REVMiami.com Presents: Miami 420 Music Festival, Part I
Miami 420 Music Festival is a 5 day event taking place at various locations across Miami.
Kickoff Party @ Black Sheep Live Thursdays at Black Sheep Bar (721 Lincoln Lane)
Featuring: Oceanaire (formerly Saga High), Dyslexic Postcards, Xela Zaid, Have You Ever Heard The Band Called?!, Lindsaybell, and Andrew Sansac.
Day 1: Indie Edition @ White Room (1306 N. Miami Avenue)
Featuring: MadMartigan, And Then There Was You, Astari Nite, Old Wives' Tale, Tristan Clopet & The Juice, Ex Norwegian, Zen the Band, Call It Radar, Fireside Social, Killer Moon, and much, much more. 27 bands all together!
Day 2: Hip-Hop Edition @ Black Sheep Bar
Featuring: Garcia, Omniscient (Grammy Nominated!), Name_Brand with The Secondhand Outfit, Lex One, Jabrjaw & DJ DeeDubs, and more.
Day 3: Metal & Punk Edition @ PS14 (28 NE 14th Street)
Featuring: Hate Machine, Dissever, Brain Damage, Fireside Social, Vultures are Wolves, Murderous Ambition, Paralysis, and more.
Day 4: 420 BBQ Smokeout! @ PS14
Featuring: ArtOfficial, King Bee, Boy Prostitute, Killer Moon. Plus Reggae on the back patio with Coppa Stone, Spred the Dub, Anderson Council, and Don Sha.
Holy moley!
I'm starting this post as I listen to Notorious Nastie (our host for the 5 days) do a radio interview with Local Radiation, on Radiate FM, FIU's college radio station. What a ride this has been, and to think that there hasn't even been a single event yet.
It all started when Nastie challenged me to organize as many local bands as I could to fill out a 4 day music festival. I emailed every single band that was on my friends list on Myspace. 900 messages in two days.
Not only did the 4 days get filled out, but we had to add a fifth day.
Miami 420 Music Festival has been a labor of love and also a boot camp in organization. I look at the five flyers that we've created for this event and I'm in shock. Even Flor, the host of Local Radiation, said, "this is quite a lineup you guys have put together."
Even more then that, I have to say that this Festival is a testament to the value of hardwork and dedication. I've spent the last month dedicating massive amounts of time to 420 Fest, to the point, as some of you may have noticed, that my writing on REVMiami hasn't exactly kept pace.
I have to give massive, massive amounts of thanks to the contributors of the site. Liz (my partner in crime), Steve, Denise, Alexandra, and JGE (whose Bio is coming soon), have all been feeding the site their work and love. REVMiami is, and always will be, about the people who are a part of it. If you haven't had a chance to meet any of them, I suggest you do. They are all fantastic people and I'm proud of all that they have accomplished.
This is more then just a festival or a concert. This is for all the people who say that there is no "local scene". Who ask themselves, "who are the bands in Miami?" Who think that it is impossible to accomplish difficult tasks.
Miami 420 Music Festival, for me, is more then just something that was put together that has a lot of bands playing. There are 80 bands involved in this event. 80! Did you even know there were 80 bands that play shows regularly in Miami? And if each band averages 4 people, then that is 320 creative, musical, and talented human beings coming together to share their art, music, and passions.
Miami 420 Music Festival Kickoff Party @ Black Sheep Live Thursdays
Thursday, April 16 - Black Sheep Bar (721) Lincoln Road
Miami 420 Music Festival kicked off at Black Sheep Bar last night at REVMiami's new weekly Thursday party, Black Sheep Live Thursdays. This night came together in several different ways, and after last night I think we finally found the direction of the night.
Actually, it's kind of funny how everything came together so perfectly. Here's an example. Last night I walk through the doors of Black Sheep and see clothes all over the place. Sitting at the front door is Mariana Loumiet, who hands me a card and says, "come shop inside the bar." I introduce you to Shopbar. Thursday through Sunday, Mariana and her friends set up a vintage and local designer clothing shop inside of Black Sheep. It's a great combination of things.
After that the different musicians showed up: Andrew Sansac, Lindsaybell, Have You Ever Heard The Band Called?!, Xela Zaid, Oceanaire, and Dyslexic Postcards. Three acoustic artists (Andrew, Lindsay, and Xela Zaid) and three bands (HYEHTBC, Oceanaire, and Dyslexic Postcards).
Also, hosting the night is Benjamin from Theater de Underground (Mondays at Churchill's).
