PUREHONEY 71

HOT ROD ROUNDUP 5 Ink and Pistons Tattoo Turns 5! When Amanda Linton and her husband, J.R., founded Ink and Pistons Tattoo and SlushBox Art Gallery in 2012, they aimed to create a different kind of parlor, where tattoo artists could also be recognized as fine artists. The shop has gained a loyal following of customers and art collectors over the past five years, so why not celebrate with a big bash?

The 5th Anniversary Party and Hot Rod Roundup is open to anyone who wants to peruse art, show off their ride and celebrate with some of South Florida’s most talented tattooers. The shop will AMANDA & J.R. also be giving away $2,500 worth of gift cards to Ink and Pistons. Lake Worthbased food truck PS561 will be serving up hot dogs, and no birthday party would be complete without cake, drinks and snacks.

Many tattoo shops can appear dark and eerie, but Ink and Pistons defies this standard with bright colors and cool cars. Bright greens and blues pop from accented gray walls to create a laidback yet fun atmosphere.

Although the parlor itself is five years old, the Lintons started SlushBox in 2005 as an online-only store as vehicle for J.R.’s artwork. Now you can find 1,000 square feet in the gallery full of lowbrow artwork, which has roots in 1970s California, as well as Kustom Kulture art, which consists of drawings and paintings of pinups, hot rods and rockabilly imagery. “Art is so important in tattooing, so they kind of go hand in hand,” says Amanda Linton, who also curates the gallery. “We wanted to give [the artists] a space to not only tattoo but also grow as a fine artist. People realize that and appreciate it.”

Among the artists highlighted that evening will be Japan-based Kurono and Kustom Kulture artist Candy Wild. Of course, Ink and Piston’s own artists will also have their own work to show off. J.R. Linton’s “Last Stand” features a determined and realisticlooking Mario holding his mallet like a baseball bat, ready to swat at a nearby Koopa Paratroopa (flying turtle) and a menacing ball and chain.

“We thought it was cool that customers could understand and see the amazing creations that our artists spend time making outside of tattooing,” said Amanda Linton. “That’s definitely been part of the growth since we opened.”

Ink & Pistons Tattoo 5th Anniversary Party & Hot Rod Roundup will take place Saturday, July 8 from 7-11pm at Ink and Pistons Tattoo & SlushBox Art Gallery, 2716 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach. Free. www.inkandpistons.com. ~ Olivia Feldman

FillmoreMB

Fillmore MB

FillmoreMB

Purchase at FillmoreMB.com

Danny Clinch

JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT Guitarist Jason Isbell dug his boots deep into Tennessee soil when he moved to Nashville five years ago, swapping the city’s mainstream country leanings for his own bold, soul-stirring Americana, and in the process changing how Nashville-born music should sound.

Isbell’s preoccupation with Nashville continues on his sixth album, “The Nashville Sound,” recorded in and named after the same RCA studio that saw recordings from legendary guitarist Chet Atkins. But beyond the esteem he confers his adopted music town (Isbell grew up in rural Alabama), Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, these days appear JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT more concerned with his meteoric rise in Southern music and all the responsibility that it entails. For “The Nashville Sound,” the singer has gained hard-rock muscle along with his twang, releasing 10 new tracks as much about the personal (themes of parenthood, mortality, home and hearth) as they are about the country.

A two-time Grammy winner (his 2015 album, “Something More Than Free,” also shot high up Billboard’s folk, country and rock charts), Isbell can twist a lyric into a heart-wrenching meditation on the crumbling of the American dream. He does so with the album’s opener, “Last of My Kind,” a sparse, acoustic reminiscence of bygone years in which Isbell mourns, “Daddy said the river would always lead me home/but the river can’t take me back in time/and Daddy’s dead and gone.”

The jittery single “Cumberland Gap,” meanwhile, showcases those combustive rock leanings, while in the blues-slathered “White Man’s World,” he appears to confront his Southern legacy, quoting from the Confederate anthem “Dixie” (“Old times ain’t forgotten) to opine on the scars of racism and Trump-era cultural privilege.

