Bryan Falla

Wisin Y Yandel
Saturday, June 28, 2008
American Airlines Arena

Better Than: Watching your mom and dad grind inappropriately to “Noche de Sexo” at last year’s New Year’s party.

By 8:45 p.m., the arena had filled up almost entirely and the crowd was antsy. With every cadence, every hint Wisin y Yandel might show up, an explosion of “Woo!” boomed inside the American Airlines Arena. Then as the cheesy elevator music faded and a rumbling bass began to make the floor pulse, the fans roared with the might of a thousand 17-year-olds. But the fever pitch came when Yandel’s voice buzzed through the speakers: “Permission to land?”

What followed was the collective ecstasy of 10,000 adolescent women. Tears of joy, screeches of bliss. It was something, um, out of this world?

The famous words of Neil Armstrong (“It’s one small step for man…”) resonated and were interwoven with videos of a moon landing. Then the mother of all extraterrestrial freaks appeared on screen with a message complete with language coding for us to understand. Ladies and gentlemen, Wisin and Yandel are in the building.

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Sayre Berman

Keyshia Cole

Lil' Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Akon and more at SummerFest 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise

Better Than: Throwback hip-hop fest Power House from the ‘90s with a side of Pop Rocks and OE.

For South Florida hip-hop enthusiasts, Saturday night’s South Florida SummerFest 2008 at the BankAtlantic Center brought a wave of satisfaction to the crowd, with an onstage mix of up-and-comers and current chart-toppers who made it rain down on the venue with amped beats, nasty hooks and more than a hint of that “ill” factor.

The show launched into song promptly at 7 p.m., as promised, and the up-to-date version of old school favorite Power House (the annual Power 96 hip-hop fest that swept the city back in the ‘90s) had me questioning from the start. The house was barely packed during opening acts featuring a slew of local radio hits like Grindmode’s “I’m So High,” Ball Greezy’s “Shone” and Colby O’Donis’ “What You Got.” R&B’s Casely, who coins himself the “New Prince of the South,” gave a tease of potentially royal treatment with “Emotional,” rocking a red-hot jacket for the occasion. Although the appetizer of the show was nothing to write home about, it was the perfect prelude for blunt rolling, beer chugging and snack time for fans.

Cali-born Keyshia Cole was clad in a racy platinum ensemble, sporting the color of stardom, and was accompanied by two Krumpers, who didn’t seem to suit the mood, but hyped the house nonetheless. She brought it down with her newest slow jam “Heaven Sent,” and didn’t miss a beat with “Shoulda Let You Go.” Featured tracks like “Let It Go” (Missy Elliott) and “Last Night” (Diddy) proved the diva could hold her own without her superstar counterparts. The highlight of the set was feeling the vocalist’s range during “I Remember,” an intimate replay Cole belted, much tastier live than on any iPod. Sure to share about her “long struggle and hustle to get here,” the adopted singer, born to a drug-addicted mother with a deceased father broke ground as a twice-Grammy nominated artist, which was made apparent and gladly celebrated with sing-alongs Saturday night.

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The excellent New York quartet Locksley opens for Rooney tonight (along with the Bridges) at Revolution. Still unsigned, thanks to their catchy Brit-inflected power pop, and a fierce penchant for self-promotion, the band already boasts an enviable string of high-profile television appearances and tours. Here's what I had to say about Locksley in this week's print edition of the Miami New Times:

"Opening act Locksley hails from the opposite coast; the band formed in Madison, Wisconsin, but solidified in New Yorrk. The group mines similar [power pop] turf, though. However, its brand is slightly more Anglo-tinged, with strains of the clean jangle-pop of, say, the Hollies and the Kinks. The sound is hooky and bright enough to have snared the grizzled critics at Billboard, Alternative Press, and the New York Daily News, and eventually won the band rotation on MTVu — the first unsigned act ever to do so. If soaring melodies, handclaps, and shaking tambourines are your thing, Locksley is totally your new favorite crush."

I caught up with frontman Jesse Laz by phone the other day as the band drove southward from Jacksonville. The full Q&A follows after the jump. -- Arielle Castillo

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If you're not familiar with local avant jazz guru Kenny Millions, then you've got some catching up to do. The man is a saxophone virtuoso and if you listen to his music, without knowing anything about his storied past as a musician in other cities, you get the sense that this is a man who is taking free jazz to Sun Ra levels, hanging a left, and then really exploring outer space. It's not freakish free jazz that's hard on the ears, it's all controlled and melodic and easy to follow once you let yourself go.

