PUREHONEY 137

2/28

RESPECTABLE STREET: cumgirl8, Lindsey Mills, Palomino Blond

3/1

RESPECTABLE STREET: Vision Video, Tears for the Dying, Violet Silhouette

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Sammy Rae & The Friends

LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE: Clue thru 3/10

THE PEACH: “Shakti” All Female Gallery Show

GRAMPS: Fish Narc, Horse Head, Zubin

PROPAGANDA: Billy Doom is Dead, Burn Club

NORTON MUSEUM: Art After Dark, Chino Nuñez

3/2

HOLLYWOOD ARTSPARK: Remain in Light

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Global Cuba Fest, Omar Sosa

THE PEACH: Pride at The Peach Art Walk

RESPECTABLE STREET: Lavola

OLD SCHOOL SQUARE: Muscle Beach Car Show

GUANABANAS: Brett Staska

PROPAGANDA: Burning Glass, Rude Television

SANDBOX: Manic Frequency, Corazon Rabioso

BAR NANCY: Mad World Orchestra

ARTS GARAGE: Copeland Davis by Special Request

3/3

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Florida Grand Opera, ARTS GARAGE: Boneshakers ft. Jenny Langer

YO SPACE: Connections & Collections

NORTHWOOD WAREHOUSE: Sun Up Soundclash & Bazaar ft members of Guavatron, Jutt Huffman Band, 59 Shop, The Holidazed, Stryder, More Better Band, Mad Mellow Music, Rise 2 Escape, Mark 3, Andrew Buccarelli, Jason Craig, Brock Pilgrim, Andii Styron

3/4

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Ash

THE PEACH: Comedy Workshop, Open Mic

3/5

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: SoFlo Symphony Orchestra

3/6

THE PEACH: Filmmakers Talk, Crochet Workshop, Artist Talk & Critique

GRAMPS: Enjoy, Cowgirl Clue

KILL YOUR IDOL: Perro Negro

3/7

REVOLUTION LIVE: William Black

HANGAR IN RIVIERA: An A-MUSE-ing Evening

RESPECTABLE STREET: ’68, Callous Daoboys & Homeless Gospel Choir, Dreambows

THE PEACH: Open Jam Sessions

KRAVIS CENTER: Hillbenders present Whograss! SANDBOX: Underground Advocates

BAR NANCY: Hardcore For Punx

NSU ART MUSEUM: Mini Muse Free Art Making

3/8

TW FINE ART: “The Big Wig,” an exciting solo exhibition opening by renowned artist Kevin Sabo. Runs thru April 2

RESPECTABLE STREET: LiveKill, Open Nerve, Loyal Until Death, Hell Frost

CORNELL MUSEUM: Central American Modernism

PROPAGANDA: Florist, Sagitta, Snake Healer, Thudge

SANDBOX: Hexed, Cold Choir

BAR NANCY: Otto Von Schirach

ARTS GARAGE: Ulysses Owens Jr, Generation Y NORTON MUSEUM: Art After Dark – Young Musicians Night w BAK SoA, NPB Youth Symphony

3/9

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Youth Music Fest

HATCH 1121: Art & Flavor International Festival

Movers & Shakers: Art of Cultural Workers

RESPECTABLE STREET: Emo Night Respects

THE PEACH: Dust Supply & TGC, Artist’s Alley

Morning Market, Music Video

BAR NANCY: Strangelove Goth

PROPAGANDA: Solemn Shapes, Rux Vendetta, Cypher Rotring, Aktas Luna & DJ Jason

3/10

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Orchestra Miami, Beethoven on the Beach

