10 South Florida artists to check out
February 17, 2014
Some students think there’s no great local bands or DJ’s to check out, or support when they “make it big.” Though South Florida may not yield the same music scene as places like New York, Austin, or Nashville, this couldn’t be further from the truth. We made a list of some artists you should check out and can go see almost anytime. Now, when an artist like Marilyn Manson or Dashboard Confessional or Surfer Blood makes it big, you can say you saw them at The Culture Room or The Funky Buddha before anyone knew who they were.
Here’s a list of 10 local bands and DJ’s that you should check out. This isn’t meant to rank the bands and DJs, but feature some local artists who play regularly and who we feel deserve your attention.
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Five local bands to check out
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Photo Courtesy of The Heavy Pets. The Heavy Pets
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Description: The Heavy Pets. hailing from Fort Lauderdale, combine elements of rock n’ roll, jam, reggae, and electronic music. They often play extended jams and will keep you dancing throughout their entire set.
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You should check them out if you like: The Grateful Dead, Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Papadosio
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Listen to: Any live recording
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Photo Courtesy of The Jacob Jeffries Band. Jacob Jeffries Band
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Description: Jacob Jeffries is from Fort Lauderdale and has opened for Dashboard Confessional, Edgar Winter, Sugar Ray and other national acts. Though they currently reside in Brooklyn, NY, they play in South Florida almost as much as the rest of the country and play pop/rock music with a shredding blues rock guitar player.
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You should check them out if you like: The Beatles, Beck, Wilco, Ben Folds
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Listen to: Coming Home or Worth the Wait
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Photo courtesy of Everyman. Everymen
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Description: The Everymen describe themselves as a dysfunctional family, and going to a show of theirs may make you agree. With instrumentation including banjo, violin, mandolin, upright bass, drums and guitar, played with the attitude of punk rock, you’ll be moshing until you break your neck. You can catch them in Lake Worth almost any time of year.
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You should check them out if you like: Against Me!, Dropkick Murphy’s, Flogging Molly
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Listen to: Waking Up Hurts
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Photo Courtesy of Pathetique. The Pathetique
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Description: Named after a piano movement of Beethoven’s, The Pathetique are anything but classical. To group them into one or two or three genres would be difficult, but one could call them a kickass rock band that incorporates elements of progressive and indie rock, but features some of the most talented players in FAU’s music department all in one band.
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You should check them out if you like: Mute Math, Queen
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Listen to: Bottles
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Holly Hunt
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Description: The epitome of sludge/drone metal, Holly Hunt comprises visual artist duo, Gavin Perry, (who stands 6’8”) on guitar and Beatriz Monteavaro on drums. They’ve been at the forefront of the Miami metal scene since 2011 and play in Miami almost every weekend.
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You should check them out if you like: Sunn O))), Electric Wizard, Black Cobra
- Listen to: Atlas
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Five local electronic artists to check out
(By Kiki Baxter)
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Photo Courtesy of DJ Landis. DJ Landis
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Description: Boca Raton native and FAU student, Ryan Landis, recently wowed the mainstage at the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Orlando with DJ Crespo (see below). Landis was also a main stage headliner at Miami’s Life in Color in December.
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You should check him out if you like: Hardwell, Fedde le Grand, Showtek, Thomas Gold, Paul Oakenfold
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Listen to: EDC Orlando Live Set
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DJ Crespo
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Description: Former FSU student and current Miami resident, Danny Crespo, played alongside DJ Landis at the mainstage of EDC Orlando. You can catch Crespo spinning at local venues like Oasis.
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You should check him out if you like: Hardwell, Chuckie, R3hab, Thomas Gold, Showtek
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Listen to: Mojo
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Twinz Beatz
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Description: Identical twins and Miami residents, Joe and Josh Fortune, also known as Twinz Beatz recently released a track with Krewella. The duo also performed at Life in Color in Miami this past December.