The night went amazingly well and I also want to thank the different musicians for really giving the night it's direction. Black Sheep Live, in essence, is an open mic with a steady set of featured live acts. Also Benjamin is a fantastic host, there are not very many people who do what he does as well as he does. In essence he is host and performer. Using the tools of improv comedy, poetry reading, and even last night he did some free form rhyming over a djembe.
This is like taking the PS14 Outdoor Concert Series and giving it a couple of stamps of LSD.
Next week we are bringing back Andrew Sansac, Xela Zaid, and Dyslexic Postcards, and adding a whole slew of other performers. I have a lot of high hopes for Thursdays. It really fits with what we're trying to accomplish with REVMiami - a night that focuses on music but incorporates art, literature, poetry, etc.
Plus there's no cover, great drink prices, and it's right next door to a $1/hr parking lot. Could you ask for more then that?
Oceanaire's "The Furnace" Live @ Black Sheep 4-16-09
Miami 420 Music Festival - Day 1: Indie Rock Edition
White Room (1306 N. Miami Ave., DWNTWN)
The bands of bands of bands. I can't even fathom how this night got pulled off. It is absolutely insane.
Anyone who loves and appreciates music will go bananas tonight. I can't even list out all the bands because there are so many. Thankfully, we're in such a fantastic venue like White Room which is allows us to run three stages and have an explosion of live music.
I really want people to make note of this: the doors open at 8! The first band, HYEHTBC, will be playing at 8:30pm. There are so many acts tonight that the show will be going all night.
Please come early. Please come and support the early acts.
This town has a bad reputation for people "not supporting the local scene", but I think we all really do. I really believe that Miami loves it's local bands, we all just have bad time management.
Also playing tonight will be: MadMartigan (one of REVMiami's favorites), Astari Nite (Miami Indie Rock legends), Call It Radar (featuring Tom Gorrio of Baby Calendar and who also killed the PS14 Outdoor Concert Series show earlier this month), Ex Norwegian (who "played their hearts out," as said by Sirens & Sealions frontwoman Johanna Viscaino, last Friday at PS14), Tristan Clopet & The Juice (another one of REVMiami's favorites - and whose EP, Duende, will be reviewed as this crazy weekend finishes - sorry Tristan!), And Then There Was You, Arsonist, acoustic artist Nacho, Zen the Band, L' Savant, and so much more.
This is it. Talent on display. Come be amazed.
-----------------------------------------------------
Days 2, 3, & 4 tomorrow!
LINKS
Local Radiation's Myspace Page www.myspace.com/floradiate & Local Radiation's Blogspot (localradiation.blogspot.com)
Radiate FM's Homepage (www.wrgp.org)
Notorious Nastie's Website (www.notoriousnastie.com)
Andrew Sansac's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/andrewsansac)
Lindsaybell's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/lindsaybell)
Have You Ever Heard The Band Called's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/hyetbc)
Xela Zaid's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/xelazaidmusic)
Oceanaire's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/oceanairemusic)
Dyslexic Postcard's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/dyslexicpostcards)
Theater de Underground's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/theatredeunderground)
MadMartigan's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/iammadmartigan)
Astari Nite's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/astarinitemia)
Call It Radar's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/callitradar)
Ex Norwegian's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/exnorwegian)
Sirens & Sealion's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/sirensandsealions) & REVMiami's Band Profile of Siren's & Sealion
Tristan Clopet & The Juice's Website (www.tristanclopet.com)
And Then There Was You's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/attwy)
Arsonist's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/arsonistmusic)
Nacho's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/youknownacho)
Zen the Band's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/zenthebandmiami)
L' Savant's Myspace Page (www.myspace.com/lsavant)
If You Enjoyed This Post, You May Also Like:
- Mausoleum moves to Bella Rose as Black Sheep Bar closes
- Miami 420 Music Festival: Day 2 - Hip-Hop Edition
- REVMiami.com Presents: Valentine Massacre!
- JJ Colagrande's Oracledang Comes to Life on Friday
- Boy Prostitute @ Mausoleum (Black Sheep Bar Wednesdays)
NOTE FOR COMMENTS: Do not flame or leave obnoxious comments, THEY WILL NOT BE APPROVED. Constructive criticism should always be welcomed by any artist, but don't be a d-bag, show some class. Thanks. - REVMiami Staff
[...] artists -- of course, I can not forget to mention REVMiami's participation in this past year's 420 Music Festival, which featured 80 different musicians and bands over the course of a 4 day [...]