ARTS GARAGE: Black Angels Over Tuskegee

NORTHWOOD WAREHOUSE: Beats & Brunch

3/11

THE PEACH: Comedy Workshop, Open Mic, Drawing & Acrylics Class

KRAVIS CENTER: Step Afrika! thru 3/12

3/12

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Miami City Ballet

3/13

KILL YOUR IDOL: Punkowski

THE PEACH: Art Happy Hour: Watercolor Painting

BAR NANCY: Nicolle Chirino, Smurphio

3/14

RESOURCE DEPOT: Illumination Exhibition thru 4/27

THE PEACH: Open Jam Sessions

ARMORY ART CENTER: Artists-in-Residence Reception

BAR NANCY: Stereo Joule

3/15

RESOURCE DEPOT: Illumination – Meet the Artists

THE PEACH: Last Laugh ft Rain Boar, Dreambows, Soul Particles, Disputer, Plunge, Sweet Charity Burlesque, Future Talent Workshop, Quick Flick SANDBOX: Cannibal Kids, Madwoman, Oceanic ARTS GARAGE: Cece Teneal: Divas of Soul

PROPAGANDA: Ides of March, Chaos in the Veil, Neuro Farm, Mark Sinnis, Sarah & Silent Poets, DJ Jason NORTON MUSEUM: Art After Dark – Bangers & Mash

3/15-4/27

CULTURAL COUNCIL PBC: Diana Garcia

3/16

MIAMI BEACH BANDSHELL: Afro Roots Fest ft Eliades Ochoa

RESPECTABLE STREET: GO Pokémon Party

THE PEACH: Music Video On Set

GRAMPS: Youth of Today, Mehkago NT, Seed of Pain BAR NANCY: Juanabe

ARTS GARAGE: Cece Teneal: Divas of Soul NORTHWOOD WAREHOUSE: Jazz & Blues Fest thru 3/17

3/17

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Miami Children’s Chorus

BAR NANCY: Blues Cruise

ARTS GARAGE: Allman Revival – Tribute PROPAGANDA: Butterbrain NYC, Fuakata!

3/18

THE PEACH: Comedy Workshop, Open Mic, Drawing & Acrylics Class

3/19

PROPAGANDA: Vitalis, 3/20 RESPECTABLE MIAMI THE Open KRAVIS KILL BAR

3/21 MIAMI Music THE PROPAGANDA:

3/22 GRAMPS: RESPECTABLE MIAMI THE POMPANO BAR NORTON

3/23

CENTENNIAL Beach RESPECTABLE THE SANDBOX: BAR 3/24

MIAMI Rosa: ARTS 3/26

MIAMI

3/27

GRAMPS: THE KILL 3/28

THE OLD GRAMPS: PROPAGANDA: 3/29

ZEYZEY: THE BAR ARTS PROPAGANDA: NORTON

3/30

REVOLUTION Descendents, RESPECTABLE MIAMI ft MATHEWS ft 33 Bombers, Mad Florida, Peculiar, The Dead, THE KILL

4/12

RESPECTABLE Paradise Entertainment

3/19

PROPAGANDA: Dreamwake, Burn Absolute, Vitalis, Death of a Deity, Fatal Frames

3/20

RESPECTABLE STREET: Emery, The Almost MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Just B (KPOP)

THE PEACH: Filmmakers Talk, Creative Corner Open Studio, Artist Talk & Critique

KRAVIS CENTER: Momix Alice

KILL YOUR IDOL: Tiger Sunset

BAR NANCY: Yellow, Its Just Decoration, Swivvel

3/21

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: North Beach Social, Music Week Roller Disco

