PUREHONEY 46

ArtsBunker: Gig Poster Ever since cell phones began shipping from the factories in the bowels of the orient in which they’re made with cameras embedded in their fascias, concerts have been plagued by a sea of distracted/distracting fans their phones high overhead in an attempt to wring some token of future nostalgia from performances. Generally speaking, people only manage to score shaky, blownout sounding footage to clog the results of Youtube searches with and blurry photos of artists that could just as easily be pawned off as clouds of ectoplasm floating on a stage. While cell phone etiquette at concerts is its own can of worms to unpack, the fact that we can even have a conversation about it stands as testament to what slaves we are to our sentimentality as music fans -- something concert merchandise was invented to both soothe and exploit -- and there is absolutely no greater piece of concert merch than the gig poster!

The gig poster has been an institution for almost as long as there have been performances to promote and -beyond their factor of nostalgic novelty -- they serve as the ultimate meeting place for the visual arts and the performing arts, and as such, deserve their own due!

In what will be ArtsBunker’s kickoff event, Iron Forge Press and ArtServe are pleased to present I Was There!, South Florida’s first official show featuring the gig poster works of the area’s premier artists. The event will showcase pieces from more than a decade of work and will include works on display (for pleasure and purchase) by a litany of area favorites! PureHoney caught up with local punk-rock legend and gig poster kingpin and event organizer, Chuck Loose, for his take on both the event and the visual idiom that is the gig poster!

PureHoney: How did you get into printing and designing gig posters?

Chuck Loose: I first got into doing gig posters in high school: DIY, photocopied fanzines and flyers for my friend’s punk rock bands and skateboarding stuff. After I moved to Florida, I built a home-made screen press out of an old card table and starting printing in my apartment, forever ruining the carpet in that room PH: I feel as though, at least in South Florida, the gig poster is far from a dying art, despite the fact that it’s a nostalgic one.

CL: Totally! There’s been a huge resurgence in it! For a couple reasons, I think: There’s this whole return to craftsmanship across the board, and bands ain’t selling CDs like they used to, so they need to sell other stuff and you still can’t download a real gig poster... yet! Even more mainstream artists are getting turned on to it. It’s funny for Florida to have such a strong gig poster scene too, because this place is culturally about 5-7 years behind every other state in the union!

PH: Do you have a favorite artist that’s going to be represented at the show?

CL: Myself haha! I love all these fuckers, but I do have a special affinity for Omar Angulo -- mostly because we’ve been doing art projects together since we were teenagers. ~ Von Bader

John Ralston, Golden Greats Time was, John Ralston had a big cork board for his songwriting. He would fill it with index cards on which he’d written lyrics, ideas, chord progressions, anything that could turn into a song. It looked like one of those detective shows, where an obsessed cop litters a wall with photos and maps and evidence and connects them all with string.

John Ralston Credit Monica McGivern wall.”

“The songs were pinned up everywhere. There was a working list I was able to access and move things around,” Ralston says. “It’s a much different process now. It involves field notes rather than a

There are practical reasons for Ralston changing his songwriting style – these days, his daughters, ages 4 years and 18 months, would probably pick apart a multicolored wall and turn it into something involving princesses or ponies.

But Ralston’s circumstances aren’t the only thing that has changed. The man himself has.

The music is as dear to him as ever, but after years of practicing the craft, Ralston has found that the songs come naturally.

“Now, when I write a song it’s one of two ways,” he says. “Either I mike up the drums and the guitar and we just play and I write the song, or I’m sitting at my desk and a song idea comes to me, so I put a voice memo on my phone, and I move on with my day. Instead of being so involved, I record as close to the moment as possible… Either way, I don’t have six hours to just chill and strum the guitar anymore.”

Ralston has had enough of those moments that his hard drive bursts with hidden brilliance.

“I made a hundred albums that I never made,” he says. “I love albums. I’m not interested in singles, EPs. But the downside of that is that there’s so many things that go unfinished.”

To rectify that, and in spite of his stated dislike for singles, Ralston is releasing two songs at Johnralston.bandcamp.com each month throughout 2015. The songs cover everything from the mid-2000s through the present.

The first track that hit Bandcamp in January, “Anna Knows,” sounds like vintage John Ralston.

