Miami Music Matters

Maxwell and Jill Scott join forces for tour

If you missed Grammy-winning R&B singer Maxwell when he performed in Miami in July 2009, there's good news for you: He's coming back, and he's bringing Jill Scott with him.

The soulful pair will take the stage at American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami on June 14.

Maxwell spent much of 2009 in support of his fourth studio album, BLACKsummer'night, which spawned hit singles like "Pretty Wings" and "Bad Habits."

Scott was out of the limelight for much of 2009, having given birth to her first child in April of that year. The tour will serve as an outlet for new material from her upcoming fourth studio album, The Light of the Sun: Words and Sounds Vol. 4, due in 2010.

No on-sale date has been announced yet, but tickets will be sold through Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Sean Paul, Flo Rida, Rick Ross headline Power 96 stage at Calle Ocho

If paying extra to see local artists at Calle Ocho isn't your thing, how about seeing some of the biggest hip-hop, R&B and reggae acts during the March 14 street festival?

Miami's party station, Power 96, will be hosting a stage on SW 8th Street and 17th Avenue, with performances kicking off at noon.

Some of Miami's biggest acts, like Flo Rida, Rick Ross and Trina, will be there, and dancehall reggae veteran Sean Paul will headline the event,

Also on the bill: Three 6 Mafia, Brisco, Black Dada, Smokey, Taio Cruz, Casely, Git Fresh and Elijah King, with more to be announced.

But in my opinion, B.o.B will likely steal the show. The 21-year-old rapper (and singer, producer, songwriter, guitarist, etc.) from Atlanta has hit the mainstream in a big way with his single "Nothin' On You" from his upcoming debut album for Atlantic Records, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. He typically performs with a 5-piece band (including his sister on keyboards), and his unique blend of spaced-out hip-hop and funky rock translates exceptionally well on stage.

The Bushmen win over a cover-band-hater

I'll admit it: I'm a harsh critic of cover bands.

I know that the singers' voices will never match the original artists', so that doesn't necessarily bother me (unless the vocals are just THAT bad). But much too often, I stumble into a bar to find an off-key, out-of-tune band butchering "Free Bird."

Which is why I was pleasantly surprised Saturday night at the Brickell Irish Pub. Not because of the overpriced beverages, lame draught beer selection (no Smithwick's on tap at an Irish Pub... really?)... but because of the damn good cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" that greeted me as I walked in.

The band in question: Miami's The Bushmen. A foursome that did a solid, faithful job recreating '70s and '80s bar staples like the Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun" and The Police's "Message In A Bottle."

Mind you, there were no tricks or surprised. But that was a good thing. Just solid recreations of the fun, popular sing-alongs I'd want to hear while drinking with friends.

Kudos, Bushmen. You've won me over.

'Best Of The Best' promises reggae, incarcerated rapper

Best Of The Best 2010, the latest installation of the annual Memorial Day weekend reggae festival, will take place Sunday, May 30 at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.

The most impressive part of the lineup: The overly high-billing of Gucci Mane, the Atlanta-based rapper currently serving a year at Fulton County jail. Either the promoters missed the memo that he's incarcerated, or they know something the rest of the hip-hop community doesn't.

The rest of the lineup features mostly reggae acts, including Mr. Vegas, Baby Cham, Lady Saw. The lineup lacks the star power of last year's event (which featured Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, T-Pain, Elephant Man, and a surprise appearance by Diddy), but the event promises that more acts will be announced shortly.

The show will form just part of the Memorial Day weekend festivities in and around Miami, which usually becomes a haven for hip-hop, R&B and reggae music events at the end of May.

Tickets for Best Of The Best are $34 (or $100 for VIP), and are available now at Ticketmaster.

Weezer, Flaming Lips, Nas & Damian Marley to headline SunFest

SunFest 2010, taking place in downtown West Palm Beach from April 28 to May 2, has announced what might be its best lineup yet.

Weezer, Flaming Lips, and Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley will be amongst the big-named acts playing. The lineup also includes legends like ZZ Top, Patti LaBelle and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

You can also vote for "New Music Acts" to play opening night. My choice: Atlanta's brilliant 21-year-old B.o.B.

The annual festival has offered live music, as well as arts and crafts, and carnival staples (like elephant ears!) since 1982, drawing several hundred thousand people per year.

Tickets can be purchased at the SunFest website, and start at $30 for a 1-day pass and $60 for a 5-day pass.

The full lineup:

Wednesday, April 28:

• Weezer
• *New Music Acts*

Thursday, April 29:

• ZZ Top
• Flaming Lips

Friday, April 30:

• Patti LaBelle
• Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

Saturday, May 1:

• Shinedown
• Charlie Daniels Band
• Rise Against
• Sister Hazel
• Better Than Ezra
• Classic Albums Live: 40 Years of Woodstock

Sunday, May 2:

• Ben Harper and the Relentless7
• The B-52s
• Five For Fighting
• Nas and Damian Marley
• Flogging Molly
• Marcus Miller

Hey Miami Musicians! Wanna be a recording artist just in time for Winter Music Conference?

Getting a leg up in this crazy, mixed up music world where no one wants to pay for anything can be a real drag. No one knows this better than Jeff Sadowski, who owned

the "record gallery" record store on 79th street back in the day, as well as owning a one-stop distributor called "statewide record service"

 I put those names in quotes, not because the history is in doubt, but rather because South florida only has one one stop and two record stores (sweat and radioactive) that buy new material and are worth more than a grain of sand in the mojave desert. Evan Churn's Yesterday and Today Records on bird road near the bird bowl is also a worthy destination, but it's pretty much solely a used record store, because that's all what his customers are interested in. and while that may bum me out - I have nothing but love for Churn's old WDNA radio show and his shop.

Anyhow, if you go on down to Sadowski's blog for his new company Music Talent Associates   - you have a shot at attracting what passes for fame in today's music climate.

Jeff has generously offered to extend the deadline for submissions for his Winter Music Conference sampler until March 11th.  As the WMC starts very shortly after, I suggest you get a track over ASAP to his email  for consideration.

I will be very curious to see how many  thirsty musical ponies fill his email  brook looking for creative juice to drink.

So