The hardcore fans know. Sigur Rós’ up-coming show at the Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park is not the Icelandic band’s first show in Miami. Those fans were there, on Feb. 25, 2007, at the Adrienne Arsht Center (then known as the Carnival Center) when the band was squirreled away, out of sight in the orchestra pit, offering up musical accompaniment to a dance performance choreographed by a pair of giant dice rolled by the legendary avant-garde dance pioneer Merce Cunningham. Not that they knew who Cunningham was and why Sigur Rós would give

such a shit to fly to Miami to perform some appropriately un-Sigor Rós like music that creaked more than offered ambiance, or even rhythm, in near anonymity. But, yes, these fans were there, peeking over the wall to wave at Jonsi and the boys while the now deceased Cunningham spoke from a wheelchair about the concept of chance and artistic effort forced to take a backseat to chaos.

Fast forward more than six years later, and here comes the Sigur Rós Miami fans have been waiting for. Well, minus keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Singer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Thor Birgisson (a.k.a. Jonsi ) now creates the music of Sigur Rós with fellow founding mate bassist Georg Hólm and longtime drummer/percussionist Orri Páll Dýrason. The band’s seventh album, Kveikur, saw release earlier this year. For a trio, the end-product stands as one of the most potent Sigur Rós albums ever. Maybe it had something to do with Jonsi going solo for an album and tour in 2010, but this is a Sigur Rós re-born.

Opening with a downright industrial rumble and thud, Kveikur weaves a pastiche of some of the tightest and most dynamic songs of Sigur Rós’ career, which broke out internationally in 1999 with the band’s mystical and enchanting second album Ágætis Byrjun. Much of the new album features layers of clanging percussion, roaring horns and Jonsi’s vocals way up-front, in contrast to the band’s previous album, 2012’s ambient, near-vocal-free Valtari.

The grim opener offers quite an opening statement, but there are bright spots. The majestic “Ísjaki” moves from thudding percussion and yawning strings to soaring screeches of electric guitar. “Rafstraumur” offers a brilliant moment of driving guitars, pounding drums and glockenspiels and layers of soaring voices. With the help of as many as eight other supplemental musicians, Sigur Rós is bound to reproduce its bombastic sound and intricate layers of stillness to profound effect, making it the Miami show many Sigur Rós fans have long wanted to hear and see. ~Hans Morgenstern | The Independent Ethos

Sigur Rós

Sigur Ros Photo: Ryan McGinley

A Stabbing Slice of Surrealist Americana

Dave Berns (Hot Damn Arts) is one of those kids, and creativity simply oozes from each and every pore. He says about his beginnings “I was always the kid that drew – until a few weeks after a boarding school study hall – where I borrowed a stack of a friend’s comic books to pass the time. I had no focus to it. Almost immediately after getting into reading comics, I obsessed on learning how to draw them.” He was commissioned for this year’s 21st Annual MoonFest poster.

It’s some of the best poster art I’ve seen since the days of Zap Comix (R. Crumb) and I

felt myself instantly transported to childhood, holding my first ‘Mr. Natural’ comic. What a time warp! To have a work of art suddenly teleport you back to 1977 is a rare and beautiful thing, not to be taken lightly nor trifled with.

Besides that, Dave juxtaposes thrasher film killers with Norman Rockwell. Because bizarre characters need ice-cream, too! “I taught myself the basics by making mostly terrible mini-comics and then learned from the best at the Joe Kubert School,” he says. His work has a wonderfully visceral quality and is reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. He says his influences range from comic books, junk culture, heavy music & Mad Magazine. Specific artistic influences include Frazetta, Kyle Baker, Jack Davis, Joe Kubert, Dave Stevens, Adam Hughes, John Severin, Coop, Derrick Riggs, Bisley, Heinrich Kley, Frank Cho and so many more. “I’m a fan of many new & emerging artists that haven’t really influenced me artistically, but do inspire me greatly!” His art has a jarring immediacy to it rarely seen in our post-PC world. About his projected trajectory: “Freedom is all any Creative really wants; to have an engaged fan base that’s broad enough to allow for consistent travel on a relatively self-determined creative path, that’s mostly made up as I go along… more dough for drawing more things that are interesting to me.”