A slight country twang to the guitars, a hurt voice singing about lost love. Its B-side, “The Stranger,” features only vocals and piano. It seems stark, even unfinished. Recorded during the songwriter’s two-year-long stay in Virginia, it also reflects time apart from his South Florida home as Ralston sings, “the stranger, could it be me? I don’t know, I don’t know.”

In “Magic Mountain,” one of the February releases, Ralston sings, “Here in the hollow of a frozen fountain, I wait for June.” Like the January numbers, the February ones have a wintry feel to them – sparse, cold. The first song from March, “I Will Become,” features background whistles and a more-optimistic message. “Like the moon and the sun, I will become.” Spring has arrived.

“I don’t have it completely planned out by any stretch of the imagination, but as I dig and find those songs in the hard drive, it’s definitely fit that kind of pattern,” Ralston says. “There’s a song called ‘Heavy Metal Summer’ that’s done and I’m just waiting for summer to release it.”

The new music may only amount to 24 songs, but Ralston could have gone on like this for years. He has been kicking around the South Florida music scene since the late 1990s, when his band Recess Theory released a split-EP with the thenJohn Ralston Credit Monica McGivern unknown Further Seems Forever.

Recess Theory morphed into Legends of Rodeo, which signed with the major label MCA Records and put out one album that, with little help from MCA, went nowhere.

“You have to be a shameless self-promoter in music,” Ralston says. “It’s not good enough to just do your job.”

Ralston put out a pair of solo albums on indie label Vagrant Records, which was also home at that time to The Lemonheads and Paul Westerberg among others, but by 2011’s Shadows of the Summertime, he chose to self-release his music.

“I’m finding out this fits me really well. I can record and write music and do the things I love,” he says. “I was never good at the music business. There’s so much marketing yourself and B.S.” Ralston has tried his hand at a couple bands since then – the eight-piece Invisible Music and the local “supergroup” Lightnings that also features bassist Dan Bonebrake, drummer Steve Copeletti, guitarist Chris Horgan, and the publisher of this very magazine, Steev Rullman. But for the most part, Ralston has stayed solo, with his usual collaborators including Bonebrake, Copeletti and his most long-term compatriots, Jeff Snow and Nathan Jezek, who played with Ralston in Legends of Rodeo. Local musicians Elliot Shaw, Chris Wood, Marc Ward, Susan Snow and Jon Wilkins also added their skills to some of the songs being released this year.

For Ralston, who so values the traditional album, these singles are not only an opportunity to get some of this music off his hard drive and out into the world, but also a chance to revisit those almost-albums, the ones that have peeked into the light of day but haven’t yet broken through.

“I have a record called IV that I finished up in Virginia. That one I’ll probably release this year.

And hopefully I’ll release some of these other ones early next year,” he says. “Sea Garden Blues is just sitting there. So I’m sort of finishing those too as I work.”

Even with the monthly singles though, each one comes with a little sense of accomplishment.

“Just finishing a couple songs a month has really been satisfying. So I may just keep working in this singles mode,” he says. “Instead of being lost in hard-drive purgatory where they’ll never get touched again, one by one I’m dragging these songs over to this folder on my desktop.

I’m ready to throw myself a party every time I get a new one in.” ~ Dan Sweeney

FRIDAY, MAY 29

MIGHTY OAK MUSIC FESTIVAL: You Blew It!, Look Mexico, Adjy, JUNA, Echo Base, It Looks Sad, Boysin, Jackson Scott, Young Adult, Ben Varian, Fort Stories, The Dog Apollo, Fjord Explorer (Jacksonville) BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Harry VINTAGE TAP: Living Daylights FUNKY BUDDHA: Turbo Suit, Lucid Frequency, Afro Monk GRAND CENTRAL: Rittz, Crooked I, Otto Von Schirach TERRA FERMATA: Bath Salt Zombies SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Liquid Thunder CHURCHILL’S PUB: Alternative MIA Presents- Melt Banana, Wastelands, Human Fluid Rot, She Wulf Whips Millions CONCHY JOE’S: Roots Shakedown STACHE: Chloe Dolandis

SATURDAY, MAY 30

MIGHTY OAK MUSIC FESTIVAL: Terror Pigeon, Michael Parallax, JUDE., Priest, Tantrum, wise river, Datadiamond, Frameworks, The Caution Children, Staghorn, Gold-Bears, Buffalo Buffalo, A Call For Kylie (Jacksonville) PROPAGANDA: Ritz BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jangle Leg, Craig McInnis Live CHURCHILL’S PUB: The Holydrug Couple CULTURE ROOM: The Psychedelic Furs FAT VILLAGE: FAT Village Art Walk GRAND CENTRAL: Kill Paris TERRA FERMATA: Strung Like a Horse

SUNDAY, MAY 31

PROPAGANDA: Acoustic Showcase / Open Mic BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Nicholas Caputo

MONDAY, JUNE 1

FILLMORE MIAMI: Fito Paez TERRA FERMATA: UNRB / Moska Project CHURCHILL’S PUB: Maruta Record Release Show w/ Sacridose, Orbweaver, Koroidia, Devalued SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Intervention, Back Home, Austin Grey, Stillframe, NHB, Bullet To Blade, Operative Me

SUNDAY, JUNE 7

PROPAGANDA: The Everymen CORAL SKY AMP: Train, The Fray, Matt Nathanson JAZID: Kulcha Shok, LanceO, Khari Kill, Gizzae, 50 Caliber TERRA FERMATA: Revelry

MONDAY, JUNE 8

DADA: Basement Jams Open Mic BOSTONS: Rhythmation, LanceO CHURCHILL’S PUB: Miami Jazz Jam & Theatre De Underground

TUESDAY, JUNE 9

DADA: Comedy Open Mic CHURCHILL’S PUB: Dream Hard On

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10

DADA: Sarah Solstice KILL YOUR IDOL: Unity Rise

GRAND CENTRAL: Tycho, Autograf

TERRA FERMATA: Deal James Band CHURCHILL’S PUB: Raw Meat, host She Wulf Whips Millions

JUNE 10-14

MAI-KAI & HYATT REGENCY PIER 66: THE HUKILAU King Kukulele, Alika Lyman Group, Gold Dust Lounge, Pablus, Intoxicators!, Kinky Waikiki, Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, Lila Starlet, Skinny Jimmy Stingray, Slip and the Spinouts

DADA: Basement Jams Open Mic BOSTONS: Rhythmation, LanceO CHURCHILL’S PUB: Miami Jazz Jam & Theatre De Underground

THURSDAY, JUNE 11

DADA: Comedy Open Mic

STACHE: Seafoam Walls

DADA: Craft Bazaar

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

RESPECTABLE STREET: The Drip Effect, Thieves are Watching

TUESDAY, JUNE 3

NORTH BEACH BANDSHELL: DANCE BAND NIGHT: Salsa Night w. Conjunto Impacto

DADA: Erin Moses KILL YOUR IDOL: Sunghosts TERRA FERMATA: Ryan Owens & Friends CHURCHILL’S PUB: Vinyl Solutions 1 Year Anniversary!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4

DADA: Paul Anthony & The Reggae Souljahs

RESPECTABLE STREET: Stratolites, Octo Gato TERRA FERMATA: Slip & the Spinouts CHURCHILL’S PUB: 305 Benefit Show

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

RESPECTABLE STREET: The Business, The Attack, Armageddon Man

DADA: Lake Worth Long Shots PROPAGANDA: Peep Show: Burlesque VINTAGE TAP: Killbillies CULTURE ROOM: Sepultura, Destruction, Arsis, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, Starkill TATE’S COMICS LAUDERHILL: Endless Summer Movie Night!

STACHE: Joel Zoss CHURCHILL’S PUB: The Scarface Festival- Mickey Munday’s Birthday Bash TERRA FERMATA: Mighty Mystic / Bryce Allyn Trio SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Marcus SoFlo, Embers Fall, The Quax

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

RESPECTABLE STREET: Millionyoung, Celebrator, JUDE. KILL YOUR IDOL: Jangle Leg PROPAGANDA: Still Kept, Absolute Asylum, Moguera

GRAMPS: Turbo Fruits, Sol-Cat, Plastic Pinks

GRAND CENTRAL: Feed Me (DJ Set) BAYFRONT PARK AMP: Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional

TERRA FERMATA: JP Soars & the Red Hots

FRIDAY, JUNE 12

DADA: Big Chief KILL YOUR IDOL: Sigh Kicks PROPAGANDA: Dharmata, Drop Shot, Moguera, Shatterd Light SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Funky Nuggets CHURCHILL’S PUB: Amigo Skate Cuba Fundraiser INKWELL PUB: Drip Effect, The Knowing Within, Dirty Sonic STACHE: Caro Rainer TERRA FERMATA: Dank

SATURDAY, JUNE 13

DADA: Mylo Ranger PROPAGANDA: Bonnie Riot, Killmama, Zoo Peculiar KILL YOUR IDOL: Keep It Deep CHURCHILL’S PUB: F Album Release, D.j. Skidmark, Cross Pit, Gazms, Die Trying!, Sandratz, Drul, Back Pages REVOLUTION LIVE: Charli XCX SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Rock N Roll Time Capsule TERRA FERMATA: Morning Fatty

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

PROPAGANDA: Teshno JAZID: LanceO, Kulcha Shok, Jah Mali, Inna Sense, DJ 911 TERRA FERMATA: Freekbase CHURCHILL’S PUB: Black Kvlt Presents Neldoreth, Vesterian, The Noctambulent, Secrets She Kept, Ancestor, Caveman Cult

MONDAY, JUNE 15

DADA: Basement Jams Open Mic BOSTONS: Rhythmation, LanceO CHURCHILL’S PUB: Miami Jazz Jam & Theatre De Underground

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

DADA: Comedy Open Mic

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THE FILLMORE: War on Drugs, The Everymen CORAL SKY AMP: Lana Del Rey, Grimes GRAND CENTRAL: Flume

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

DADA: Zack Jones PROPAGANDA: Homeroom: Open Mic/Creative Community KILL YOUR IDOL: Velocity Gospel CHURCHILL’S PUB: Free At Last, Burst of Rage, Guilty Conscience, Unified Right GRAND CENTRAL: Flume TERRA FERMATA: Summer Gill

THURSDAY, JUNE 18 DADA: Satori Kings

RESPECTABLE STREET: Lavola, Rat’s Mouth

TERRA FERMATA: The Train Wrecks CHURCHILL’S PUB: Milk Spot Tour Kick Off w. FTMF, Bruiser, The Bearings, Hypoluxo, Space Boy, No Fiction.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

DADA: Solemark PROPAGANDA: JL Fulks, Blues Crusaders, The Steel Brothers, Nmbr11 BIG NIGHT IN LITTLE HAITI: Akoustic, Tradisyon Lakou Lakay SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Jon Greco Band STACHE: Phil Barnes TERRA FERMATA: Still Misbehaving CHURCHILL’S PUB: Master Blaster Summer Music + Art Fest

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

DADA: Jangle Leg PROPAGANDA: Response Negative CD Release, Grave Seeker, Murder Suicide, Loyal Until Death KILL YOUR IDOL: Cheap Miami HOLLYWOOD ARTSPARK EXPERIENCE: Colors of the Caribbean SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Southern Misconduct, Romantix, In The Company Of Wolves, Butch & The Fat Doobs, Ten Paces, Blackball, 1 Hit Left TERRA FERMATA: Radio Birds / Unlimited Devotion DADA: Jangle Leg CHURCHILL’S PUB: House of Lightning, Wrong

SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Gutterfish STACHE: Similar Prisoners BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jangle Leg TERRA FERMATA: Strung Like a Horse CHURCHILL’S PUB: Florida Supercon Unofficial After-Party

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

ARTSBUNKER: I Was There! The South Florida Gigposter Scene: Omar Angulo Art, Dave Berns / Hot Damn Arts, Brian Butler / Upperhandart, Chuck Loose / Iron Forge Press, Nathaniel Deas / Bourbon Sunday, Adam Sheetz Art

DADA: Bonnie Riot PROPAGANDA: I-Resolution, LFTD LVLS, Spred The Dub KILL YOUR IDOL: My Electric Heart SWAMPGRASS WILLYS: Highway To Hell AC/DC Tribute Band STACHE: Jay Hero (Ketchy Shuby) GRAND CENTRAL: Super Summer Jam-The Drip Effect 4:30 BOARDROOM BAR: Jangle Leg, LoneWolf OMB TERRA FERMATA: JL Fulks / Doors Alive CHURCHILL’S PUB: Primitive Man, Celeste, Centuries, Devalued, Ritual Misery