It’s all sobering material for Isbell, but he doesn’t let it dominate personal strife on “The Nashville Sound,” and late-album folk ditty “Anxiety” is one example of a no-frills anthem stuffed with apprehension, mainly about Nashville itself. “I’m out here living in a fantasy/I can’t enjoy a goddamn thing,” he wails about finding success in the epicenter of American country. Isbell may reside in Nashville with his wife, singer-violinist Amanda Shires and their daughter Mercy Rose, but his roots are everywhere.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, with opener Strand of Oaks, will perform 8 pm Friday, July 21, at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach. $30$53. 305.673.7300, JasonIsbell.com and FillmoreMB.com. ~ John Doane

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

CWS: Xander James Trio

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

FRIDAY, JULY 7

RESPECTABLE STREET: Post Animal, Peyote Coyote, DADA: Jason Grillo KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak The Water Colors RESPECTABLE STREET: Lavola CHURCHILLS PUB: Abstract Bass DADA: Aaron Lebos Sound KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak

RESPECTABLE STREET: The Citadel

CHURCHILLS PUB: Post Animal, Similar Prisoners, Fat Sun

CWS: Public Sounds Collective STACHE: Tasty Vibrations DADA: Pyros BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Acoustic Soul

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: H.U.B.

DADA: Eternal Boner KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque

RESPECTABLE STREET: MASS Celebration w.

AcesSkully, Cyanide Regime PERFECT VODKA AMP: Chicago, Doobie Brothers GRAMPS: Tall Juan, Ordinary Boys, Wastelands, DeGreaser, Jellyfish Brothers PROPAGANDA: Ether CD Release BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Brett Staska, The Holy Dances CWS: Solemark FUNKY BUDDHA: Ocean Disco STACHE: Fusik

SATURDAY, JULY 1

CWS: Rockin’ Jake Band DADA: Xotic Yeyo

GRAMPS: Cavity AD, Other Body, Prison Warder

CHURCHILL’S PUB: Pumps, Tingy Thick, Seafoam Walls, Rick Guerre FUZZ BABY: Tall Juan, Tiny Farm, Fat Sun KILL YOUR IDOL: DJ Val BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Duoplicity THE KELSEY THEATER: Proximity Surf Film JERRY’S DEERFIELD: Free Demo Turner Watercolor w Ketzya

SUNDAY, JULY 2

SATURDAY, JULY 8

INK & PISTONS / SLUSHBOX GALLERY: 5 years down and celebrating with a big ol’ Anniversary Party, Art Show & Car Show! $2,500 in tattoo giveaways, food, drinks, CAKE & Gourmet Hotdogs from food truck PS561! Art show feat. work from over 30+ artists who work depicts Hot Rods, Hot Chicks, Pinstripes, Kustom Kulture, Tattoo inspired art, Day of the Dead, Tiki and anything else fitting. Park n’ Show your Hot Rod, Muscle Car or Traditional Custom. Rain or shine.

No registration or awards.

DADA: Holy Dances

HAROLDS: Brunch w Tingy Thick, Beatles HC, Pumps JJ MUGGS: Project: Project w. Grey & Orange, Mike Dunn & the Company, Richard Sherfey & All God’s PERFECT VODKA AMP: Warped Tour Children, John Ralston & the Shadows Band To CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. Benefit HopeFromHarrison.org KILL YOUR IDOL: Bassline Miami TWO& LAS OLAS: Ink & Drink Sunday Social w Lady Larva CWS: Homegrown Sinners

MONDAY, JULY 3

PROPAGANDA: The Dwarves, Richie Ramone, The Shakers, Whiskey Walls CWS: The Flyers DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays TWO&: Twen, Fat Sun, Tete-a-Tete, Milk Spot

TUESDAY, JULY 4

THE FISH: United We Rock feat. Brother, Sundance, Lavola, Those Damn Hooligans, Leo Lee Rock, Clay Dots, Gareth Johnson, Blackout, Bruja, The Rockaways, One Mor Round, The Big Sound, Algorhythm, The Earl Trio, Adrian Montijo, The Cravens, 33 Years, Static Momentum, Cannibal Kids

