:: rock the tropics ::

Please bear with us while we move on to bigger things and better places.

Thanks,

Rock the Tropics



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Felix da Housecat
Friday, May 23, 2003
Opium Garden
21+
10 p.m.
Open bar from 10 p.m. -- 11 p.m. (limited beer, presumably limitless vodka)
Careful with these obnoxious only-in-South-Beach club rules: Patrons are advised to "dress to impress," and "bring girls" to ensure getting in. Ack.

You're well acquainted with "electroclash" by now (Felix calls it "dirty glam"). Last week the New Times dubbed this neophyte genre the Best New Music Trend of the year. You drop the word like so much spare change in casual conversation, affecting a posture of familiarity to the point of near-boredom. You've shaken your ass to this odd blend of fat beats and retro sensibilities in all the hip clubs. But have you ever wondered who's behind the hit machine? Felix, architect of the sexiest album in recent memory, last year's Kittenz and Thee Glitz, might be the hippest, coolest, slickest and smoothest of all the cogs. Check him out.

Stardriver, Pygmy, Mona the Canvas, Val Emmrich
Friday, May 30, 2003
Churchill's
$5

Alkaline Trio
with Pretty Girls Make Graves, Pitch Black, Avoid One Thing
Saturday, May 31, 2003
The Factory
6:30 p.m.
$11 in advance, $13 at the door

Emo, it seems, will never die.

Beck
with Dashboard Confessional, Black Keys
Sunday, June 1, 2003
Mizner Amphitheater
7 p.m.
$37.50

Whoa! How'd this line-up happen, again? It's almost worth the $40 admission price just to find out.

Of Montreal
with Great Lakes
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Respectable Street
8 p.m.
$8
The triumphant return of Elephant 6, odd and wonderful psychedelic collective.


:: lost in the tropics 7:44 PM [+] ::
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Ok. This is the deal:

Sometime in the next two months comes a complete site overhaul. Same writing, same music, same principles and partisanship, just more attractive and logical and better. Also, updates will be much more frequent, and if you've signed up for the mailing list, you'll be able to choose the frequency with which you receive Rock the Tropics e-mails. As always, feel free to send comments and ideas.


Please proceed.


Spy-Fi Records Party on the Patio
Saturday, May 17, 2003
9:00 p.m.
Hosted by our favorite local emcee, DJ Zira, aka Spy-Fi's Ed Artigas. Hit the patio for an indie pop par-tay.
Churchill's

Big Sky, Remeber the Ocean
Saturday, May 17, 2003
8:30 p.m.
You can even buy your tickets to this fine local show through the very venue, Respectable Street.

The Sounds Album Listening Party
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Swedish quintet releases its début album, Living in America. Come sample the self-proclaimed "future of rock history." Venue will be fully stocked with band-related merchandise.

Poplife Clubwarming,
with the #3 Pencils
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Poplife
30 N.E. 14 Street
Downtown Miami
(3 blocks West of Biscayne Blvd. on 14th Street)
10 p.m.
18+

The best Saturday-night party in town finally relocates to I/O, located in the Next South Beach, Downtown Miami (buy your Design District property now, while it's still dirt cheap!). $3 drink special from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., so you can loosen up before you hit the dance floor.


Grandaddy with Pete Yorn, Year of the Rabbit
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Gosman Amphitheatre
6:30 p.m.
$25

If you choose to shell out the headliner-induced, big-time bucks, you'll catch a preview of Grandaddy's new album, Sumday, even before the kids at the Respectable Street listening party on June 13 (see below for details). You'll have plenty more cred points, too, since you'll be seeing and hearing the real thing, live. You will also potentially be assigned the nickname "Hardcore" (refer, again, to ticket prices for details). Not a bad gig. For extra kicks, the opening band, Year of the Rabbit, boasts a cool band name, cool resident graphic artist, spankin' new record label contract (courtesy of Elektra), and début full-length release on June 24. There: now you have more than enough reasons to dig into the wallet/trust fund and make the drive.

David Dondero
with Scott Nixon, J.C. Moya, Zira, and The Stop Motion (unplugged)
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Billabong Pub
8:00 p.m.
$5
18 and up
Presented by Firefly Music.

Radiohead Listening Party
Friday, May 30, 2003
Respectable Street
Radiohead's first single, "There There," off their forthcoming sixth album, Hail to the Thief -- alternately titled The Gloaming,-- will begin to rotate on Monday, May 26, a couple of weeks before the album's scheduled release date of Tuesday, June 10. A track list, European tour dates, and the information I've just relayed are posted in the original breaking-news, bare-bones style here, and elsewhere on their website.