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

PROPAGANDA: Acoustic Showcase / Open Mic TATE’S COMICS BOYNTON BEACH: Meet Deadpool JAZID: LanceO, Kulcha Shok, Inna Sense, Ras Abuna, Cornerstone, DJ Daps TERRA FERMATA: Big Shoals CHURCHILL’S PUB: Miami Jazz Jam & Theatre de Underground

MONDAY, JUNE 29

DADA: Basement Jams Open Mic BOSTONS: Rhythmation, LanceO

TUESDAY, JUNE 30

DADA: Comedy Open Mic

HOWLEYS: American Graffiti Art Show

CHURCHILL’S PUB: All Folk’d Up hosted by Ryan Carney

FRIDAY, JULY 3

FUNKY BUDDHA: Mylo Ranger, Jangle Leg, HVY CRM, Ratsmouth

SUNDAY, JUNE 21

SATURDAY, JULY 4

TATE’S COMICS LAUDERHILL: Family Outing on Father’s Day JAZID: LanceO, Kulcha Shok, Army Gideon, Exit Sounds, Church Crew Singer Tony, Corey Dread & Iyatollah TERRA FERMATA: Skyelor Anderson / Raquel Renner

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

PROPAGANDA: Beating Arts: Open Mic & Art Showcase

MONDAY, JUNE 22

DADA: Basement Jams Open Mic BOSTONS: Rhythmation, LanceO CHURCHILL’S PUB: Miami Jazz Jam & Theatre De Underground

TUESDAY, JUNE 23

DADA: Comedy Open Mic CHURCHILLS PUB: Malfeitor Productions presents the Metal Alliance Tour w. Entombed AD (Sweden), Svartcrown (France), Koroidia, Reapermanser

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

DADA: Rachel Andes KILL YOUR IDOL: Bella Luz CHURCHILL’S PUB: Pure Disgust, Social Damage, Silent Authority, Antifaces

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

DADA: Future Prezidents

RESPECTABLE STREET: HOST

CORAL SKY AMP: Def Leppard, Styx, Tesla TERRA FERMATA: IResolution CHURCHILL’S PUB: Edgezones Art Show

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 DADA: Riot Act

PROPAGANDA: Turbo Fruits, Sweet Bronco, Mylo Ranger, Rats Mouth KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque

CORAL SKY AMP: Vans Warped Tour

LION & EAGLE PUB: Chad Price (ALL, Drag the River), Scott Reynolds (ALL, Pavers), Dan Bonebrake CORAL SKY AMP: Vans Warped Tour

THURSDAY, JULY 9

NORTH BEACH BANDSHELL: DANCE BAND NIGHT: Traditional Contra Dance w. Cornbread REVOLUTION LIVE: Neon Trees, Coin, The Fictionist

FRIDAY, JULY 10

BEAR AND BIRD GALLERY: Prints Charming: Our Annual Summertime Print Show AMERICANAIRLINES ARENA: Eagles REVOLUTION LIVE: Between The Buried and Me, The Contortionist, Animals As Leaders

SATURDAY, JULY 11

BB&T CENTER: Imagine Dragons, Metric TATE’S COMICS LAUDERHILL: Not at Comic-Con ORCHID ISLAND BREWERY: Jangle Leg OMALLEY’S: The Drip Effect, Europa, Marvlec

SUNDAY, JULY 12

GRAND CENTRAL: Los Autenticos Decadentes, No Te Va Gustar, Estelares

SATURDAY, JULY 18

RESPECTABLE STREET: Aces High Music Fest: Everymen, Que Lastima, The Zoo Peculiar, Panther Camp, The Inverted, Old Habits, Ten Paces, Cinderblock, Right Through

DADA: Jangle Leg

The Hukilau 2015 Polynesian Pop enthusiasts from around the world will gather June 10-14 in Fort Lauderdale for The Hukilau, the East Coast’s largest and longest-running celebration of all things Tiki.

The event reaches new heights in its 14th year at the towering Pier 66 hotel with marquee events that include the country’s top Tiki cocktail barmen and actress Dawn Wells, aka Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island.

