Skanksgiving Eve with The Methodaires and Howitzer

by | Nov 24, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale

by Guest Writer J. FineHowitzer Methodaires Poorhouse Lauderdale

Each year individuals are faced with the same daunting dilemma, where to spend their Thanksgiving Eve. Quality time with one’s family looming this decision cannot be taken lightly.

This year, after much consideration, I have decided my pre-Tofurky time will be spent at the Poorhouse in Downtown FTL. This Wednesday Poorhouse offers The Methodaires and Howitzer.

The Methodaires will be gracing the Poorhouse for the first time in two years. The ska, reggae, and soul band have been together three years. They were joined by singer Nia Divine about a year and a half ago. The Methodaires cover the Police, The Specials and perform original music; Nia Divine performing Erykah Badu’s Tyrone is a must see. The Methodaires will get you off your bar stool and shaking your turkey feathers.

Howitzer a street rock band with a hardcore influence will finish off the night. Howitzer was started by brothers Jay and Russ in 1995. Since the bands inception members have changed however Jay and Russ have continued to provide guitar, bass and vocals. Today Howitzer brings a cohesive group of skilled passionate musicians together to ring in the early hours of your Thanksgiving.

The Methodaires and Howitzer are a sure bet when deciding what to do with your Wednesday night. Two incredibly talented bands together at a FTL staple such as Poorhouse and you can’t go wrong. Have fun, be safe and tip your bartender!

Here’s Conspiracy by Howitzer.

Here’s Hygrade by The Methodaires

Wattle you be doing this Thanksgiving week?

by | Nov 23, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale

There’s an unholy amount of fun stuff going on in Broward. Here’s a day-by-day guide to the best events this week, starting this evening. Don’t forget to click the links for locations and extra info.

Tuesday

Hardcore drinkers unite! There is a bus loop tonight to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Fort Lauderdale. Don’t mind the fact that the real 100 year anniversary happens in 2011. Who cares if you have to work the next day? 9 drinks never hurt anyone. Although we think it makes a lot more sense to have Ft Lauderdale’s quarterly Christmas on Wednesday when no one has to work the next day and visitors will be in town, it’s a good cause to support. As usual, the money goes to charity. Check out the route and ticket info here. In addition to the loop, there will be a lighting ceremony of the 100 year sign on on Las Olas and A1A at 6:30pm.

Black(out) Wednesday

On Blackout Wednesday, allegedly the biggest weekday night to go out every year, our favorite dive Poorhouse will be hosting the Methodaires and Howitzer. Guest Writer J Fine wrote a preview of the show.

The annual Thanksgiving Eve block party Cranberry Jam is going on outside The Parrot off of Sunrise and A1A. Music by Cypress, Audio Heist, and DJ Russ. Price of admission ($20 prepay, $25 the day of) gets you free drinks from 6-9pm.

Thanksgiving Day

After recovering from your food coma, check out Stereo Synth, the weekly indie dance party at Monterey Club. DJ’s Lindersmash and Andie Sweetswirl will be spinning indie, new wave, 80s, electro, and straight up rock.

Black Friday

The Trash To Treasure Re-Use Center in Pompano is hosting an amazing lineup of local talent. I think the lineup speaks for itself, so I’ll just list it: Emily Reo
The Band In Heaven, Love Handles, Guy Harvey, Totally Nebular, Hear Hums, Sumsun, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Mui, Dark Sea of Awareness, The Great Deceivers . For those unaware of Trash To Treasure, they’re an organization that finds reusable materials and distributes them for educational and artistic purposes. Mad props to Trash To Treasure for throwing this together. Donate $5 to enter the party.

I got an email yesterday morning about a new warehouse/”collaborative workspace” opening up around FAT Village Arts District called The Collide Factory. The party, known simply as Black Friday, will cost guys $10 for unlimited drinks. Ladies drink free. Considering, I’ve never heard of this place prior to Monday morning, I’m a little intrigued by this party. If anyone wants to write about The Collide Factory itself or this party, shoot me an email at mig@ftlcollective.com.

The first annual electronic music festival Dancegiving is happening all day at Revolution, The Green Room, and America’s Backyard. The lineup of DJs looks intriguing, especially LA Riots, Wolfgang Gartner, Steve Aoki, and local Amtrac. This event has the opportunity to be awesome or really cheesy. Hopefully, there won’t be any riots like the one this past weekend outside the Autumn Music Festival in Miami. The event starts at noon and runs until the wee hours of the morning. Tickets are $40. Buy them at the Revolution box office to avoid the Ticketbastard fees.

Saturday

Meet at Maguire’s Hill 16 for the 10th annual Art Scavenger Hunt. Maps will be handed out around 8pm. You can keep up to 2 pieces of art. Cheaters not welcome. I’ve never been to any of the previous scavenger hunts, but this sounds like a lot of fun. The after party is at the Bubble.

Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional performs songs from Swiss Army Romance to celebrate its 10 year anniversary. Check out Strawberry Jam’s post for more details.

Sunday

Stay home and get your life together. You’ve had a long week.

Reminisce with Dashboard Confessional at Revolution

by | Nov 22, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale

Swiss Army Romance

by Strawberry Jam

November 27 marks the date that south Florida’s own Chris Carrabba, better known as the outfit Dashboard Confessional, embarks on a national tour in honor of the ten year anniversary of his first album, The Swiss Army Romance. While for some the event is sure to go unnoticed, attendees will probably be in for a sweet treat of high school nostalgia as Carrabba is set to do an acoustic version of the album in its entirety. Though Dashboard Confessional has almost always been a multi-member band, Carrabba has been the main driving force behind the lyrics and music that was irresistible to teenagers, guys and girls alike, in the early 2000’s. Okay, at least the guys open enough to be in touch with their feelings or musically- inclined.