I can't think of anyone else that you can compare to Sun Ra locally and if that piques your interest, you've got a chance to see him live tonight at the extra hip, Radio-Active Records in Fort Lauderdale. It's the only place in Broward with as much charisma and culture as Sweat Records in Miami and that alone makes stopping by this evening worth it. Factor in a free Kenny Millions show and this one should be a no-brainer if you're in the area.

Nic Fanciulli

In a sort of last minute booking, British DJ extraordinaire Nic Fanciulli is stopping by the Vagabond Saturday night for its Back Door Bamby party. Don't know who Fanciulli is? Well let me expand your musical knowledge.

He's a British house DJ that is associated with acts like James Zabiela, Andy Chatterley and Audiofly. He and Chatterley have remixed the likes of Kylie Minogue, UNKLE, Deep Dish and Underworld under the name Skylark. The man was also a "quarterly" (whatever that means) resident DJ at Space here in Miami, as well as at Space in Ibiza (no relation).

Have I piqued your interest? Well, then you have a chance to snatch two tickets to his appearance this Saturday at the Vagabond. Just send me an e-mail at jose.duran@miaminewtimes.com with your full name and a phone number where you can be reached. You have until Friday at 3 p.m. to enter. But in case you don't want to take your chances, you can purchase tickets for $15 at Wantickets.com.

- Jose D. Duran

Miami/Hialeah punk stalwarts Guajiro are never ones to shy away from a little controversy.
The band's affable frontman, Will Lopez, has been talking for months about recording a pro-Obama song because he feels like no other local acts are doing anything to get people stirred up for the presidential race.
Lopez probably couldn't care less what your political party affiliation is, he just wants to see some signs of life from local bands that they actually care about the upcoming elections.
So as of yesterday, Guajiro released a brand new song, “Ole, Latins for Hope – Si Se Puede,” hoping that, not only will it make a difference, but that other musicians, local and beyond, will follow suit.
Part of the band's decision to do this is because they're primarily a Latin band (with a rogue Irishman on drums) and they know that people's racial prejudices will influence how they vote.

A Spanish version of the song is available here. As for the Spanglish version, the video is below.

--Jonathan Cunningham

Motley Crue are fast, cheap, and easy... Uh, the tickets to see them are, at least.

Attention cheap (I prefer the terms "clever" and "thrifty") music lovers who wish to attend any of the marquee-name shows coming up at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Today, and today only from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., you can score $10 tickets online at www.livenation.com for any of the following shows. Of course you'll need to register as a user on the site, and pay a few bucks in additional fees. But this should help offset the high costs of gas to get there! List of $10 shows after the jump. Enjoy!

-- Arielle Castillo

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Here's something to get you excited for tomorrow's IHEARTCOMIX/Scion tour shebang at the Vagabond tomorrow night. On the bill are Radioclit, Drop the Lime, and of course, IHEARTCOMIX founder Franki Chan (who's no stranger to Miami decks).

Download Franki Chan's mix for the new Iheartcomix two-disc sampler for free, by clicking right here. Track list follows after the jump!

Radioclit, with Frankie Chan and Drop the Lime. Thursday, June 26. The Vagabond, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. Doors at 10 p.m. ENTRY ONLY WITH RSVP at www.scion.com/avrelease. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-379-0508; www.thevagabond.com.

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If you were part of the Revolver scene back in early part of the decade, you know Lazaro Casanova, who we picked as "Best Local Electronica Artist" in this year's Best of Miami, very well. Then again, if you haven't heard him spin in a while, you probably don't know him at all and probably don't know he is now producing his own music either.

His first official release "Venganza" is a glitchy, electro track that commands your body to "Move it!" and, trust me, you'll be happy to oblige. The track has been available as a digital download via iTunes for a while now, but if you are looking for more, Casanova's track has been giving the remix treatment by some electro heavyweights including Felix Cartal, Acid Jacks and the House Moguls. The remixes are available for download via iTunes.

