This was no interview, it was my dream date.
The Diamond Princess sparkled like my logo right there.
Read the whole story here, and listen to a few minutes of Miami royalty here below.

- Jason Handelsman

There's absolutely no reason for Mindless Self Indulgence to be around in 2008. For starters, their aggressive, quasi-industrial sound – on paper, at least – is long past its sell-by date. Furthermore, they've been up and down the indie-major-indie label rollercoaster and should now be experiencing their inevitable decline into footnote-hood. Yet, here we are, more than a decade after the New York band started getting attention, and they're still "a band to watch" according to most metal 'zines. Why? Well, a cynical person would ascribe it to the fact that MSI's profile has been boosted by the fact that, last year, their bassist married the singer in My Chemical Romance. Anyone with half a brain, however, would recognize that the group has amassed a serious (and seriously intense) fanbase that flocks to see MSI's propulsive, overwhelming live shows. And with every one of those shows, the fanbase just keeps getting bigger. The band has completely captured the affections of British and European audiences, and with the release of their new album If – and, of course, its accompanying tour – MSI is quite likely to continue being the new band from the '90s that all the black-clad kids are telling their classmates about. -- Jason Ferguson

Mindless Self Indulgence plays with Combichrist and the Birthday Massacre at Revolution tonight, May 8, at 7: 30 p.m. Tickets were $19 in advance $24 at the door. For more info, call 954 727-0950 or visit www.jointherevolution.net.

That's the question British police are asking her and according to this storyfrom MTV, as of today she's being detained for the second time in as many weeks by authorities.
This time, it's over a video that's been circulating the blogosphere for several months that clearly shows Winehouse smoking crack.

If you want a link to the video, go here.

Now she's back in a police station as I type dealing with questions surrounding the video tape. With a good attorney (which she clearly has) she should beat this rap. Hell, she just beat an assault charge last week for slapping someone (although when a woman slaps a man in a public place, there's usually a good reason for it and any prosecutor that wants to take it to trial needs a life), but this video is definitely damaging. It's her. And she looks high enough to eat a comet. I'm sure more news on this will break as the day continues, but as for now, Amy Winehouse and her local police precinct are getting reacquainted.
--Jonathan Cunningham

Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph
Hard Rock Live
Monday, May 5, 2008

Better Than: Watching TV pundits continue to treat Hillary Clinton’s campaign seriously.

Is Eric Clapton God or just a higher power some choose to call God?

Unfortunately, the decades-long debate over Clapton’s exact theological disposition wasn’t solved at Hard Rock Live where he performed a fine set that vacillated between the divinely inspired and, occasionally, the divine itself.

When you see Clapton, you expect big doin’s, especially if you shell out 100 to 400 bucks, the going rate. Luckily, Robert Randolph and the Family Band opened the show with their ebullient brand of gospel/funk/rock/blues/whatchamacallit music. Randolph, who learned to sing and play pedal steel guitar in the Pentecostal church, came out hard with a feedback-saturated one-chord stomp -- appropriately called “Good Time” -- that was equal parts Hendrix, Sly Stone, and the late blues master R.L. Burnside. Then Randolph switched to a Stratocaster for a cool number featuring his younger sister’s big gospel voice; oddly enough, the song mixed in the airy guitar tones and mellow feel of a Grateful Dead tune. Intent on covering a wide musical spectrum, Randolph slipped in a nice version of the gospel-blues “You Gotta Move” and a forgettable version of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.” (Nobody should play “Voodoo Chile” but Hendrix. Ever.)

RADIOHEAD
CRUZAN AMPHITHEATRE
MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008

Better than: Singing about the techno-apocalypse by yourself in your room.

Thom Yorke wears a white linen jacket, Jonny Greenwood’s mop of hair dangles in front of his stooped head like the curtain in front of the Wizard of Oz. Stalactites of light hang over the stage, and as they purposefully stride forward you realize Radiohead is just a handful of small, pasty Englishmen. But the realization fades quickly, with the lights, as the band eases into a set of two dozen songs, most of them from In Rainbows, beginning with the Eno-ish “All I Need.”

For the dedicated, keep reading for the play-by-play / set list; for those who want your news up front, Radiohead kicked ass kicking off its North American tour in West Palm Beach last night. All I can really say is, do you listen to Radiohead, people?

