Death to the Sun III Moves to Snooze Theatre: Full Lineup

For the uninitiated, Ricardo Guerrero’s annual DEATH TO THE SUN (he spells it in ALL CAPS “just to add a little Henry Rollins flavor”) music festival is one of the biggest avant-rock events in South Florida. There’s pop, there’s noise, and there’s a general celebratory feeling that summer is finally…

Happy Birthday, Keith Moon: We Miss the Mad Man Still!

Arguably the greatest rock drummer of all time, Keith Moon had a talent that was surpassed only by his penchant for mischief and mayhem. Born Keith John Moon on August 23, 1946, but famously nicknamed “Moon the Loon,” he would have been 65 today had he not succumbed on September…

Ryan Alexander Forms Civilian, Releases New MP3

Big changes happening with Fort Lauderdale singer/songwriter Ryan Alexander, who announced that his band Alexander is finished and that he’s starting a new chapter with Civilian.”So. me and my best friends have been working on a new record,” Alexander writes in a Facebook posting. “We have changed the name and…

Tom Waits Unveils New Record, Bad as Me, Releases Title Track

After making a cryptic post on his official Facebook page last week, Tom Waits has announced that he will release a new full-length record of original material on October 25 via Anti- Records. This will be the first from Waits since Real Gone, which was released seven years ago. The…

RIP, Songwriters Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford

Both Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford were part of songwriting teams responsible for countless intricate pop hits across the second half of the 20th Century, and arguably anyone in the business of writing songs owes a great debt to them. Losing both on Monday —  Leiber, 78, died of cardiopulmonary…

The Bubble Hosting Hurricane Irene Party

Any time you prepare for the worst, you should also prepare for the best. In this case, the Bubble’s cement-walled confines near downtown Fort Lauderdale will be a welcoming spot on the evening of Friday, August 26, as Hurricane Irene begins its scheduled ascent to the northern part of Florida…

Happy 62nd Birthday, Rick Springfield!

Our favorite hunk, Rick Springfield, turns 62 today. Can someone say silver fox? In the early ’80s, Springfield was on up on magazine covers, bedroom walls and pre-teen fantasies. Like a Bieber with feathered hair, he was the dreamiest. His fifth album, Working Class Dog, had four Top 40 singles…

Identity Festival in Miami Cancelled — Hurricane Irene Blamed

Update 8/29/11: A new date has been announced!Today has been filled with little other than perfectly rational South Floridians shaking their fists in disgust and yelling, “come on, Irene!” The threat of Hurricane Irene has claimed a serious musical casualty: Skullcandy’s Identity Festival stop in Miami scheduled for Thursday, August…

MP3: Lil Jon & LMFAO’s “Drink” Celebrates Binge Consumption

There are many enjoyable compositions extolling the virtues of alcoholic beverages, but Lil Jon’s new song has a bit of a drinking problem. Not to say that “Drink,” which features a guest verse by LMFAO, won’t find an audience near the beer pong tables, kegerators, bottle service lounges, and parents’…

Backstage: A Response to NPR Regarding Kate Bush

Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions and observations about the local scene. This week: Fueling some feedback…  It goes without saying that one of the hazards of being a writer is having to open yourself up to feedback, either positive or negative, and in…

Lil Wayne Hospitalized After Skateboarding Accident

Lil Wayne was taken to a St. Louis hospital Sunday evening after a pleasant evening of skateboarding turned “gnarly.” Weezy was in Missouri for a performance at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on his I Am Still Music Tour, and as is common, the tour bus stopped at a local skate…

Young Circles Giving Away Jungle Habits at Midnight

If Miami experimental rock troupe Young Circles has its way, the remainder of the year will be filled with debate regarding its debut full-length, Jungle Habits. The vets of South Florida’s live scene have assembled their most ambitious, animalistic collection of songs yet. For the entire 24 hours of Tuesday,…

Live: Alison Krauss & Union Station at Broward Center, August 21

Alison Krauss & Union Station Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort LauderdaleSaturday, August 21, 2011If there’s anyone who doubts that bluegrass is now mainstream, Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Saturday night show at the Au Rene Theater ought to have provided more than enough evidence to convince that it’s…

Happy Birthday, Kenny Rogers — How the Gambler Hit the Jackpot

Turning 73, Kenny Rogers still looks every bit like the refined country gentleman he’s portrayed since early on, with his perfectly coiffed hair, silvery beard and GQ three-piece apparel. But has the man whose ongoing list of hits famously included “The Gambler” really taken that much of a gamble with…

Happy Birthday, David Brock — 5 Far Out Hawkwind Jams

Hawkwind were hippies who stayed hippies after Altamont, Nixon and the still roaring Vietnam War were seriously bumming out flower power muppet babies across the world. While many late ’60s/early ’70s rock ensembles jumped the Free Love ship into the shadowy waters of sign-of-the-times darkness (the Stooges, Velvet Underground and…

Weekend Playlist: Electric Somber British

The United Kingdom is famed as a home to some of the greatest music to ever grave the surface of the planet, making enormous waves in the 1960’s with trailblazers like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. While best know as a cradle to the best rock ‘n’ roll on…

Happy Birthday, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan!

Today is Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan’s 66th birthday. One of the most influential, and possibly under-revered members of British rock royalty, Gillan shares a similar story with a great many of his countrymen. Gillan was born to a working class family perpetually on the move between different forms of…