Grandaddy Album Listening Party
Friday, June 13, 2003
Respectable Street
I couldn't tell you how many times I've attempted to dance to "The Crystal Lake" (from 2000's The Sophtware Slump) at various rock-friendly nightlife venues. Awkward as all hell, but that rolling synth line, the backbone of the song, is irresistible, and the guitar makes me want to swing my arms like a marching Girl Scout. Not the prettiest picture, but some of the most exciting and innovative music about. Nature versus machine, the beauty found somewhere in between. That was then, anyway. On June 10, the small-town Cali boys release Sumday, their third full-length effort. The buzz is slowly beginning to make its rounds, and apparently the word is that the new record is less Pink Floyd and more Under the Western Freeway, although the truth, as we all know, is that the beauty of Grandaddy lies somewhere in between.

The New Times' yearly Best of Miami issue is out this week, and I'm more pleased with their local music selections than I ever remember being. That's all due to two excellent choices, which follow.

Lo-fi revivalists Bling Bling got voted Best Indie Rock Band, a much-deserved and well-bestowed laud. For a couple of years now, the boys and girl of Bling Bling have been carrying the torch of raw, unpretentious, hands-barely-on production, keeping it real across South Florida with a series of kinetic live performances. Catch drummer Black Angus in his capacity as party emcee tonight at Churchill's (see above for details).

Posthumous laurels went to Machete, which was found to be the Best Band to Break Up in the Past Twelve Months. What else can I say about Machete in these virtual pages that I haven't already. A good thing rarely lasts as long as they did, and only the Rock and Roll Pantheon knows how many times they got hot-coals close to dissolution, so let's just be grateful for what we had while we had it, and for that ass-spanking last show. Speaking of which, those signed Untitled Music CDs are still sitting on my shelf. (Refer to November 6 entry.) What's up, people?

Other noteworthy recipients of Best Of nods were WVUM for Best Rock Radio Program and The Spam Allstars for Best Band Name, apparently just to give 'em something, because they're so damn good.


Until next time. Keep it bookmarked, keep it real.

:: lost in the tropics 3:26 PM [+] ::
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Guided By Voices pictures are in!


Digitally captured at their October 22 show at The Factory in Fort Lauderdale by Dana Winrow.

Digitally remastered and arranged by levitcleos.com.

Attended by yours truly, and by the fine folks listed above.

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               • Upcoming shows
               • Machete : news and out-of-print CD giveaway
               • Guided By Voices : commentary, pictures, and activities!
               • Feedback

Upcoming shows

Japanese noise band will bring down the house, the neighborhood, and any melodic shoegazy ideals you may still be holding onto. Welcome.

Melt-Banana
with the Kite Flying Society
Friday, November 8
Revolver
Doors at 10:00 p.m.
$10
18+

Spy-Fi Saturdays
featuring Pivot, Secret Service, Vidavox, Vangard
Saturday, November 9
Billabong Pub
$5
18+

Rainer Maria
with Rilo Kiley, See Venus, Poulain
Tuesday, November 12
Curchill's
Doors at 9:00 p.m.
$8 tickets available at various indie outlets and through PopLife online
18+

Seattle power pop god and K Records emperor, Calvin Johnson brings himself and a sampling of his label's roster to the country's opposite corner. The lovely, talented and local Faller will inaugurate the festivities.

K Records Showcase
with Calvin Johnson, Little Wings, Wolf Colonel, Faller
Friday, November 15
Polish American Club
1250 NW 22nd Avenue
305.635.2240
$8 at the door
All ages

This following one's a bit sketchy. It was advertised on a long-gone flier I picked up at the Guided By Voices show. Wolf Colonel were billed alongside some other forgettable bands, and referred to as playing an "early set." I'd call in advance.

Wolf Colonel
Saturday, November 16
Billabong Pub
9:00 p.m.

Al is Well, Quit, The Stop Motion
Saturday, November 16
Polish American Club
1250 NW 22nd Avenue
305.635.2240

Untitled Music

Only four months after local talents Machete disbanded and lead singer Justin Gracer left for brighter lights and a bigger city, the group is reuniting for another show while Justin's back in town for the holidays. It'll happen in mid-December, and more info. will be disclosed as more info. is revealed to your humble compiler.

