aka Vice City, Little Cuba, Magic City, the MIA, the 305
(image via rakontur.com)
The 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys put Miami filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman (and their company, Rakontur) on the international map. The movie was a favorite on the festival circuit, as well as with audiences who usually wouldn’t come near a “documentary,” per se.
A party thrown by the label Trouble & Bass showcased new sounds.
March is traditionally one of the biggest months for music – at least electronic music — in Miami, thanks to the annual Winter Music Conference. Traditionally, that’s happened at the end of the month, with one of the crowning events in the past being Ultra Music Festival.
iPhone 4: my favorite gym (Photo CC by 2.0, via Patrick Hoesly on Flickr)
With summer approaching, of course comes the annual race to get back on track with fitness. My thinking on this has definitely changed over the last few years. Sweating at the gym may seem like something better reserved for meat-heads on South Beach, but dying of cancer or diabetes complications hardly seems “cool” either.
Poems dot Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (image via fairchildgarden.org)
A theme I’ve been trying to express in my posts on this blog is that there is a lot more intellectual, artistic, and creative life in Miami than most would automatically assume. Still, as a native I can admit: It’s not exactly the most literate major city. So I was extremely impressed and inspired when a former newspaper colleague of mine, P. Scott Cunningham, announced he would be spearheading this year’s inaugural O, Miami Festival — a monthlong event dedicated to bringing poetry to the city!
While others in this category are probably thinking about new cool gadgets like the iPad — which certainly looks like fun — I’ve been going in a different direction recently. I still love my iPhone and MacBook, but I’ve been choosing not to add to my gadget obsession. Read More
How about some vindication! Jacuzzi Boys, one of my personal favorite Miami bands, and one which has been written about frequently in this blog (see here and here), have finally gotten a record deal with a national label. Yes, the spunky garage-rock trio has had other people release their music before, first the Orlando, Florida-based Florida’s Dying, and then New York-based Mexican Summer. But for the most part, those were vinyl releases, and in limited editions.
A screenshot from Beached Miami
It’s been a while since I’ve weighed in on this site about good new, Miami-centric websites. Though, like with so many good-intentioned projects, many new websites here in Miami fizzle all too quickly, I’m super excited about a newish one called Beached Miami, which was born here about six months ago.
A Jai-Alai magazine submissions dropbox designed by artist Autumn Casey; via the University of Wynwood on Facebook
In the fast-paced world of the Internet, do literary journals have a place as a physical product? The editors of the new, Miami-based Jai-Alai magazine certainly think so, and have launched a new effort to make it a collaborative project to advance writing in Miami. Those are lofty, worthy goals in a city not exactly traditionally focused on high culture, and each edition is being planned as a keepsake. Each biannual issue, starting with Spring 2011, will be released in a hand-numbered edition of 300, with a series of interlinking, artist-designed covers.
Tommy Wiseau; photo CC by 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Last year, my world changed when I was introduced to the epic movie The Room. Okay, not really — but the film has provided hours of entertainment for me and my friends. In a nutshell, this is what it’s about: Director/producer/screenwriter/star Tommy Wiseau is a computer programmer (or something) with an explicable foreign accent living in San Francisco, and engaged to a woman who betrays him with his best friend.
A scene from the Tuesday-night BTTR truck roundup; via the BTTR Facebook page
I’ve blogged enough here about the burgeoning Miami food truck scene, and this is the last time I will do so for a couple months at least (I promise!). However, as my first few posts document the beginning — or close the beginning — of the trend here in Miami, I figured I’d wrap up and summarize how it’s gelled over the last month.
It's the Jacuzzi Boys again!
As I write this, the first annual Bruise Cruise departs from Miami. The winter marks a number of often unfortunate music-themed cruises leaving from South Florida, representing everything from gospel to ’80s hair metal, but this is the first to appeal to a decidedly younger, cooler crowd.
The exterior of O Cinema, via facebook.com/pages/O-Cinema/143935142284243
An upcoming event marries one of my newer hobbies — riding my bike! — with one of my longstanding passions: independent movies, especially documentaries. The annual Bicycle Film Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and returns to Miami for the second time this March 18 and 19, at O Cinema Wynwood, about which I’ve previously blogged on this site.
facebook.com/pages/Jacuzzi-Boys/105715817950
The so-called music cruise is a vacation concept that’s been largely derided by critics, but it continues to grow in popularity. From about December to March or so, every year dozens upon dozens of cruises depart from Miami or nearby Fort Lauderdale with a musical theme.
What do we do with these now? Image CC by 2.0, via JoshBerglund19 on Flickr
Last week, I read (okay, first learned via Twitter’s trending topics) that Guitar Hero was being discontinued. I was sad for a minute. Then, on second thought, realized the games I have been playing recently were Rock Band and its variations. I’m sorry to say that, at this point, Guitar Hero won’t really be missed, although it was definitely the leader in its arena.