THE PEACH: Open Jam Sessions

PROPAGANDA: The Hot Ones Challenge

3/22

GRAMPS: Turnover, MS Paint

RESPECTABLE STREET: The Almas, Exigent

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Cuban Classical Ballet

THE PEACH: Future Talent Movie Night

POMPANO AMP: Get the Lead Out

BAR NANCY: Breaking Sound

NORTON MUSEUM: Art After Dark, Donzii

3/23

CENTENNIAL PARK AMPHITHEATER: Boynton Beach Spring Market FREE

RESPECTABLE STREET: Nü-Metal Night

THE PEACH: Under the Bridge DJs

SANDBOX: Industria

BAR NANCY: Mainstreet

3/24

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Ballet Flamenco La

Rosa: Cuadro Flamenco

ARTS GARAGE: Gerry Williams, Stevie Wonder Trib

3/26

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: Sampha

3/27

GRAMPS: TRAITRS, HADEE., J.L.G

THE PEACH: Creative Corner Open Studio, Artist Talk

KILL YOUR IDOL: The Flirt

3/28

THE PEACH: Open Jam Sessions

OLD SCHOOL SQUARE: LOVESONG: Cure Tribute

GRAMPS: Twin Tribes, Urban Heat, Dancing Plague

PROPAGANDA: EC Underground

3/29

ZEYZEY: Afro Roots Fest ft Novalima

THE PEACH: Paint & Sip

BAR NANCY: Ramones/Misfits Tribute

ARTS GARAGE: Gafieira Rio Miami

PROPAGANDA: Comedy Night

NORTON MUSEUM: Art After Dark, Women’s History

3/30

REVOLUTION LIVE: Circle Jerks, Descendents, Adolescents

RESPECTABLE STREET: Black Lips, Jacuzzi Boys

MIAMI BCH BANDSHELL: AfroRoots Fest Oumou Sangare

MATHEWS BREWING CO: 561 Music Fest Blabscam, Young Fiction, KillBillies FL, 33 Lions, The Little Things Duo, Sewerside Bombers, At The Starlight, Exigent Band, Mad Mellow Music, Bear Maze, Killed By Florida, BFD, Bitter Blue Jays, The Zoo Peculiar, Mount Sinai, Andii Styron Music, The Smokeboss Militia, Billy Doom Is Dead, Brayton, Ambush

THE PEACH: Yo! Man BMX Jam

KILL YOUR IDOL: The Boas, Miss Michigan

4/12

RESPECTABLE STREET: Postcards from Paradise ft Scott Yoder (full band) Mr. Entertainment & the Pookiesmackers, TBA

CLUE LWB

by ABEL FOLGAR

Board game? Cult movie? The stage production of “Clue” ticks both of those boxes on the checklist for popculture cachet. Blending our appetite for unfolding murder mysteries with enigmatic characters and myriad weapons of choice has made “Clue” a phenomenon. And now, like the game and movie, “Clue” comes to the Lake Worth Playhouse in its full interactive glory.

Whether introduced via a raucous game night around the classic Hasbro board or a screening of Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 cult classic, the appeal of “Clue” relies on wackiness and player-driven hijinks. But does it translate to stage? The implausible journey of this brand from board game to movie in an age when that wasn’t a thing — and done way better than many of the numerous game-to-film vehicles that followed when it became a thing — is as crazy as Wadsworth leading Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet through the country estate.

For their 71st season, the Lake Worth Playhouse thematically echoes last year’s production of “Dial M for Murder” with this new stage production The New York Times calls “a very fun, very silly 1950s-set whodunit that strikes some contemporary parallels on the way to its grand reveal.”

Based on Lynn’s screenplay and written by Sandy Rustin (“Elijah,” “The Cottage”), with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price, and original music by Michael Holland, expect Rustin’s punchy comedic skills to shine through. And that’s a good thing because this production has a life of its own beyond the game and movie. Think “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and its consequent fandom. It’s no wonder that the infinitely charismatic Tim Curry has had a hand in both.

Will it be Miss Scarlet armed with a candlestick in the study, or Professor Plum with a lead pipe in the kitchen, Colonel Mustard with a rope in the hall, or even Mrs. Peacock with a shiny wrench in the conservatory? No matter who, “Clue” promises a night of mystery, mayhem and mirthful misunderstandings.

“Clue” opens at 8pm on Friday, March 1 and runs through March 10 at the Lake Worth Playhouse in Lake Worth. lakeworthplayhouse.org

REMAIN IN LIGHT

by DAVID ROLLAND

The recent reissuing of the 1984 concert movie “Stop Making Sense” gave a lot of Talking Heads fans hope. Last year for the first time in ages all four members of the seminal new wave and art rock group reunited. True, it was just for media rounds to promote the flick. But still, maybe they could one day soon play their first show together since disbanding in 1991? Surely they wouldn’t make the same mistake as other beloved quartets — like The Beatles or The Smiths — of never reuniting while they had the chance?

