While Holly Hunt can certainly refer to a brand of some high-end furnishings I could never care about, South Florida’s Holly Hunt is the bone-crunching duo of local artist/guitarist Gavin Perry and everybody’s favorite local artist/drummer, Betty Monteavaro. The latter is something I certainly care about. And I’m beginning to…
Let’s be honest here for a second. September babies are the most beautiful babies ever. That’s a simple fact. Google it. Here’s another moment of honesty: We all know who Tegan and Sara are, but how exactly do we know them? Let’s be honest, again. It was 2004’s So Jealous…
Since the formation of the Bad Brains in Washington, D.C., in 1977, Gary Miller, better-known as Dr. Know, has been the solidifying force at guitar for this often polarizing outfit. Firmly educated in jazz technique, it is his incredible speed and precision at the instrument that not only became a…
So here we are in the dying days of summer vacation, and if you get paid like some of us around these here parts, chances are your “getaway” these past few months has been on the couch, compliments of your basic cable subscription. We feel your pain and hear your…
When Debbie Gibson’s debut album, Out of the Blue, dropped in the early fall of 1987 I was already primed by a summer spent watching American music television and the inevitable crush on young Deborah was so well formed that when I saw the cassette at the record store at…
The economy is in the toilet, and it feels ever-worse waning days of summer. County Grind knows full well how great it is to get away, but since most of us lowly scribes can afford only an armchair and the local library’s “travel” section, we bring you the stickiest days’…
Against All Authority S/T (Far Out) myspace.com/againstallauthority Back in the mid-’90s, as the third wave of ska was cresting, local yokels Against All Authority, or just AAA, shot up quickly through the local scene. The band’s spin on the genre was one of improvised tropical anarchy, fueled by skate culture,…
One of the funny things that I find about jazz is that whenever I engage in a conversation about it, 90 percent of the time the talk gravitates toward the men of jazz. Granted, there have been some heavy hitters in the world of jazz, but I feel uneasy walking…
South Florida had some of the funkiest and baddest mothers the planet has seen! And it is high time we pay respect (or rather, pay our dues) to all the dudes and gals who paved the way for our current multicultural leanings! Ladies and germs, enjoy the funky disco sounds…
Maruta Forward Into Regression (Willowtip) willowtip.com This ain’t a hot-tub time machine so much as it is a demonic hell ride. This is Maruta. Regression as a good thing can take many forms. It could be a stop at Presidente Supermercado to obtain some premium churrasco at $2.67 a pound…
The Crumbs have been a powerhouse in punk rock close to two decades now. While there have been some ups and downs, if you’ve heard them and subscribed to their nasal and visceral take on power pop, you’re a life-long fan.Whatever the future brings, their canon will live through speakers…
While we might not necessarily make the connection between “rare funk” and Hialeah for whatever reason, many people across the globe have, and one of the most-sought-after platters to emerge from the South Florida music scene is Pearly Queen’s “Quit Jivin'” single from 1974. Closely associated with another outfit from…
Montgomery Drive Life on a Seesaw (Self-released) montgomerydrive.com Montgomery Drive is Marshall Rones and living on a seesaw is presented as seven heartfelt acoustic ditties that in earnest open windows into the frail psyche of this singer/songwriter. I do not know Mr. Rones but I suspect that he’s grown up…
In a surprising move, Lil Daggers have parted ways with our good friends over at Livid Records, America’s friendliest indie label. Although some might argue that Livid does not have the means to support the Daggers to the next step of indie superstardom, some will say that they were a…
Los Canadians The Kids Are Alroot (Starcrunch Records) myspace.com/loscanadians Leave it to a bunch of snotty South Florida punk rockers to devise for themselves polite Canadian identities. Born out of the ashes of Chickenhead and the Tri-Rails, Los Canadians forged a pretty path of destruction in South Florida that revolved…
For anyone who hasn’t been following at home, the formula of this little column is simple. I pick the cover songs. The local bands wisely choose to heed my advice. Everyone is happy? That is my fantasy, anyhow. On last week’s Part Four I got a little heavy-handed but on…
Our good friends over at Livid Records, America’s fastest-growing and nicest indie record label, recently released a video for South Florida’s razor-sharp punks the Shrubs. Now, I’m a little bit confused. I thought the Shrubs were fucking dead, or at least that’s the name of the one EP they left…
To Be Hated Dance of Doom IV (Sour Grapes Records) myspace.com/tobehated To Be Hated is a band of hardworking punk rockers, and to a certain degree, I’ve been exalting them like some newfound cancer-curing elixir or something to combat my rapidly balding pate. I slipped this CD into the player…
It has a been a fun ride sharing with you my inner-most fantasies of local musicians covering some sick-ass songs. I’m not just a cultural savant — I’m a benevolent one. But just like the limited quantities of, say, Cavity 7-inch platters, this column has its limits as well. (At…
I am often guilty of sticking to punk rock and hardcore acts in my Blast From the Past column, so this is a refreshing change. Today, this isn’t a full BFTP but a warmup with a couple of YouTube tracks from one of South Florida’s most criminally unknown disco/Latin/funk acts…
To Be Hated Live at Churchill’s (Sour Grapes Records) myspace.com/tobehated Most people, i.e., fans, approach live recordings with a certain amount of tepidness and/or acquiescence. This is especially true for punk-rock bands and their usually limited budgets. This recording went down in Churchill’s on January 1, 2010, when To Be…
After part one, and part two, this list of covers of amazing songs I would like to hear performed by local artists past and present has no sign of slowing down. This is shaping up to be the best compilation my mind has ever had, according to my editor. Here…