- Jose D. Duran

Since we're on an old Miami dance trip here at Crossfade today, I'll throw my hat into the ring with this old gem: "Journey into Bass" by DJ Laz. Somewhere between freestyle, electro, and bass, this is a prime example of Miami-fying a sound by adding some tinkly synth and a little bit of uh, rapping. Still, this is a nostalgic classic, with a fun-times video whose dancers' costumes and hangar-style set really remind me of In Living Color.... Of course, DJ Laz is more of a radio-type DJ "personality" now, but word is he's got some new production tricks up his sleeve.... -- Arielle Castillo

Logan Fazio

Modest Mouse with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Friday, June 23, 2008
The Fillmore, Miami Beach

Better Than: The mental meltdown scribbling in your seventh-grade diary.

Modest Mouse and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band kicked off their North American tour together last night to a packed, enthusiastic audience at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Modest Mouse already had an impressive warm-up opportunity of their own, having just wrapped up a U.S. tour with R.E.M., but this evening marked the first date of their latest headlining stint.

New Orleans’ the Dirty Dozen Brass Band shook up the scene with their striking and massive improv-jazz sounds. The crowd was completely enthralled with the noises coming from this eight-piece unit, which included saxophones, guitars, drums, trumpets and a trombone. Having performed on two tracks of Modest Mouse’s 2004 album Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and recorded and toured with bands like Widespread Panic, these guys were a logical choice for a support act. Probably one of the most impressive sites was when trumpet player and singer Gregory Davis managed to play two horns simultaneously. Theirs was probably one of the best sounding bands I’ve ever seen at the Fillmore, and this audience seemed to also appreciate the group’s more than 30 years of experience and talent.

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So I'm definitely coming late to the party on this one, but wow.
I'm digging through the archives of some old Miami bass videos and I just came across this one from Disco Rick called "The Nasty Dance."
I'm admittedly not from South Florida originally and didn't grow on this stuff, but I like how straight forward a lot of these videos are. They're not corny or cheesy, just dated and hilarious.
I remember this song, parts of it at least, but definitely not the video.
Does anybody know what happened to Disco Rick?
The only thing I know about him is that he formed the Dogs and they're hit, "Yo Mamma's on Crack Rock" was my jam in 4th grade!
Anyway, here's a cool video called the "Nasty Dance" which is already stuck in my head for the next couple of hours. If you can't handle that, don't play it.

--Jonathan Cunningham

Here's an old school Miami bass joint from way back in the day.
Some of you might remember Half Pint from the early '90s. He was a short, stocky, and permanently oiled-up little rapper with lots of spunk and stamina. He didn't release a whole lot of material, but his songs that did go national, like "Stomp-n-Grind", or "Stump-n-Grind" depending on what record label pressed up the 12" and "One Leg Up" did make an impact across the country.

I can remember watching this one on The Video Jukebox as a kid and it's hilarious to find it on YouTube now. Check it Out.

--Jonathan Cunningham

A few of us over here at Crossfade (okay, mostly me) were excited about the upcoming Boy George gig scheduled for July 25 at Club Cinema in Pompano. So, um, I was totally bummed out when I just received an official missive from Boy George's camp announcing that the entire U.S. tour is a no-go. Seems the U.S. has denied permission for him to enter the country, stemming, perhaps, from his past legal troubles here, as well as a current case, as well as an ongoing mystery case he's dealing with in England. Read his camp's full statement after the jump. -- Arielle Castillo

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Montserrat

She doesn't sound very concerned with how many bodies will - or won't be - occupying seats inside the Byron Carlyle in Miami Beach on Wednesday night.

"That's out of my control," says Spanish soprano singer Montserrat. "As long as the people there accept my work and I'm able to express myself through song I'll walk away satisfied."

Which is what Montserrat says she felt five years ago when she launched her career with Anoranza, a collection of Cuban and Mexican boleros. "It was the best gift I could ever give my mother."

Recorded in Havana, Cuba and San Paolo, Brazil, Montserrat's silky voice is accompanied by the performances of Cuban artists Chucho Valdes and Pablo Milanes, among others.
Although she enjoyed singing as a child, and took an array of voice lessons, the urge to sing professionally was never stronger than after the passing of her mother in 2003.

"Juana Maria was always singing around the house," she says, while recalling her experience as a child of listening to her mother singing boleros in the kitchen.
A self-admitted citizen of the world she jumped at the chance of going to Cuba - to work with Valdes and Milanes - after meeting famed composer Roberto Menescal during a concert in Brazil.

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