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You should check them out if you like: Laidback Luke, Diplo, Knife Party, Hardwell
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Listen to: Krewella x TWINZ BEATZ – We Are Kronos
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Photo Courtesy of Corporate Slackers. Corporate Slackrs
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Description: This trio (AJ Ironman, Sean Reilly, and Devin Meadow) met in Jacksonville in 2012 and have been creating music ever since. Their remixes have been supported by Bingo Players, Laidback Luke, and Steve Aoki. Ultra Records just featured their remix of “Hurricane” on their label.
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You should check them out if you like: Bingo Players, Laidback Luke, Steve Aoki
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Listen to: Hurricane
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Photo Courtesy of Brass Knuckles. Brass Knuckles
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Description: Signed to Ultra Records, this Miami trio, D’Brito, Tony Livadas, and Anthony Pisano have been working together since 2009. Last summer, they traveled to Europe and Asia on an international tour.
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You should check them out if you like: Showtek, Emir Duru, Baauer, Nervo
- Listen to: Bad Habits
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Our Favorites
I asked some of the staff here who their favorite local acts were. Here’s what they said:
Element
“I see him week after week, on my show and in the station, and he maintains a healthy balance between humble college kid, and gifted artist. His lyrics reflect this, and his sound is different than a lot of the stuff out there right now. I’m excited to see what happens next for Element. Keep an eye out for this guy!”
—Asia Adams, Owl Radio Music Director
DJ Landis
“He’s got the funkiest beats.”
—Kiki Baxter, Photo Editor
Fero Lux
“Their shows are electric. The energy and the stage presence is just so amplified and it’s contagious to the crowd. They really represent what the Florida music scene is supposed to be about.”
—Emily Bloch, Senior Editor
Soular
“I have yet to hear a local producer with as much talent who masters the fusion of as wide a variety of sounds in their music.”
—Dylan Bouscher, Contributor
The Merry Franksterz
“I’m usually not a fan of tribute bands, but these guys play the music of Frank Zappa, and sometimes The Beatles and Pink Floyd as if they wrote it. They rock hard and are some of the best musicians in South Florida. If you like any of those bands or want to go see music unlike anything you’ve heard before, check them out!”
—Austen Erblat, Special Issue Editor
The Goddamn’ Hustle
“They play a sweet blend of psychedelic and blues rock with catchy vocal melodies. They sound great and always put on a great show!”
—Cari Giard, Special Issue Designer
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FAU offers students opportunities to get involved with music on campus in a few different ways:
Hoot/Wisdom Recordings
“We look for the best musical talent that FAU and PBSC have to offer from any genre. The goal of Hoot Wisdom and the goal of the CompOWLation series is to launch artists’ careers. We want our artists to become bigger than us and move on to bigger and better things. You can bring a demo to AH110 or submit it to our website by .”
—Matt Smith, President, Hoot/Wisdom Recordings
Owl Radio
“We have something for everyone, whether they are interested in production, promotions, engineering, DJing, the business aspect, or just music like me! A lot of newcomers sit in on my weekly show ‘Soundlab’ because it’s an easy place to start. We critique up and coming music and they’re able to see first hand how to operate the board. It also gets them familiar and comfortable with hearing themselves on air. Another fun way to get involved is to table with us in the breezeway on Wednesdays. We play music, promote shows, do concert ticket giveaways, and get the Owl Radio name out there all at once!”
—Asia Adams, Owl Radio Music Director
Marching Owls
“The FAU Marching Owls are an icon of the university through performances at every home football game as well as many civic and university events. Membership is open to any student of FAU with prior musical training.”
Recorded Sound Archives
“The Recorded Sound Archives (RSA) at Florida Atlantic University Libraries was established as a result of significant donations of materials by FAU’s Department of Music and the estate of Jack Saul.”
E-Mail: S[email protected]
Program Board
“Program Board is a student-run organization dedicated to providing entertaining, social and educational programming to the FAU community!”
Email: [email protected]
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