Flyer of the Week: Steve Aoki at Mansion November 25

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Why does aging Cali club kid Steve Aoki always seem to be everywhere all the time? He's like some kind of superhuman funhouse mirror, multiplying his slick indie-slouch image a million and one times throughout the mediated universe. It's kinda creepy ... Wherever I look (music mags, dark alleys, The Cobra Snake, etc.) there's Mr. Kid Millionaire reflecting himself right back at me. 

Maybe it's because -- as part of the international brotherhood of hipsterati party DJs that includes MSTRKRFT, Boys Noize, and anybody peripherally associated in any way with Daft Punk -- the Dim Mak label head's never ever short on publicity, endorsement deals, or gigs. I mean, Aoki was just here in Miami a couple of weeks ago, spinning a set at SET on October 29 for a brood of bloggy babes and brothers. And already, he's back, this time invading Mansion with his million and one slick indie-slouch selves.  

So again, I wonder: Why is Aoki everywhere all the time? Maybe the real reason for dude's ubiquity is something far more insidious than simple megapopularity. Could there be a legion of Steve Aoki replicants hidden in a bunker under the Hollywood sign just waiting to be unleashed on a mission of Dim Mak world domination? Or maybe Mr. Kid Millionaire has secretly discovered a rift in the space-time continuum that he's exploiting for his own personal gain? 

Wednesday, November 25. Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $20 through Wantickets.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-695-8411; mansionmiami.com

Flyer of the Week: Yacht at Electric Pickle November 14

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According to the Yacht Manifesto #1: "Yacht is a Band, Belief System, and Business conducted by Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans of Marfa, Texas and Portland, Oregon, USA." Also, Yacht "seeks to explore frontiers and to expand awareness of extraterrestrial Intelligence" and "believes in an Afterlife," but "does not believe in 'Heaven' or 'Hell.'" Moreover, the manifesto screams: "YACHT IS NOT A CULT."

Hmm ... Now, I don't know about you, but when somebody reassures me that whatever weird shit they're into isn't a cult, it's usually time to assume that the aforementioned weird shit is indeed a cult. And that goes double when the statement is made in italicized capital letters. It's the typographic equivalent of crazy eyes.

Really though, who cares? Cult or not a cult, so long as Yacht keeps pounding out art-pop party hits -- such as "See A Penny (Pick It Up)" -- and giving them out for free at TeamYacht.com, this thing seems to be all about good tunes and good times. That said, if there's so much as a single mention of castration, carving swastikas into human flesh, or Kool-Aid, I am so fucking gone.

Saturday, November 14. Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $10 through Epoplife.com. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-456-5613; Electric Pickle at Facebook.com

Flyer of the Week: BFGF Resurrect Halloween Eve at White Room Tonight

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By the time you reach a non-trick-or-treating age (i.e., whenever the candy-giving adults start asking for your cell number) it's easy to get all jaded about Satan's birthday. And why not? As a grown-up, your Halloween future sucks. No more free candy, no more shitty-awesome psycho slasher costumes, and no more petty acts of delinquent mischief. Sometimes it even seems all us over-aged fright night revelers are doomed to a lifetime of spooky-slutty bummerfests, like this weekend's Tera-Ween, Vivid's Porn Star Ball, and Strip-O-Ween.

But then, you look the other way and there's luminescent pumpkins falling from the sky while local electrotech duo BFGF play pied-piper, leading a serpetine line of 29-year-old zombie children into the White Room's party dungeons. I mean, WTF? Yet WTF, indeed! Go for the free candy, psycho slasher costumes, and random deliquency. But stay for the Halloween Eve hellmouth that's gonna open up when BFGF's Me She and Chris V set fire to the stage with evil assistance from DJs MGA, DJPJ, R3K, Dave Betamax, and Chris Video. So, c'mon, it's time to dive back to the past when Satan's birthday didn't suck. 

Friday, October 30. White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and admission costs $5. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-995-5050; whiteroommiami.com
Tags: BFGF, DJPJ, White Room

Flyer of the Week: Pay Your Final Respects to PS14 October 28

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Maybe it's bad taste to get on some kind of eulogy bender before the corpse is even cold, but the diagnosis is terminal and it's only a matter of time ... Your favorite hipster bar, PS14, is dying. So say goodbye, Miami, and make amends for all the wrongs you've committed against this party spot that's done you so right on so many nights. 