The evolution of Dashboard’s music is evident throughout the years with several band member changes and a seemingly endless winding search for their original, trademark sensitive sound. While producing later albums, Carrabba once said that he was hoping to get back to that natural feel of the first couple of albums, which were written around the same time and before the official formation of the band. The journey is evident as a more mature, wider range of topics are covered in more recent albums- Dusk and Summer addresses war in Slow Decay “And I didn’t hate those that I killed but they’re all dead now, but I’m here alive with satellites and Friday nights”. But nothing compares to the obvious underlying theme of every single song of Carrabba’s first three albums: love. Perhaps that’s what drove the kids crazy back then. The highs, the lows, the anguish of young heartache; paired with Carrabba’s ability to convey these raw feelings through optimistic music and words which were everything you felt but never knew how to say. For some, Swiss Army Romance, was quite literally the soundtrack of their lives at the time. If you’re a fan you won’t want to miss this opportunity to revisit your past and remind yourself why “youth’s the most unfaithful mistress.”

The Swiss Army Romance 10th Anniversary Tour
Revolution, $25 at the box office or here
Saturday, November 27, 6:30pm

A new indie dance party on Ft Lauderdale Beach

by | Nov 16, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale

A couple weeks ago, I wrote an elongated rant regarding the lack of nightlife options to hear non-mainstream music. In the post, we highlighted a couple regular indie dance parties — Monterey Club’s Thursday parties and Club Cinema’s Noir Wednesdays with Marvelous Kendall. Well, add Sunday afternoons to the list. This coming Sunday at McSorley’s new-ish rooftop bar overlooking Ft Lauderdale Beach, a new monthly indie dance party is born. The inaugural bash, appropriately called JAMS, will be held once a month and feature some of our areas’ better alternative DJs. This month’s lineup includes local spin specialists Esoteric, Damask, Sensitive Side, Chris Lee, and yours truly (Mig). As an added bonus, Lake Worth’s barbecue nomads Swanky’s Low and Slow BBQ will be on hand, selling their mouth watering brand of street food . The party starts at 2pm (just enough time to sober up from Saturday) and will end at 8pm. Broke people rejoice — no cover charge.

There are multiple reasons that the FTLC is excited about this party (excluding the fact that I’m DJing). To avoid rambling, we’ve limited ourselves to 6 reasons to attend this beachside soiree:

  • A plethora of good music, ranging from indie to 80s new wave to electro to nudisco to you-name-it. Some songs you might already love. Other songs will force you to whip out your smartphone to find out the artist and song title.
  • JAMS starts and ends early enough to not conflict with work the next day. Again, it starts at 2pm to 8pm. That gives you plenty of time to get drunk and dance out the booze before your Monday morning TPS reports are due.
  • You’ll probably be at the beach anyway, either enjoying the sun or watching the Dolphins kick field goals and not throw the ball to Brandon Marshall. Just move your towel 1 mile north to Sunrise and A1A. I promise the music will be better than the cover band at Elbo Room and there will be plenty of TVs to watch your favorite NFL team.
  • Have you been to the sundeck at McSorley’s yet? The outdoor portion of the rooftop bar is completely open-air, so you can soak up some rays and enjoy the ocean breeze at the same time. It’s an stupendous way to spend a sunny South Florida afternoon.
  • There’s no cover charge, so don’t use my go-to excuse “I have no money”.
  • Did we mention Swanky’s will be there? Mmmmm, pork sandwiches.

One more time…here’s the vital info.

JAMS the Party (fan page) (event page)
McSorleys rooftop bar
2pm to 8pm on Sunday, November 21st
837 North Fort Lauderdale Beach, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Live DJs.
$0 to get in. Must be 21 or over.

Ain’t No Party Like A Warehouse Party

by | Nov 12, 2010 | Fort Lauderdale

Unlike most weekends in Broward, there aren’t a plethora of fun options for this weekend. While the weekend may lack in an abundance of interesting nightlife choices, it does provide one excellent warehouse party on Saturday night. I’m talking about SWARM 4, which being held at the Swarm Warehouse, just west of 95 in Fort Lauderdale (500 Sw 21st Terrace, FTL). Like most warehouse parties, you should expect cheap drinks, interesting artwork by local artists, and live music. Worth noting, two of my favorite local bands will be performing — gypsy punkabilly outfit Everymen and longtime Margate punk band The Shakers. If you’ve never seen or heard Everymen, expect a folkier version of early Against Me! (prior to Searching For A Former Clarity) with a better live show — the lead singer is known to spit fire, literally. Another band I don’t know much about, Ceschi, will also be performing, plus DJs Sensitive Side and Chair Weiner will be spinning.

I won’t go too much into detail since Mickie Centrone of New Times sufficiently previewed the event, but this is a party worth checking out this weekend. Unfortunately, I have to work on Saturday night, so I’ll be missing all the action. If anyone from the Black Locust Society or an attendee of this event wants to chronicle future Swarm parties or review this one (aspiring photographers welcome as well), hit me up at mig@ftlcollective.com .

Here’s a tune from Everymen: