PUREHONEY 74

25 YEARS OF MOONFEST It’s hurricane season, the weather is dropping below 80 degrees and pumpkin spice lattes are back at St*rb*cksss, all signs that West Palm Beach’s Moonfest is lurking around the corner, waiting to spook more than 70,000 scantily clad mischief makers in South Florida. Blocks of horror, entertainment and booze-flinging await the coolest costumed ghouls along Clematis Street on October 28.

The music-filled bar crawl is celebrating its 25th Anniversary, which should make for one hell of a good time. First-timers should be prepared for plenty of debauchery, which is of course all too common on All Hallow’s Eve. Every kind of group costume is to be expected, from the cast of Gilligan’s Island (complete with makeshift boat) to the cast of Game of Thrones. More than 20 DJs and bands will spatter Clematis Street as vendors offer food and bars like Respectable Street and O’Shea’s, Lost Weekend, Voltaire, Hullaballoo and Kapow offer terrifyingly far-from-sinister drink specials.

Creepy additions this year include two new bone-chilling haunted houses for those brave enough to enter, a 10,000 square-foot maze, and a demented alley by Subculture Coffee (509 Clematis Street). The full lineup has yet to be announced, but includes Surfer Blood, King Complex and Octo Gato (past bands include Best Coast and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). The best-dressed souls could be up for a $1,000 cash prize before the headliner performs. Electronic music will specifically be located at the end of the 400 block of the street (near the Mandel Public Library).

The two prepaid entrances are at Quadrille Blvd. north and south of Clematis Street.

Throughout the presale period, organizers will be drawing from purchasers and giving away a free VIP upgrade, which includes a private entrance to the festival, a delicious food spread, a private tent, an open bar with premium liquor and beer, and special scare areas. The cemetery has been expanded this year and relocated to the front of the city building on the 300 block. If the event’s Facebook page holds true, passholders will also be granted an acre of moon land. Either millennials are dreaming, or this is Halloween Valhalla.

Twenty-five years of possessed South Floridians coming together to scare and be scared should be celebrated in a big way. Moonfest is certain to deliver big this year.

MOONFEST will take place Saturday, October 28 from 8pm on the 400-600 blocks of Clematis Street, West Palm Beach. General admission, $7; haunted house, $5; VIP pass, $55 (all during the month of September; prices will increase). 21 and over; ID required. www.moonfest.me. ~ Olivia Feldman

Ben Backhaus

PRO TEENS

PRO TEENS

a sublime run it is.

Oh spirit! Herald of youth, harbinger of waste.

Excluding the cute parallels between a protein-based diet, youth culture as a career, and the push for juvenile delights they might suggest, Phoenix, Arizona’s Pro Teens are a filtration system that serves an icecold glass of refreshing water on a warm day. This water, fortified by rhythm and blues, surf, and bubblegum pop gives anything currently on the market a run for its money—and what

While there is a playfulness at work here, the band, comprised of Andy Phipps (guitar/vox), Zack Parker (bass), Matthew Tanner (drums), and Eamon Ford (guitar/keys), is remarkably learned. The parts that make the whole are concentrated essences giving their recordings an almost punky/New Wave attitude but with a production feel that’s more closely related to a Beach Boys session.

Darlings of the Phoenix scene; they do not take themselves too seriously and regarding the band’s name, poke fun at and engage other entities like a religious group and an organization that promotes surgical procedures for overweight juvies that share it. But this is evinced by front-man Phipps in a recent interview with Noisey in which he declares, “Who do I want to become? Who would I hate to become?” regarding the process behind their latest recording, Accidentally.

Released July 2016, the album is a dreamy ride through self-questioning; starting with “Goodnight Moon’d” and building upon tracks, until reaching some form of ethereal answer with the lengthy “Tobacca.” Does it fulfill a closure? Yes and no. Like any journey of self-discovery, an odd one for a sophomore effort, it is more than the band looking into a mirror but more of the band holding the mirror up to the listener. There’s a little bit of your journey in here too.