O’MALLEYS: Stages and Stereos

RESPECTABLE STREET: Rivers, Derek Webb, Lindsey Mills

JERRY’S DEERFIELD: Free Demo All About Canvas with Stephanie Leyden BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Bruja Trio

SUNDAY, JULY 9

THE HANGAR: STRFKR, Reptaliens CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. CHURCHILL’S PUB: Black Market ft. Wastelands, Analog, Gov Club, Cloud Solo, The Lone Wolf, Live Art, Vendors

MONDAY, JULY 10

DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays

DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic FUZZ BABY: Datenight, Wastelands, Twen Laboratory

TUESDAY, JULY 11

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

RESPECTABLE STREET: MySpace Wednesday’s

DADA: Mike & Jeff of Heavy Pets KILL YOUR IDOL: Cheap Miami Birthday Party

THURSDAY, JULY 6

THURSDAY, JULY 13

CWS: Crazyfingers DADA: Alex Coldwell

PERFECT VODKA AMP: Incubus, Jimmy Eat World

DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic

RESPECTABLE STREET: Amnesty, Skoros

DADA: Red Light Motel

KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak

RESPECTABLE STREET: The Herns

SUNDAY, JULY 23

FRIDAY, JULY 14

MONDAY, JULY 24

CWS: Diogo Das Virgens

DADA: Big Chief CWS: Edan Archer CHURCHILLS PUB: Jacuzzi Boys, Union, Chicken Liquor, DJ Action Pat BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Neverglades THE KELSEY THEATER: Michael Winslow

SATURDAY, JULY 15

DADA: Micah Scott POMPANO AMP: Firefall, Poco, Pure Prairie League CWS: Guavatron STACHE: 432 Trio BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Sprockets & Spokes Custom Bicycle Show JERRY’S DEERFIELD: Free Demo of Speedball Linoprints with John English

SUNDAY, JULY 16

CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr.

VOLTAIRE: Lindsey Mills & the Lazy Lovers, Kolezanka DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays

TUESDAY, JULY 25

HOWLEY’S: ‘Reprieve’ Solo Art Show by Gregory Dirr DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

DADA: Ashley Guertin

THURSDAY, JULY 27

DADA: Joey Tenuto Jr KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak

RESPECTABLE STREET: Octo Gato

BREWHOUSE GALLERY: A Sunday Kind of Blues

BUBBLES & PEARLS: ‘Musing’ Solo Art Show by Kelcie McQuaid with Live Music by Brady Newbill

MONDAY, JULY 17

FRIDAY JULY 28

DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays CULTURE ROOM: Kehlani, Ella Mai, Jahkoy, Noodles

DADA: Public Sounds KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque CWS: The Copper Tones STACHE: Diogo Das Virgens TUESDAY, JULY 18 KELSEY THEATER: Galactic Empire, Dangerkids FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Chevelle, Dinosaur Pile-Up, BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Marcus SoFlo THE KELSEY THEATER: Galactic Empire, Dangerkids Black Map DADA: Comedy Open Mic SATURDAY, JULY 29 KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic DADA: Diogo Das Virgens Band KILL YOUR IDOL: Breaks Yo! WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 CULTURE ROOM: Dragonforce RESPECTABLE STREET: The Takers and Leavers, PERFECT VODKA AMP: Lady Antebellum, Kelsea Ballerini Brother Sundance, Del Pelson CWS: Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio PERFECT VODKA AMP: Styx, REO Speedwagon HAROLDS: InBetween Sets: DJ Networking Party DADA: Brett Staska BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Summer Gill KILL YOUR IDOL: The Hoy Polloy THE KELSEY THEATER: Back to School Jam for the Boys & Girls Club with Felicity THURSDAY, JULY 20 JERRY’S DEERFIELD: Free Demo Lukas 1862 Oil Paint with DADA: The Holidazed Cangshu Gran RESPECTABLE STREET: King Complex KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak SUNDAY JULY 30 CHURCHILL’S PUB: Pocket Of Lollipops, In Oculus, CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. Pesh Kab, Prison Warden, Haochi BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Sunday Kind of Blues, Nip & Tuck CULTURE ROOM: Every Time I Die CWS: Chloe Dolandis MONDAY JULY 31 O’MALLEYS: Darkest Hour, Havok, Jesus Piece DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays

FRIDAY, JULY 21

FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Strand of Oaks

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1

RESPECTABLE STREET: Into the Gaerden

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

CULTURE ROOM: Perpetual Groove DADA: Eternal Boner

CWS: 432 Trio STACHE: Solemark THE POORHOUSE: Jim Camacho & John Camacho, Gold Dust Lounge PROPAGANDA: Peep Show, 90s Burlesque

PERFECT VODKA AMP: Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience O’MALLEYS: Sabella, Distinguisher, Unity TX O’MALLEYS: ’68, Whores

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Bill Maher

RACK EM BILLIARDS: Pocket Of Lollipops

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6

SATURDAY, JULY 22

TWO& LAS OLAS: Ink & Drink Sunday Social with Galen Todd Traxler

BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Joey Tenuto Band

DADA: Int’l Language KILL YOUR IDOL: The Wire Hip Hop Party CULTURE ROOM: Perpetual Groove CWS: Fusik BREWHOUSE GALLERY: B-Side JERRY’S DEERFIELD: Free Demo of Lukas Berlin with Florencia De Grandprey CIVIL SOCIETY BREWING: The Helmsmen

FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Bill Maher

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10

O’MALLEYS: Kingdom of Giants, Afterlife, Fame on Fire

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12

JJ MUGGS: Project: Project w. Mike Mineo, The Prosthetic Minds To Benefit HopeFromHarrison.org

PICNIC

by Allois allois.com

My name is Lars de Montesquieu. You must have heard about my father, Baron de Montesquieu. My mother is still alive and young but she is not quite human. I love to travel. I travel in an old-fashioned way by train, boat or by car and I love to use my talents for slipping into parallel worlds and different realities. I believe that peculiarities of my genetics and upbringing provide me with unique means in finding keys to personal happiness. My twelve-volume treatise “Happiness is Easy” is going into its second printing but it has yet to be translated into Human language. (Allois and Jörge) Post-Industrial Renaissance: “My work combines untamed energy of the open sea and disturbing familiarity of alien entities”. ~ Allois Allois is German-born American painter. Her style displays the influence of a variety of painters, from Francis Bacon to Old Masters like William Turner, Francisco de Goya, Velasquez and Rubens and, yet her works also present a distinctly surreal viewpoint. She is best known for the striking and bizarre images of Aliens in her surrealist work. In 2010, she illustrated collectable edition of the stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Ray Bradbury “THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER/USHER II,” published by Gauntlet Press.

“Allois paints presences. Her figures manifest conditions, sliding away from personality and into mood. A particular character may present itself as a child or adult, man or beast, but its identity gives way almost immediately to its nuance. These figures, then, are others and at the same time are us. They don’t simply constitute Allois’ cast of characters; they stand in for any of us. The yogic construct of the soul is as a tiny homunculus seated or curled at the base of the heart. This must be the homunculus with whom, in many variations, Allois populates her canvases”. ~ Peter Frank, American art critic “The figures in Allois work seem alien or fantastical, but at the same time they are highly relate-able. The figures evoke raw emotions in the audience by being vague to the visual senses but obvious to the spirit” ~ bG Gallery, Los Angeles “I think her phenomenal work is a unique combination of the future and the past,” Jacqueline “Jac” Forbes, curator and owner of Malibu’s Canvas Gallery, said, commenting about the intriguing and inspirational art work of Malibu artist Allois.

“It blends the delicate beauty of the past and the uncertainty of what the future will bring and what people will look like. It’s great work to get lost in.” ~ Malibu Chronicle, “Malibu Artist Allois Paints Visionary Atavistic Intrigue and Mystique“/ Mar 29, 2017, Article by Barbara Burke

THE DWARVES, RICHIE RAMONE Richie Ramone and the Dwarves might seem like a strange mix for a tour; after all one was the catalyst for the Ramones resurgence in the 80’s and the other put out what is considered by many to be one of the most controversial albums: Blood, Guts & Pussy; ever, even by punk standards. However, these two tastes are more peanut butter and banana sandwiches, than oil and water.

