Tokyo’s Kikagaku Moyo Brings a Psychedelic Vision to South Florida

In the realm of concert planning, the members of Japanese psychedelic rock band Kikagaku Moyo are true believers in an intuitive approach. “We decide onstage what songs we play,” Go Kurosawa, the band’s drummer, tells New Times. “If the crowd is silent, we’ll play meditative, dreamy songs. If people are more wild,…

Jason Hainsworth on Telling Stories Without Lyrics

With the release of his new album, Third Ward Stories, Fort Lauderdale-based saxophonist Jason Hainsworth set out to create a musical biography of his childhood in Houston. But how do you tell a story through instrumental jazz without any lyrics? “Too often I think we take for granted the countless…

Miami’s 12 Best Halloween Parties of 2016

Even in an average year, Halloween in South Florida means shoulder-to-shoulder hordes of zombie Trumps and $5,000 Harley Quinn getups jostling for space from Lincoln Road to Las Olas and inside every bar and club in between. But this year, thanks to October 31 falling on a Monday, the drunken…

Watch DJ Irie Get Roasted This Weekend

After the resurgence of vinyl, perhaps no other twentieth-century artifact has made as unlikely a revival as the celebrity roast. Late at night, after the kids went to bed, commercials for The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast used to air. Today, it seems so old and musty as one rat pack member after another…

Denver Man Writes Tribute Song for Jose Fernandez

When Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez tragically died last month after a boating accident at only 24 years of age, not only Miami but the entire baseball community mourned the loss of one of the most promising athletes in the MLB. To see someone that talented and joyous taken away so young…

III Points 2016, Day One: Complications Linger, but the Show Goes On

Down its biggest headliner and plagued by last-minute hiccups, III Points limped into day one, badly wounded. The forces of god, nature, and misfortune had seemingly unloaded their entire arsenal on the Wynwood festival this year in the form of wind, mosquitoes, and cancelled flights.  Year four would be the…

Black Kvlt Festival Promises Death and Destruction at Churchill’s

After the underwhelming collection of wind and rain South Florida was calling Hurricane Matthew, the city could use an adrenaline boost. Thankfully, the  fourth annual Black Kvlt Festival is upon us. “I’m not a Satan worshipper, but I like the dark, evil shit,” Ira Ochacher says when asked why he…

What Miami’s Music Bookers Look for in a Live Band

You step into a bar in Miami and a live band is playing. How did they get there? They didn’t just magically appear. And they didn’t just walk into the room carrying instruments and commandeer the stage like a troupe of funky pirates. As you peruse through the back of…

Jacuzzi Boys Prepare for New Album and North American Tour

Miami’s garage-rock savants Jacuzzi Boys have been a fixture on the local scene for some time, disappearing to tour before popping up again in our neck of the woods every few months. We haven’t heard much from the trio lately, but that’s because the band has been busy toiling away…

Stargazer Lilies Stop by Gramps to Help Prepare for Bumblefest

Guitarist John Ceparano was holding some flowers one day when a stranger approached, glanced at the blooms in his hands, and asked if they were stargazer lilies. “We thought that was such a cool name for a band,” Ceparano remembers. “It informed our sound. We thought, What would a band…

Red Bull Ends a Successful Miami Vacation With AlunaGeorge

With complimentary donuts and popsicles handed out Saturday night at the Hangar, things got off to a sweet start. It was night three of Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 3 Days in Miami, a series of concerts meant to showcase both established talent and new up-and-comers. Thursday saw the hard…

JP Pitts on Continuing Surfer Blood Without Thomas Fekete

Things should be good for the West Palm Beach indie-rock heroes of Surfer Blood. They have a new album set for release in early 2017. They’ve had opening gigs for some of their biggest influences, including the Pixies and Guided by Voices. Their song “Swim” was even heard on the…