Miami Music Matters

REVIEW: Jacuzzi Boys + Open Bar = Fun. Despite: Open Bar + Tattooed Drunks + Documentary = lame

This past Tuesday, Sailor Jerry hooked up a screening party at Miami Art Space that was quite promising on its face.

If you were willing to sit through their documentary on their namesake, a WW2  tattoo artist based in Hawaii, you could swill all the rum you wanted and get to see a set by the red hot Jacuzzi Boys , fresh of their record release party for their debut Lp, No Seasons .

Alas, my regular designated driver was preoccupied, so I couldn't get smashed. But after walking in past the RSVP listgal and her bodyguards in blue - it was clear everyone else was taking full advantage. Even for a debauched city like miami, 150 tatooed drunks going all out on a Tuesday was pretty impressive. 

Alas, the alleged main event,  the screening of  Hori Smoku, Sailor Jerry,  was a disaster. The first problem was that Miami Art Space is built like a giant auto garage, and the acoustics are horrendous. The second problem was that every tattoo shop regular for 20 miles was already lit and acting like they had never seen a movie in a theater before. Some yahoo sitting behind me was actually screaming at the top of his lungs for the first twenty minutes of the flick - no amount of sshing or dirty looks could extinguish his burning desire to be a jackass.  Eventually, I gave up and walked out - finding the Jacuzzi Boys on their 10th (or more) cup of rum punch.

"I gotta slow down" Singer/ guitarist Gabriel Alcala told me, right before telling his drummer, Diego Monasterios, to get him a refill.

10 minutes later, they were onstage - and the same audience who couldn't handle watching a film while drunk  - proved very good at being an excellent audience for a band who was drunker than they were. Alcala's guitar cord repeatedly fell out of his axe. His guitar strap fell off twice. For a lesser band, this would have proved to be a disaster, but they rolled with it - and before you knew it a bevy of go go dancers  led by Miami Bass Warrior Debbie D began cutting a rug - defying the 90 degree late night heat and the lake of spilled rum punch that threatened to ruin their shoes.

"Only in this town do people get down when it's sticky outside." A cute blonde friend of Debbie's told me.

"What choice do we have?" I replied

A mosh pit then broke out. and she jumped into it, high heels and all. Nightlife shutterbug Gypsy Nefarious boogied through it, and only hit me once when I spilled her drink.

After a rousing version of their brand new tune "Bricks and Coconuts" - and an encore that was too fast and loud to identify - The Jacuzzi Boys wrapped up their baccanal.

"That was great man!" Some tattooed dude with a beard shouted at Alcala. "I know we're in Miami, but it felt like we were up in New York at CBGB."

And to think some people believe drinking is bad for you.

 

Gal Costa still silvery

Caught Gal Costa at the Arsht's Knight Concert Hall Thursday night, and so glad I did. Even though I don't speak Portuguese (speaking Spanish is not that much help), her voice was enough to enjoy. It may not have quite the pure, soaring shimmer of her youth, but there's a warmth to her famous silvery tone now that made her singing seem both luminous and deep. At 64, she's still a diva, coming out in a silky colorful caftan kind of thing, her smile still spectacularly wide and illuminating. I have to say, I was jealous of the sold-out, mostly Brazilian audience (which looked fabulous, everyone, whether 20 or 60 something, seemed comfortably chic in their own way, the kind of hip, cultured crowd I liked to think would fill the arts center) - they sang along with almost every song, happily carried away. And I finally got why Girl From Ipanema is a hit; Costa made it so in-the-moment-nostalgic, so dreamy, sensual, and longing, that it finally stopped seeming a bossa nova name-drop cliche and became a perfect capture of a moment by the beach. Alas, here I am blogging it, instead of drinking caiparinhas by the waves.

BOO! Live Rock Music on South Beach Reanimates on Halloween At Bella Rose! Less Brains For Dance Music Zombies To Eat!

Ever since Washington Square closed its doors in 1993, live rock music on South Beach has been a critically endangered species. Sure, you had joints like Rose's and (very briefly) Stephen Talkhouse following the Square in the 90s - but they were psuedo upscale joints with unadventerous booking practices that had no grit.

 South Beach Pub was the closest the beach had to a real rock club following the square, but that joint has been closed long enough to have teenage children. The last stab this decade was monday nights at Senor Frogs - and there was a certain charm to it -- but Rock and Roll can visit Mexican Restaurants -- not thrive there long term.

