If I learned anything from starting countless failed bands (see Rated Arg & The Gray Guns), it’s not always about musical talent; it’s also about hype — more specifically, the band promotional photos. When it comes to taking the picture, bands worry too much about their body language or which animal mask makes them look cooler. In my nonprofessional experience, a band promo photo should always start with the backdrop – train tracks, brick walls, and warehouses are excluded due to overuse and douchey-ness. Fortunately for Broward’s local talent, I have weeded out some of the best painted walls around greater Ft Lauderdale to take a quality band promo shot. Not only did I snap a few photos of these cement masterpieces, I even inserted some musicians into the pictures so you can see what I mean. Click the image for the location of the photo.
Hustlin Hustlin Hustlin…Don Baily Carpets (please don’t kill me Mr. Ross)
The FTL Collective has joined forces with downtown’s Revolution to bring you a night to roll on the floor in laughter! Four local comedy acts, Gene, Mike, Sisqo, and Richy, will be opening up on June 24th for Saturday Night Live’s, Hannibal Buress.
The FTLC would like to offer free admission to all of their faithful subscribers to join them for drinks and giggles at Revolution Live starting at 7pm. There will be a full bar available along with table and chairs (normally standing room at the Rev) so be sure to arrive early to get a good seat.
E-mail giveaways@ftlcollective.comwith your full name to be added to the FTLC guest list. If you’re not already a subscriber, this will also add you to our fantastic mailing list.
Come find out if the “Funniest Person in Chicago” can hold his own in Fort Liquordale or if all those Windy City one-liners are just made out of hot air. Below are a couple links to preview the night as well as the address to the venue. Thanks again loyal FTL Patrons!
Revolution Live
100 SW 3rd Ave
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312
Take I-95 to Broward Blvd., head east to SW 3rd Ave. (aka Nugent Ave.) and make a right. Revolution Live is located in the big yellow building. Box office is located on the west side and entrance is located on the north.
Like much of America’s adolescent population, the bulk of my knowledge on Greek gods is limited to recently watching the teenybopper movie Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief a few months ago (I went with my family, lay off me!); however, it doesn’t take a history buff to know that Atlas was the god that literally carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. After talking to Shawn Hagood, drummer of the industrious, alternative band The Atlas Complex, it’s no shocker as to why they chose this particular name for their quartet. Despite what many people believe, not all hard working bands move to Brooklyn to make it big. Some bands like TAC stay near home, work three or more jobs, play open mic nights, and perform in other bands just to be able to fund their aspirations of a career in music.
Responsible people who only go out on the weekends are probably unaware that Fat Cat’s doesn’t just book cover bands. On a typical weeknight, you can watch a local band perform some original tunes on the venue’s intimate stage. This particular Tuesday night was no exception, as the The Atlas Complex performed their eclectic brand of rock music in front of a surprisingly well-sized weekday crowd. Considering that throughout the course of their set, the band meshes varying types of music such as indie, jam, funk, jazz-fusion, and r&b, it’s extremely difficult to limit them to a single genre. In fact, throughout the night they collaborated with other Broward acts — local hip hop group Da Teamsta’s and resident diva Liza Bennich — for some of their songs. Some my favorite tunes included Letters and Windows Of Light, but I also enjoyed their instrumental tracks that showcased their ability to play their respective instruments extremely well. Even if you don’t like the band’s music, which is difficult considering they span at least 5 different genres, it’s undeniable that these guys enjoy playing music and express it on stage via the energy they exude on stage.
Check out the band’s Myspace to listen to some of their more popular songs. In the meantime, enjoy the music video for their hit song DNA below.
Please note: this blog post was written in 2010. While we plan on updating, we still think its a worthy read.
When you start writing for a Fort Lauderdale blog that caters to locals, it’s easy to neglect what outsiders think of your city. Fortunately, I am obsessed with reading guidebooks, predominantly the Lonely Planet series. Even though I consider the LP the Bible of travel writing, I decided to research what the other top guidebooks are saying about FTL. From what I’ve witnessed, Moon, Frommers, Fodors, & the Lonely Planet are the most purchased brands of guidebooks. After each guidebook’s South Florida edition, here is what I found:
Moon: Florida Beaches
There are few things that I have boycotted in my lifetime: Charleston, NY Jets’ players on my fantasy teams, and 80’s cover bands. Add to the list Moon guidebooks. The first 4 pages in the Ft. Lauderdale section are used to berate our home. Because of that, I have eliminated this book from consideration of top guidebooks. No worries, I have taken the liberty to write some hate mail on behalf of all Lauderdalians:
If you happen to get a discount at the movie theater for being old, then Fodors might be your best bet. I don’t think I’m going on a limb when I assume that the majority of our readers are among a non-senior citizen demographic. If I’m right, this guidebook is probably not for you.