All you have to do is trust these Pro Teens; they won’t try to convert you; they won’t try to shrink you either.

Pro Teens with DirtBike and Backpage Escort at 9pm on Thursday, October 19 at Voltaire WPB. https://proteens.bandcamp.com. ~ Abel Folgar

UNWED SAILOR Avant garde, experimental, instrumental music may not be the first thing the average person would pick out to jam to, but Unwed Sailor is here to prove that decision to be folly. The brainchild of Jonathan Ford, Unwed Sailor treads in territory usually reserved for the Tangerine Dreams, Kronos Quartets, Goblin loving audiophiles; basically, people who collect score UNWED SAILOR soundtracks from movies.

While that may not mean much to the casual music listener, for the rest of us that’s pretty awesome!

Jonathan Ford is from Oklahoma, originally and he cut his teeth in bands such as: Roadside Monument and Pedro the Lion. He started Unwed Sailor in 1998 while writing new tunes that didn’t quite fit with Roadside Monument’s vibe.

Mike DaRonco of Allmusic called the Firecracker e.p., “Beautifully crafted pop that doesn’t utter a single word… Unlike fellow instrumental indie outlet Tristeza, Unwed Sailor can be appreciated as something other than background music.”

Sick burn, dude.

Unwed Sailor seems to be more of an amalgamation of BATTLES and John Carpenter’s movie music; with the latter having recently completed some very successful shows. It seems the tide could be turning for serious mood music.

Unwed Sailor’s output is constantly fantastic and is always attempting to up the ante with experimentation. The newest record, Take A Minute, is 24 minutes of dream-pop, cowboy twang and spacey expeditions. It’s not quite as out there as, say, Perrey and Kingsley, the loop masters who invented audio pastiche in the 1960’s by blending loops and moogs, but it’s definitely a descendant.

If none of this post made sense to you, try this: Unwed Sailor paints beautiful soundscapes that wash over an aural canvas with sounds that evoke not only emotion, but color. If one were to close their eyes and listen intently, the story would unfold before them, with no words, no images and no preconceived notion of the saga. Unwed Sailor tells a tale with instruments, which is a very difficult thing for anyone to do. Even John Carpenter is making music to go with his visuals. In the world of Unwed Sailor, visuals are completely unnecessary.

Unwed Sailor plays Voltaire Friday, October 6 w Sweet Bronco and Grey & Orange, doors are at 8pm. ~ Tim Moffatt

Alessandra Tolc

THISQUIETARMY

THISQUIETARMY

An American confronted with Democracy of Dust, the latest album of weighty guitar-and-synth instrumentals by ThisQuietArmy, might hear it as commentary on contemporary U.S. politics, especially with tracks like the surging overture, “Welcome to Mendacity” and the pensive “Post-Truth.” But the album was recorded primarily in Brazil by a one-man band from Montreal who is not focused on just one country’s issues.

“I don’t really want to get political with my music; I prefer to keep it abstract for the most part. But obviously, what is happening around the world affects all of us and every country has its own political situation,” ThisQuietArmy tells PureHoney by email.

“Lately because I travel frequently in various corners of the globe, I am able to observe the relationship between the people and their governments first hand,” he writes. “At the time I was working on the album, the country was in a state of emergency with the Zika virus outbreak and severe drought and the government got criticized a lot for their poor management of the situation.”

“But this is just one example,” he adds, citing protests also encountered in Turkey, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and his home country of Canada.

“If you can relate to the album concept, whether you’re an American or any other citizen of the world, then I’ve done my job.”

ThisQuietArmy joins the instrumental quintet Set and Setting on tour this fall in a kindred pairing of unsung (literally) projects, each with its own approach to immersive, guitar-powered music. Set and Setting’s ensemble yields a wall of sound inlaid with a seeming infinity of textures on their new album Reflectionless, ThisQuietArmy says the joint tour arose from an accumulation of mutual contacts.