Richie Ramone joined up wth the Ramones for the band’s 1984 rager, Too THE DWARVES Tough to Die. Critics praised the album as a return to form and even a response to the emergence of hardcore punk after their 60’s pop tinged, Subterranean Jungle.

Richie would go on to have the distinction of being the only drummer in the band with 6 songs to his credit, including Somebody Put Something in My Drink; a tune that has enjoyed some credibility as a cult favorite for new generations of Ramones fans. He left the band over creative differences and has gone on to make some very credible rock and roll records since. “I Fix This” the new single off Ramone’s new album, Cellophane, is all the swagger and rock and roll that one would expect from such esteemed alumnus.

Where other musicians attempt to rock the iconic look of tight black denim and chuck tailors, they look like they’re wearing a costume. Richie looks like he was born with the garb of rock and roll royalty stitched to his skin.

The Dwarves are one of the most combustable bands in punk rock. Their seminal, cocaine bender of a record, Blood, Guts & Pussy, is 15 unrelenting minutes of bad attitude and worse people skills. Its loud, fast, rules; personified and it warped this author’s brain at a young age when the album was out of print and the only copies available were third generation tapes dubbed by RICHIE RAMONE touring bands crashing at our houses.

They have since found a poppy groove while adhering to break neck speeds and employing a bevy of nude beauties and, literal, dwarves for their album covers. While time has softened their sound, a bit, on record; the Dwarves spectacle of a live show endures with flying bodies, nudity and a very cantankerous (at times) singer; Blag Dhalia.

Lock up the kids, leave your wife at home and down a fifth of whiskey with whatever pills are lying around for this show. There will be blood.

The Dwarves and Richie Ramone play Propaganda, July 3rd with Whiskey Walls and the Shakers. Doors at 8pm, $15 advance, $20 at the door. https://www.richieramone.com http://www.thedwarves.com ~Tim Moffat

Christian Lantry

CHEVELLE

CHEVELLE

Last year, Chevelle put out their eighth album The North Corridor.

Now that they are on tour to promote it and connect with longtime fans, tickets are selling fast. The nu metal band nearing a quarter century of giving fans a way to express their frustration and rage and joy all at once. Named after a classic American muscle car, the band of brothers (and cousins and brother-in-laws) is now itself inhabiting a place of nostalgia for anyone who was a teenager in the late 90s..

Remember before you became part of the machine, and you just wanted to rage against it--or your parents, or just something? Chevelle and its alt/nu metal cohort (including Korn, Limpbizkit, Linkin Park, and Slipknot) came a long at just the right time to show you how it sounded to feel like that.

There’s almost no better place for Chevelle to be performing on their 2017 tour than the nostalgic Fillmore in Miami Beach. Since the 1950s, people have been attending shows at the site that is has been known as the Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium, The Miami Beach Theater of the Performing Arts, and The Jackie Gleason Theater.

South Floridians have flocked to The Fillmore for everything from filming of The Dick Clark Show and The Ed Sullivan Show to Tony Bennett to Lenny Kravitz. I’m almost ashamed to say that my first visit wasn’t until last year to see New Order on their Music Complete Tour.

It’s the kind of venue that provides an experience worth having. A charming example of Miami Art Deco architecture, It’s small enough so that there aren’t any really bad seats, and it’s large enough to make it worth it for big names to book performances.

You might be wondering why or how this turned from the band to the venue. It’s because, once again, the Miami City Commission is discussing plans to “repeal and replace” The Fillmore with a hotel--and a new venue that is supposed to be bigger and better. While there are no solid plans and the discussion has been had on and off for at least 10 years, there is no better way to show your support for the beloved venue than attending concerts, signing petitions, and attending a damn city commission meeting once in a while.