If you don’t feel like holding your breath, a free outdoor concert in Hollywood featuring Remain in Light is a sensible alternative. Named for the classic 1980 album and led by original member Jerry Harrison, they’re a celebration of the gloriously kinetic and spastic sound of The Talking Heads.

Harrison on keyboards and guitar is joined by a well-known Talking Heads sideman, guitarist Adrian Belew, and nine more musicians in a live set that includes Talking Heads favorites such as “Psycho Killer,” “Once in a Lifetime” and “Life During Wartime.”

For Ian Renaud, whose Miami band The Floridians will open, sharing this bill is a dream. “The Talking Heads hold a very special place our hearts,” Renaud tells PureHoney. “In the early days of our band, we used to cover their song ‘Moon Rocks’ and we always had a blast doing so. They were trailblazers for weirdos to let their freak flags fly.”

“To play such a big stage with music royalty watching in the wings is a huge honor,” Renaud says, stressing how deep an impact these musicians continue to have on his band. “We have been adding some funk elements into our music lately and that definitely is a result from listening to Jerry Harrison, and Adrian Belew’s work in not only the Talking Heads but King Crimson as well.”

Whether a Remain In Light tour tees up a proper Talking Heads reunion is unknown, but in the meantime — and to quote the band — “These memories can’t wait.”

Remain In Light and The Floridians perform 7pm Saturday, March 2 at ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood. remaininlight.net

ARTIST

POWERED BY

JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ

WED MAY 1

Sammy Rae & The Friends

Global Cuba Fest ft. Omar Sosa

Florida Grand Opera: Hit me with Music

Ash

South Florida Symphony Orchestra

Pink Martini ft. China Forbes

Miami Beach Youth Music Festival

Orchestra Miami: Beethoven on the Beach

Miami City Ballet

Afro Roots Fest: Eliades Ochoa

Miami Children’s Chorus SUN 3.17

WED 3.20

Just B (KPOP)

North Beach Social: Music Week Roller Disco

Cuban Classical Ballet

FREE FREE

Sampha

WED

Afro Roots Fest: Oumou Sangaré

BACKYARD BOP IN FTL

by ABEL FOLGAR

Fortieth anniversaries, reissued landmark albums, a triumvirate of scene-defining bands on the bill … it’s not your parent’s dinosaurs of rock n’ roll coming through! Oh no, grandpa, it’s your dinosaurs of punk falling into the trappings of what you once rebelled against. So drink your Metamucil and gear up for your children to make fun of you as punk rock pioneers Circle Jerks, Descendents and Adolescents come to town!

All jokes aside, these three bands formed in California’s late ’70s punk scenes and went on to define sounds and styles for hundreds of punk and alternative bands to come. Like all successful bands, this level of success — and staying power — can be attributed to charismatic band members, and this tour packs a wallop of charisma in frontmen Keith Morris, Milo Aukerman, and Tony “Reflex” Brandenburg

Formed in 1979 amidst the vibrant punk scene of Los Angeles, the Circle Jerks quickly established themselves as one of the most influential outfits of their era with a seminal debut album, “Group Sex” and its follow-up, “Wild in the Streets.” With former Black Flag vocalist Morris at the helm and Greg Hetson on guitar, the Circle Jerks were known for their raw energy and blistering, high-speed assault — a frenetic and unapologetic approach to punk rock that Morris, who is zeroing in on 70, has upheld in this and two other bands, Off! and the Black Flag offshoot FLAG

Morris and Co., have plenty to unpack in concert — songs from the ’80s whose confrontational, often controversial lyrics addressed social and political issues with unapologetic intensity. And then there’s 1995’s major-label “Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities,” featuring backup vocals by ’80s pop starlet Debbie Gibson on the opener, “Teenage Electric.”