“Shane Handal from S&S already knew my music and good friends of mine organized their last two shows in Montreal, so the decision to pair up was organic in that sense,” he writes. “We’re very much looking forward to playing together for a couple of weeks, and we’re even planning on doing a few impromptu live collaborations on select shows as well.”

ThisQuietArmy perform with Set and Setting and Wilkes Oswald October 17 at Voltaire in West Palm Beach. ~ Sean Piccoli

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1

VOLTAIRE: Jukebox Joint Swingers CWS: Blues Crusaders BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Eric Ryan KELSEY THEATER: The Story So Far

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11

DADA: The Necessities KELSEY THEATER: King Without a Crown O’MALLEYS: Have Mercy, Boston Manor, Can’t Swim, A Will Away CULTURE ROOM: The Growlers

VOLTAIRE: Sound of Ceres, Breathers, Turtle Grenade REVOLUTION LIVE: Clean Bandit

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

REVOLUTION LIVE: LANY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4

GRAMPS: Cayetana DADA: Drew Feldbaum KILL YOUR IDOL: Bearings REVOLUTION LIVE:: Jake Miller

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

DADA: Aaron Lebos KILL YOUR IDOL: Karaoke with Shelley Novak RESPECTABLE STREET: Jaialai CWS: Mitch Herrick FUNKY BUDDHA: Singer-Songwriter Showcase C&I STUDIOS: Afrobeta KELSEY THEATER: Electric Six

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

VOLTAIRE: Unwed Sailor, Sweet Bronco, Grey & Orange RESPECTABLE STREET: Legendary Shack Shakers, Bloodshot Bill DADA: Jonathan Auerbach Trio KILL YOUR IDOL: Bebe Comedy Battle CWS: Future Prezidents STACHE: Uproot Hootenanny FUNKY BUDDHA: Shaw Davis & the Black Ties, Del Pelson SUBCULTURE COFFEE: Mo’Booty Band, inpa, Alexander Merbouti AMERICAN POLISH CLUB: Craig Xen & Members Only BREWHOUSE GALLERY: If & When

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

VOLTAIRE: Cabaret Voltaire Drag Extravaganza BROWARD CENTER: Seu Jorge Presents: The Life Aquatic, A Tribute to David Bowie DADA: Matchstick Johnny FUNKY BUDDHA: 7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY! CWS: Aaron Lebos, Tasty Vibrations, The Coppertones, Franscene, Shaw Davis C&I: For The Love Music Fest BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Holy Dances KELSEY THEATER: Tolkien It Off Burlesque

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

VOLTAIRE: Marbin FILLMORE: Band of Horses DADA: Johan Danno CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. REVOLUTION LIVE:: Boyce Avenue O’MALLEYS: Rough Start, TopTier, Mascot, One Last Embrace GUANABANAS: Dirty River Reggae Fest ft. Third World, Spred the Dub, Ellameno Beat, Brett Staska

MONDAY, OCTOBER 9

DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: Firemost Jazz Duo

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10

DADA: Spoken Word Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

DADA: Oddly Strange, Takers & Leavers RESPECTABLE STREET: Migrate FUNKY BUDDHA: Resinated, Fireside Prophets, Lightstar CWS: Victoria Cardona FILLMORE: Mad Cat Live! performs Black Sabbath REVOLUTION LIVE:: Gondwana O’MALLEYS: Motograter

OCTOBER 13-15

FILLMORE: Mad Cat Live! performs Black Sabbath MANA WYNWOOD: III Points

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

SEMINOLE HARD ROCK: Southside Johnny & the Asbury Tukes DADA: Big Chief CWS: The Dog Hearts FUNKY BUDDHA: Funky Buddha Fall Comedy Bash STACHE: The Holidazed, Shauna Sweeney REVOLUTION LIVE:: Whethan O’MALLEYS: Four Year Strong C&I: Letters To Part, Things Amazing, Florence & Normandie, Sleepbox, Boston Marriage GUANABANAS: Roots Shakedown BREWHOUSE GALLERY: B-Side KELSEY THEATER: Horror Film Fest

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14

BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Grey & Orange, John Ralston and the Shadow’s Band, Keith Welsh VOLTAIRE: Cabaret Voltaire Drag Extravaganza DADA: Del Pelson FUNKY BUDDHA: Girl Jerry, Dead Tribute KILL YOUR IDOL: Keep It Deep CWS: Public Sounds Collective KELSEY THEATER: The Devil Wears Prada, Veil of Maya, Silent Planet, Thousand Below C&I: The Polar Boys

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15

VOLTAIRE: Tchaa!

CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. KELSEY THEATER: Turnover, Elvis Depressedly, Emma Ruth-Rundle

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16 DADA: Open Mic

KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays HULLABALOO: Firemost Jazz Duo

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23

DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: Firemost Jazz Duo

VOLTAIRE: Set and Setting, ThisQuietArmy FILLMORE: Thievery Corporation DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic REVOLUTION LIVE: Post Malone

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18

DADA: Brett Staska

DADA: Syntext KILL YOUR IDOL: Pro Teens

REVOLUTION LIVE:: Dirty Heads DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26

REVOLUTION LIVE:: Steven Van Zandt RESPECTABLE STREET: Broot McCoy, Yung Tarzan, VOLTAIRE: PRO TEENS, DirtBike, Backpage Escort Stranger Things 80’s Dance Party DADA: Holy Dances DADA: Sofilla RESPECTABLE STREET: Peelander-Z, Oddly Strange FUNKY BUDDHA: Reggie Sears & Mixed Royalty, Tyler CWS: Sofilla G. & the Vibes Farm, Not Spices FUNKY BUDDHA: DuBBle James, Bear Witness, Shark Anthony CWS: JM and the Sweets THE CRAFTED KEG: Brett Staska GRAMPS: L.A. Witch, Mo’Booty Band, Timothy Eerie, Glove KELSEY THEATER: Sister Hazel

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20

DADA: Xotic Yeyo KILL YOUR IDOL: American Grime RESPECTABLE STREET: Randy & Mr. Lahey of Trailer Park Boys CWS: The Flyers FUNKY BUDDHA: Common Cold, Citadel, Shorty the Giant STACHE: Mike Mineo, Victoria Cardona FILLMORE: Krewella SONS & DAUGHTERS: Gold Dust Lounge C&I: Chantil Dukart BREWHOUSE GALLERY: JL Fulks

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

VOLTAIRE: Cabaret Voltaire Drag Extravaganza RESPECTABLE STREET: Lords of Acid, Combichrist, Christian Death, En Esch, Astari Nite DADA: The State Of FUNKY BUDDHA: Daryl Hance Powermuse, Southern KILL YOUR IDOL: Breaks Yo! REVOLUTION LIVE: Blues Traveler

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27

REVOLUTION LIVE:: The Magpie Salute DADA: Public Sounds Collective CWS: Bobby Lee Rodgers STACHE: Black & Creme FUNKY BUDDHA: Solemark, Public Sounds Collective KELSEY THEATER: Dope, (hed)PE, Afterlife C&I: SloFunkPump

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

500 BLOCK DNTN WPB: MOONFEST ft Surfer Blood, King Complex and many many more!

REVOLUTION LIVE:: Andy Mineo SEMINOLE HARD ROCK: Santana FUNKY BUDDHA: JL Fulks, Ricky Valido DADA: Steve Pomeranz Band KILL YOUR IDOL: The Wire Hip Hop Party CWS: Diogo Das Virgens Band BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Nouveaux Honkies

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29

VOLTAIRE: Joel DaSilva REVOLUTION LIVE:: The Marcus King Band CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30

DADA: Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Drag Mondays HULLABALOO: Beartoe VOLTAIRE: Salon w/ Monica McGivern

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31

FUNKY BUDDHA: Halloween Costume Bash DADA: Zoo Peculiar Halloween Show KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1