In the near future, our ears should instantly prick up when we now hear the names Dave Berns or Hot Damn Arts.

If you’re looking for some of his art, “The parody of dogs playing poker w/ heavy metal mascots has been my most successful & is one of my favorites, too... glad it’s something I can keep in print with future editions,” he says.

Among his personal favorite designs: Willie Nelson, Die Antwoord, NOFX, Stanhope & Primus, The Kills, too. Oh, and A Fiend in Need. www.HotDamnArts.com ~ Gabe Laszlo

Hot Damn Arts

Challenge Your Threshold for Fear. Welcome that feeling in the pit of your stomach where apprehension and terror lie, cover your ears and try to ignore the laughter of crazed lunatics running wildly into the night, ripping into the crisp moonlit air their clothing still freshly stained in the sweat and tears from their last victim’s pleas… and pee your pants like a little girl! Fright Nights, a Carnival of Creeps for the thrill seekers, celebrates its thirteenth consecutive year at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, FL. This outrageously wicked Halloween-themed Scream Park presents a terrifying lineup of hair-raising exhibitions, gruesomely dressed cast members,

macabre animatronics, 13 thrill rides, food, games, drinks, live music, prizes, a talented crew of ghoulish

dancers and numerous scare zones sure to send your inner child running feverishly to mommy’s side!

This year’s Fright Nights will include four haunted houses featuring: The Smiths - a travelling family of murderous savages settling into their new residence from a whirlwind tour of carnage and horror; A Grim’s Tale - a homestead for the most sinister corridors of your imagination as you revisit the sweet and innocent fairytales of your childhood and see them for what they really are, hellish nightmares of abduction, killings and betrayal; Sunnyville Orphanage - housing the abandoned souls of forgotten children, their maddening loneliness and starved bellies formed into a hunger for revenge that can only be satisfied with merciless homicide of anyone coming into reach of their deadly little fingers; and Country Bill’s Meat Market – serving up the finest cuts of flesh and bone this side of the south.

Craig McInnis, originally joining the Fright Nights cast in 2002, is involved in everything from designing haunted houses to creating t-shirts, flyers and posters for the event’s promotion. With wife and makeup coordinator, Raquel McInnis, Craig shares a bit about his experience as longtime Fright Night crew member:“The most memorable moments at Fright Nights are usually when I get a good scare out of a grown man. It always makes me laugh. The other thing that is great to see is the comradery that happens amongst our 100 person cast over the course of the nine nights. We have two brand new elements this year. The first is Fright Nights TV where everyone will get their 60 seconds of fame. The other is our Monster Bash Costume Party with over $1,000 in prizes! This is going to be our biggest year ever!”

So come on down, join in on the tricks and treats during this most mischievous time of year and blur the line between what you know is real and what you hope is not..

For more information, and to view videos/photos from past years’ Fright Nights visit: www.myfrightnights.com or www.facebook.com/FrightnightsSFF. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays October 10-26 Monster Bash Costume Party October 27. $30 General Admission, $70 R.I.P Admission. ~Danielle DiSpigna

