Cover Story
Underground music photographer Jim Leatherman unleashes 30 years of rock history from his archives
In the front row, sweat-soaked victims braced themselves against stage-diving kicks to the face that caused noses and gums to gush. On stage, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tore shirtless through songs off recently released The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. It was 1987, Flea had maybe one tattoo, Hillel Slovak was still alive and Orlando…
Odd Future’s main man Tyler, the Creator brings his new album ‘Cherry Bomb’ to the Plaza
It seems as if 24-year-old California native Tyler, the Creator’s creativity is at a constant catapult following the release of an all-new album, Cherry Bomb, and the launch of an all-new application, Golf Media, within a week’s span. Leader of the misfit collective Odd Future, Tyler and friends also run their own clothing line, radio…
Bad Suns bring their catchy-as-all-get-out pop to the Beacham
Last year, the catchy-as-all-get-out Bad Suns oh-oh-oh’ed their way to national attention with their debut, Language & Perspective. It’s decidedly pop, but each song is roughed up almost in secret by added textures and unusual percussion choices. Hits like “Cardiac Arrest” captured enough hearts locally to bump their Orlando show from the intimate Social to…
You may want to plan for a designated driver if you’re hitting the Downtown Pour this weekend
Church Street in downtown Orlando was made for block parties, and we can’t think of a better place for this year’s Downtown Pour. More than 40 vendors will line the streets, which will be closed to vehicle traffic, pouring sips of wine, beer and spirits for participants who can (and judging from previous years’ events,…
Promo for Saturday’s Boss Krang art show features Pat Fraley, the original voice actor
If you’re a child of the ’90s, you likely spent your weekday afternoons after school watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the floor of your parents’ living room. Though Mike, Don, Leo and Raph’s most famous enemy has always been Shredder – the nemesis of their mentor, Splinter – the brains behind the baddies was…
Celebrate Earth Day with lots of fun, music and learning at Lake Eola Park
Earth is pretty OK. It has a bunch of air we can breathe, water we can drink and food we can eat. And until we can find a habitable exosolar planet to colonize (fingers crossed for you, Kepler-442b!), it’s pretty much the only place we can live. Each year, the Vegetarians of Central Florida group…
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ is the theme for this year’s Florida Anime Experience
Time to bust out your Buster Sword and strap on your weeaboo shorts, because Florida Anime Experience is charging in for a fifth year! Only this time, it’s featuring everybody’s favorite twisted masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion. With a robust artist alley and a solid selection of voice actors, it may not be the biggest anime…
Rob Mazurek’s Sao Paulo Underground and Black Cube SP bring some of the avant-iest jazz around to Will’s Pub
You won’t find a more adventurous sonic explorer than Chicago-based Rob Mazurek (but lucky for us, we have the Civic Minded 5 to excitedly point him out). He’s a true tinkerer, incorporating computer programming and electronic keys to take his cornet places most jazz enthusiasts would never dream of traversing. His alternate universe of music…
Sage Francis and Solillaquists of Sound reunite on the Social stage
Having think-rap giant Sage Francis back in town would be occasion enough, as would having our own hip-hop superheroes Solillaquists of Sound electrify the stage like they especially do for their transcendental hometown shows. But having them both back together? Well, this is gonna be huge. Orlando knew the Solillaquists’ worth early on, but it…
Movie review: ‘True Story’
4 out of 5 stars True crime is wicked hot right now. The water-cooler talk revolving around works like Serial and The Jinx have been absolute fire lately (and for well-deserved reasons). With True Story, the very definition of “true crime” itself is put under the microscope, as Jonah Hill and James Franco both play…
Watch this footage of a UCF student on acid getting tased by cop
When you have handcuffs, barking K9s, a couple of yelling police officers and some LSD, you’ve got yourself a nice concoction for possibly the worst acid trip you can imagine. Now, envision your dosed-up self getting tased by a cop. As first reported by the Orlando Sentinel, on Sunday April 19, UCF student John Kane…
‘Kumiko’ returns to Enzian
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (4 stars on our 0-5 scale), one of the best films of the just-ended Florida Film Festival, is returning to the Enzian Theater in Maitland this Friday, for a run of at least one week. As an unmarried, misunderstood 29-year-old office worker in Tokyo, Kumiko (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) leads a…
Florida Legislature: Don’t feed the bears. Or gators.