For a so-called fad that started in the 1930s and peaked in the mid-20th century, Polynesian Pop seems to be doing quite well 15 years into the 21st century. So what makes Tiki culture so enduring, and endearing?

“It’s really all about the escape,” said Christie “Tiki Kiliki” White, an Alabama native who co-founded The Hukilau in 2002 in Atlanta and sagely moved it to Fort Lauderdale and its historic Polynesian palace, The Mai-Kai, in 2003. “Some of us live the lifestyle, but for so many others, they get to dress in island prints, make tropical cocktails and create an instant vacation. Tiki gives all of us a release from the hustle of everyday life.”

Escapism is timeless, and The Hukilau creates the perfect environment to get far away from the daily grind. While Tikiphiles are serious about their hobby, they don’t take themselves too seriously. At The Hukilau, they call themselves “villagers” as they pursue their fantasy weekend.

“For so many people, The Hukilau becomes their vacation each year,” White said.

“People come from Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and even Alabama.” The secret to the event’s longevity is simple, she said. “The people who attend each and every year, whether new or a repeat attendee, are what makes this Tiki event so special. I’m incredibly proud to see friendships forged, the beginnings of many relationships and the magic in the eyes of our villagers. It’s all about aloha and the people who want to share it.”

But throwing the East Coast’s biggest Tiki party year after year is no easy task.

White took sole control of The Hukilau in 2005, but she struggled with indifferent hotels. The one constant was the 58-year-old Mai-Kai and its iconic decor, tropical cocktails and authentic Polynesian floor show. “Without The Mai-Kai, The Hukilau simply wouldn’t exist,” White admits. She announced last year as her swan song, then had a change of heart when a pair of white knights came to the rescue.

With a new partnership in place, White secured an ambitious host hotel, the landmark Hyatt Regency Pier 66 overlooking Port Everglades and the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Built in 1956, the hotel this year celebrated the 50th anniversary of its 17-story tower and revolving cocktail lounge, a mid-20th century beacon in a world that seems intent on tearing down all its classic structures.

Just as important, White said, the hotel staff has been attentive and supportive of the event. “Plus, the larger space allows us to grow for years to come,” she said.

The hotel’s rooftop lounge will host perhaps The Hukilau’s most prestigious special event to date on June 11. The Tiki Tower Takeover will be a one-of-kind happy hour cocktail party featuring four of the country’s most acclaimed tropical drink gurus together at one event for the first time. Guests will enjoy signature cocktails personally mixed by Martin Cate (Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco), Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (Latitude 29, New Orleans), Paul McGee (Lost Lake, Chicago) and Brian Miller (Tiki Mondays With Miller, New York City).

The “Three Hour Tour” cruise with Dawn Wells is another event unique to The Hukilau.

In addition to offering a chance to hang out with everyone’s favorite castaway, a 170-foot, 400-capacity yacht will feature complimentary food and drinks, plus prizes for the best Gilligan’s Island garb.

The Hukilau will include five nights of parties and events with an eclectic lineup of bands and entertainers from South Florida and beyond: Alika Lyman Group, The Intoxicators, Gold Dust Lounge, Pablus, Slip and the Spinouts, Kinky Waikiki, Skinny Jimmy Stingray, King Kukulele, Lila Starlet, and DJ James Brown’s Sweat. Expect to hear everything from jazz to surf to lounge to rockabilly.

Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid and her pod of aquaticats will perform two special swim shows at the nearby B Ocean Resort for The Hukilau only. Artists and vendors will show off their wares in the Tiki Treasures Bazaar. And for those who want to broaden their knowledge of Tiki and pop culture, there will be six symposiums conducted by some of the top experts in their fields, including Disney artists and an Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Schedule, tickets and more at TheHukilau.com ~ Jim Hayward, TheAtomicGrog.com

The War On Drugs

The War On Drugs Credit Dusdin Condren

It never ceases to amaze how just when you think rock ‘n’ roll has met its maker and died in the dustbin of passing music fads some album rises from the ashes to declare “long live rock!” Last year that album was Lost in the Dream by The War On Drugs. The Philadelphia group could have easily burst onto the scene via 1970s FM radio AOR and given bands like Steely Dan and The Eagles a run for their money.