Joined by longtime bass player Zander Schloss and drummer Joey Castillo as a more recent addition, the Circle Jerks have been recovering lost time since reunion plans announced in 2019 were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESCENDENTS

Then you have the Descendents. Formed in Manhattan Beach in 1977 by drummer Bill Stevenson (another Black Flag alum) and soon fronted by Aukerman, eternal nerd heartthrob and inspo for much of the band’s cover art, the band is fleshed out by longtime bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton, both joining ranks in 1986 after original members (and a few replacements) had departed.

Influenced by the fast, aggressive sound of early punk rock bands like the Ramones and Black Flag, the Descendents quickly developed their own unique style characterized by catchy melodies, witty lyrics and frenetic tempo changes. Their music explored adolescence, relationships and suburban life with a blend of humor and introspection as filtered through a barista’s recommendation for hyper-caffeination.

ADOLESCENTS

Their defining mark on the pop punk genre is an indelible fact, not to mention the confidence they’ve given to academic punkers across the world – cue 1982’s classic “Milo Goes to College” and the fact that Milo really did go to college to become a biochemist.

The Descendents instrumental corps bridged Aukerman’s campus and work years with different singers in the band All. Aukerman’s return yielded new material in the form of 1996’s “Everything Sucks,” 2004’s “Cool to be You,” and 2016’s “Hypercaffium Spazzinate.” Most recently, they dug deep into the vaults for a proper release of early material in 2021’s “9th & Walnut.”

Rounding up this monster tour, which is mostly sold out, is yet another California punk rock pioneer, the Adolescents. Eternally linked to the Agnew brothers and their friend Steve Soto, who passed away of natural causes at age 54 in 2018, the Adolescents formed in Fullerton in 1979. Led by Tony Reflex, the Adolescents have held pretty steady even as more than a dozen members have passed through the ranks since a self-titled 1981 debut on Frontier Records that yielded the punk anthem “Amoeba.”

If you were lucky to score tickets for the sold-out Fort Lauderdale performance, we suggest you lather up in IcyHot before, during and afterward. Even if the show is on a Saturday you can’t risk being total shit for work on Monday.

Circle Jerks, Descendents and Adolescents play 7pm Saturday, March 30 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. circlejerks.net, epitaph.com/artists/descendents, theadolescents.net

ATIBAL JEFFERSON

CHRIS

SHARRY

KEVIN SCANLON

CIRCLE JERKS

KILLBILLIES

561 FEST

by TIM MOFFATT + SEAN PICCOLI

The local podcast that begat a festival is rapidly approaching its 150th episode, and the festival is back for a third year. It’s been quite a ride for the creators of 561 Music, a weekly sounding board for talent based in and around the Palm Beach County area code, and its annual live-music spinoff, the 561 Music Fest.

Podcast and festival hosts/creators Ben Childs and Hector Diaz, who are also bandmates in the Killbillies, have built a place for music. And they’ve done it in a crowded medium. Practically everyone has or will have a podcast, and there’s almost no subject that podcasters haven’t dissected at 10- to 20-episode length.

Childs and Diaz prove there is still room to flourish. A sharpened focus, a grassroots vibe, a lot of good music and a couple of charming hosts say more today about the value of podcasting than a queue full of ambiguous docu-serials and logrolling actor-comedians.

The lineup for year three of the 561 festival is a who’s-who of South Florida music, and a proud podcast guest roster. For one day, on two stages, Mathews Brewing Company in Lake Worth will see live sets by no fewer than 20 regional acts of various stripes. There’s punk (Blabscam), indie (At the Starlight), Americana (The Smokeboss Militia), experimental (The Zoo Peculiar), rock ‘n’ roll (Sewerside Bombers) and more. The Killbillies, the rogue Celtic bluegrass ensemble led by Childs and Diaz, will also perform. The provisioners of Scratch Kitchen will be on hand to serve up the victuals.

The festival has a bit of everything because South Florida does not specialize. Dig down, and you find a raucous, irreverent mix of homegrown music that delights and amazes, and baffles new arrivals expecting a lot of EDM. It’s a scene built on a foundation that is sometimes more visible from afar: South Florida-made albums going back decades decorate the walls of record stores in far-flung places. We have a 561 podcast in our midst today because there’s so much to say and hear.