Then, once you've thoroughly cleansed your club karma, show up next Wednesday for the final installment ever of Finger Lickin', presented by scene stalwarts Iamyourvillain, Benton, and Javi. The bash is being billed as "the farewell party of all farewell parties" and it's gonna feature a million and a half awesome activities to keep your grief-riddled mind preoccupied: a 14th Street BBQ, bike races, pool partying, ladies' arm wrestling, a rummage sale, and the so-called "whatever jam" featuring, um, whatever. Plus, for extra credit, ride your bike to the party and get $2 beers that you can tearfully dump on the freshly dug grave of PS14. 

Indeed, it shall be a sad night, friends. But there's no better way to honor a short life lived recklessly than kicking it hardcore with DJs Oly, Stravinsky & Salami Fingers, Contra, Benton & Juan, and DS, not to mention all your recently deceased celebrity friends like Wacko Jacko, Farrah, and the OxiClean guy. So come party the pain away, you'll need it.

Wednesday, October 28. PS14, 28 NE 14th St., Miami. The party starts at 10 p.m. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-358-3600; ps14.com

Flyer of the Week: Mayday! and Last Rights Clothing Hustle Into the Hotel Victor for Monday Night Football October 12

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You know, media mogul and notorious big baller Ted Turner was totally right when he said: "Sports is like a war without the killing." And that's why our Miami Dolphins should immediately suspend their punk-bitch-porpoise-in-a helmet logo in favor of Last Rights' Mac-10 redesign. For one, this murder weapon with eyes looks certifiably badass on T-shirts, both teal and black. And, for another, I think it sends the right message to opposing squads, basically: "We've got a sense of humor and everything ... But right now you and I are mortal enemies and I'm gonna chop you in half with my super-cheap, black market machine pistol."

Sadly though, the Dolphins aren't doing much chopping these days, metaphorically or otherwise. With a 1-3 record, the team's mired at the bottom of the AFC East, looking at a long and ugly season. Yet, among the hardcore, hope remains. And so, Last Rights Clothing and local hip-hoppers Mayday! will be leading a last-ditch cheerleading bash at the Hotel Victor for this week's Monday Night Football, featuring the Fins versus the New York Jets.

Flyer of the Week: Old Wives' Tale at White Room Tomorrow Night October 3

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Like a hipster boy who just got dumped by his admittedly too-perfect girlfriend, White Room's having a tough time bouncing back from its recent breakup with local queen of cool, Poplife. Especially harsh was the fact that the bitch (er, Poplife, in this case) immediately shacked up with that new, glossy motherfucker down the street (the Electric Pickle) and got right down to business having a whole bunch of pretty little party puppies.

Anyway, I ... uh, White Room, rather ... finally figured shit out and decided to fuck away the pain with a different party every Saturday night. Or, at least, that's the plan until another long-term girlfriend comes around to fill the gaping hole at the heart of my ... uh, White Room's ... weekly lineup.

In that spirit, tomorrow night's gonna be a group thing. Providing the foreplay, there'll be five Miami-based bands, including Arboles Libres, DorksMoronsGeeks, Aria Kamikaze, Saga High, and Diego Val. Then later, the truly hardcore action will come courtesy of disco punk crew Old Wives' Tale. All in all, it should be a very satisfying one-night stand, proof even that White Room's doing just fine without you, Poplife. Slutting it up and loving it. Sorta.

Saturday, October 3. White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m. Ages 21+ with ID. whiteroommiami.com.

Flyer of the Week: In Flagranti at the Electric Pickle October 3

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A victim tells his story: Thanks, In Flagranti. I just checked out your new-ish album Brash & Vulgar, released back in March on Codek Records, and I have to tell you ... I can't stop dancing! Whenever I close my eyes, it's a crazy party in my brain. There are naked ladies, mustachioed dudes, and a bear skin rug, all thump-thumping each other's rumps to your non-ironic retro groove. Then, the waterbed bursts and there's water flowing everywhere, but the thrusting doesn't stop! Party time just got wetter! Hahaha! 

Believe it or not, the above testimony from a deranged In Flagranti fanatic is pretty typical. The Brooklyn-based post-disco libertines, Sasha Crnobrnja and Alex Gloor, seem to have the uncanny ability to stir stange emotions and manic reactions from even the most buttoned-up, club-averse individuals. No more than a toot of that trademark In Flagranti sonic smut and those previously upstanding members of middle-class society become orgy-obsessed demons going for broke in the coke stalls of their own personal Studio 54. 