To it’s credit, it did list some attractions that the other books did not:
– Florida Antique Car Museum (never been)
– Sailboat Bend (my favorite neighborhood, I’m biased though)
– Main Library downtown (not sure I’d recommend to tourists)
– Cinema Paradiso
– Swap Shop (AKA Little Bangkok)
– Frank Stranahan’s suicide story (tied his leg to a cinder block and threw himself in the New River)
Overall, there are better guidebooks about Ft Lauderdale. I would have liked to see some cheaper options in the accommodations section (eg. Beach Hostel or Deauville Hostel).
My favorite characteristic about the LP books is that they are catered to budget-minded travelers and backpackers, but also include options for the flashpackers. In this particular edition, I enjoyed the author’s relateable descriptions of some local spots, specifically his description of being black out drunk at Lesters at 3am or the “drunk drunk, wasted beautiful people” at Dicey Rileys. Even though he pokes fun at some of my favorite locales (he describes Brew to people who like coffee shops “filled with artsy-fartsies” and “whiny indie music”) I can’t blame him for having fun with his writing. This edition covers most of the major players in our city; however, there were some glaring omissions, namely Dania Jai Alai and The Swap Shop.
When it comes to FTL, this book is not your best option. When you want to find a place to drink snake blood in Hanoi, Vietnam, the LP owns.
Frommer’s: South Florida
I feel like a traitor, but I am giving the title of best guidebook for Ft. Lauderdale to Frommers. Not only did it include most of the recommendations that the other books listed, but it added some new options for each type of traveler and contains my preferred places that I listed earlier. Some petty downsides included the cluttered organization of the chapters, and the nonsensical ranking system they use for each attraction or business listed. Those negatives can be overlooked because the book does an excellent job of providing an array of options for both the rich and budget minded.
Interesting findings:
All 4 guidebooks listed Poorhouse, 3 different spellings (1 word, 2 words, preceded by “the”)
Museum of Art, Museum of Science, Bonnet/Stranahan House, Mark’s Las Olas, and Lesters were some others that were listed in all 4 publications
As expected, all guidebooks started by mentioning FTL’s past spring break glory. Stop reminding us, please
Pro tip: for good tours of Ft Lauderdale, it might be worth checking out finding a local who can host you on couchsurfing.org or airbnb.com.
More than half of the parties in South Florida have nonsensical, gimmicky names that have no correlation to their respective event (ex: Dirty Hairy, Heatr, Dangerfun, etc). Regardless of whether or not you understand the name of FTLC’s first party, Under The Hood, it’s safe to say that this debut party, located at Ft. Lauderdale’s newest UNDERground music venue 1921, that will include performances by some of your favorite neighborHOOD bands, will be the hottest event going on in the 954 next Friday night. If you are still confused by the name or think that this is a flyer for some kind of monster truck rally, let me explain.
To celebrate the premiere of Ft Lauderdale’s freshest, locally focused blog, we have invited 3 local South Florida rock bands to perform for you guys: Miami indie rockers Rebel, post-punk revivalists Retrocities, and the intense duo Manifest Test Subject. In between the bands’ sets, 1921’s resident spin doctor and self-proclaimed sexiest tri-county deejay, DJ Mig Lauderdale, will be taking requests and spinning the latest in indie dance, electro pop, and hipster hop. If 3 sweet bands and a self promoting DJ wasn’t enough, there will be no cover charge at the door. The bar at 1921 is cash only, so just make sure you bring some greenbacks with you. Doors open at 10pm, and the party goes on until everyone passes out.
So come out to the party, support your local music scene, dance yourself clean, and chat with a couple of FTL’s finest amateur journalists. Make sure to invite every single person that you know. We hope to see you guys out there next Friday.
If you’ve never been to 1921, it can be tricky to find. Click here for a video that explains how to get to the club.
FTLC & 1921 present Under The Hood
1921 S. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Doors open at 10pm
No cover
