Your Cheap Weekend: Funk, Noise, and Throwbacks
Ketchy Shuby plays at Gramps tonight. (photo via facebook.com/KetchyShuby)
Another weekend’s come around, and so has another series of suggestions for things to do on the cheap. We’ve kept it extra budget-friendly this time: The most expensive event on this list costs $5, and even then, it’s kind of optional. Read on for the recommendations.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
DWNTWN Concert Series with Suenalo and Spam All-Stars @ Bayfront Park
If you read this in time and want to kick off your weekend as soon as you ditch work, here’s a possible plan for the happy hour block of the day. The DWNTWN concert series returns with another free show at Bayfront Park, complete with a beer garden (okay, that’s not free) and a green market. The acts this time are Miami staples Suenalo and Spam All-Stars — and if you haven’t seen these Latin-fusion acts before somehow, even accidentally, we honestly want to know where you’ve been hiding. You know what to expect — lots of brass and funk.
Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. at the Bayfront Park Tina Hills Pavilion, 301 N. Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Admission is free; all ages. Visit dwntwnconcerts.com
The International Noise Conference @ Churchill’s Pub
If you’re reading this on Friday, the 10th annual International Noise Conference is already half over — but you have tonight and Saturday still to check it out. Spearheaded by the legendary Rat Bastard, this event draws together local, national, and international names in various strains of experimental music. Well, “experimental” isn’t even the right word, really — anything is technically welcome, Rat says, as long as it provokes a reaction. Acts are limited to a strict 15-minute time limit, which means each set is often more performance piece than straight-ahead rendition of songs. In any event, admission to the whole thing is free, so all you need is time and an open mind.
9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday night, and 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday at Churchill’s Pub, 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Miami. Admission is free; age 18 and up. Call3 05-757-1807, or visit churchillspub.com
Ketchy Shuby and the Goddamn Hustle @ Gramps
Fridays at Gramps are slowly enticing the 954 crowd down by bridging the gaps across counties through DJ and band bookings. To whit: resident DJs L. Sangre and Benton rep Miami, while Mikey Ramirez flies the flag for Fort Lauderdale staple Radio-Active Records. The same kind of kumbaya-type spirit extends to tonight’s band booking, which features Miami’s best “downtown soul” act, Ketchy Shuby, alongside Fort Lauderdale “bluegazey jangle-pop” foursome the Goddamn Hustle. Admission to the room with the bands is $5. But if you’re really cheap you can hang out in the bar until midnight, when it opens up for the monthly party Back Into the Darkness, which focuses on dark and synthy sounds.
Doors open for happy hour at 6 p.m., bands start at 10 p.m. at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami. Admission to the show is $5, otherwise it’s free; age 21 and up. Call 305-75-BOOZE, or visit grampsbar.com
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9
Second Saturday Art Walk @ Wynwood
You know what to expect here — it’s basically a barely controlled carnival in the streets. Go on bike or by foot if at all possible and proceed with patience. There’s always Gramps afterwards, where the For Your Pleasure party spins bubblegum and rock and roll goodness every Saturday.
In and around the main drag of Wynwood, Northwest Second Avenue, starting at like 6 p.m. Just show up.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10
Throwback @ the Vagabond
As part of the Vagabond’s refreshed programming, we’ll give a shout-out to the Sunday weekly appropriately dubbed throwback. Here’s where you should go if you’re an Anglophile who longs for the days when “indie” clubs actually played indie rock, mostly from across the pond. There’s no cover, but there is an open bar — yes, on everything! — until 11 p.m.
Doors open at 10 p.m. at the Vagabond, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up. Call 305-379-0508, or visit thevagabondmiami.com
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