Their DNA has a dash of Springsteen and Neil Young. Throw in some tame electronic effects and low profile horns, and you have the classy sound of The War On Drugs.

The group, led by singer/lead guitarist/songwriter Adam Granduciel, has been on tour since May of 2014. They have brought the live version of their highlyacclaimed third album to many parts of the globe. On June 16, the band finally arrives in South Florida at the illustrious Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. The chandelier-adorned theater should provide the perfect backdrop for the band’s reserved but sometimes intensely meandering tunes.

But, honestly, who needs a fancy backdrop for this ornate music? The War On Drugs features spare but impactful use of horns and keyboards, but at its core it speaks to the boundless potential of the simple rock set up of guitar, bass and drums. Granduciel’s Dylan-esque slurring of vocals over calmly developing guitar solos speak to his influences but also to an innate understanding of what makes guitar-driven rock so great: music that is both bluesy yet rollicking. But The War On Drugs are also progressive. You might notice a sprinkle of hypnotic Krautrock droning in many of the songs’ driving rhythms.

There’s room from one example: “An Ocean in Between the Waves,” features a motorik syncopated beat drenched by carefully plucked notes against a humming organ that don’t create a melody as much as a sparkle over the beat. The beat never relents over the course of seven minutes as a subtle dynamism is created by instruments that seem to grow subtly restless with Granduciel’s increasingly intense vocals that turn unintelligible as he howls over a calmly soaring solo, yet still you feel everything’s gonna be all right.

The War On Drugs and The Everymen perform June 16 at 8pm at Fillmore Miami Beach. Tickets cost $27.50 plus fees via http://www.livenation.com/ events/447312-jun-16-2015-the-war-on-drugs. All ages. Call 305-673-7300 or visit www.fillmoremb.com. ~ Hans Morgenstern | The Independent Ethos www.indieethos.wordpress.com

Turbo Fruits, No Control

Turbo Fruits

Credit Karlo X Ramos

“The thought of the whole world walking around shirtless, with camelbacks on, fucked up on a lot of shitty MDMA, standing in the hot sun, and freaking out to EDM music really frightens me,” says Jonas Stein, singer and guitarist of Nashville’s Turbo Fruits.

“A few of us gotta carry the rock n’ roll torch to keep this from actually happening.” The Turbo Fruits have been riding high on a wave as confirmed garage rock saviors, often earmarked for their raucous live shows and hedonistic subject matter. With numerous releases under their belt, all noted for their inherent party attitude, they’ve arrived at their fourth full-length with the same intensity of past records but with a certain degree of maturity that shows in content and execution.

“I guess we’ve all gotten a little better at our instruments so that the songs that are written, musically, might sound a little more put together and arranged,” comments Stein, regarding the quartet’s nuanced improvement upon an already working formula. Strung along with Kingsley Brock’s guitar and the rhythm section of Dave Tits on bass and Matt Hearn on drums, the band goes for tongue-in-cheek with this album, No Control as it is their most controlled outing yet.

Part of this catharsis is best seen in the song “The Way I Want You” and the Stewart Copeland directed video featuring MMA fighter and Tennessee resident Molly Dupertuis, chronicling a toxic relationship and heartbreak – a departure from the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll fans have come to expect from the band. Haunting, built with a quiet intensity, the video of Stein getting slammed by Dupertuis is an excellent visual guide for the song’s lyrical content. “It was an adventure. I was definitely sore for a few days after the shoot. The worst part was landing on my back and getting the air knocked out of me,” says Stein of the shoot. “There were a few shots where I just had to lie down there for a few minutes and catch my breath. She was great. Super nice and I’m really glad it wasn’t a real fight.”

Now, with the teenage weed haze somewhat behind them, they’re embarking on an ambitious 31 day album release tour in support for No Control that will see 37 performances out of them before tackling the summertime. Already popular and rising, the added pressure of upholding Nashville’s musical history is not lost on the band nor does it hinder them with an unwanted attitude. “I think people in other cities should be responsible for making their town thrive, seek opportunity in your home town,” advices Stein. “Make it cool. Start bands, play shows, spin records, promote house parties, involve everyone in your community, link up with bars/ restaurants, get weird with it. If you build it, they will come.”