SEMINOLE: Roger Daltrey w. Members of The Who CWS: Rockin’ Jake Band FILLMORE MIAMI: Erika Moon’s Burlesque Avant Garde BREWHOUSE GALLERY: RoXout, Sprockets & Spokes C&I: Juliette Helen KELSEY THEATER: Whiskey for Water

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22

VOLTAIRE: Shayne Eischen & Bungalow Brothers Trio CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2

THE GROUND AT CLUB SPACE: Wax Tailor

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4

VOLTAIRE: Cabaret Voltaire Drag Extravaganza SEMINOLE HARD ROCK: Tracy Morgan C&I: MillionYoung

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5

VOLTAIRE: JM & the Sweets

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9

VOLTAIRE: Shana Falana, Lindsey Mills, Turtle Grenade

Chad Stockfleth

SOUND OF CERES The sense of location will be hard to miss when Sound of Ceres and Breathers play South Florida this fall.

While every band literally occupies an intersection of place and time, these two take the concept a step further -into the imaginary -- with music inspired by particular landscapes and periods Ryan Hover of Sound of Ceres tells PureHoney that his band’s dreampop sound is very much linked to surroundings.

“When thinking of a direction for a new album, the first thing I think about is its landscape,” Hover, raised in Colorado but now based in Brooklyn, writes in an email interview. “With our previous SOUND OF CERES band, Candy Claws, we did the ocean, the forest, and even the Mesozoic. With Sound of Ceres, we’ve done outer space and caves, and now the snowy peaks of the Alps and the glaciers of Iceland.”

The Iceland reference is a nod to the creation of “The Twin,” the new Sound of Ceres album produced by the Reykjavik-based American musician Alex Somers, who has given new tracks such as “Gemini Scenic” more jagged sonic contours as compared to the blissful, ’60s-pop layering of the band’s 2016 debut, “Nostalgia for Infinity.”

“We actually made a ‘finished’ version of the album that was sonically similar to ‘Nostalgia,’ ” Hover explains. Then came Somers, “who remade it in his studio in Reykjavik,” Hover writes, “replacing some instrumentation, sending our small vintage rhythm box beats through layers of overdrive, and working with [bandmate and spouse] Karen Hover on extensive abstract backing vocals.”

“In a way, Alex has made a strange Twin of the original album, and I’d attribute that new primal feeling to him and the influence of the stark Icelandic surroundings,” Hover writes.

For Breathers, a shrewd and witty synth-pop trio from Atlanta, the fascination is with time — specifically the great electronic pop outburst of the 1980s.

From clapping electro beats to plush keys, Breathers are re-deploying vintage sounds for songs that aren’t retro so much as refracted: They’re a way of understanding our present time — and our nostalgia — through the technologies that were supposed to point us toward a glorious future.

Sound of Ceres, Breathers and Turtle Grenade perform Oct. 2 at Voltaire in West Palm Beach. ~ Sean Piccoli

Zhanna Slor

MARBIN

MARBIN

Jazz is one of the most elusive genres of music ever. Should it be a maelstrom of emotional cacophony that is unleashed on the listener?

Should it be smokey, sad and aloof? Should it be technically proficient with no soul? You had to know there was going to be a reference to Kenny G, the reigning prince of jazz. (I kid; unless you’re following sound scan sales)

Variation on a theme: that’s what jazz is all about. That’s how so many different sounding types of music can fall under the jazz moniker. Marbin is a jazz-rock band from Chicago that has been touring extensively since 2011 and has very nearly released an album a year ever since. To say that Marbin has been busy is a complete understatement; they’ve been sprinting from place to place, laying down the groove and improvising for audiences of thousands.

Marbin was founded in 2007 by saxophonist Danny Markovitch and guitarist Dani Rabin in Israel. They moved to Chicago to pursue the often self-defeating dream of being professional musicians. However, anything is possible with the right cocktail of talent and hustle and these fellas have a combustible recipe to succeed. Philosophers have mulled over the theory that hard work over talent will help anyone to succeed. Marbin appear to have both in copious amounts, which keeps them constantly busy on the jazz circuit or touring when not writing.

