Festival Days

JAMS DJs on Fort Lauderdale's Music Scene: "Some Good Things Are Going to Happen"

By Kat Bein Fri., Apr. 19 2013 at 2:18 PM
Categories: Festival Days, Festival alert
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Digital Cypher Photography

Many look at Ft. Lauderdale and see a bland concrete wasteland north of Miami, but not Mathew P and Eric Michael K of the JAMS DJ Network. They see a city on the verge of a cultural revolution -- if it wants it.

"I think there is an opportunity, especially in this particular area in Ft. Lauderdale, to be able to expose a lot of people to music they may not have heard of before," said Eric, who founded JAMS along with Matthew in 2010. They spin records around town as Esoteric and Damask respectively, alongside buddies including Kristof Ryan and Mike Diaz of Millionyoung.

For years, they've worked to build a scene in the 954 that fosters a love for the more progressive side of dance music. It's been a struggle, but they think their upcoming performance as part of Saturday's Block x Blog, taking over the Revolution Live! complex, is a sign of change.

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Interview

Krisp Taking Six Months off from Live Shows to Record "Badass Jams"

By Alex Rendon Fri., Apr. 19 2013 at 1:33 PM
Categories: Festival Days, Festival alert, Interview, Local Music
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Deciphering which band to catch between the multitudes of acts performing at this weekend's inaugural Block x Blog festival is one a tall order. With three stages and a tally of 30 odd bands on the bill, you could really use a personal assistant to help maximize the experience.

County Grind is here to help though, if you are a fan of the hook-heavy synth pop sounds of bands like Depeche Mode and the Junior Boys, circle one band on the list that you must see: Krisp. Based out of Miami's artistic hub, Wynwood, this four-piece's glimmering electronic indie rock has garnered a sizable following in the Magic City.

Although currently residing in Miami-Dade County, most of the quartet is familiar with gigging in Broward. Previously, three of the four that make up Krisp played in a Pompano Beach group, under the moniker Prospect Road.
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Festival Days

Ex Norwegian's Songs That Remind Them Why They Play Music

By Liz Tracy Fri., Apr. 19 2013 at 9:17 AM
Categories: Festival Days

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Though Ex Norwegian's last release was called House Music, the Miami Beach band definitely doesn't make the kind of house music that induces you to pop a molly and sweat. Though you might jump around a bit to their indie pop, their sound is better suited for the live stage than the uhntz of tha club.

The group has been through a series of lineup changes, but the core members remain. Frontman Roger Houdaille, also of Ed Hale and the Transcendence, Michelle Grand, and Giuseppe Rodriguez very recently released a new LP, Crash, on the Broward-to-Miami Limited Fanfare Records. They're representing the label at tomorrow's musical blowout Block x Blog at Revolution Live.

Music is like crack, but we also know that it's hard to continue to stay pumped about making it, day in and day out. So we asked the members of Ex Norwegian to give us a list of songs that psych them to keep writing, strumming, and singing.


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Festival Days

Block x Blog Music Festival Releases Set Times

By Liz Tracy Wed., Apr. 17 2013 at 1:39 PM
Categories: Festival Days, Festival alert
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By now, you've all read or heard about the launch of the Block x Blog music festival, likely a seminal moment in the history of South Florida music. With 30 local acts and DFA's Holy Ghost! in from New York, this event is blowing the ears off of your 4/20 and Record Store Day at Revolution Live. 

That means that if you brave out the whole experience from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., you can expand your knowledge on the local scene so much, that people walking down the street will stop and stare, children will tug on your sleeves, begging for attention, all because they will recognize your brilliance on the subject of South Florida music. You will emanate cool. 

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Festival Days

Grace Potter on Touring with the Avett Brothers: "We're Totally Sick of Each Other!"

By Falyn Freyman Tue., Apr. 9 2013 at 7:17 AM
Categories: Festival Days, Q&A
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Williams+ Hirakawa
Playing alongside huge acts such as Kenny Chesney, Ben Harper, and Lynyrd Skynyrd at the inaugural Tortuga Music Festival is a notable band with a lesser-known name but no lesser amount of soul. Poised to amp up the crowd and blow the LandShark-beer-toting concertgoers off the sand with a high-energy, genre-crossing, no-holds-barred performance are Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

The five-piece, alt-folk, bluesy jam band that hails from Vermont has been together for ten years. Led by the down-to-earth, barefoot-dancing multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, they've been steadily gaining a Dave Matthews-like cult following; jumping up the U.S. charts with their latest album, The Lion the Beast the Beat; and recently returning stateside after a decidedly triumphant tour across Europe and Australia.

In anticipation of the Fort Lauderdale-based Tortuga, Potter took time away from enjoying a sunny tour stop in L.A. to give us some advice on relationships and let us in on some war stories from the road.