Fright Nights Comes Lurking

The Dewars & DJ Haitian Hillbilly @ Blackbird OrdinaryHeavy Pets Light @ DadaThursday, October 10The Janglin Duo @ Respectable Street Rusko, Roni Size, Dynamite MC @ Fillmore Miami BeachDangerflow & DJ Contra @ Blackbird OrdinaryExample @ Culture RoomDJ HiGrade @ PropagandaThe Wee Dogs @ Terra FermataDada Craft Bazaar @ DadaFriday, October 11Ms. Fitts, Killmama @ Respectable Street Frightened Rabbit @ Culture Room“Tell Tale” Open Mic @ Coastars Coffee BarGolden Festival: Beat Thief Inc., Maxx Stiles, Scotty Solomon, Dr Skitzo, Milky Da Milkman, The Philosifires Fire Show @ ActivistArtistAElectric Piquete @ Dolphin MallCOPE, Come Back Alice @ Bamboo RoomKonkrete Jungle @ PropagandaLavola @ Dada Big City Bombers, Sand Ratz, Jolly Badfellow @ PoorhouseANR @ The VagabondFresh Catch @ Terra FermataBullet To Blade, The Bastard Suns @ Swampgrass WillysRYTHmadix, DJ HiGrade @ LongboardsWolfman & the Goodfellaz @ The SpeakeasyBlack KVlt Metal Fest: Kult of Azazel, Scytherium, Imperial Conquest, Promethean Horde, Teratism Suns of the Morning Star & more @ Churchill’s PubSaturday, October 12Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone, Dodge City Bandits @ Respectable Street No Te Va Gustar @ Grand CentralNikki Hill @ Bamboo Room ARToberfest @ Propaganda, Coastars Coffee BarGolden Festival: Spencer Allan Patrick, Madison Langley, Chris Michaud & more @ ActivistArtistAThe English Beat @ Culture RoomBenefit for Families First @ The SpeakeasySedgwick, Suede Dudes, Dark Rift, Dividends, Markus Murakami, Tony T & the Triple Threat, Glow of the Streetlights @ Tobacco RoadJason Cardinal @ Dada Starpound @ PropagandaCounty Line Road @ Swampgrass WillysHot Sauce Boys, Ohana Band @ Terra FermataArt Walk Gallery Tour @ Northwood Arts DistrictSunday, October 13Truckstop Coffee @ South Shores India. Arie @ The Fillmore Miami BeachGolden Festival: Making Faces, Koffin Varnish, Sawgrass Express & more @ ActivistArtistABen Prestage @ Terra FermataMonday, October 14Spred the Dub @ LongboardsTuesday, October 15Hinder & Candlebox @ Revolution LiveMs. Fitts, Ordinary Boys, Turboretardo @ Churchill’s PubGravel Kings, DJ Andie Sweetswirl @ Dubliner FtlDocumental: Movies @ Harold’s CoffeeWednesday, October 16Proper Dosage feat. Silkie @ The SpeakeasyBilly & Rachel @ DadaScott Benge @ Terra FermataThursday, October 17Goddamn Hustle, Old Fashioned @ Respectable Street

Tuesday, October 1Poetry Slam @ DadaDocumental: Movies @ Harold’s CoffeeRyan Alexander, DJ Andie Sweetswirl @ Dubliner FtlWednesday, October 2Heavy Pets Light @ DadaHairpeace @ Terra FermataThursday, October 3Black Taxi @ Respectable Street Lingo, The Mantras @ Funky BuddhaIII Points @ Wynwood, MiamiDJ HiGrade @ Propaganda10,000 Hours @ Terra FermataFriday, October 4So So Glos, Flashlights, Birthday Candles, Smith Sundy @ PropagandaThe Lee Boys @ Bamboo RoomThe Butchers @ DadaIII Points @ Wynwood, MiamiJulieta Venegas @ Fillmore Miami BeachMike Quick @ Terra FermataPaperPlane Revisited @ ActivistArtistAAdage, The Drip Effect @ Swampgrass WillysThe Bullet Dodgers, DJ HiGrade @ LongboardsDyslexic Postcards, Dorothy’s Surrender, The Owl Revue, Loaded Gun & more @ Churchill’s PubSaturday, October 5Stitch Rock 2013 @ Old School SquareBombtoberfest: Facial Hair Competiton @ Respectable Street PLAN B: Sleepy Vikings, Saskatchewan, Day Joy, Cats In The Basement, Woolly Bushmen, Die Alps!, The Dewars, King of Spain, Atlantic Oceans, Lauris Vidal, Sunbears!, Funny Bunny, Zulu Wave, Moon Jelly, Sweet Bronco & more! @ Ybor CityCasey Hopkins Duo @ DadaMIM, Absolute Asylum & Primer 55 @ PropagandaSecond Chance, Blue Water Solstice, The Helmsmen @ Swampgrass WillysIII Points @ Wynwood, MiamiJohn Sevigny’s “Wilderness of Mirrors” @ ImageSound AmericasAmerica’s Got Talent Live @ Kravis CenterGravel Kings @ Kill Your IdolTim Reynolds & TR3 @ Bamboo Room Starpound @ Tobacco RoadSouthside Dub @ Terra FermataPassafire, Ballyhoo! @ Culture RoomThe Have-Nots @ The Fillmore MiamiEric Biddines, Blaine, Muzik Jones Drew, Fawty, NickE @ The SpeakeasySunday, October 6Artikal Sound System @ Terra FermataMonday, October 7Yellowman, Army Gideon, Mixed Culture @ Respectable Street Spred the Dub @ LongboardsKaraoke Hosted by Chris Martin @ PropagandaTuesday, October 8Danzig, Doyle, Butcher Babies, Texas Hippie Coalition, A Pale Horse Named Death @ Revolution LiveDocumental: Movies @ Harold’s CoffeeWake Up, DJ Andie Sweetswirl @ Dubliner FtlCasa de Ha-ha @ Sweat RecordsWednesday, October 9Anonymous Bass Art Show @ Respectable Street The Breeders @ Grand CentralPortugal the Man, Crystal Fighters @ Revolution LiveSigur Ros @ Bayfront Park