Show some love and rock out at the The Fillmore Miami Beach with Chevelle on Tuesday, July 18. Doors open at 7:00. Tickets start at $40. ~Jessica Chesler

Kevin Baldes

SUPERSUCKERS Too punk rock for the country crowd, too country fried for the punkers… since 1988, Eddie Spaghetti and a revolving door of cohorts have been doing it their way; even if never fully settling for a specific genre has cost them broader fame and larger fortunes. But there is fame and some degree of fortune in doing it your way for this long; helping define the cowpunk genre paved the way for many in the underground outlaw country scene.

Formed in Tucson, Arizona by Spaghetti and friend Dan “Thunder” Bolton, Supersuckers would relocate to Seattle at the height of the grunge movement and quickly endear SUPERSUCKERS themselves to the grunge and punk crowd that found their humorous and ballsy take on rock and roll a breath of fresh air in the rather morose environs of that era’s music scene.

Signing with Sub Pop and releasing a handful of albums helped establish the band’s legacy of hard rocking and cleverly written songs about drugs, booze, girls, and evil. Wearing their demons on their sleeves has imbued the band with a tongue-in-cheek attitude that is bolstered by high energy, raucous live performances. Pared down to a trio now with “Metal” Marty Chandler on guitar and Chris Von Streicher on drums hasn’t tempered the sound one bit.

In June of 2015, after hitting the ten album mark and with tours planned, Spaghetti was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer. While everything came to screeching halt and he had to reassess his situation, Spaghetti got through the hard times by diving into his songwriting and with a little help from his friends.

Eddie Vedder and Mudhoney to name a few came to his aid and helped raise funds.

The oropharynx cancer in his throat was not gonna keep this hard rocker down and now that cancer is a dust cloud twirling in the wind of his rearview mirrors, the Supersuckers are back in full force, ready to give the US and Canada the business before heading overseas to Europe. Next year, they’ll join likeminded outfits in the Outlaw Country Cruise because the high seas need the business too.

Supersuckers with Armageddon Man and more at 9pm on Thursday, July 13 at Churchill’s Pub. supersuckers.com ~ Abel Folgar

AWESOME TAPES Julia Berlin

Cassettes are more than collectibles for Brian Shimkovitz, creator of Awesome Tapes From Africa. They were his entrée to revelatory music. They inspired his blog-turned-recordlabel. They’re the core of his live DJ sets, which span forty years of African pop, funk, rap, jazz and folk.

DJing with cassettes wasn’t exactly widespread even before the advent of digitized music, but the method came to make sense for Shimkovitz. “I never grew up practicing on turntables,” he tells PureHoney.

“It’s been through playing on the actual cassettes in a live setting that I’ve learned to DJ.”

BRIAN SHIMKOVITZ

don’t always sync.

Lacking the microscopic beat-matching of purely digital tracks, he feels his way through.

At the same time, he says, “You can’t hang out between two tracks for too long,” because the beats in his polyglot collection

A typical Tapes set traverses decades, countries and genres: the blippy ‘80s dance floor music of Umoja, a South African band; the hypnotic instrumentals of visionary ‘70s keyboardist Hailu Merga, from Ethiopia; the urgent voicings of Awa Poulo, a contemporary folk singer from Mali. “It’s expressive in its own way,” the Los Angeles-based Shimkovitz says of his particular blend of medium and source material. “You’re matching different stuff together by hook or by crook.”

Shimkovitz used to live and work in New York as a music publicist. A trip to Ghana, in West Africa, in the early 2000s put him on a parallel path. There, he found cassette albums of music that blew his mind. The blog was his personal way of publicizing it, until he decided that blogging alone wasn’t enough.

Shimkovitz started locating and working with the artists to re-release their recordings. Listener response to those reissues has given some of the artists — like the aforementioned Merga — a second life as international touring performers.

Shimkovitz sees his project as a one-man version of adventurous record labels like Nonesuch and Smithsonian Folkways. “In a very small way,” he says, “I feel like I’m contributing to making the market for African music bigger.”

Klangbox.fm and Vamos a la Playa present the Miami debut of Awesome Tapes From Africa, 5pm Sunday July 9 at Gramps, 176 NW 24th Street. Free admission. awesometapes.com ~ Sean Piccoli