In honor of the forthcoming occasion, I am prepared to part with one copy of Machete's début album, Untitled Music, signed by guitarist Seth Berkey and drummer Kris King. The album was available one night only, during their last ever performance, on Friday, June 14 at Churchill's. But you can get it free and Herbie-Hancocked and for minimal effort: just send Rock the Tropics an e-mail explaining, very briefly, why you should be the one to receive it. I will pick my favorite answer and mail off the rekkid at no cost to the winner.

Universal Truths and Bob Pollard

But of course, everyone's a winner at Rock the Tropics, so I extend to you a present you don't have to lift a finger for. In case you missed the rare South Florida appearance of Guided By Voices at The Factory on Tuesday, October 22, digital photographer extraordinaire Dana Winrow documented the performance in a series of pictures you can check out... well, tomorrow. We are putting the finishing touches on our GBV picture gallery. You'll get an e-mail as soon as we publish it, hot off the virtual presses. In the meantime, we leave you a small token of our appreciation.



dana@spazgirl.com


Feedback

This is where we coddle you into giving of yourself to Rock the Tropics. Did you catch Wilco or Mark Eitzel? Do you take pictures at shows that you'd like to see posted on the Web? Have you seen a local band that's blown you away? Is there anything you'd like to add to this website? Anything you care to comment on? Send all correspondence to rockthetropics@hotmail.com, and let us know if we can use your words and/or images on the site (fully credited to you, of course).

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A necessary update, because too much is coming up to wait any longer.

One of Dayton, Ohio's finest (two?) bands will finally make their way down to Fort Lauderdale this Tuesday in support of their latest album, Universal Truths and Cycles. We weathered a false alarm of their coming over the summer, we counted the miles from our driveways to Bob Pollard's back porch -- have you heard the Sunday afternoon fan drink-along story? -- and at long last will find ourselves a part of the drunken mayhem GBV are sure to bring with them. Superdrag, another fine specimen, will also be attending the festivities to promote Last Call for Vitriol. Don't miss it.

Guided by Voices
with Superdrag
Saturday, October 22
The Factory
Doors at 6:30 pm (!)
$12 in advance, $14 at the door
18+

Looking for something to do on Halloween? Skip the shallow Hollywood scares of The Ring and opt instead for this dark, emotional rock showcase:

The Anniversary, Burning Brides, Bleu
Thursday, October 31
The Viper Room
7:00 p.m.
$10

True, they're cashing in on this whole recent "electroclash" (I prefer "electroglitz," inspired by Felix) craze, but this small-scale festival is a must-see. Huge names. If you're curious as to what the hype is all about, check out Felix da Housecat or David Figurine for textbook definitions of what it's all about.

Electroclash Tour
with Chicks on Speed, Peaches, Tracy and the Plastics, and much more
Friday, November 1
Polish American Club
1250 NW 22nd Avenue
305.635.2240

The Stop Motion, Al is Well, The Groovenics
Saturday, November 2
The Alley

Airing out his record collection on Vanity Fair (didn't Beck do a much less obnoxious, more impressive job on that cover art piece a while back?) isn't enough for this aging pop balladeer: the myth keeps coming on strong. Check it out:

Elvis Costello
Saturday, November 2
Jackie Gleason Theater
8:00 p.m.
$37.50 to $52.50

If you were one of the few lucky attendees at Mark Eitzel's Manuel Artime performance a year ago July, you'll definitely want to see him in a couple of weeks on his return trip to Miami. The charismatic ex-American Music Club frontman will be performing an acoustic show, all courtesy of local promoter JC Moya, who worked and networked his magic two years in a row (and also brought you the recent Bright Eyes show). Rock.

Mark Eitzel
Sunday, November 3
Polish American Club
1250 NW 22nd Avenue
7:30 p.m.

Coming at you next time:

- Couldn't make it out to see Guided By Voices? Read about it here.
- Remember Machete? Of course you do. The South Florida legends' last show reviewed, some of their now-unavailable, signed albums given away.
- More upcoming shows, and then some. Also, look for a major site redesign in the not-so-distant future, and a change of webhome. Suggestions and contributions are always welcome: send e-mail to rockthetropics@hotmail.com.

:: lost in the tropics 1:40 AM [+] ::
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The below, for some reason, never made it on the site like it was supposed to. Better late than never? So, as I wrote back in late May, coming soon. Very soon, this time. Like those Dragonball (?) characters gathering energy before striking. Yeah.

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