For the sweet spot: At 1:39 a guy with balls of steel jumps on stage and snatches 50's chain from around his neck. Go Fan. He takes off running (for his life), and a stunned 50 Cent, with a rep to maintain, goes after him like a real G. It's mayhem from then on...but when an American rapper shows up in Africa with (most likely) conflict diamonds around his neck and wrist...this is exactly what should happen.
--Frank Talk

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND
BANK ATLANTIC CENTER
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008

Better than: Watching Steven Van Zandt on reruns of the Sopranos.

The lines between rock ‘n’ roll show and revival meeting were effectively blurred beyond distinction this past Friday night as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ended the current leg of their U.S. trek with an exhilarating, high-energy, two hour, forty-five minute blow-out that drew from every chapter of the Boss’ storied 35-year career. It was the kind of concert that offered just cause as to why Springsteen’s fans are among the most zealous of devotees -- those whose fervor can run the gamut from Deadhead-like dedication to that of wide-eyed faithful who see the image of the Virgin Mary in half-eaten grilled cheese sandwiches. And while there’s something scary about buying into the cult of personality, a Springsteen show does go a long way towards making even a reticent skeptic suddenly see the light.

Indeed, Springsteen stalks the stage with an agile grace that’s part big-time rock star, part cheerleader and part Pentecostal preacher, exhorting the faithful to up the ante on enthusiasm (not that it was needed!) while reassuring them that the dreams and idealism of adolescence need not be ceded to aging, encroaching responsibilities and the dire effects of political cynicism. Midway through the show, Springsteen got on his political pulpit, editorializing about the need for change after eight years of the nation being led astray, but all in all, any blatant proselytizing was unnecessary. The best songs of the night – the rallying anthemic opener “The Promised Land,” the populist clarion call “Out In The Street,” a particularly poignant “Growin’ Up,” a riveting version of “The Rising” and a celebratory “Mary’s Place” – all spoke poignantly and profoundly about the need to somehow cling to earlier optimism while peering through the dark clouds of current circumstance.

B.B. King and Joe Bonamassa at the BankAtlantic Center
Saturday, May 3, 2008

Better Than: When you ask your baby for water and she brings you gasoline.

At 82, the good news is that B.B. King can still play and sing with aplomb. The bad news is that he’d rather talk.

At least that’s what happened Saturday when the King of the Blues and his swingin’ eight piece band came to the BankAtlantic center.

For Saturday’s performance, BankAtlantic’s hockey rink was cut in half by a large black curtain so as to create the smaller, more intimate setting the venue bills as “The Sinatra Theatre”. It’s the same place-- just half the size with better acoustics.

Thirty year old “Smokin’” Joe Bonamassa, a notable up-and-coming guitar slinger, opened the show with a 45 minute set comprised of blues and blues-rock originals. Bonamassa, who plays largely in the now-ubiquitous Stevie Ray Vaughan hard blues-rock style and sings a little bit like Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, found his footing in the early '90s when he recorded some good tunes in a band called Bloodline comprised with the sons of Miles Davis, Robbie Krieger (the Doors), and Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers). Bonamassa’s electric material was good, although not terribly memorable. With his final song though, Bonamassa shed his four piece band and went solo acoustic for an exciting number called “Woke Up Dreaming,” a show off piece which displayed his guitar-picking prowess.

Then, promptly at 9, B.B.’s band took the stage. With old time showmanship, the four horns, rhythm guitarist, electric bass player, drummer, and keyboard player warmed up the crowd for two numbers before announcing His Highness. For a man of his girth and age, B.B. strolled coolly onstage. The crowd gave him a warm standing-O before he plopped into the chair where he remained for the next two hours.

Here's the original in case you haven't seen it.

--Jonathan Cunningham

Says Slifkin: "Studio A will 100% be operating and honor all shows that have been booked and advertised. Please, do not despair."

So yes, The Casualties gig slated for this coming Monday is still on, Uh Huh Her is still on, Yo Majesty is still on, Ladytron/Datarock is still on. The final confirmed booking is Joshua James, on June 25. You can check out the full remaining roster at www.studioamiami.com.

Fingers crossed as to what happens after that; sometimes miracles do come true. Stay tuned for updates. -- Arielle Castillo

“It was a moment in time,” he tells the Hollywood Reporter.

In Rainbows made a myriad of Top Ten lists last year but was even better known for its unconventional marketing and distribution.

