Music and Fashion Made Some Ugly Babies Last Week (Attn. Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, and Mickey Mouse)

Categories: Looking Good
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via Twitter
​Last week was a kooky time for music and fashion. These two creative arenas are always linked in both ugly and sometimes pretty ways. Musicians think that can design, and since they're rich, they often do. Luckily, fewer designers think they can sing. Although, Tommy Hilfiger singing "You're All I Need to Get By" alongside Mary J. would be quite the treat of the century. 

The following is a list outlining some of the ugliness and neatness of decisions made by fashionistas and musicians this past week. 
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Happy Birthday, Phil Collins!

Categories: Birthday
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Oh, Phil.
With a career that boasted a slow ascent and then followed with a perilously rapid descent, Phil Collins became an example of an artist that displayed both the best and worst of what fame and fortune could bring. 

Born January 30, 1951, he rose to the helm of Genesis, one of Britain's best progressive bands of the early to mid '70s, then helped bring them to commercial success before venturing on after they reached the nadir of their creativity and craft. 

He then struck out on his own, beginning his solo career with promise. Although, his ingenuity quickly plummeted once his fortunes rose. Collins made the case that artistic innovation and commercial rewards are often mutually exclusive and that following a formula, rather than one's headier instincts, is the inevitable way to get the masses listening.

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Machine Gun Kelly Leaves Fort Lauderdale and Gets Arrested: Criminal Foreshadowing in Videos

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He's thinking, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Just last Thursday, County Grind attended a particularly wild concert which included some near nudity, stage diving, and lots of masturbation chatter. The show was that of Machine Gun Kelly, the Cleavland rapper whose gift is his ability to spit out lyrics as fast as, well, a machine gun.

After the rapper left Fort Lauderdale, he and his crew headed to Orlando, and then Saint Pete, where he ended up in a jail cell. According to MTV and Twitter, it was in the slammer that MGK uncovered that the inmates recognized him. That was probably pretty neat and fortuitous for an up-and-coming, strikingly skinny, white guy, rowdy rapper. Th was charged with disorderly conduct and released on bail.

Let's take a minute to watch a few MGK videos that foreshadow last night's events. They hint at a lifestyle that is, you know, criminal.

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The Kills Captivate the Crowd at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale

Categories: Concert Review
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Ian Witlen
The Kills
with Jeff the Brotherhood and Hunters
Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale
Saturday, January 28

Better than:
Seeing them in front of 15 people at Common Grounds in Gainesville circa early 2000-something.

To describe the Kills show in one word would be easy: intoxicating. However, I'm not sure my editor would approve of such a short review. Still, the undeniable sexual energy flowing within the four walls of Revolution on Saturday night was pumping through everyone's bodies.

Seeing the Kills live is more than just going to another concert; it's as though you're a voyeur being invited into the duo's secret world. You can feel the unspoken connection, both musically and emotionally, that Hince and Mosshart hold between each other. It's authentic. It's genuine. And not just a product of a brand the two are trying to sell to the masses.


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99.9 KISS Country Chili Cookoff: Fewer People, More Manners, Please

Categories: Concert Review
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Nothing says sexy like a Confederate flag.
If many of those in attendance at the 27th Annual 99.9 KISS Country Chili Cookoff were official representatives of the United States, they'd offer a sort of dim but realistic view of American history. 

We have a longstanding history of demonstrating unfailing pride for living in the land of the free, the home of the brave. That history, however romantic, is also one of wrongful invasions and some not-so-nice racism. Check out those Confederate flags flying high.  

Despite all of that, what 99.9 KISS Country has done is a beautiful thing. It's created a longstanding music festival that celebrates twang, freedom, and good ol' Southern glory -- one that's still able to sell out 27 years after the fest's inaugural date.
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Tom Rush Talked Joni Mitchell, Festival Express, and His White Shoes at Broward Center

Categories: Concert Review
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Photo by Bruce W. Bedford, courtesy of TomRush.com
Tom Rush 
Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts 
January 28, 2012 

Better than: Practically every other performer armed only with two guitars, great songs, and a stunning wit.