561 Music Festival runs noon-11pm Saturday, March 30 at Mathews Brewing Company in Lake Worth. 561music.com

Austin Getz on vocals and guitar, Casey Getz Nick Rayfield are the current iteration of a band emo-not-so-emo phenomenon known as Turnover. LP, “Magnolia,” gained attention for their sprinting groundwork for future expansions into lush guitar

On their acclaimed fifth and latest full-length, evocative and the soundscapes are mesmerizing, In the Way” is a testament to artistic evolution, musicality and lyrical depth. They’re still Turnover, turns of song that might not have been predicted

The title track features a lil’ T-Pain-style robo-choir Turnstile). “Wait Too Long” could top your Tame guitar on “Tears of Change” issues a friendly dig into themes of reckoning and self-discovery, revelation without sounding self-absorbed. shared sonic experience that resonates deeply

Fans also revere them for their electrifying highly anticipated 2024 tour, the excitement and reconnecting with old friends and new. Turnover and, for their audiences, an experience beyond Turnover with MSPAINT and Drook play 7:30pm turnovermusic.net

March 1 - 3 and March 8 - 10

713 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Beach

DANELLE MICHAUD

ARTIST

TURNOVER

by AMANDA E. MOORE

Hailing from a bustling military town with a lot of breezy oceanfront, Virginia Beach, Virginia’s Turnover are icons of creative fusion. Spanning punk, emo, dream rock, shoegaze and a bit of funk and soul, these indie wizards have captivated audiences for over a decade — and prompted some discourse among fans as to which genre tags describe the band best. Wherever one stands on the nomenclature, Turnover’s lineup is a symphony of musical prowess.

Getz on drums, Danny Dempsey on bass, and band that came together in 2009 to birth the Turnover. A self-titled 2011 EP and a debut 2013 sprinting hooks and heartfelt lyrics, and laid the guitar melody and wistful atmospherics.

full-length, 2022’s “Myself In the Way,” the songs are mesmerizing, but Turnover are branching out. ”Myself evolution, showcasing range and a refined maturity in Turnover, but with soulful, orchestral and omnivorous predicted based on where the band started out.

robo-choir (with an assist from Brendan Yates of Tame Impala “fans also like” playlist. The slide friendly call-out to Pink Floyd’s “Breathe.” Turnover self-discovery, enveloping listeners in catharsis and They have mastered the art of crafting a deeply with listeners.

stage presence. As Turnover gear up for a excitement is about more than just a run of road dates Turnover in concert are an immersive voyage beyond just the music.

7:30pm Friday, March 22 at Gramps in Miami.

VISION VIDEO

by TIM MOFFATT

Vision Video exist at a nexus of the universe where the goth kids and weirdos won the popularity contest in high school. The band leans heavily into a 1970’s death rock aesthetic — think Specimen, Christian Death and Alien Sex Fiend — while managing to sound much more like two of their favorite groups, The Chameleons or The Cure

One bright part of this dark band from Athens, Georgia is that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Founder and resident “Goth Dad” Dusty Gannon has some perspective on darkness: Gannon was an Army rifle platoon leader in Afghanistan and has worked as firefighter and EMT in his day-to-day.

Vision Video don’t mock the feelings of alienated people who might have less realworld exposure to trauma; they welcome all souls into the fold with moody music and a fangy smile. Gannon runs a Tik Tok channel, GothDadsBand, where he gives life tips to “Baby bats” along with make-up tutorials and other black pearls of wisdom. Band merch includes “Goth Dad Eyeshadow Palette” and a 2024 “Goth Dad Thirst Bat Calendar” with Gannon lounging in a coffin in leather-daddy attire. Meow!

Together with keyboardist and singer Emily Fredock, Vision Video make what they call “Dance Music for the End-Times.” They’ve been featured in the immortal horror zine Fangoria and written up in more soberly culture-minded outlets such as The Big Takeover and Pitchfork, and how many bands can say that?

