Photo by Ian Witlen

The violinist is awesome.

​This is not much of a heads up: the Avett Brothers perform tonight at 8 p.m. at Sunset Cove Amphitheater. But hey, you're getting more preparation time than I had when I stumbled upon their set at Orlando Calling this year when I found out about them.

I caught them a couple songs in. Whenever someone looks up and says, "Who the f*** are these guys?" you know you have won her over as a fan. They're country with a hint of punk and a dose of folk. And I am a fan of goth music, not country.

Here are five songs that demonstrate how they managed to have won me over:
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Chris Baldwin

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via Sounduo on Facebook

​We like the promotional matchup behind a show at the Funky Buddha in Boca on Saturday, February 18. The evening, dubbed the "Boca Shindig," is a group collaboration between South Florida Music Obsessed, Jolt Radio, and Brotherly Love Productions. If you don't know, they are, respectively: a new, high-energy blog devoted to all musical happenings in the area; a streaming online radio station covering the same; and a promotion group specializing in shows by underground live acts across genres. In other words, all folks devoted to making cool things happen in the tricounty area, for the love of music rather than any other BS.  More >>

​You've got to hand it to rapidly rising Cleveland-born rapper Machine Gun Kelly. Despite the wads of industry hype he's building his buzz the classic way, by dropping mixtapes and hitting the road hard. Luckily, his live performances seem to measure up to the ticket price -- his recent performance in Fort Lauderdale involved rock-style flourishes, like stage-diving and dancing around pants-less while reciting Blink-182 lyrics.
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​The call comes in five minutes early, but no matter. Leo Moran, one of two singers, guitarists, and songwriters for the Irish band the Saw Doctors, is on the phone from his hometown of Galway.

The soft burr of his Eire accent automatically evokes an uncommon air of affability. In a way, that's to be expected.

The Saw Doctors' prescription for melodic allure has always reflected their Irish roots, evoking images of the lovely emerald isle with its rural villages, lush rolling hills, wind-swept beaches, and idyllic innocence.

Likewise, they dispense hooks that are so irresistible, the defy sitting still, the sort of melodies that sound both seamless and spontaneous, all chock-full of instant appeal.

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​If you're not already initiated into sneakerhead culture, don't get too worked up about it. Yes, the sneakers fetch exorbitant prices. No, they aren't always worn. And all that talk about uppers! Soles! Colorways! (This is something characteristic of collectors' vinyl toys too -- why aren't they just plain-old "colors" or "color combinations" instead of "colorways"?) Whatever. Everyone has his or her fetishistic little collections on some level, right?

And hey, at least sneakerhead gatherings are more fun than most collector's conventions. With various music-interested subcultural types interested in expensively adorning their feet (or not), performances and cameo appearances at the most popular of this recurring series, DunkXChange, are usually a given.
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​Madge is back on, and she's coming to Miami this November. More >>

via Dubporn Records' Facebook page

​Wednesday hails the return of Proper Dosage, the regular bass-music weekly at Respectable Street in downtown West Palm Beach. (We're almost sure it's pretty much the only low-end-heavy party on that strip, in fact.) Besides appearances from regulars like Somejerk and the Reazin, this week's edition also features a slot by Adrianna "Gooddroid" Moschides, one of the few visible female DJs and producers in a male-heavy scene.  More >>

Ian Witlen

Jonas Stein on the mic with Turbo Fruits playing last year's preshow at Grand Central.

​Bruise Cruise organizers Michelle Cable and Turbo Fruits' Jonas Stein suggest bringing a few essentials on the boat this year. 1. a Speedo, 2. sunglasses, 3. a fanny pack ("Even though it sounds unhip, it was actually our saving grace," Cable advises.), 4. vitamins, 5. formal wear, and 6. An open mind.

"You've got to be down for anything," she said. "People just got cheesy and let their guilty pleasures come out. Dancing to Top 40 hits, letting their hair down, and not caring about how they look in their bathing suit anymore." That's right, even grungy rock guys will feel comfortable in their banana hammocks.


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​You probably already read here on County Grind that 12th Planet's End Is Near tour is coming to Fort Lauderdale tonight. The tour kicked off at Miami's Grand Central yesterday. There will likely be a flock of mega-charged fans finding their way north for a double-header. 

12th Planet is a music-maker that won't stay out of the limelight for much longer. Besides his immense talent, he's also a pretty swell guy. I know this because he called me the other day (his manager made him) and now we're friends (Facebook counts!).

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