Catch Turbo Fruits at 8pm on Saturday, June 6 at Gramps and Friday, June 26 at Propaganda ~ Abel Folgar

Dance Band Night Series The North Beach Bandshell sits so close to the ocean you can feel the tides change as music pours out of the new sound system and bounces off of the plastered walls of its historic Art Deco structure. This is by design as new managers, The Rhythm Foundation, choose to compete with neither the elements nor the people of Miami Beach, but create synergy between the two.

Reminiscent of the Golden Era of North Beach they plan to bring the neighborhood—an eclectic demographic of people ranging in age and ethnicity—together as a community through the engagement of the arts.

Drawing inspiration from Lincoln Center’s “Midnight Summer Swing” in New York, they launched their first event called the “Dance Band Night Series”. The second Thursday of every month the venue will host this free event providing dance instruction accompanied by locally or regionally based music to the public, something coordinator Kara Areguello says doesn’t currently exist.

The series swung into action on Thursday, May 14 when hundreds of people joined together for lessons from world champion swing dancers Yuval Hod and Jul Savikas. Nature, refusing to be outdone, provided the perfect backdrop as the sun descended behind cotton-candy clouds to the west while the moon rose off the eastern shore creating the perfect atmosphere for a six-piece band called The French Horn to bring the crowd to their feet.

Hod has taught and danced to large audiences in over 40 different countries across the globe, yet remains humbled by the turnout. He said, “Seeing 200 happy people take a beginner swing dance lesson, followed by a great band out doors with palm trees and Art Deco surrounding everywhere in Miami, takes the cake!” He continued, “It’s simply magical! One can feel that something very special is going on. The fact that this is a free event happening in my own neighborhood, for all ages, makes me giddy!”

With the continued support of the community and sponsors, The Rhythm Foundation hopes to continue the series indefinitely. Don’t miss the next two dances 7-10pm: Thursday, June 11th featuring Conjunto Impacto, a 15-piece orchestra with dance and instruction from Kings Dance Studio; Thursday, July 9th featuring Cornbread, an American folk music ensemble with a night of traditional contra dance led by caller Anita Masons. ~Jacqui Jeanis

Lana Del Rey, The Crying Game Lana Del Rey is living a sped-up version of pop stardom, with so much heartbreak, triumph, backlash and redemption packed into the last five years that she’s already graduated to the category of survivor, and she’s not even 30.

Lana Del Rey

There’s been a lot to survive for this omnivorous pop singer and Web-ready phenomenon: her biography being picked apart and her public persona shredded by tastemakers who sensed inauthenticity and pounced; her tendency to troll, whether she’s singing or talking to interviewers; and just the whole seething, volatile mass of fame and attention.

Credit Neil Krug At some point during all the drama, everyone looked up and there was a fully formed artist and singer-songwriter with multiple albums to her credit. The reference-dropping whisperer of 2011’s “Video Games” is now also the the operatic swooner of 2013’s “Young and Beautiful” and the torchy, trip-hop crooner of 2014’s “West Coast.”

As a live performer, Del Rey has gone from a career-threatening moment on Saturday Night Live in 2012 to accolades as one of the standouts at Coachella in 2014. The spring-summer 2015 tour in support of her latest album, “Ultraviolence,” is an honest-to-goodness event.

Del Rey might owe some of her current success to forces beyond her control: After the Internet nearly buried her under a hail of gotchas and collective scorn, the backlash against the backlash buoyed her.

But she was shrewd and persistent enough to roll with both, and make creative use of the tempest surrounding her. If she hasn’t taken every criticism or cheap shot in stride — “I wish I was dead already,” she told an interviewer last June — she hasn’t run from or wilted under the scrutiny, either.

Based on songs like “Fucked My Way Up to the Top” it’s pretty clear that whatever bubble Del Rey might inhabit as an elite entertainer and self-contemplating artiste, she can see and hear through it just fine. And she’s definitely paying attention.

Lana Del Rey “Endless Summer Tour” with Grimes, Tuesday June 16, 7:30pm.

Coral Sky Amphitheatre, South Florida Fairgrounds, 601-7 Sansbury’s Way, West Palm Beach, 561-795-8883. Tickets $19 - $250 at concerts.livenation.com. ~ Sean Piccoli