Last year, Jordan Levin's Miami Music Matters expose on the first Miami Music Festival revealed a hopelessly disorganized failure. The MMF steamrolled several acts from overseas and out of town who thought they were in for a proper music festival experience ala Austin's SXSW festival or New York City's CMJ music marathon. Instead they played to empty rooms that had rarely, if ever, featured original live music.
This year, with more sponsorshop and a booked weekend at Bayfront - featuring 90s Miami Bass stars Poison Clan - The Miami Music Festival is seeking respectablity. But their meat and potatoes of shaking down $35 "registration fees" from unknown local bands and placing them in unsuitable venues remains the same. Save for NYC all-girl garage band The Vivian Girls - who are playing some joint on Lincoln Road Mall - instead of Churchill's where they belong- the Miami Music Festival is minus any band worth the day-of-show-one-venue $15 cover charge, let alone the $25 all-inclusive wristband.
It's a trainwreck easily spotted a month away from its three day run in November - but don't take my word for it. Below is an animated callout from Will Lopez of Hialeah punkers Guajiro. He doesn't pull any punches in this brutally descriptive 7 minute screed. My favorite part is when the charactor portraying the festival organizer relates: "I don't care if you scream into a bullhorn and record it on garage band over the sound of sperm whales mating - as long as you pay the fee - you are in."
Wow - just saw this - Thanks guys -
Stay tuned - More to come -
Posted by: Will Lopez | 11/05/2010 at 08:52 AM
Wristbands are perfect souvenirs and evidences of attending significant events such as this. I once had debossed silicone wristband when I attended a concert and it was damn so cool!
Posted by: Walter Knauf | 03/19/2011 at 02:23 AM