Especially dangerous and dirty are decadent, moral-destroying tracks like "Pick a Trick," "A Piece of False Morality," and "Svelty Blonde." At its core, this is antisocial fuck music riddled with sinister flourishes of synth-pop, deep house, indie dance, glam rock, electro-punk, and 8-bit. Seriously, In Flagranti is the kind of thing that could easily turn our quaint little burg by the bay into a modern-day Sodom. So, next Saturday, when the duo thump-thumps the Electric Pickle like it's a group thing, please lock your teenage daughters in a box under your bed and chain your banker boyfriends in a closet. Only you can keep party time dry.

Presented by Poplife with a DJ set by Chairlift. Saturday, October 3. Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $10. Ages 21+ with ID. 305-456-5613; Electric Pickle at Facebook.com

Flyer of the Week: Fancy Me Yet Gets Wily at White Room Tomorrow Night

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The pitfalls of teen stardom are legend -- sex, drugs, burnout, overexposure, the dreaded 20th birthday, or even a simple case of the incurable crazies la Wacko Jacko. Way back in '79, Leif Garrett hit the 'ludes, crashed his car, and almost killed his friend while, more recently, we've seen Britney tumble pantyless down the wrong path too many times to bother counting. Really, it's almost inevitable: The pop machine will eat its virgins for breakfast. 

Occasionally though, there emerges a teen idol who proves wily enough to escape the lethal shark jaws of stardom. Take Kendall-native Natasha Jeannette Dueas, a.k.a. former latin pop princess JD Natasha. After a hit album Imperfecta and three Latin Grammy noms, she suddenly decamped from EMI International, dropped the JD from her stage name, and stopped singing in Spanish before launching an anglophone rock band of her very own, Fancy Me Yet.

Tomorrow night, sneak a peek at the new Natasha when she and her bandmates -- guitarist Alex and drummer Chris -- slip into White Room for a set of angular indie-pop tunes off their debut disc Skip the Previews. To keep it brief, FMY look like arty new wavers on prom night and they sorta sound like it, too. The catch: probably non-virgins. And so, the pop machine weeps. 

Saturday, September 19. White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $5. Ages 21+ with ID. RSVP@whiteroommiami.com; whiteroommiami.com

Flyer of the Week: Behold the Ruins and 8 More Bands at the Dugout September 19

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The untimely demise of DIY venue Goo has left Miami's young punks without an official clubhouse. Stepping into that void, there have been several semi-permanent and one-off party places -- House of Pain and the Warehouse, for example -- that ended up welcoming an orphan show or two. But, for the most part, those were quick fixes to immediate booking problems, not permanent solutions. These days, the only real, consistent presence on the all-ages scene is the Dugout, a squat little bunker out in the wilds of Doral.

That's not to say the Dugout has straight-up inherited the crowd that populated Goo. While there has been some migration since the latter shuttered near the end of July, the Doral spot doesn't really trade in gritty hardcore and thrash as much as a certain kind of metal-punk with a suburban edge. It's a brand that centers around a regular roster of local bands, many of them ganging together next Saturday -- including Behold the Ruins, Great Divine, Bell Towers Fall, Powa Kord, and Fuel the Flames as well as Faithscar, Zealot, the Perfect Defect, Handgun, and Murder at First Sight.

Now, show up and pay your ten bucks, but mind the underagers, meaning: "no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs, and no fights."

Saturday, September 19. The Dugout, 7413 NW 54th St., Doral. Show starts at 6 p.m., and tickets are $10. All ages. myspace.com/thedugoutmiami

Flyer of the Week: The Panix at Churchill's September 17

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?These days it has become exceedingly rare to see a show flyer that's been produced entirely without the aid of a computer. (I mean, we as a people are so obscenely wired that it seems the next logical step should be embedding a Bluetooth into my skull and/or seamlessly interfacing my laptop with my crotch.) Thus, whenever one of these endangered, graphite-on-paper, straight-from-the-notebook gems -- that one to the left, for example -- crops up, it's a thrilling discovery, like finding the Paleolithic doodlings of some mosh-manic caveman.

All that to say, I think we're dealing with a presumably teenaged (at heart?) designer who's way too punk to give a shit about the inevitable, onward march of technology. And likewise, the bands on this Destroyio Records bill have got zero love for techno toys, gizmos, and doodads. Local hardcore heads the Panix, O.P.S., Brain Damage, and Baker Acted simply prefer the fast, hard, and bloody payoff of brutally primal noise. They don't need anything more than an axe, the bass, and a set of buckets to make a scene go psycho. So yeah, just take your futuristic bullshit elsewhere. We don't need it here in the caves.

Thursday, September 17. Churchill's, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. Show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $5. 305-757-1807; churchillspub.com

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