Ketchy Shuby

People have a hard time pronouncing the name of Miami sextet Ketchy Shuby correctly. But after hearing these guys jam, South Florida fans have gotten used to saying the name: Keh-chee Shoo-bee. The moniker comes from a song by roots-reggae legend Peter Tosh. Back in 2008, there was a lot more reggae in their '60s-throwback rock 'n' soul sound, but nowadays, the troupe emphasizes the soul, having added a little funk and a splash of Afrobeat. The band has a name for this recipe of grooves: "downtown soul."

Having played almost every venue in Miami and even taken the stage at Little Havana's cubanisimo block party Calle Ocho, Ketchy Shuby is dominating the 305 sound. A hard-working bunch, the band members are starting to receive national attention, attributable to their dedication and relentless touring. At record-industry shebang South by Southwest, the band played six shows in four days. At Spin's showcase, frontman Jason Joshua Hernandez-Rodriguez engaged the crowd with his manic energy, frantic yelps, and even crazier hairstyle. Looking like he just stuck his finger in an electrical socket, Hernandez-Rodriguez's coif is voluminous and dynamic, much like the man himself.

New Times caught up with the eccentric, engaging Ketchy Shuby singer minutes before he took the stage at historic Miami haunt Tobacco Road.

See also
- Ketchy Shuby Bring Their Downtown Soul Sound to Palm Beach Craft Beer Festival, but Not Their Downtown Soul Brew

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You wouldn't guess at first glance how aggressive a rapper Allyssa Chic is. After all, she looks like a fashion industry executive.

But the Miramar-born, hip-hop lady grew up memorizing Wu Tang albums. she's a serious lyricist, and straddling the line between polish and grime is her specialty.

We caught up with the British-Jamaican rhymer fresh off a European tour to talk about her upcoming #CocoComplex mixtape. Here's what she had to say about loving Miramar, substantive lyrics, and how she got her name.

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Jonathan Weiner

Chicago-bred pop-punk outfit Alkaline Trio has, over the past 20 years or so, gone from being a band with a unique take on a genre to being a veritable punk-rock institution. Having recently released its ninth studio album, My Shame Is True, the band employs a formula of fusing the most macabre of lyrics with only the catchiest of choruses. This potent formula has delivered the trio to the incredibly rare air of late-career critical acclaim, something more or less unprecedented in the disposable world of punk rock.

New Times spoke with lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and figurehead Matt Skiba about all the crap you have to go through to create a sonic masterpiece, about balancing his roles as a solo artist and a band member, and about the joys of high-displacement Italian motorcycles.

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Ian Witlen

There are members of our society who live for rock 'n' roll.

You know the type. Somewhere between Arthur Fonzarelli's seemingly genetic Zen-like coolness and John Belushi with a lampshade on his head and his dick in the mashed potatoes is a demographic that lives for a couple of brewskies and beach volleyball with a Black Lips soundtrack.

Now if you leave said headbanging bro on the grill a little longer and let 'em get good 'n' crispy like a deliciously burnt hot dog, well, our hypothetical RNR maniac may very well give up his life of rockin' for that of brutalizing.

Miami metal stalwarts Shroud Eater know a thing or two about such distinctions. In the lead-up to their appearance at Radio-Active Records' Record Store Day 2013 after-party at Revolution's and Subculture's Block x Blog, the release of their new EP, and their ten-date tour with drone metal annihilators Holly Hunt, County Grind shot Jean Saiz, the Eater's guitarist, some questions about the current status of the South Florida's metal scene's most consistent fixtures. More »

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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The long overdue debut record from Lake Worth-based indie rawk troupe Bonnie Riot will be unveiled this Saturday night at Propaganda. On and off since 2004, this female-fronted danceable, power-punk group has endured many epic highs and lows in order to put out this EP.

At its core, Bonnie Riot is founding members Milly La Madrid and Luis Sanabria, who have persevered through countless lineup changes. Their act was revitalized by the addition of its most recent members, giving their sound a punchy and raw rebirth. The band with the gag name that stuck has all its ducks in row now and, according to La Madrid, and recorded its six best tracks for this album.

New Times chatted with the invigorated unit about its long-awaited songs on wax, desire to take over Miami, and love of chongas.
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In its few short years of existence, hip-hop blog Golden Underground has proven more dedicated than the rest of the fan-run music sites that proliferate on the web. With an unrelenting fervor for the local rap scene and a discerning ear for regional acts, Golden Underground's brainchild, Boca-bred Christian Hernandez, has the smarts and wherewithal to pull it off. Hernandez not only covers local shows, but he also puts them on himself.

So far, the hustling 20-year old FAU student scraped up enough dough to bring down solid MCs like Brooklyn's Skyzoo and femme fatale Nitty Scott. Last Thursday, Golden Underground teamed up with resurgent Lake Worth rap label Footwork4self Records to throw the first ever Beat Battle. The event pitted area producers against one another, each with a 45 second time limit per rhyme. The homegrown label and savvy blog will join forces once again in a few weeks, for Hernandez's grandest engagement yet; booking off-the-wall rapper Del the Funky Homosapien at Lake Worth's Speakeasy Lounge.

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Scotty Hall

Jorma Kaukonen on the left, with his buddy Jack Casady

If anyone is an authority on non-authoritarian peaceful gatherings, it is Jorma Kaukonen. Not only did he serve up a psychedelic musical breakfast at Woodstock as a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane, but the legendary guitarist now operates a modern day container for that same spirit of community, musical immersion, and exploration. Fur Peace Ranch is on a sizable piece of land in southern Ohio decked out with all the amenities for guitar players of all levels to hang with top-rate teachers, and each other, for days at a time.

Later this month, Kaukonen will play the role of performer, teacher, and wise elder at Wanee Fest, the annual happening at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, which he considers a modern day embodiment of the consciousness that gave birth to Woodstock and other groovy festivals of yore.

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Lukasz Radziszewski

For the offspring of most famed musicians, stepping out of lengthy shadows cast by their parents' careers is an all-consuming, motivating force. However, for Doyle Bramhall II, son of the late Austin blues legend best-known for his work with the brothers Vaughan, a name was not the only thing passed down through the generations.

Now in his 40s, Bramhall has himself become an integral part of the contemporary blues and roots-music community. As a guitarist, Bramhall first gained success with Arc Angels, a group that featured Double Trouble's Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. He's since performed as a member of Roger Waters' band, produced albums by Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow, and, most notably, settled into a comfortable role as Eric Clapton's not-so-secret weapon and right-hand man.

We spoke with the multitalented Bramhall about addiction, Clapton, and how he found himself as a musician.

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