If the closing of PS 14 has taught the live music scene anything - it is that Overtown is not the sole answer. While sure, it's nice to have a nightclub district with rents that aren't completely insane -- the majority of people who like live music don't  want to park in a neighborhood that's been rough since before the current generation of clubland was born.  Furthermore - one live band, one night a week  (Fridays at the Vagabond) does not a scene make. Moving PS 14's live band night from Saturday to up against the Vagabond's Friday night was retarded - and eventually led to their demise.

Which brings us back to South Beach. Tired of sitting by and watching South Beach be over run by bottle service bling joints like BED, The producers of the documentary Cocaine Cowboys started up  Bella Rose last year, in the hopes that they could make a cool, laid back joint like Mickey Rourke's  old place, "The Spot" - where you don't have to take out a 2nd mortgage to buy a round of drinks.  

 One year later, enter Heavy Hitter productions, helmed by  Michael Wright, a veteran of LA's Sunset Strip heyday and one time employee of Motley Crue's original managerial team. Wright is determined to build upon Bella Rose's decontamination  of South Beach  and bring back Original, Live Music to South Beach.

Kicking off this mission is Halloween Night's, "Hellraiser's Ball" starring Broward Hard Rock act Planet Abyss , a promising bunch of 18-20 year old kids who aren't old enough to drink - but can rock the house sans shirts with no shame.

So forget "Wild On E"  This Halloween. Instead,  go to the Bella Rose, drink some Jack Daniels and howl at the moon with Planet Abyss. It'll keep you safe from a zombie attack. 

  

Lady Gaga adds second Miami show to Monster Ball Tour

Lady Gaga has added a second Miami date to her Monster Ball Tour, which will take place two days after her New Year's Eve show at the James L. Knight Center.

The second show, added due to popular demand, will take place Jan. 2, 2010, also at the Knight Center.

The Monster Ball Tour comes on the heels of the cancellation of Fame Kills, a tour Kanye West and Gaga scrapped weeks after its announcement.

On November 24, Gaga will release The Fame Monster, a reboot of her critically acclaimed 2008 debut, The Fame. It'll contain songs from her first album, as well as eight new tracks, including new single "Bad Romance."

Opening on the tour will be alternative hip-hopper Kid Cudi, whose experimental debut album Man On The Moon: The End Of Day is my favorite release of the year.

Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster for both the December 31 and January 2 shows, and range from $23 to $63.

Halloween Blitz Festival hosts contests, parades and heavy metal violin in Mizner Park

Although All Hallows Eve is on Saturday night, the Halloween Blitz Festival kicks off the holiday a day early at Mizner Park's Centre for the Arts in Boca Raton, packing in contests, parades and a rock concert all into one night.

For the family crowd, both kids and pets will get a parade to show off their costumes and the best ones will receive prizes. Most of the stores around the ampitheatre will be open so kids can go trick-or-treating around the park as well.

Headlining the concert portion of the festival is Vio7 - a heavy rock group that features classically-trained violinist Armand Melnbardis on a 7-string electric rock violin. If they're new to you, Vio7's performances are unique and creative; they put some of the most talented rockers to the test.

The rest of the acts include Doug Bruckie (classic rock), Eddie Law (power vocals), Capt. Nasty (a cover band with Yngwie Malmsteen's drummer), and a guest appearance by The Livesays. 

Throughout the night, Seaside Music Events will be handing out about $1000 worth of prizes -- certificates to local restaurants, tanning salons, gyms, spas, and childrens' venues, as well as CDs and band merchandise.

The schedule:

• 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.  Costume parade and contests
• 5:30 Kids parade
• 6:00 Pet parade
• 6:00 Venue opens
• 6:50 Opening ceremony, sponsor recognition, announcement of contest winners
• 7pm - 11 p.m Concert; raffle prices given out between each band (Vio7 will take the stage at about 10p.m.)

There will be an afterparty at the Boca Raton Plaza Hotel. All people who have pictures or merchandise and want it signed by the musicians will be able to do so. This hotel is also offering a discounted rate of $50 / night for anyone who wants to stay in town if they mention they are attending the Halloween Blitz.