For those who had never seen Tom Rush in concert before last Saturday night, there were two things they learned right at outset of his show. 

One, he's a stunning guitarist. This is a skill that, to fully appreciate, one must witness in person. Two, he's laugh-out-loud funny, a man who possesses a sharp wit and a brilliant sense of humor. 

His third skill is obvious already. A veteran of the seminal '60s Cambridge folk scene, he's not only a superb songwriter in his own right but an artist who's always had the knack for spotting other songwriting sources and adapting that outside material to suit his own style. Hence, his early albums featured the songs of the as-of-then-unknown Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and a number of other artists who had yet to command the spotlight on their own.

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Anthony Green Brings Out Tears and Singing Voices at Culture Room

Categories: Concert Review
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Steven Martinez

Anthony Green
Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
Saturday, January 28, 2012

Saturday night at the Culture Room, sleeve tattoos were displayed, vocal cords were pushed to their limit, and a few tears were probably shed as Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green, backed by Good Old War, lead what amounted to a highly emotional, group sing-along.

Green poured his heart out from start to finish, and the audience followed suit. As he stood, drenched in sweat, chest tattoo glistening in the bright lights, droplets of moisture flinging from his effortlessly coifed hair, the faces in the crowd became flushed along with his as they shared vocal duties. And they did so with such spirit, conviction, and surprising ability that he often stepped back from the mic and let his friends carry the tune.

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Nerds Nerd-Out Together at Retro Arcade Night (Photos)

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The next level seems forever

​These days, most gamer socializing happens through headsets and an internet connection. Back in the day, though, there were spots called arcades where peeps would hang out together, in the real world, and play videogames. 

Lately, there has been a resurgence of interest in the old, pixelated classics. South Florida got on that bandwagon with the newish monthly event that caters to the strained-eyed enthusiasts. 

Friday night, Steve Kleisath, of Further Seems Forever fame, cohosted the third Retro Arcade Night at Arcade Game Sales in Fort Lauderdale. 

For this gathering of gamers, the shop, which typically repairs and sells machines, takes on an arcade-like form. Players pay just ten bucks at the door and have unlimited access to the treasury of retro arcade games, from Ms. Pac-Man to Dig Dug, as well as pinball machines, foosball, and more. 

January's game night was a huge success with folks of all ages swept up in the captivating magic of the electronics and one another's company.

County Grind was on the scene to interrupt potential record-breaking plays for the sake of getting some silly questions answered. 

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Q&A: Palo!'s Steve Roitstein on Afro-Cuban Funk; Coconut Creek Show Saturday

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Miami fusion collective Palo! spells its band name just like that -- exclamation mark and all. But just like the completely musically unrelated Mayday! -- also from Miami, about whom we posted a little earlier -- that extra punctuation is well-deserved. The group calls itself an Afro-Cuban-funk act, and it harnesses all of the spirit that genre tag would imply.

Interestingly, though, the group is led by what we can call an "honorary" Cuban, Connecticut-born Miami transplant Steve Roitstein. He moved to then still-Southern Miami in the late '60s as a boy, but as the population changed, Roitstein got taken with the sounds of Latin beats. More >>

Plains Added to the Official South by Southwest Lineup

Categories: Just In , SXSW
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​We are big ol' crazy Plains fans around here. County Grind named their self-tited debut LP Best of South Florida Music of 2011, and you better believe we meant it. 

This is just one reason we were tickled when we saw that the four-piece rockers were added to the South by Southwest official showcase lineup. How freaking neat is that?

Our first instinct was to call them and ask, how the hell did this happen? Michael McGinnis, singer and songwriter for Plains, is also the dude over at Honor Roll Records. Through Honor Roll, they asked to be considered, and not long after, their inbox proclaimed something like, "You're in." 

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