Austin Mahone, Becky G, Midnight Red, W3 The Future @ Fillmore Miami BeachGreenhouse Lounge, Sir Charles @ Funky BuddhaSuede Dudes, Montage, Lazer Puzzy @ Kismet VintageMarcia Ball @ Bamboo RoomThe Inverted @ Terra FermataFireside Prophets, DJ HiGrade @ PropagandaPendulum DJ Set @ Revolution LiveFriday, October 18Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Respectable Street Matt Nathanson, Joshua Radin @ Culture RoomThe Atlanta Rhythm Section @ Bamboo RoomBassnectar, Pretty Lights @ Bayfront ParkHialeah Fest #20: Electric Piquete @ Churchill’s PubFricktion @ Swampgrass WillysPerry Strait Duo @ DadaSierra Band @ Terra FermataLyrical Ink Open Mic/Poetry @ Harold’s CoffeeFireside Prophets, DJ HiGrade @ LongboardsHurly Burly Bill & Ted’s Bogus Burlesque Journey! @ PropagandaRob Stunna Local Love Showcase, Great Oca Artists @ The SpeakeasySaturday, October 19Symbols, False Flags @ Respectable Street John McEuen @ Bamboo RoomMovie By Moonlight/Hotel Transylvania @ Kravis CenterBassnectar, Pretty Lights @ Bayfront ParkOutloud Presents World of Sound @ PropagandaCody & The Qualified @ Terra FermataHialeah Fest #20 @ Churchill’s PubThe Owl Revue @ DadaSingular Fashion @ Kill Your IdolJune Bug @ Swampgrass WillysPro-Pain, Undivided, Fall of Olympus, Murder in Motion, Salvation @ The SpeakeasySunday, October 20Sweet Chariots @ Terra FermataKat Dahlia @ Culture RoomMonday, October 21Kung Fu, DJ Scotty Solomon @ Funky BiscuitSpred the Dub @ LongboardsTuesday, October 22Peelander-Z, Daikaiju, The Toilets, The Muggles @ PropagandaKillmama, DJ Andie Sweetswirl @ Dubliner FtlDocumental: Movies @ Harold’s CoffeeWednesday, October 23We Came As Romans, Silverstein, Chunk! No Captain Chunk! @ Revolution LiveSoulfly, Havok, Deadman’s Gambit @ Culture RoomHeavy Pets Light @ DadaBlue Alliance Winner @ Terra FermataThursday, October 24Birthday Candles @ Respectable Street Rock & Roll Zombie Crawl @ Clematis Street Art Walk @ Boynton Beach Art DistrictGold Dust Lounge @ The Betsy Hotel33 Years @ Dive BarJanine & Josh @ Terra FermataDJ HiGrade @ PropagandaThe Main Squeeze, Spiritual Rez @ Funky BiscuitTribal Seeds, Fortunate Youth, Hirie @ Culture RoomFriday, October 25Jessie Ware, Mikky Ekko @ Revolution LiveSomething a Little Bazaar @ Bohemïa AGHulaween: Skinny Jimmy & the Stingrays @ The Mai-KaiIgor & The Red Elvises @ Bamboo Room“Ancestors” Story Slam @ Coastars Coffee Bar