Tickets are $10 and all ages are welcome. Kids under 12 are free. Click here to view the event poster.

"Night Of Weirds" brings Puppetree and a dozen bands to the American Legion in Morningside Tonight

As recent days have seen long-running venues Alligator Alley and PS 14 taken away from South Florida  - it is refreshing that Harvey's Bar at the American Legion in Morningside has popped up to give  music lovers in Miami a place to quench our thirst while getting our musical freak on.

And tonight's "Night Of  Weirds" is a good time to do that. While acts like HAHAHELP!  may be known to Churchill's Dwellers, the night's most interesting act is local filmmaker Lauren Boyle's shadow puppet troupe Puppetree ." Backed by noise guru  Rat Bastard on Sax and Holy Terrors guitarst Dan Hosker - Boyle practices dramatic arts with the use of elaborate sets, funky props and everything but the kitchen sink to help one "unleash your soul" while having their eardrums messed with.

As Boyle is a stone cold fox, the audience may wish that there wasn't a sheet inbetween them and her. But seeing as her art is the only chance they are going to get to use "Lauren Boyle" and "Sheets" in a sentance that's relevent to them - they might as well throw caution to the wind and fall deep into her looking glass. Knowing Lauren, there may be wine in it.

 

Black + Pink = Breast Cancer Awareness for the Rocker

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is almost over. Have you shown your support yet? Don't worry, there's no need to be too tough to sport some pink in your wardrobe. 

Victory Records released 10 limited-edition t-shirts for the month of October that allow you to show support for two things at once: one of your favorite bands AND breast cancer research. They're original designs with tweaked colors -- some are pink on black, some black on pink -- and they come in both mens' and womens' sizes. 

They are donating 15% of all sales from these t-shirts to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. All of their bands -- Streetlight Manifesto, Emmure, Silverstein, Blood for Blood, Bayside, Aiden, A Day To Remember, Otep, and Between the Buried and Me -- are on board and have contributed sales to the Victory Over Cancer event.

As soon the shirts became available, Otep announced the event to fans on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Her passion paid off, and the band leads the way in shirt sales. Rock on!

If any of these bands are on your playlist, snag a shirt! They're only available until this Saturday, October 31st.

Local acts take the stage at Auto Show

Some of South Florida's most talented artists are taking the stage at the South Florida International Auto Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center this week.

The Lexus Listening Lounge, located at Lexus' booth at the event, is hosting daily performances and meet and greet opportunities.

The schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, Oct. 27: Liset Alea
• Wednesday, Oct. 28: Alejandra Alberti
• Thursday, Oct. 29: Suenalo
• Friday, Oct. 30: Jean
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Conjunto Progreso
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Spam All-Stars

The Oct. 27- Oct. 30 performances start at 7:30 p.m., with 8:30 p.m. Meet and greets. The Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 performances take place at 3:50 p.m., with the meet and greets at 4:50 p.m. 

Roberto Carcasses returns to Miami this Friday Oct. 30

Cuban pianist and bandleader Roberto Carcasses, one of the leaders of the new school of musical fusion in Havana, returns to Miami for a family visit and a little music for the rest of us. The son of the legendary Bobby Carcasses, Roberto slipped under the tightened Bush-imposed barriers that until very recently kept Cuban musicians and artists out of this country by coming to visit family here in Miami, playing last July at the Artime and previous shows in Little Havana.

This time around Carcasses will perform solo on the piano, with a few guests, at 9 pm this Friday Oct. 30th, at Abanico Theatre, Arts & Minds Center - that's the very enlightened performing arts charter high school - 3138 Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove. Tickets $20, or $10 students. The Abanico is tiny - for reservations call or email Eva Silot, esilot@alafiaevents.com, (786) 523-3902

Bebel Gilberto kicks off tour in Miami

Brazilian music baby Bebel Gilberto will kick off her new tour Nov. 18th at the Fillmore. The daughter of bossa nova guitar god Joao Gilberto and Brazilian singer Miucha (musical dynasties are a welcome thing in Latin America) just released her fourth and latest album, All in One, with production by a bunch a guys, including old school heavyweight Carlinhos Brown and new schooler Didi Gutman of the Brazilian Girls.

 All in One is pop-ish and Brazilian light, but fluid, fun, sweet and more engaging - to my taste - than the electro pop meanderings of her much heralded debut.