The New York Times lavished two articles and more than 3,000 words on the band last fall for its prophetic virtual vending strategy. In October Jon Pareles called its merchandising company, W.A.S.T.E. (named for Thomas Pynchon's underground postal system in The Crying of Lot 49, for all you non-postmodern lit geeks), “a cyber-cottage industry” with a business model that “recognizes the new digital facts of life.” The headline on Pareles’s December follow-up read, “Pay What You Want for This Article.”

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal saw “MORE THAN A MARKETING GIMMICK,” while the International Herald Tribune called 2007 “The Year of the Virtual Busking Gambit.”

Thing is, Radiohead always remained cagey about just how successful their brave new experiment was, never disclosing online sales figures. In Rainbows had a traditional brick-and-mortar release three months after its digital drop.

“I don't think it would have the same significance now anyway, if we chose to give something away again,” Yorke says. Maybe not, but you’d think a band that’s racked up so much reverence over the years might be okay with doing something a little less, well, significant – but just as cool.

Kinda makes you wonder how many online “buyers” bought In Rainbows at all.

The band will be in South Florida, at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm on Monday, and according to Ticketmaster, there are still tickets available for the show. Judging from the quality of both the new album and their last local concert in 2003, miss Radiohead at your own peril.

But to answer your question, no, moochers, the show is not free. –Frank Houston

Carlos Santana and Derek Trucks
Hard Rock Live
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Better Than: Sitting home and watching the speeches of Rev. Jeremiah Wright loop constantly on every channel.

There are three sure things at a Santana show: 1) Carlos will display the highest level of improvisational virtuosity; 2) there will be at least three percussionists on stage; 3) Carlos will deliver at least one hippie ramble about spirituality, multiculturalism, and/or world peace. This last part is a bit awkward, but Carlos is genuine and his brilliant playing coheres in a way that his gentle preaching never quite does. The audience takes it all in stride.

After ripping through seven or eight high energy songs, Carlos finally took to the mic and greeted the audience: “Buenas noches. Shalom shalom...”

Then he dove right into talk sin and redemption. “It means a lot for us to present ourselves to an ocean of bodies and hearts that are open for the truth,” he said. “It’s important for us to remember that each of us were made in God’s image.”

As Miami’s only mid-size music venue (with a capacity of around 600), it single-handedly ushered in a new era in the city's flagging live scene. In recent years, Miami always lost to the better-equipped city of Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding suburbs. The venue presented on-the-verge acts like M.I.A., KRS-One, Brazilian Girls, Avenue D, Tokyo Police, Of Montreal, Justice, and Cat Power, as well as established bands wanting to play a more intimate setting, like Maroon 5. At one time it hosted the now-defunct weekly Revolver party, as well as other nights of clubland past such as Plastik Fantastik, Misfit, and SceneWolf.

-Jonathan Cunningham

In this week's Miami New Times music section, we gave you the brief rundown on why, this Saturday, you should check Barcelona's quirky world-disco duo, the Pinker Tones. Click here to read it online, if you missed it. The show is presented by the awesome Rhythm Foundation, as part of the ongoing Heineken Transatlantic Music Festival.

Here's the full Q&A with one of the group's cofounders and masterminds, Mr. Furia (the other is the similarly pseudonymous Prof. Manso).

Also, click here to read our review of the Pinker Tones' latest album, Wild Animals, out on Nacional Records. And below, enjoy the video for the first single, "Happy Everywhere." -- Arielle Castillo

The Pinker Tones perform Saturday, May 3 at the North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The show starts at 7 p.m.; tickets cost $20 in advance, $25 at door. All ages are welcome; children under 12 are admitted free. Call 305-672-5202, or visit www.rhythmfoundation.com.

Looking at your tour dates, you're playing in Europe, then come over for Miami for just this one date, then you're back across the ocean. Doyou often travel so far for one gig?

Not really. But we had such a good relationship with the people from Heineken from last year when they brought us to Miami during the Winter Music Conference… We knew that they were working really hard to promote the show, etc. so we thought, Well, even when we are not properly touring until the summer in the states, let's make a little trip over there, and it's helping the label as well with promoting the album. [Our tour dates in the United States would be] a bit far away from the release date if we didn’t do it.

When you say your summer tour, you're referring to the Warped Tour, right? It seems like kind of a strange match at first. How did you end up on the lineup?

The big issue is not whether the Pinker Tones are on the event or not -- it's a complete turn of the whole Vans Warped Tour conception. We've just been lucky to be in the right place in the right moment when this turn of ideas was taking place.