Category: South Florida

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The Monterey Club closing at end of 2011 but may rise again

Broward New Times: Monterey Club is closing after New Year’s Eve
Official sites: TheMontereyClub.net | Facebook venue page | Facebook fan page
Related: Past coverage of The Monterey Club

The South Florida music scene will lose another outlet for live performances in 2012 when The Monterey Club closes its doors on South Federal Highway near Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

The Monterey Club

The club’s plans to expand into the adjacent space vacated by the the Orange County Choppers motorcycle shop fell through when the owners were unable to secure financing to acquire a full liquor license. The existing club is a warm and cozy space, but no where near large enough to present the caliber of bands and live events that the owners aspire to.

Over the two years The Monterey was open, it featured such national touring bands as Wayne Hancock, the Nekromantix and Guttermouth but was held back by the club’s small size and isolated location. And its limitation on serving only beer and wine did not provide the necessary operating revenue to make any major enhancements.

A full slate of shows are scheduled for the next two weeks, culminating with a farewell bash on New Year’s Eve featuring Darling Sweets, Los Bastardos Magnificos, The Wholetones and Everymen. Check the official Web site and Facebook pages for the updated calendar of events. Bands interested in performing one last show at The Monterey can e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].

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Have a hip-shakin’ Huladay this Saturday at The Mai-Kai

Are you already getting tired of those boring office Christmas parties? Ring in the holiday season with those wild and crazy DJs from Exotica A-Go-Go at another one of their raucous late-night soirees this Saturday at Fort Lauderdale’s world famous Mai-Kai.

Put on your dancing shoes, grab a Barrel O’ Rum and and a pupu platter and prepare to get funky at a very special Huladay Party from 9 p.m. until the wee hours in The Molokai bar. DJs Sensitive Side, James Brown’s Sweat and Mikey “Radio-Active” Ramirez will be spinning a wide assortment of hip-shakin’ soul, garage, punk, R&B, surf and much more.

Santa will drop by with holiday giveaways and likely take advantage of the half-price happy hour drink specials from 10 p.m. until midnight. There’s no cover charge or minimum.

Of course, these are the same guys behind the recent Zombie A-Go-Go at The Mai-Kai in October. See photos and a recap of that bash courtesy of Broward New Times.

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The highball goes highbrow at Norton Museum exhibit

It’s a good sign that the blossoming interest in mixology and cocktail culture is reaching mass appeal when exhibits pop up at acclaimed art galleries. One such gallery, the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, is taking a highbrow approach to an intoxicating topic with a fine art exhibit that premieres tomorrow (Dec. 15) and runs through March 11.

Summer Cocktail Party with English Butler, 1961. Watercolor, gouache, ink on paper by Larry Salk.
Summer Cocktail Party with English Butler, 1961. Watercolor, gouache, ink on paper by Larry Salk.

Titled simply Cocktail Culture, it’s one of the first multi-disciplinary exhibitions to explore the social rituals of the cocktail hour through the lens of fashion and design. It features more than 150 objects, including attire, accessories, ads, decorative arts, illustrations, photography and more from the 1920s to the present.

The show is like a travelogue through decades of cocktail history, from the 1920s jazz age to today. Each decade features a different cocktail (the Flapper, the Prohibition, etc.), plus period clothing, objects and accessories. Also included are advertising illustrations and movie clips.

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The Hukilau launches new website with full event details

Previous posts: Kevin Kidney named art director of documentary filmed at The Hukilau
2012 tickets on sale, preview of events | Eclectic lineup of bands confirmed
Annual Hukilau moves from June to April | Full Hukilau coverage

Organizers of the largest annual celebration of Tiki culture on the East Coast went straight to the event’s loyal following when it came time to plan the 2012 event. The result? An earlier date and other exciting changes that have just been announced on the event’s totally redesigned website, TheHukilau.com.

TheHukilau.com

The Hukilau, which spent the past five years in early June, now moves to April 19-22 as the result of a poll of its Facebook fans. The earlier date promises milder weather and more separation from the other major summer events.

Activities will again be centered around two beachside hotels plus the legendary Mai-Kai restaurant, which is celebrating its 55th anniversary this month. But months of feedback from Hukilau fans resulted in several changes: More events at The Mai-Kai, a more budget-friendly hotel, and a more laid-back schedule with time to enjoy the company of friends and South Florida’s abundant beaches and beauty.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is The Hukilau’s commitment to high-caliber entertainment and educational symposiums. Among the 2012 highlights are: Nashville surf/spy/space supergroup The Martian Denny Orchestra; a symposium on the mysterious Zombie cocktail by influential mixologist and author Jeff “Beachbum” Berry; a hands-on symposium by tattoo artist and historian Paul Roe; and several performances by acclaimed burlesque star Angie Pontani.

Here’s an overview of this magical Polynesian weekend in America’s Vacationland:

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Art Basel bring explosion of art and events to Miami

Art Basel official site | Facebook page | Twitter | Design Miami

For art fans, the annual Art Basel Miami Beach can be ridiculously overwhelming. Running from Thursday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 4, the 10th edition of the “most prestigious art show in the Americas” features more than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Art Basel Miami Beach is a sister event to Art Basel in Switzerland, founded in 1970 and called “the Olympics of the art world.” Miami Beach organizers have boasted that their event has eclipsed the original Art Basel in size and popularity, attracting more than 40,000 attendees a year.

Running concurrently with Art Basel is Design Miami, an international design show that also has a sister event in Switzerland. It’s a marketplace for collectible design, where the world’s top galleries gather to present museum-quality exhibitions of 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting and art. It attracts some of the top figures from the worlds of design, architecture, art and fashion.