Florida lawmakers are taking aim at people caught repeatedly feeding bears and alligators, as the state prepares to allow its first black bear hunt in two decades. But House members Tuesday rejected a proposal that would have prohibited the use of dogs for the bear hunts, a practice known as “bear hounding.” Though lawmakers declined…
Powerhouse singer Kaleigh Baker cast as Janis Joplin in upcoming Fringe Fest production
Local musician and rising local theater force Andy Matchett has called upon the tremendous vocal prowess of powerhouse singer Kaleigh Baker to conjure music legend Janis Joplin onstage in a Fringe Fest production of Janis Joplin, Little Girl Blue, an original play that Matchett penned (and directs) that retells the triumph and tragedy of Joplin’s…
Whoa-oh: 311 pairs up with Cigar City partners Rock Brothers to release “Amber” ale
311 is celebrating 25 years as a band by releasing a special box set (81 tracks over four CDs with a 60-page book) of their popular songs and since they’re so chill like that, they’re also inventing their own beer, named after one of their best-known songs, “Amber,” which will be released in July. It’s,…
Copper Rocket Pub is coming back! Find out how you can help
Apparently, “forever” (which is how long I previously reported Copper Rocket would be closed) isn’t actually that long, because I just got linked up to Copper Rocket’s site, where I found the following message: “We Are Pleased to Announce the 20th Anniversary Relaunch of the Copper Rocket Pub!” They have a GoFundMe goal of $10,000 in an…
Lick your chops: 5 new Orlando restaurants open or opening soon
New restaurants are popping up like mushrooms! It must be all this rain we’re getting. Slurp times two: A second Pho 88, one of Orlando’s best-established Vietnamese noodle joints, has opened at 9728 E. Colonial Drive (near Dean Road). This new location offers a bar area with full liquor — and a drive-through. A DRIVE-THROUGH,…
This Little Underground: Perspective and highlights from the Florida Music Festival
We could be looking at a whole new era for the Florida Music Festival (April 16-18) here. By ditching big-name headliners and showing the music for free, the city’s longest-running music festival made a seismic pivot this year. The organizers were pretty frank to me in their admittance that the headliner business had become a…
Gov. Rick Scott, state workers’ union end costly legal battle over drug testing of state workers
Ending a four-year legal battle that cost taxpayers at least $675,000, Gov. Rick Scott and lawyers representing a state workers’ union have agreed on the types of Florida government employees who can be forced to undergo suspicionless drug tests. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which represents the workers, and Scott haggled…
Senate committee rejects anti-gay adoption bill HB 7111
Last week, we told you that the Senate Rules Committee had scheduled a hearing to discuss the controversial HB 7111 – the bill that would have given private adoption agencies that receive taxpayer dollars the freedom to refuse to work with adoptive families based on religious or moral convictions. Equality Florida says that after hours…
In honor of 4/20, here are the 20 best songs about marijuana of all time
April 20, also known as “420 woooooo hooooooo fuck yeahhh!” day, is here. It’s time for all of America to celebrate its deep and abiding love for marijuana. Marijuana has also been called herbal refreshment, clickem, nib, pot, tical, Buddha, ganja, bammer, chronic, MJ, burger, Thai stick, reefer, boo-yah, onion, pakalolo, skunk, sticky icky icky,…
This Little Underground: Diarrhea Planet and Panther Camp (Backbooth)
Besides opening night of the annual Florida Music Festival, downtown was simultaneously descended upon last Thursday (April 16) by three cultural forces that have enthusiastic – albeit somewhat specific – draws: Jimmy Buffett, Dave Chappelle and Diarrhea Planet. I did two of the three. I’ll let you guess which one didn’t make the cut. The most…
Did the TSA train Walt Disney World and SeaWorld security personnel?
