Taylor Swift performs at American Airlines Arena. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Taylor Swift is one of those artists that no one seems to hate. When it comes to her music, age, sex, race, and religion seem to not matter. Everyone can relate in one way or another to her songs of love and heartache.

Sunday night, Swift brought her “Speak Now” tour back to the Sunshine State for one final night of enchantment.

As 12,500 fans packed themselves into the American Airlines Arena in Miami, the country cross-over cutie did what she does best. She told her stories. And although Taylor’s stories were the main act of the night, also front and center were the hundreds of homemade t-shirts and handwritten signs with the number 13 and “T Swizzle” written on them. Throughout the two hour set, fans sung along with every word the 21-year-old singer sang; often times drowning out the very artist they paid to see.

Photos: Taylor Swift @ American Airlines Arena | Visit this writer’s website

Regardless, it was quite clear that fans are at the top of the list for Miss Swift. Cameras were constantly pointed at the screaming fans to display their images on the huge video screen onstage, and at one point, the mega-star exited the stage and walked through the crowd. She seemed to stop and say “hi” to everyone who stuck their hands out to get a piece of her.
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The Sounds lead singer Maja Ivarsson performs at the Culture Room. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

“We’re back baby! We’re back!”- Maja Ivarsson

In 2009, the Swedish electro-pop group The Sounds made their “triumphant return” to a South Florida stage. Nearly two years later, with their fourth studio album under their belts, Maja Ivarsson and her boys once again stormed the Sunshine State to prove that they’re still a force to be reckoned with.

Although the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale is nearly half the size of the last venue The Sounds played, Wednesday night’s show had every soul shaking for miles.

In true Sounds fashion, when the house lights went down and the quintet took to the stage, Ivarsson sauntered out drink and cigarette in hand. The second the band took off into “Dancing With The Devil”, fans were instantly sent into a frenzy singing along with every single lyric.

The Sounds at the Culture Room | Visit this writer’s website

Throughout the performance, Maja Ivarsson was everything concert goers could ask for in a lead. She strutted and danced and crawled across the stage like she owned it. Often, she would crouch down to crowd level and give high-fives and stop just long enough for several cell phone pictures to be snapped. The more she exploited her sexuality by lifting up her skirt and grinding on anything within 3 feet of her, the louder the screaming fans got.
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Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls perform in Pompano. (Kate Dingle / rhythmscene.com)

Just as the sun was setting, Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and Mike Malinin (and two touring musicians) took the stage. When the well seasoned rockers burst into their appropriate opening number “Last Hot Night In America”, there wasn’t a soul still in their chair. The electrifying energy coming off the stage seemed to radiate throughout the entire city of Pompano Beach. Or, it just could have been the throngs of screaming female fans every time the oh-so-dreamy Rzeznik would take a breath of the same air they were breathing.

Photos: Goo Goo Dolls at Pompano | Visit this writer’s website

As the group barreled through their set, fans were given exactly what they wanted: a healthy dose of the Goos’ entire catalog complete with the outgoing antics of bassist Robby Takac and the crowd commanding voice of the front man.

Set highlights included: “Slide”, “Iris”, “Name”, “Here Is Gone”, “Give A Little Bit”, “Stay With You”, and “Better Days”.
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Joan Jett performs at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

There aren’t very many artists who can visit the same general area three times in one year and still sell tickets. Tuesday night, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts did just that when they stopped by the Seminole Hard Rock.

Although the arena had had a quarter of its seats curtained off, the available seats were still nearly full to witness the rock-and-roll legend. However, this time around (as opposed to her two prior performances in South Florida), many more seats were filled with moms who were accompanying their daughters to their first “real” concert. Jett must have had picked up on the younger demographic of the crowd because the ever so rough around the edges rocker seemed a bit more censored this time.

Photos: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at the Hard Rock | Visit this writer’s site

But just because some of the raunch was noticeably absent from Jett’s act doesn’t mean that the performance rocked any less. Jett and her Blackhearts gave the crowd of nearly three thousand exactly what they wanted.

The hour-and-a-half set was packed to the gills with everything from the Runaways’ biggest hits and the Blackhearts tracks that everyone seems to love and that never get old. And the louder the crowd got as the performers egged them on, the more Jett would let her voice rip through every single soul in the building.
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The Airborne Toxic Event's Anna Bulbrook and Mikel Jollett perform at Fort Lauderdale's Culture Room. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

On a night when all eyes were on Miami and the Heat, music fans gathered at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale for their own landmark night of sorts. Thursday night marked the first ever South Florida appearance by the Los Angeles-based quintet, the Airborne Toxic Event.

Although it was a bit on the thin side, the diverse crowd consisted of everything from a group of golf buddies who’d just finished nine holes, patchouli-drenched women caught in a time warp, and even a small number of young children (not that there’s anything wrong with that). And nobody seemed to mind that the headlining act took the stage nearly three hours after the doors had opened.