Dawn Patrol, DJ HiGrade @ Longboards WPB Zombie Crawl @ Clematis StreetJosh Hayden @ Swampgrass WillysUproot Hootenanny @ Terra FermataBrain Chips, Swamp Rats, The Janglin Duo @ PropagandaModern Day Outlaw, Kocosante, Dead Mans Gambit @ The Speakeasy Kaleigh Baker Duo, The Legendary JC’s @ Will CallThe Casualties, Negative Approach @ Churchill’s PubFranklin Sings @ DadaSaturday, October 26MOONFEST 2013: THE REVEREND HORTON HEATwith Gold Dust Lounge, Wake Up, Sweet Bronco, The People Upstairs, Campeona, Hard Richards, Luna Rex, The Lovers Key, Lahinch Mob, Afrobeta, Spred The Dub, Grow, Beat Thief Inc. feat Morgan Jay, Dj Higrade, Dro-Matik, Maxxx Stiles, Myopic, Prizm, Duncan Beatz, Mark Ivan, Deep Therapy, Shayne Pilpel, Mark Kincaid, Mason G @ Clematis Street, Dntn West Palm BeachUV: A Tribute To U2 @ Bamboo RoomHell of a Party: World Gone, Masticator @ PropagandaPat Channing, Nouveaux Honkies @ Terra FermataCashmere Kitties: Sedgwick, Testokra, The Band in Heaven, Ghost Ease, Pocket of Lollipops, New Coke, Jellyfish Brothers, Nowhere Boys, The Checkered Records, Fero Lux & more @ La Placita Ranch Luke Bryan @ Cruzan AmpElectric Piquete @ Funky Buddha The Resolvers @ Will CallSunday, October 27Built to Spill, Slam Dunk, Genders @ Culture RoomFunk That: DJ Blue, DJ Age @ The SpeakeasySunday Movies @ DadaWarren Silvers @ Terra FermataMonday, October 28Spred the Dub @ LongboardsKaraoke Finals Hosted by Chris Martin @ PropagandaTuesday, October 29Ms. Fitts, DJ Andie Sweetswirl @ Dubliner FtlStory of the Year, Like Moths to Flames, Hawthorne Heights, Capture the Crown & more @ Revolution LiveOpen Mic @ DadaDocumental: Movies @ Harold’s CoffeeWednesday, October 30Nine Inch Nails @ BB&T CenterDead Good Young & DJ Haitian Hillbilly @ Blackbird OrdinaryBarenaked Ladies @ Seminole Hard Rock LiveMylo Ranger, The Janglin Duo, Little Life Left @ The SpeakeasyHeavy Pets Light @ DadaThe Inverted @ Terra FermataThursday, October 31Sonic Avenues, Nervous Attachments @ Respectable Street The Hard Richards CD Release/Halloween Party, Spred The Dub, DJ HiGrade @ PropagandaMs. Fitts @ The GooseMichael Franti & Spearhead, Serena Ryder @ Revolution LiveThe Heavy Pets, Stokeswood, Greenhouse Lounge @ The StageHulaween @ Spirit of the Suwannee Music ParkSick Halloween Party: Ellameno Beat @ Terra FermataFriday, November 1Kurt Vile & the Violators, Beach Fossils, VBA, The Band in Heaven @ Grand CentralMinus the Bear, INVSN, Slow Bird @ Revolution LiveMs. Fitts @ The PoorhouseLuke Pennell @ Coastars Coffee BarJanglin Duo @ Dada

It’s pretty amazing when an album you have not heard in about 20 years can blow you away when you weren’t expecting it to. I think I like the Breeders’ Last Splash more now than I did upon its release in 1993. It stands as a profound testament to the brilliant, creative energy of the band that formed out of the ashes of the Pixies, vocalist/bassist Kim Deal’s previous project. To be fair, the Breeders began with 1990’s acclaimed though lower-key Pod, while the Pixies were still very much alive. However, Last Splash marked the first official

full-length with Deal free of any obligation to return to duties in the

Pixies. The result? A balanced, more relaxed Breeders seething with comfortable swagger and an unmatched dynamic to anything prior.