Jazz-rock fusion is a hard genre to get behind for some: too much rock kills the jazz vibe and too much jazz makes the rock light. Come on, no one likes light rock, man; that’s just bad form. Marbin being mostly fronted by the saxophone with the guitar accenting the horns leads seem to be right down the middle and thus, very accessible while true to the roots of the genus. Their sound has slight reference to their Israeli background, which ushers the listener into following the twisty, exotic sounds to a place that at once feels foreign, but is also very familiar and pleasing. They’re pretty damn great!

Ray’s Downtown presents Marbin at Voltaire Sunday, October 8, 8pm to 11pm. ~ Tim Moffatt

ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY If you subscribe to the theory that the King didn’t meet his maker on the throne, you’d probably have an idea of what he and his music would’ve become over time. Elvis Presley always carried a sadness in his eyes and one would think that the artist struggling to break free from the inner demons of rock and roll would’ve eventually pulled a Johnny Cash at the end turn and create deeply personal and reflective work.

Or at the very least, a bare-toothed version of his former self.

While that might not be the case here, there’s something about Elvis Depressedly that recalls the tragic figure of Elvis Presley beyond the ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY play on nomenclature. Mat Cothran (guitar, vocals) and Delaney Mills (keyboards, drums, vocals) are the lo-fi indie rockers out of Asheville, NC who encompass the trappings of a Southern Gothic but with the modern distillation of the baroque. While that might sound like a thick hodgepodge to get through, listeners would be wise to dispense with preconceptions and let the music tell its tale.

There’s a linear quality that runs through their eight releases that harkens to that intellectual spirit of fiction writing—the flaws are worn on the sleeve, there’s room for the grotesque, and the sinister specter of poverty, crime, and alienation flows beneath what initially seems like eccentric behavior. The music draws you in in a comforting and almost warming manner. Their opening salvo, 2011’s Save the Planet, Kill Yourself was grandiose in scale and approach and it is in the maturity of subsequent releases that they’ve managed to break it down scientifically.

Last year’s California Dreamin’ is a peak in the long road they’ve covered in a little over six years. Bringing it back to the King; Elvis Depressedly understands the urgency of rock and roll and strips it to its lowest common denominator without sacrificing its narrative and splendor. Is it more ambient in execution? It seems that way and it surely doesn’t rail against the comparison; but exploring their catalogue, from beginning to present, gives the same level of satisfaction Johnny Cash’s career or Flannery O’Connor’s body of work gives when taken as a whole.

Elvis Depressedly with Turnover and Emma Ruth Rundle at 7pm on Sunday, October 15 at the Kelsey Theater. http://www.summertimeinhell.org. ~ Abel Folgar

Borscht Corp.

BORSCHT IS DEAD

ADAM ANT

When the very successful and incredibly relevant filmmaking collection Borscht Corp. held the 10th installment of their film festival in Miami, their slogan was “Borscht is Dying.” There’s nothing like a bit of death for new perspective. With that, this film critic has been granted access to the group’s library of films to present a selection of their “greatest hits” at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale.

I called it “Borscht is Dead,” in collaboration with Choose 954 and my website Indieethos.com.

Two films showing that night that embody the group’s evolution include Julian Yuri Rodriguez’s “One Dog Gone Summer” (2017) and Jillian Mayer’s and Lucas Leyva’s “Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke” (2012). Rodriguez’s short films are known for both a confrontational style and a WTF randomness ... until now.

“One Dog Gone Summer,” which is about a boy’s quest to make sure his dead dog goes to heaven shows great humor and heart. However, its origin is quite dark.

Describing what inspired his film, Rodriguez tells a horrifying story about having to put down his own pet, Scrappy. “I made the film almost like a tribute to Scrappy, my last dog,” he tells me. “I woke up one Feb morning of 2016, and he was having an awful seizure … dying … and my vet just disappeared, so I had to put him to sleep myself ... I shot him in the head with my grandfather’s .45 Colt. Old Yellaa,” he adds, referencing that famed Disney movie with that tragic ending.

