At age 74, Hammond organist Dr. Lonnie Smith still looks like a kid in the candy store every time he gets behind his keyboard. On Saturday, the kid from Lackawanna, N.Y., fed off of the energy of a sold-out crowd at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach. Those attending included some old friends from the 1990s, when the turban-topped keyboardist was part of the house band at … [Read more...]
Young band, old covers: Mainstreet Dreamers choose well-trod path
Many towns have a Main Street; a thoroughfare that links its other tributaries to keep drivers from getting lost. But West Palm Beach-based pop/rock band Mainstreet Dreamers was not named for any such predictability. Geographically, West Palm Beach is just listed on the quartet’s Web pages as a central location. Bassist Morgan Beers lives further north in Jupiter; guitarist … [Read more...]
Prophets of Rage ignite crowd at Perfect Vodka
The Perfect Vodka Ampitheatre was not the place for the musically faint of heart Sunday, as the Prophets of Rage brought their “Make America Rage Again” tour, and two opening acts, through South Florida. With members of Public Enemy (vocalist Chuck D, turntable artist DJ Lord), Cypress Hill (vocalist B-Real) and Rage Against the Machine (guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim … [Read more...]
2016-17 Season Preview: Jazz
Plenty of jazz artists make return trips to South Florida for the 2016-2017 season, although many haven’t performed here in recent memory. Yet what stands out most, as long as concert-goers are patient enough to wait until early 2017, are some intriguing pairings of artists. Those include Gonzalo Rubalcaba playing with influential fellow pianist Chick Corea; vocalist Kurt … [Read more...]
2016-17 Season Preview: Pop music
There are, as usual, plenty of 2016-2017 pop highlights under the all-encompassing musical blanket that the sub-genre term provides, with many featuring time-honored artists in genres from classic rock and folk to R&B and country. What’s pleasantly surprising for this season is how many of the standouts among them are female artists, and what a wide swath they cover across … [Read more...]
All-acoustic String Assassins see listener base grow
It’s a hot summer night outside in mid-July, but the temperature inside the air-conditioned Brewhouse Gallery in Lake Park is also uncommonly high during a performance by the genre-defying String Assassins (www.thestringassassins.com). That’s because a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd is swaying to the sounds of the quartet (acoustic guitarists Mark Shubert, Matt Gill and Dr. Jay … [Read more...]
Jupiter’s Guanabanas expanding its Latin vibe
Since 2008, Guanabanas in Jupiter has stood out among South Florida nightclubs through the mix of its tropical atmosphere, a gourmet menu featuring fresh local seafood, and an emphasis on live music that includes bookings of unique artists from local to international — plus a state-of-the-art sound system that limits volume to accommodate the city’s strict noise … [Read more...]
A muscular, messy evening with the Led Zeppelin legacy
Jason Bonham. It seemed inevitable that drummer Jason Bonham would eventually put together an act paying tribute to Led Zeppelin, the band of his late father, drummer John Bonham. The primary reason that Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience didn’t launch until 2010 — a full 30 years after the senior Bonham’s death — was that the younger Bonham was the logical replacement … [Read more...]
Anniversary bash highlights growing Lake Park arts district
The Helmsmen perform during the second anniversary bash last month. (Photo by Jaime Kujala) As anniversaries go, the one-year milestone reached by the Brewhouse Gallery in Lake Park in May of 2015 proved to be just an appetizer for the two-year bash held last month. And that’s despite the fact that the art gallery, live music emporium, and craft beer, wine and coffeehouse had … [Read more...]
First-ever Florida Jazz and Blues Jam packs Grammy prowess in headliners
Victor Wooten. It isn’t very often that a festival features a combined 13 Grammy Awards between four iconic headliners, and that’s what gives the First Annual Florida Jazz and Blues Jam on Saturday instant name recognition and potential staying power. Its opening act is only John Mayall, the 82-year-old British blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player whose … [Read more...]