Of course, “Cannonball,” deemed single of the by the NME, stands out as the stalwart track of the album, which went platinum at the height of alternative rock’s heyday into the pop world. Still, one song does not an album make. But the ubiquity of this single should not overshadow the perfection of this album by the Breeds, also composed of Deal’s identical twin sister, Kelley on guitar (who replaced Throwing Muses’ Tanya Donelly), bassist Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim MacPherson.

There’s a strong dynamic and balance between the guitar-heavy tracks. Tempos range from sludgy to swingly bright. It has sunny moments like the wistful chorus of “Invisible Man” and the double time transition in “No Aloha,” which also hearkens back to both Deal’s surf punk roots in the Pixies and the era’s then oft-forgotten romanticism of 1960s Tiki and lounge culture. Then there’s the driving, brilliant “Divine Hammer.”

The Breeders did not last long after the star-making album, playing its last show on Sept. 5, 1994 at a Lollapalooza show in L.A. It would not be until 2002 that the band would release another album, Title TK. But neither it, nor 2008’s follow-up Mountain Battles, came close to offering the same kind of potency of Last Splash.

In 2013, the band came together again behind a 20th anniversary reissue of Last Splash and an exhaustive tour that began in the spring and includes the performance of the classic alt-rock album in its entirety. On Oct. 9, the show arrives in Miami at Grand Central. Expect the full album played live by all the original members but also lots of selections from Pod.~Hans Morgenstern | The Independent Ethos

Breeders Last Splash

The Breeders Photo: Kevin Westenberg

Regardless of what flavor of the week the kids are currently bashing into the ground, there will always be a place for catchy, hook laden indie-rock. Every generation to come since the advent of more melodic punk groups such as The Replacements boasts its own flavor of bands to refine the style and provide the infectious anthems that will someday be the sound of nostalgia. Whether it be Guided By Voices, Superchunk or Hey Mercedes, the umbrella of indie-rock provides a wide enough genre pocket that its inhabitants bring something for everyone.

Two of the current rising stars of the form, Orlando’s Flashlights and Brooklyn’s the So So Glos, will be making there way to South

Florida in early October to introduce us to their respective takes on the genre.

Flashlights is a four piece that came together through a mutual love of cats, Pokemon, and ear worm choruses. The band checks ‘90s indie-rock heroes Archers of Loaf and the almighty Superchunk as influences, but their sound is entirely their own, artfully managing to be lighthearted and melodic without the immaturity that plagues the lion’s share of pop-punk. The band will be releasing a debut album on Hard Rock Records and will be performing at the CMJ Festival in New York this fall, making them a band to keep a close eye on. For now, Flashlight’s digital EP, entitled Don’t Take Me Seriously, should give an idea of what to expect from a Flashlight’s show.

The Brooklyn-bred So So Glos carve a sound harder to pin to an era of influence than that of their tour mates. However, if you threw the jangle of surf rock in a blender with the karrang and political consciousness of the Clash and finished it with a touch of Brit rock swagger, you would find yourself close to the mark. The So So Glos self-released 2013 full length, Blowout, displays a band that has made a distinct voice for itself that is as catchy as it is somehow familiar. The band’s songs are a raucous good time across the board, however the deeper messages that lurk beneath the surface separates what the So So Glos do from the high school love songs and self-reference that occupies the current crop of melodic punk bands.