NSA whistleblower blog the Intercept reports that the Transportation Security Administration is training security personnel at Orlando theme parks to be on the lookout for terrorists in the parks. According to the Intercept, the TSA recently held a training in Central Florida that taught theme park security officers how to use the widely criticized method…
Stoner kitchen: Three easy recipes to get baked on 4/20
So today is a certain holiday, maybe not an official national holiday but one celebrated by a hefty segment of the population nonetheless. More openly in some states than others, perhaps. We thought we’d share a few recipes apropos to the day, if you’re celebrating. Stoner cuisine has certain traditions — over-the-top combos of sweet-salty-fat;…
Florida Film Festival ends today
The 10-day-long Florida Film Festival ends tonight with the closing-night film, a 50th-anniversary restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville, at 9:30 p.m. at Enzian Theater. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, one of the best films of the festival, also has its final showing, at 9 p.m. at Regal Winter Park Village. The awards bash was held last…
Don Francisco and ‘Sábado Gigante’ to end 53-year run on TV
Hate him and his show or not, for millions of Latinos in the United States and millions more across Latin America, everybody knows Don Francisco and Sábado Gigante. Hell, even non-Latinos are familiar with his face and have likely seen the show at some point or another. It’s all coming to an end now. The…
Beer:30 Friday: Lil Indies opens their new back patio
If you’ve been hearing construction noises in Mills 50 lately – hammers, power saws, four-letter words, etc. – you may have already figured out that classy neighborhood hang Lil Indies has been hard at work installing wooden walls around a pre-existing patio out back. Well, the wait to see who’s going to be the first…
Need a laugh? Check out a double-header of comedy shows in the Milk District this Saturday
If the week has left you sad about either missing Dave Chappelle or being too poor to afford Tig Notaro tickets, you may want to drown your sorrows in the Milk District this Saturday. In addition to Bull & Bush’s Shit Sandwich, which we think is one of the best, if not the best, comedy…
Don’t ever tame your demons: Free Will Astrology for the week of April 16-22
For this week’s astrology lesson, we ask, “What does the fox say?” Is he telling you to tune in, turn on and drop out? Is he whispering tips on how to pass the British Royal Navy entrance exam? Is he lying to you about mayonnaise being a food that anyone should consume? Just like the…
Photos: New sharks arrive at Sea Life Orlando aquarium
Just a couple more weeks until the Sea Life Orlando Aquarium opens at I-Drive 360, and today a group of sandbar sharks were introduced to the tanks. They join the first group of fish, including Everglades pygmy sunfish, butterflyfish, triggerfish and Moray eels, introduced to the aquarium several weeks ago. Here are photos of the…
A look at the cryptic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voting process
When the Sex Pistols were announced as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum inductee in 2006, singer Johnny Rotten posted a scathing letter to the Rock Hall on the band’s website. He called the museum “a piss stain.” “Your [sic] anonymous as judges but your [sic] still music industry people.” His criticisms…
Controversial anti-gay adoption bill will have a hearing in Senate after all
In this week’s issue, we told you about how the Senate decided last week not to amend its adoption-reform package to include language that would make it legal for private adoption agencies to refuse to work with people based on so-called “moral” convictions. While the House overwhelmingly approved a controversial bill, HB 7111, that would give…
Drool over exclusive Record Store Day releases this Saturday
Record Store Day stashes unbelievable special releases in the nation’s coolest record stores, and this year’s list is just as jaw-dropping as the best of them. This year’s holiday takes place on Saturday, April 18, and participating local stores include Rock & Roll Heaven, Park Ave. CDs, Retro Records and East-West Music. If you’ve never…
Hook’s lost control: Get ‘Closer’ for ‘Unknown Pleasures’ with Peter Hook & the Light this weekend
In case you were wondering what exactly will be going down at the Plaza Live on Sunday, April 19, come a little closer. Not only will Peter Hook & the Light be playing Joy Division’s Closer and Unknown Pleasures in full, but the band will also perform other Joy Division songs during the headlining set.…
An insane collection of concert posters highlights talented local designers at Gallery at Avalon Island