“It was real dark and traumatic, but honestly, it’s made me the person I am today,” Rodriguez continues.

Hence the lightening up in his filmmaking.

“Life and Freaky Times” represents a glance back with another pair of familiar names of the festival: Mayer/Leyva. Mayer, who is also a brilliant, successful multi-media artist, recalls this as her test as a narrative filmmaker, and she had to direct none other than Luther Campbell, of 2 Live Crew fame.

“So in addition to my lack of experience, here was this legend,” she says. “As you could assume, I was nervous but excited. All my anxieties were quickly put to rest when he came to set and was welcoming, kind, funny, personable and had an interesting take on the role … He is one of those people that radiates intelligence and humour, and we feel lucky that he shared his talents with us.”

Though a straight narrative, their short film is still a twisty-thing, inspired by “La Jetee,” a short film by Chris Marker about time travel, love and death. Looking back on this work, co-director and co-founder of Borscht, Leyva admits the film certainly feels dated. However, he says, “It’s instructive to the Borscht ethos in a few ways.”

Borscht Corp.

He explains how it shows the organization’s out-of-box thinking and investment in local artists. Borscht encourages local artists to work outside their mediums but maintain their aesthetic with narrative. It also looks to leverage unique local resources. In this case it was Uncle Luke as well as several members of the local

art community who helped with sets and music. It’s also about embracing a limited budget even if it means “imperfect cinema,” which in turn comes to define the work while representing the “high-brow/low-brow duality of Miami by marrying French avant-garde cinema with booty bass, exploring issues of race and identity through silly jokes, etc.”

Borscht is Dead screens Oct. 19, 6 PM - 10:30 PM, at Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Tickets are $13 and $25. ~ Hans Morgenstern | The Independent Ethos (indieethos.com)

CAYETANA Jess Flynn

“Everything seems so romantic when there’s time and space away.” So sings Augusta Koch, vocalist and guitarist of Cayetana, on “Am I Dead Yet?”, the opening track from their latest album “New Kind of Normal”, released this past summer on Plum Records.

Such a sentiment rings true throughout their work, a testament to finding the beauty in letting go, moving on, and looking back all at once. The Philadelphia-based indie-punk CAYETANA band has a sound that invokes an intimate conversation with a close friend, served over the rhythm of vintage New Order-style bass grooves, danceable beats, and the grit of your hometown DIY scene.

After forming in 2011, Cayetana signed to Tiny Engines a couple of years later and quickly gained buzz off of their single “Hot Dad Calendar”. Following the release of their 2014 debut full-length album “Nervous Like Me”, anchored by mixtape-ready instant classics like “Dirty Laundry” and “Scott Get the Van, I’m Moving”, the trio became a staple of the east coast circuit and regulars at Gainesville’s annual indie-punk holiday The Fest, eventually spending more time touring alongside other Fest-vets like Mikey Erg, Lemuria, and The Sidekicks.

While the heart-on-sleeve energy and warmth found in their earlier work remains strong and intact, a slightly more evolved and mature sound begins to naturally emerge on “New Kind of Normal”, the group’s sophomore effort. Tracks like “Side Sleepers” and “Dust” build a welcome layer of texture upon subtler rhythmic dynamics, highlighted by Allegra Anka’s melodic bass lines. In this case, the focus and studio polish expected from a highly anticipated follow-up avoids the cliché of a band becoming self-indulgent, but instead allows the group to remain true to themselves as they continue to grow.

Hot off the heels of a highly acclaimed national tour opening for Waxahatchee this summer, the group embarks on a headlining tour this fall, with special guests Hemming. The three-week trek covers the eastern seaboard and parts of the Midwest, including their first visit to South Florida. The trio brings its unique, highenergy intimacy to Europe with The Menzingers early next year for their debut overseas.

Cayetana will perform with special guests Hemming and Superhaunted at 8pm Wednesday, October 4 at Gramp’s. 176 SW 24th St Miami. ~Brady Newbill