The tour rolls through Propaganda in Lake Worth on October 10 with guests Birthday Candles and Smith Sundy and promises to be a great time for anyone with a taste for the brighter side of indie. 18+. $7 till 10pm, $10 After 10pm ~ David Von Bader

The So So Glos & Flashlights

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Flashlights

For the sake of honesty, I’m going to come clean and say what many of you have already been thinking. Sometimes the crowd out at a local show can be chock-full of weirdos. Nice weirdos. Educated weirdos. But weirdos all the same. And then there’s Moonfest. The annual Halloween block party madness hosted by Rodney Mayo and his Sub-Culture crew encourages you to let out your inner weirdo, dress up as somebody entirely different, and get down to some live tunes. Now going into its 21st year, Moonfest built the template for South Florida’s biggest costume party, then tore it to shreds and built a better one.

Ghosts of Moonfest past may tell you things sometimes got a little out of hand. Free admission and lax barriers to entry meant the wrong people got in and sometimes ruined it for the rest of us. So the powers that be went back to the drawing board and emerged with a new game plan. Now with a paltry entry fee ($10), gates around the entire Clematis Street perimeter, and a strict 21+ age restriction, Moonfest has reinvented itself as the ultimate Halloween party. If you’ve got some extra cash, the VIP lounge ($50) is a wise investment with open bar and delicious grub. But either way, Mayo promises this year’s event will be “fun and safe.”

The savvy party partaker looks to Moonfest as a ghoulish live music zone, making this year’s “Dead Rockstars” theme spot on. The lineup is stacked with twenty-five performers on three different stages up and down Clematis to support them. Great local bands will wow you, no tricks in sight, but it’s the headliner who is giving us the real treat. The Reverend Horton Heat is leading the charge this year with a unique brand of sound perfect for the Moonfest nightwalkers.

Rocking out for nearly three decades, Reverend Horton Heat serves as the long standing nickname of the group’s lead singer Jim Heath as well as the name of the trio, Jimbo Wallace on upright bass and Scott Churilla on drums. If you couldn’t piece it together, Heath isn’t really a reverend. He is a rock star in the truest sense of the word.

Touring for basically ever as a self described ‘psychobilly’ band of superbly talented musicians, the Heat have achieved cult status for their fast paced tunes, LOL lyrics and high energy live shows. Ok, but what is psychobilly? It’s rockabilliy meets metal. It’s surf rock meets hardcore. It’s country dressed up as Gwar for Halloween. It’s something you need to see or hear to fully comprehend.

Based out of Dallas, TX, the trio have made a name for themselves through rambunctious shows around the world, but it’s their premiere musicianship that hypnotizes first-time show goers into full blown Heat fanatics. With songs featured on every possible media medium, including the likes of True Blood and Guitar Hero (back when that sort of mattered), the band has emerged as a leader, not only in their sound-twisting niche genre, but in getting a crowd on your side and keeping them there.

The Reverend Horton Heat ooze the true spirit of rock and roll, the kind of songs and licks that keep music interesting. 2012’s documentary meets concert flick “25 to Life” showed Heath in his raw form backstage before he dresses up as his delightful alter ego. Newly signed to Victory Records, Heat will be releasing their first album in four years next year on January 21st. Their eleventh release overall, it looks like the timing of this record and tour, along with the help of the new label, are setting them up to be bigger than ever.

And that’s exactly why we are so very fortunate to have these true purveyors of rock directly in our faces as part of the masterful Moonfest magnificence. For a mere $10, you will be blown away. It’s a sure-fire guarantee. If for some deranged reason, you still need more evidence before stepping into this street-wide Halloween paradise, we’re happy to oblige...

There will be live music aplenty to tickle any existing fancy. Bands like Miami’s Gold Dust Lounge will be complimenting the Heat with some surf rock goodness, and others will mix it up like Fort Lauderdale’s melodic rockers Sweet Bronco. South Florida ska legends The Hard Richards will be on hand to melt some faces as well as West Palm kings of “good time reggae” Spred The Dub and countless others.

Your resistance is futile. It’s time to give into Moonfest. Choose your costume, leave your worldly worries at the gate, and float into the Halloween of your dreams. The ghost of Moonfest future just rang and said he lost his car keys dancing madly. You should have heard the party in the background. Better yet, check it for yourself.