All genres of extreme music have an element of cosplay. But the workplace suit and tie are just as much of a costume as the black lipstick, mascara and fishnets, if not more so. The bands from beneath that dwell in the shadows and score the abyss provide a space to get loose after hours and become the person you really are. That’s the crux of Video Vision’s message: Have fun, dance it up, for tomorrow we might all be gone. It’s a refreshing POV on doom in our dour world.

Vision Video, Tears for the Dying and Violet Silhouette play 7pm Friday, March 1 at Respectable Street in Wets Palm Beach. visionvideoband.com

ARTIST

CUMGIRL8 PLAY RSC 2.28

by CARLY CASSANO

When PureHoney interviewed cumgirl8 in 2022 — leading up to their headlining performance at Bumblefest in West Palm Beach — they shared stories from their notoriously wet and wild live shows. When we caught up with them more recently, the stories were of a more humble sort. Drummer Chase Noelle told us in an email during their European tour, “We were on a ferry on the English Channel during a storm that was careening us 80 feet in the air and slamming into waves. Plates crashing. Couldn’t walk down the hallway without falling down. It was creaking and hawing and really sounded like the Titanic.” Another tragic story comes to mind: the 2022 film Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund. With actual quotes from Marxist literature strewn throughout like broken porcelain plates, it’s a satirical critique of capitalism as told from the perspective of two young fashion models caught in the middle of the storm.

Even as an anticapitalist band, cumgirl8 are, like many artists, part of an elite world of music, fashion and nightlife. The band’s singer and bassist Lida Fox and guitarist Veronika Vilim are models themselves. Vilim just walked for one of New York’s most beloved designers, Collina Strada — Hillary Taymour’s “platform for climate awareness, social awareness, change and self expression.” cumgirl8 have shown their own fashion collections, which loosely coincided with the release of their first two records, a self-titled debut album and a follow-up EP, RIPcumgirl8. For their 2021 collection, models playfully strutted down a Manhattan sidewalk in sexy, colorful designs featuring cutesy references from the band’s adolescence. Take a look at the cumgirl8 of the world and you’ll see how fashion can heal your inner child.

But as all hardworking artists can attest, success and struggle go hand in hand. “Since signing with 4AD, it’s like we’ve gotten an international team that believes in our freak agenda,” Noelle told us. But, “we lost all our savings because of a shit tour.” Vilim and guitarist Avi Rodrigues got robbed on a train in the Netherlands. “We were in the middle of nowhere and freezing and the cops wouldn’t help.” On top of that, Noelle wrote, “Everyone expects us to suck.” That’s one reason they have an affinity with Cicciolina, the legendary singer and performer, and former Italian politician and pornstar, whom they made a music video with last year. Noelle gushed, “She was amazing! She was so gracious and generous and FUN. And sexy too. All 73 years of her.” Then reflected, “There was a moment when we were nervous if we would be too much, but then we realized that she’s honestly the most punk of all of us.”

The video for the song “Cicciolina,” from their 2023 EP phantasea pharm, was directed by Emmie America, a young artist whose work “explores narratives around coming-of-age vulnerability, LGBTQ+ experiences and femininity as a source of ultimate power.” Noelle made it clear: “It’s very difficult to make a 3:30 minute long video that is entertaining the whole time and is still completely intentional. There isn’t a single second in that video that is just ‘pretty’ for the sake of being pretty. The art direction Emmie gave was fully informed and referenced back to different moments in Cicciolina’s career.” The political implications of a female sex worker and performer who went on to write policies that championed peace and equality for women and LGBTQ+ people, and opposed the expansion of nuclear power and NATO, still ring our bells today. The lyrics go: “don’t take my shit from me, don’t assume i don’t know it my shit / your story doesn’t match my memory / don’t forget i get more than some basic ass bitch with her privilege gets / still i didn’t grow up rich i take my lucky charms with grits.”