I’ve been too busy wide-eyeing Jim Leatherman’s photo retrospective of concert photography he shot between 1984-2014 to adequately express excitement over another really cool art exhibit opening tonight at Gallery at Avalon Island that features poster art from some of the area’s coolest designers, like Jeff Matz, Erin Nolan, Greg Leibowitz, Andrew Spear, Jim Ivy,…
Florida wildlife officials give thumbs up for black bear hunt this fall
Black bears are closer to being placed on the state’s wildlife hunting calendar for the first time in more than 20 years. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed Wednesday to allow hunting for black bears during one week this fall, due to a growing number of bear and human conflicts across the state. The…
Video: Walt Disney talks about his vision for the future
As part of its marketing push for the upcoming feature film Tomorrowland, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released this short video in which Walt Disney talks about his vision for “tomorrow” and how it influenced the creation of the film. Tomorrowland opens in theaters on May 22. Related Stories
Worth the Drive: Waxahatchee’s in Gainesville tonight
Waxahatchee’s new release (and Merge debut), Ivy Tripp, begins with a buzz on “Breathless” that extends through the opening track’s wistful agony – which is instrumentally like descending a pedal steel staircase one giant step at a time to explain a doomed relationship’s trajectory. It’s an emotional manipulation, an old songwriter’s trick, really, but that…
Tig Notaro at the Dr. Phillips Center tickets go on sale Friday
Hey, how was Dave Chappelle? Was he good? We bet he was, you lucky so-and-sos. Well, we just got news of another comedy legend coming to town. Tig Notaro, who garnered national media attention after performing a legendary set at Largo in Los Angeles the day she found out she had cancer in both of…
Florida man makes it to the White House
Say what you will about #FloridaMan, but today he made it to the White House. Not through the usual avenues, though. Apparently a 61-year-old Florida postal carrier from Tampa named Doug Hughes flew a one-man gyrocopter onto the White House U.S. Capitol lawn. And he arrived bearing letters for all 535 members of Congress addressing…
Orlando low-wage workers held a Fight for $15 demonstration today
At 6 a.m., at the corner of Silver Star and Pine Hills roads, drivers were greeted by a giant Fight for $15 demonstration, part of a nationwide Tax Day protest in which low-wage workers are telling the world that people who work full time shouldn’t be paid so little that they need to rely on…
Movie review: ‘The Sisterhood of Night’
3 out of 5 stars I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like growing up in a world drenched with social media and constant, instant connectivity. Kids’ lives and their self-images are radically different today than they were when I was a pup. This tech-savvy generation and the effects social media have on them have…
Call in sick: Amazon streams ‘Orphan Black’ Season 1 for free all day Friday
Whether you’ve already fallen under the sway of BBC America’s Orphan Black or you’re just wondering what all the rumpus is about, you’re in for a treat this week. The series returns for its third season 9 p.m. Saturday, April 18 and as a lead-in to the premiere, Amazon is making the first 10-episode season…
CFAM’s ‘Women & Abstraction’ is the latest coup in the upwelling of feminist art in Orlando
In February 2014, SPARK Movement, an organization that fights negative representations of girls in the media, released a report that broke down four years’ worth of data on Google doodles. The whimsical art that greets Google users most mornings often pays tribute to significant figures in world history, yet SPARK noticed just 17.5 percent of…
Gimme Shelter (4/15/15)
Meet Amour (Animal ID A313573). He’s a 2-year-old friendly black cat who enjoys being petted and making “kitty biscuits” in the air. Amour was found as a stray about a month ago. He has been microchipped, vaccinated and neutered, so he is ready to go home with a new family today. This month, all cat…
This Little Underground: Will’s Pub tests the waters with a dance night
Backbooth’s been doing it for years. But now Will’s Pub is the latest live venue to enter the dance night sweepstakes with its new Tuesdays. More than at almost any other nightspot in the city, this will seem curious and possibly alarming. But don’t freak, regulars. This new night is Soul Shakedown and it’s spun…
Adrienne Barbeau takes to the flying trapeze in ‘Pippin’