Moonfest 2013: October 26 at 7pm on Clematis Street. 21+ ONLY$10 General Admission, $50 for VIP ~Dana Krangel

Reverend Moonfest

Reverend Horton Heat

Fall is looking good for South Florida, well, at least as far as music and art are concerned. Artist are preparing for Basel, several top local bands are on the verge of releasing new music, a handful of legendary underground acts such as Sigur Ros and The Breeders are coming to town, and in case none of that tickles your fancy, here’s one more event added to the docket: III Points Art x Music x Technology Festival.

The inaugural III Points is going down in and all over the Wynwood Arts District from Thursday, October 3rd through Saturday, October 5th. Needless to say, sick parties

and concerts have been planned. Plus, lectures, film screenings, and seminars for the intellectually curious have been scheduled throught the three-day festival.

It all starts on Thursday night with Miami Horror and then it just don’t stop! Friday and Saturday, record labels such as DFA and England’s Young Turks will be hosting some of the biggest parties and shows of the festival, and both will be precluded by - that’s right - BBQ cookouts!

Performers of note include the incredible trip-hop mastermind, DJ Shadow, and the infamous James Murphy. Miami’s Gummdrops Music Collective has rounded-up a few local bands to add to the roster; reppin’ the 305 and show-off what we got: Deaf Poets, Lil Daggers, Millionyoung, Afrobeta, Shangri-La, Jean Jacket, Krisp, Hunters of the Alps and more.

Point Blank will close out III Points with a talent roster stacked with timeless innovators headlined by James Murphy, Jamie xx, Jacques Greene, Koreless with live art by TYPOE.

PureHoney highly recommends you not miss Relief in Abstract artists Spies on Bikes, Fortune Howl, and XXYYXX.

For III Points Festival Ticket Giveaway Contest Rules, Interviews, Music, Videos, and more, please visit: www.TROPICULT.com

~ Robbie Nevel

III Points Takes Wynwood

Spies on Bikes

509 NORTHWOOD RD. WPB FL. 33407HAROLD’S

Typically, when members of bands decide to retire, they cite familiar rationales: creative differences, spending more time with their families. But when so-called Peelander Blue retired from his group, Peelander-Z, in 2008, he offered this explanation: As a prince of Peelander-Planet, he will “go back to the P-planet” because the “P-King will be retiring.” Can’t argue with royalty.

Peelander-Z, a punk quartet of New York City-based Japanese expats that has been performing its raucous form of theatrical rock ‘n’ roll since 1998, works out to cultivate its alien aesthetic. Image isn’t everything for these talented adopters of Western underground music, but it’s almost everything. As self-proclaimed ambassadors from the Z Area of Planet Peelander, the band members each wear color-coded uniforms that they refer to as their own skin. Wacky, retro-sci-fi humor is the band’s stock in trade; in just one of its music videos – for “Star Bowling” – we’re treated to visions of a six-eyed monster, a crude spaceship trailing a rainbow and a red gorilla swirling in the cosmos, not to mention the parade of characters seemingly scraped off the cutting-room floor of the Star Wars Cantina.

The band’s stage show includes such stunts as bowling demonstrations – with the Peelander members acting as the bowling balls – dangerous high jumps from theater balconies, and “steel chair” assaults straight from the WWE playbook, all while performing three-chord blitzkriegs in a manner recalling the Stooges, Husker Du and the Ramones. Understanding the band’s vocals can be something of a lost cause, but, as with any number of songs by Melt-Banana or Elekibass, lyrical comprehension is beside the point.

Peelander-Z’s newly released eighth album, Metalander, marks its biggest musical departure, trading its well-honed punk simplicity for the bloated riffage and flowing hair of arena metal inspired by AC/DC, Def Leppard, Motley Crue and more. The album even closes with a bona fide power ballad, in “My Shake.” The band has, of course, has retained its sense of humor and intergalactic cred through this transition. Let’s see if the small stage at Propaganda can once again handle the insanity on Oct. 22, less than a year after its last performance there. Tickets cost $8 before 10pm, $10 after 10pm, and the show starts at 8pm. 18+ Propaganda is located at 6 South J Street in Lake Worth. For information, visit propagandalw.com. ~ John Thomason

Intergalactic Planetary

Peelander-Z