StreetWorks – Fat Naked Girls, Botero Goes Parking Lot

Jacob Katel Donna Sdraiata, Fernando Botero StreetWorks is usually a graffiti blog. Starting today, as long as I’m shooting, it’ll document all forms of publicly displayed art, from the gutter to the gallery. With that in mind, this week’s feature is the Gary Nader Sculpture Park featuring bronze work by…

Letters from the Issue of September 11, 2008

He Paid Top Dollar School board guys don’t break rules: We wish to respond to Francisco Alvarado’s September 4 item in Riptide, “Forget Rudy Crew.” Once Agustin Barrera became aware that an e-mail was circulated to the press containing the innuendo that he had received a “special deal” for work…

It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day

“Arrrg!” says an inebriated Cap’n Pete Poopdeck as he slams a fist on the wooden bar top at Seven Seas (2200 Red Rd., Miami, 305-266-6071), a charmingly dingy pub off Coral Way. “Can ye fetch me a beer?” The barkeep — a small woman with gold jewelry, bright red lipstick,…

Beyond the Ones and Twos

Isaac DeLima, the local turntablist whiz kid known as DJ I-Dee, is a little worried about his generation’s response to his art form. “It’s very endangered. Its high points were maybe six or seven years ago, but it was still in its hybrid stages then, and no one was really…

Rudy’s Out

CBS4’s Jim Defede reports that attorneys representing the Miami-Dade School Board and Superintendent Rudy Crew have struck a deal that ends the nationally lauded, but locally villified, educator’s tenure in our fabled Banana Republic. The School Board is to vote on the buy-out at today’s meeting. — Francisco Alvarado…

Throwback Tuesdays–The Queers “Punk Rock Girls”

The Queers are coming! The Queers are Coming! You can almost hear the Republicans protesting outside of Churchill’s this weekend as New Hampshire-bred punk band, the Queers come to town. The legendary pop-punk group will be here playing a show with the the Independents this Saturday and hopefully diving into…

Rudy’s Escape

Today the Miami-Dade County School Board voted to negotiate a buy-out of Rudy Crew’s contract, but the embattled superintendent had already been planning his exit from our sunny shores for quite some time. It was only last year that Crew had put his name in for other top schools jobs,…

How to Get Into Any Club, According to Some Aussies on YouTube

Just saw that this was one of the featured videos on YouTube… Watch as an enterprising fellow dons an electro-chic allover-print hoodie (hood up, of course), a hair of headphones around his neck, and a prop record bag, and bullshits his way past all the “queues.” It’s amusing, but I…

Letters from the Issue of September 4, 2008

Nice Job, Business Boys Diamonds are a newspaper’s best friend: Although I think the purpose of Brantley Hargrove’s August 28 story, “Blood Diamonds,” was to shine a light on a little-known and often-successful crime, I couldn’t help laughing at the brutal hypocrisy throughout the story’s five pages. It seems that…

StreetWorks – The Graffiti of Jimbo’s

Across the Rickenbacker Causeway from our gutter metropolis, between the City of Miami and the Village of Key Biscayne, lies Virginia Key. It’s home to the legendary Jimbo’s, a one of a kind smoked fish and beer shack replete with bocce ball, feral cocks and spray can art…

Throwback Tuesdays–Buika “Mi nina Lola”

Lot’s of American music lovers aren’t familiar with sultry Spanish singer, Buika, who is coming to Miami on September 9th and performing at the Gusman Theater. She’s at the forefront of an emerging AfroSpanish sound that mixes soul, jazz, flamenco, and funk. With a powerful voice, and alluring stage presence,…

Tasting the Denny’s Rockstar Menu

A couple of months ago, I took a little pleasure in debating the possibilities of the new “Rockstar Menu” announced by Denny’s. Read that piece to get all the details — but in a nutshell, the 24-hour psuedo-diner chain recently launched it’s “Denny’s All-Nighter” campaign. They’re sponsoring bands with free…

Faux Hawked Kendall Hair Dresser is Shear Genius

via Bravo Considering the all around failure of our sports teams, those who like to root, root, root for the home team may have better luck switching over to frivolous Bravo reality competition shows. I don’t know what would be more humiliating for Dolphins fans: last season or their friends…

Letters from the Issue of August 28, 2008

Judge for Yourself Skewed reporter: How much did Tim Elfrink get paid for the obvious endorsement of one candidate and slander of another in “Take This Corona. Please.” (August 21)? I read this paper all the time, and there’s a lot of interesting work. I have never commented before, but…

Peasants with Feathers Comes to Roost at PS14

The first time I saw Armando Santelices, the noisy experimental sound artist known as Peasants with Feathers, he was almost invisible under a black hooded cloak. Huge bear claw slippers swaddled his feet, and in his hands (which were covered in black gloves with long fake fingernails attached) he gripped…

StreetWorks – 27th Street Mural

Jacob Katel On 27th Street, between North Miami Avenue and NE 2nd Avenue, in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District, a set of railroad tracks faces the completely bombed wall of the Miller Machinery and Supply Co. building…

Dee Could Be Crowned Shear Genius

via Bravo Season two of Shear Genius, the hair cutting competition on Bravo that most people watch because they’re too lazy to change the channel after Project Runway, wraps up tonight. Dee, a Miami-based stylist, is among the final three who could walk away with the gold-plated bottle of mousse…

Throwback Tuesdays–Happy Birthday Branford Marsalis

So today is jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis’ 48th birthday. I figured a good way to kick off this week’s Throwback Tuesdays is to feature one of his tunes. We don’t showcase jazz nearly enough on this blog, which is something that needs to change. And as far as a slow…

Peter Beste’s Heavy-Metal Warriors Are Cool

Consider the band that once performed in Poland surrounded by impaled sheep heads, later unleashing a literal bloodbath of the fluid collected from the animals. Or ponder the ex-member of that band who dwells near a remote fjord with no plumbing and was once accused of torturing a man who…

Letters from the Issue of August 21, 2008

Get Her a Container You lazy bureaucrats: In regard to Lee Klein’s August 14 story “Kick the Bottle”: I have lived in North Miami Beach on 178th Street since January 2007. I have never received recycling containers to save the plastic bottles. Maybe someone will see this letter and take…

Is DMX the Dumbest Rapper Alive?

In light of his most recent arrest–at a Wal-Mart–in South Florida this past Thursday, the question deserves to be asked: is DMX the dumbest rapper alive? The former rap star who once put out widely revered albums like, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of my Flesh, Blood…

Letters from the Issue of August 14, 2008

Winning Hand Lucky or not: I applaud Michael J. Mooney for a well-written article (“Royal Flushed,” August 7). His complete description of amateur poker pros is right on! Most of the advice from the players he spoke to is correct, in its own crude way, not as articulate as some…