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Tortuga Music Festival

Tortuga Music Festival's Chris Stacey and A.J. Niland on What to Wear and Who to Bring to the Festival

By Liz Tracy Thu., Mar. 21 2013 at 12:09 PM
Categories: Festival Days, Tortuga Music Festival
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Where the Tortuga magic will happen. 
It's still a month off, and advance and early bird tickets for the inaugural Tortuga Music Festival are almost entirely sold out. That's not to say that you still can't gain entrance to see the Fort Lauderdale Beach fest with Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, the Avett Brothers, and other big acts. These sort of sales are just impressive for any festival here in South Florida. Remember Langerado? 

The reason for its success is two-fold. Chris Stacey, former area local and head of Warner Bros. Records Radio Promo and founder of Rock the Ocean Foundation, brought his sonic expertise and paired it up with longtime festival planner AJ Niland. The latter is also planning the Tom Petty and Stevie Wonder-headlined, seaside Hangout Beach Music and Arts Festival in Alabama. Niland made the good point: "You'd rather be on the beach than just about anywhere else on a regular day, why not hear the music you love as well?" 

What follows is an interview we did with these two cofounders of Tortuga at the spot where the event will take place this April. We heavily discussed the inspiration for the event, the turtles. 
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Festival Days

Pitchfork and Coachella: to Festival Or Not to Festival

By David Rolland Thu., Feb. 7 2013 at 8:45 AM
Categories: Festival Days
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Your first reaction is envy when you hear Bjork, R. Kelly, and Belle & Sebastian are headlining Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival. And that the Stone Roses, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, and Blur (and that's just Friday's line-up) are playing Coachella, your second reaction is to audit your checking account and see if you have the finances to make the show. 

But before pawning off your grandmother's china, here is a truth you must come to terms with about these mega music festivals, if you are going to see a particular band (or even bands) your experience will be riddled with disappointment. Even if the midget and Omar from the Wire come on stage during a full rendition of R. Kelly's "Trapped In The Closet," the star of Pitchfork will be Pitchfork. And if during Lou Reed's set the surviving members of the Velvet Underground join him on stage for a rendition of "Heroin" the star of Coachella will still be Coachella.


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Festival Days

Sunshine Blues Festival, 2013 - Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton - January 19

By David Von Bader Mon., Jan. 21 2013 at 1:11 PM
Categories: Festival Days
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Max Reed
The essence of blues is rooted in sadness, so, while the concept of a "Sunshine" Blues Festival is a novel one, it is only appropriate that the day was spent beneath the cover of clouds and random torrents of rain.

See also
- Photos from Sunshine Blues Festival 2013
- Derek Trucks of Tedeschi Trucks Band Says Working with His Wife Is "Oddly Healthy"

Despite the crying skies, plenty of South Floridian blues fans donned their slickers and came out to Boca Raton's Mizner Park Amphitheater to enjoy a day packed to the gills with some of the genre's heaviest hitters.

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Festival Days

Tortuga Music Festival with Kenny Chesney Launches on Fort Lauderdale Beach in April

By Liz Tracy Wed., Dec. 26 2012 at 11:09 AM
Categories: Festival Days
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Things that, as a human being, you need to like include: the existence of the ocean and sea turtles. They both may frighten, sure, but the ocean is a necessity, and it's really relaxing to watch turtles smoothly duck in and out of the water. Even thinking about it makes us fall asle....

Anyway, Rock the Ocean a new organization dedicated to the waters of the world and live music is launching the inaugural Tortuga (turtles!) Music Festival. It's set to take place on the actual Fort Lauderdale Beach, this April with Landshark Lager, Kenny Chesney, and a slew of other musicians involved. The two-day fest will include three beach stages and like eight acts, so wearing sandals and your best Guy Harvey shirt (the WPB band or the old guy fish shirts -- the company is partnering with the org on this festival, in fact) is preferable. 

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Festival Days

Animal Style Records Release Free Fest 11 Sampler While Gainesville Prepares for Punk

By David Von Bader Thu., Oct. 25 2012 at 2:56 PM
Categories: Festival Days
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jweinerphotography.com
Silver Snakes perform Saturday night. 
Since 2002, droves of punk rock fans have converged upon Gainesville each late October. They do this to punish their ear drums and livers collectively for three days of musical alcoholism at the Fest. The event has grown every year via a potent mixture of rare performances by dormant artists and sets by current favorites. 

As the 13 venues hosting Fest 11 shows prepare for the weekend's displays of self-destructive behavior, updates anticipating the fun flood the social media. Two favorites from my own Facebook feed include "is anyone bringing a costume to the Fest, or am I going to be the only drunk guy in tights?" and "as of 5:30 today, I will be abandoning all personal/legal/monetary/corporate/moral obligations for four days. That being said: HAPPY FESTBOOK FRIDAY!" 



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Tags:

7 Seconds, Braid, Gainesville, Good Riddance, Lagwagon, Negative Approach, Propaghandi, The Fest
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