The powers of intention, positivity, privilege and grit have given us this amazing band. Someday, capitalism will fall — and with it, intersections of sexism, ageism, ableism, racism, and ecocide. Until then, we have artists like cumgirl8 leading the way, their own way. They’re in the studio recording their next album now. With a song about UTIs! “We aren’t writing to impress anyone but ourselves,” Noelle wrote. “Just being who we are is a political statement.” And — “Through all of it, we really love each other.”

cumgirl8 with Palomino Blond and Lindsey Mills play 8pm Wednesday, February 28 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach. cumgirl8.com

KEVIN SABO

by KELLI BODLE

Artist Kevin Sabo paints lurid landscapes of flesh with drag divas and evil CEOs to “inspire you by the possibilities of self-expression,” he tells PureHoney, “or simply, to poke fun at yourself. My paintings are my drag. Colors and patterns are my joy, and jagged lines are my pain.” Get up close and personal with his drag darlings and their pathetic businessman counterparts at TW Gallery in Palm Beach for the opening on March 6.

In this exhibition, his busty babes are joined by wildly patterned suit-wearing execs — the men crumbling in the presence of queens with perfectly pursed lips and stiletto heels.

Sabo himself doesn’t participate in drag. “Coming from a traditional background, I thought I’d study business or something really normal,” he says. “As a kid, I was told one day I’d be wearing a suit and tie as my day-to-day attire. This concept kickstarted a pang of doom in my stomach as my intuition knew my identity was much more nuanced than simply adhering to professional masculine norms.”

“In my newest body of work, men in suits appear as opposing counterparts to my divas,” Sabo says. “These businessmen represent ideas of control and fear, but my paintings place them in precarious or private situations. Their hidden human desires are something I can’t neglect, so I often paint them indulging in clandestine fantasies. Unlike the portrayal of my bold diva, his pursuits must remain private.”

He was drawn to drag culture after attending his first show. “The intimidation factor of the queens was so strong at first just because of their bravery and power,” he says, “but then I started becoming friends with many queens.”

Sabo renders his queens in perpetual stripper gear, joyfully flaunting their bodies across every canvas. The loud plaid patterns the men wear are “a timestamp of where we’re at in society,” he says.

“The men’s suits originally came from a place of masculinity, expectation and power. I see a suit and think of capitalism, money, tradition, power and purpose,” Sabo says. “When I was a kid, I fully thought that one day I’d grow up and adhere to this suit-wearing thing, that it would give me all the respect and power I’d need as a grown man in the workforce. Obviously, my relationship to the suit is not that.” Instead, “My work dives into queer, feminine personalities and also the men who often decide what rights they get to have,” he says.

“It also parodies the fragility of this masculine power and starts to reveal the truth, which is that men are just as much, if not more, freaky than how drag performers, trans people, and gay/queer are perceived to be,” he says. “To me, it feels like conservative dudes in power want to strip away people’s right to express individuality, and there’s this undercurrent of envy that’s impossible to ignore.”

“I know what it is like to be born a male in a conservative society, and the way I dressed, the way I walked, the way I spoke, the ideas and values I bounced around, the music I listened to — it all gets scrutinized if it doesn’t exactly match what the next dude is thinking. Men are conditioned to live inside this very masculine echo chamber.”

Currently, the albums that Sabo listens to while creating his compositions are: “Hejira” by Joni Mitchell, “Debut” by Björk, “Fantasea” by Azealia Banks, “Blackout” by Britney Spears, “Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)” by Jai Paul, “The Velvet Rope” by Janet Jackson, “Gemini Rights” by Steve Lacy and Kelela’s “Cut 4 Me” mixtape.

Exhibiting in Florida — where a new law targeting drag shows was blocked by federal courts but could be reinstated on appeal — he considers “a cool opportunity — I don’t mind making people uncomfortable.”

“Politicians and corporate higher-ups should be closely examined and criticized, which is a big part of who I am portraying in my work,” Sabo says. “As far as the feminine personalities that I depict, I go with more of an unbothered vibe. They’re just livin’ life. I’m sure some people have a lot to say about my work; normally, it’s behind my back.”

The Kevin Sabo exhibition runs March 6-April 2 at TW Gallery in Palm Beach. artbysabo.com, tw-fineart.com