, whose debut EP will be released in March, will open.
Tuesday, February 7
Headline: Willie Nelson
Where: Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Cost: $35-$75
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — Willie Nelson
Notes: The 78-year-old Red Headed Stranger has released an album in six different decades and smoked a joint in eight. See a legend, get a contact high.
***
Headline: Dukes of Juke
Where: The Stage
Cost: $??
Event Page: HERE
Sunday, February 5
Headline: Big Eyes with Post Teens, Rose Cross, Featherweight, and No Children
Where: Churchill’s
Cost: $8
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Now That You Aren’t Mine” — Big Eyes
Notes: As part of their 40-stop “Washin’ Up” tour, Seattle’s Big Eyes come equipped with material from their debut LP, Hard Life, which was released last year on Don Giovanni Records (the home of Screaming Females). The trio, fronted by Kate Eldridge’s Joan Jett-like voice, plays vintage meaty and melodic punk that falls somewhere between Superchunk and Ted Leo.
Saturday, February 4
Headline: ANR and Sam Friend
Where: Mamushka’s
Cost: FREE
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Oxygen Generation” — Sam Friend
Notes: Two of South Florida’s finest melody makers come together after recuperating a bit from a demanding 2011. ANR closed last year with a bang, playing over 40 shows between September and December, covering Kelis’s “Millionaire” for Neon Gold Records TV, and announcing that they’re already at work on a new album. Meanwhile, Sam Friend, who released four tracks from his newest album Spirit Mirror in September, returns to Miami to croon to his hometown fans between residencies in New York. After touring westward for two months in late 2011, Friend will begin another residency in New York on Feb. 17, this time at Caffe Vivaldi in Greenwich Village.
Friday, February 3
Headline: John Prine with Sara Watkins
Where: Coral Springs Center for the Arts
Cost: $39.50
Ages: ALL
Event Page: HERE
Listen: “Illegal Smile” — John Prine
Notes: John Prine is the kind of songwriter that forces you to remember where and when you heard him for the first time. Prine’s outlaw style, sharp philosophical wit, and grittily smooth vocals make him one of country music’s greatest artists and a true national treasure. His contemporary Kris Kristofferson once said, “He’s so good, we’re gonna have to break his fingers.” The 65-year-old Illinois native has aged like a country Tom Waits, losing none of his edge and gaining some welcome gravel in his pipes. After four decades of releasing music, Prine released The Singing Mailman Delivers last year, a title that pays homage to his pre-singing days as a mailman. The double album consists of archived music that dates back to 1970 and a radio session recorded in Chicago.
Thursday, February 2
Headline: Ketchy Shuby Downtown Soul Record Singles Club Release Party
Where: The Vagabond (patio)
Cost: FREE with RSVP to Shake305@gmail.com
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Most people wouldn’t hear the groove in Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”, but Miami soul act Ketchy Shuby, lead by the throat-straining vocals of Jason Joshua Hernandez-Rodriguez, has turned the Nevermind track into a Stax-esque (and Nevermind Miami-worthy) jam on its new release, Downtown Soul Record Singles Club. Comprised mostly of covers, the 10-song collection features funkdafied renditions of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?”, The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb”, Ween’s “Ocean Man”, and “Broke Like My Soul”, a Ketchy Shuby original so indebted to Otis Redding’s “Can’t Turn You Loose” that the band lists the King of Soul as a co-songwriter. You can stream the entire release download it for free on Ketchy Shuby’s bandcamp.
***
Headline: The State Of
Where: Green Room
Cost: FREE
Ages: 21+
Event Page: HERE
***
Headline: “Eclectic Electric” with This Heart Electric
Where: Electric Pickle
Cost: FREE
Event Page: HERE
Notes: Ricardo Guerrero’s This Heart Electric will kick off the return of The Electric Pickle’s “Eclectic Electric” night with a special midnight performance. One of Miami’s most gifted songwriters, Guerrero blends elements of lo-fi pop, post-punk, and plain old rock and roll to come up with sweet, contemplative ditties like “Sunrise Blvd,” which appeared on the Top 50 South Florida Songs of 2011.