If you’ve somehow never seen a production of Pippin, the 1972 musical by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson that had an award-winning 2013 Broadway revival, don’t worry – Adrienne Barbeau was in the same boat. “That would have been me about a month ago,” laughs the Tony-nominated icon of the 1970s and ’80s as…
Savage Love (4/15/15)
I consider myself a straight guy – but for the last four years, I’ve been having an affair with “Connie,” a trans girl I met online. It was just casual at first, but over time we developed a deeper personal relationship but kept it hidden. At some point, I figured out she was in love with…
Legendary JC’s singer Eugene Snowden expands his local legacy as a versatile solo sensation
Not so many years ago, the Legendary JC’s absolutely dominated, and not just in the Sunshine State. To hear JC’s lead singer and Ten Pints of Truth mainstay Eugene Snowden tell the story (er, stories), the soul outfit was touring over 200 shows a year at its height. Being part of that eight- or nine-person…
Picks This Week: FMF, Bob Dylan, Cherub and more
OK Go Genius power pop quartet OK Go compels equal geek-out reactions to their wildly original and inventive music videos as their swallow-you-whole dance-floor tunes. Their most recent single, “You’re a Fucking Nerd and No One Likes You,” is damn guaranteed to pump up the crowds who turn out to the Beacham when the band…
Florida House passes adoption discrimination bill, cooler heads prevail in Senate **UPDATED**
UPDATE: Senate Rules Committee now plans to give HB 7111 a hearing on Monday, April 20. Last week in this column, Billy Manes wrote about how, while everyone’s been busy scoffing at Indiana’s backward politicians for passing a law that made it legal to discriminate against LGBT people in the name of religious freedom, the…
The firing of two local daycare workers could violate Orange County’s human rights ordinance
While we’re on the subject of discrimination in the name of religion, a real-life case of it is playing out right here in Orange County. Two teachers at the Aloma Early Childhood Learning Center, run by the Aloma Methodist Church, were fired recently when a school administrator learned that they were involved in a romantic…
Sicilian specialties star at Maitland’s Francesco’s, but service is a kick
We didn’t expect to get a table right away at Francesco’s in Maitland, certainly not given it was Saturday night, the place was packed, and we’d failed to make reservations. In fact, we considered ourselves quite fortunate when the hostess seated us immediately after checking in. That we were led to what appeared to be…
Plenty of openings scheduled for May, and an upset in the Dr. Phillips scene, in our weekly food roundup
Market on South’s mural is up, but the burgeoning collective needs your help. They’re looking to raise money to help them overcome some obstacles before city inspectors give them the final go-ahead. The market, housing Valhalla Bakery, Humble Bumble Kombucha and Dixie Dharma, is slated to open mid-summer. Go to orlandoweekly.com for info on how…
There’s very little at the Woods to distract you from the cocktail business at hand
The Woods Address/phone/web: 49 N. Orange Ave., 407-203-1114; thewoodsorlando.com After work or after hours? Both Beer/wine or liquor too? Lots o’ liquor. Check all that apply: ☒ fancy cocktails ☐ make ’em strong and keep ’em coming ☐ wine list (5 choices or more) ☒ craft beer ☒ beer: the usual suspects ☒ wide selection…
Opening in Orlando: ‘Child 44,’ ‘Monkey Kingdom,’ ‘True Story’ and more
Child 44: We’ve really needed a movie to show how hard life can be when you refuse to throw your family under the bus. Fortunately, HBO just totally made the crap out of that Scientology picture. Child 44 explores similar themes from a different angle, casting Tom Hardy as a cop in 1953 Russia whose…
‘Daredevil’ is good, but Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is where the show really shines
Not everyone is going to like Daredevil, Marvel and Netflix’s first collaborative entry into the ever-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. Parents are going to be frustrated that there’s a show based on a classic comic book character that has visceral depictions of violence – bones poking through flesh, strangulation, skulls crushed to literal pulp – peppered throughout the…
If Paul Blart were a filmmaker, ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2’ is the sort of movie he would make
Imagine being asked to feel sorry for the Three Stooges. Except there’s only one of them, and he’s a combination of Larry and Curly (incorporating Moe would bring too much gravitas and intelligence to the character). Stir for 90 minutes, and leave for undemanding moviegoers to serve themselves. And then do it all over again, although…