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Kevin Kidney named art director of new Tiki documentary filmed at The Hukilau

Related posts: 2012 Hukilau tickets on sale | Full Hukilau coverage
Artists shine at Walt Disney World’s 40th birthday party | More on Kevin Kidney

The creators of a new documentary on the rise, fall and resurgence of Tiki culture have announced that artist Kevin Kidney has been hired as art director.

Tiki enthusiasts from around the world gathered at The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale during The Hukilau in June 2011. (Photo by Go11Media.com)
Tiki enthusiasts from around the world gathered at The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale during The Hukilau in June 2011. (Photo by Go11Media.com)

Much of Plastic Paradise was filmed last June at The Hukilau and the historic Mai-Kai restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, and there are plans to show a sneak preview during next year’s Polynesian Pop extravaganza, scheduled for April 19-22. Plastic Paradise is then slated to hit the festival circuit, followed by airings nationwide on PBS affiliates.

The documentary, an hour-long chronicle of Tiki culture, was commissioned by PBS. The filmmakers, known as Common Machine, had previously provided PBS with an award-winning film about Cuban artists living in Miami, Hecho a Mano: Creativity in Exile.
* Click here to see a preview of Plastic Paradise

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Exclusive Hukilau updates: 2012 tickets on sale, preview of events announced

Previous posts: Eclectic lineup of bands confirmed for 2012 Hukilau
Annual Hukilau in South Florida moves from June to April | Full Hukilau coverage

Information has been leaking out for months via Facebook but it’s finally now official: TheHukilau.com has launched for 2012 with a list of activities and info, ticket prices and online ordering. The Atomic Grog is happy to present some exclusive, additional details.

TheHukilau.com

The biggest news for the April 19-22 Polynesian Pop extravaganza: A new host hotel, even more events at The Mai-Kai, and a special Beachbum Berry cocktail symposium. While a new Web designer puts the finishing touches on the 2012 site, Hukilau producer/organizer Christie “Tiki Kiliki” White filled us in on some of the details:

New host hotel: The beachside Best Western Oceanside Inn will offer festival attendees a more affordable and intimate experience, Tiki Kiliki says. It’s located just south of The Hukilau’s longtime party central, the Bahia Cabana Beach Resort. You can make reservations at both hotels now by calling the phone numbers listed on TheHukilau.com. To get the best rooms at special group rates, you must call these numbers now instead of making reservations online.

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10 things you may (or may not) know about Social Distortion

Friday, Nov. 4 – Social Distortion with Chuck Ragan and Off With Their Heads at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. (305) 673-7300. General admission tickets $35 (plus service charge). All ages welcome. Doors at 7 p.m. Buy tickets | Facebook event

Social Distortion

After more than 30 years of living the hard life they document on record and on stage, Mike Ness and Social Distortion deserve to bask in a little success. Frontman Ness and Social D have been slogging it out since 1978, earning the title of punk godfathers for their heartfelt brand of straightforward and melodic roots rock and rockabilly.

The Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes album, released in January, is the group’s most popular ever. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 as well as No. 4 in digital album sales, No. 3 in rock albums, No. 2 in alternative, and No. 1 on the independent album chart. It’s the band’s first album in seven years, but obviously the fans have not moved on to the latest trend.

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Social D is timeless, like a shot of fine whiskey. And the lyrics are just as stripped-down and honest. It’s also good to see that success has not spoiled Ness, who remains as candid and no-nonsense as any struggling bar band singer. Sure, the music has mellowed and gone a little more country, but the punk fire still burns.

To critics who complain about his more mature direction, Ness has a direct response. As he recently explained to The Orange County Register: “There’ll be some people who’ll probably say, ‘What are they, a classic rock band now?’ Well … yeah, we are! We’ve been doing this for 30 years. You got a (bleeping) problem with that?!”

So, to gear up for Social Distortion’s long-awaited return to South Florida next week, here are a few classic shards of trivia about a band that remains as sharp and biting as ever:

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Party like a Zombie this month at The Mai-Kai

More info: MaiKai.com | Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide | See all our Mai-Kai posts

Forget New Year’s Eve. For many, the Halloween season is the biggest party time of the year. And the upcoming event calendar at the usually mellow Mai-Kai restaurant in Fort Lauderdale is a prime example.

This mid-century Tiki temple has been known in the past for barely acknowledging holidays. This is a good thing. It’s the perfect place to get away from the annoying mob scene at other establishments during rowdy holidays. But Halloween is quickly turing into The Mai-Kai’s best time of year to let loose, next to The Hukilau of course.

This month’s festivities feature three major parties in the classic Polynesian restaurant’s Molokai lounge, where you’ll still feel like you’ve been taken away to an island paradise despite the surrounding creepy costumes. Just sip a few Zombies, and you’ll be fine.

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Crazed Mugs CD release party Saturday at The Mai-Kai

There are a flurry of special events upcoming at The Mai-Kai, including three Halloween parties later this month. But before you don your ghoulish attire, chill out this Saturday in your finest island wear during a rare appearance of The Crazed Mugs from Tampa.

Celebrating the release of the new Find Forbidden Island album, the band will be preforming multiple acoustic sets in The Molokai bar. Happy hour runs from 5 to 7 p.m. with half-price drinks and appetizers, so get there early for a good seat.

Find Forbidden Island includes several songs inspired by The Mai-Kai: Rum Barrel and Mystery Girl. The 12-song CD will be available for purchase from the band for $12, and on Saturday only it will include a bonus sticker.

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