By the time front man Mikel Jollett and company took the stage, the five-year wait for some fans was over. Wasting no time with pleasantries, the indie rockers got down to business to make up for lost time. Occasionally, Jollett would speak a few soft-spoken words into the mic, but in an instant, it was right back to the music.

Photos: The Airborne Toxic Event at Culture Room | Visit this writer’s website

Throughout their set, one thing was made very clear: Jollett is the captain of this ship and fellow bandmates Steven Chen, Noah Harmon, Anna Bulbrook, and Daren Taylor were seemingly only there to take cues from him. However, the amount of musicianship on that stage was undeniable. How often do you see a bass player in an indie band switch out his standard bass for an upright and bow?

The set included tracks from both of their full-length releases and a cover of the Johnny Cash hit “Folsom Prison Blues”.
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Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey of the Los Angeles duo Uh Huh Her, appearing Friday in Fort Lauderdale.

It’s been pretty close to three years exactly since the Los Angeles based duo Uh Huh Her has played to a South Florida crowd. In that time, Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey have toured extensively in support of the debut album, Common Reaction, appeared on the soundtrack to an Oscar nominated film, and managed to record and release a new EP, Black and Blue with the full length, Nocturnes, to be released later this year.

In anticipation of their show Friday at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, pbpulse.com caught up with the duo about what’s coming next.

pbpulse: Fans seemed to love your first album, “Common Reaction”, how has the new music been received?

Uh Huh Her: The response has been amazing. We were off the radar for so long due to a label split and writing the record that we weren’t sure if people would still be interested. Thanks to the loyalty of or fans, when we grow musically, we know they will grow with us.

pbpulse: What is your songwriting process? Do both of you contribute to each song or is each song written individually?

Uh Huh Her: We don’t have one set way of writing. That gives us the freedom to expand what we write. We have written songs completely separately, finished each others songs and written thing together from scratch. We learned to allow each of our styles to come out more. That’s what creates our sound.
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Sublime with Rome came together when lead singer Rome Ramirez joined former Sublime members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson. (Photos by Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the world has heard any new Sublime music. Well the wait is over for all of those die hard fans. In 2009, founding members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson joined forces with vocalist Rome Ramirez to revitalize an entire generation who grew up with Brad Nowell’s Sublime and give new fans a taste of the old “new” Sublime With Rome sound.

Currently, the trio is in El Paso putting the final touches on their debut album (due out early this summer). And as far as what fans new and old can expect from this record, Ramirez said: “It’s the same ol’ recipe. We’re very confident the sound remains the same.”

That familiar formula has fans in different corners of the world already loving the new songs they’ve added into their set lists. After a recent string of shows in Chile, Ramirez described fans as dancing and clapping along with the new tunes as if they knew them, and they’re “pretty confident” they’ll have the same success in the States.

More: SunFest itineraries | SunFest schedule

As for what fans can expect from their April 27 performance at Sunfest, Ramirez says, “I promise it’ll be a good time. There’ll be lots of weed in the air and a lot of dancing”.
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Lady Gaga performs at Sunrise's BankAtlantic Center. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

The Monster Ball – a place where little monsters go to be themselves and Lady Gaga locks the doors to keep the freaks out and her monsters safe inside.

You can say whatever you want about Lady Gaga. You can disagree with her music and her clothes and the way she conducts herself, but the one thing you cannot deny her is that she puts on one helluva show.

After taking a spill onstage in Houston Sunday night, Lady Gaga took over the BankAtlantic Center for her first of two nights in South Florida (she’ll be performing tonight in Miami at the American Airlines Arena).

Well, take over is an understatement.

More: Photos: Lady Gaga at BankAtlantic Center | Information about tonight’s Miami show | Visit this writer’s website

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Coco Hames, Poni Silver and Jem Cohen of The Ettes at Respectable Street on Thursday. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

It’s not too often that a live band sounds this good at Respectable Street in downtown West Palm Beach. On Thursday, The Ettes not only sounded good on the tiny stage, they rocked the venue down to its foundation.

The Nashville-based trio of Lindsay “Coco” Hames, Jeremy “Jem” Cohen, and Maria “Poni” Silver showed club goers that Thursday nights can be just as fun as any weekend night. And although their set was only 40 minutes, two songs in, there shouldn’t have been any doubt left that these guys are the well-seasoned touring musicians they are. They’ve shared the stage with acts like the Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, and The Dead Weather.

From the beginning, Hames’ gritty Grace Slick-meets-Joan Jett vocals grabbed hold of listeners and refused to let go. It’s not too often nowadays that we see front women who can pull off gritty and sexy and (at times) sultry all at the same time. She did it flawlessly.

Photos: The Ettes at Respectable Street | Visit this writer’s website

Just as equal in talent were bassist Cohen and drummer Silver. Many times, bassists go unrecognized for their skill, but credit needs to be given where it’s earned. During the set, Cohen refused to go unnoticed and made his bass sing in a way that many had no idea was possible (Stefan Lessard of the Dave Matthews Band comes to mind). Silver’s stage presence was hypnotizing. And so were her beats. As she drove her kit through the 13-song set, she reminded everyone that live acts don’t need electronic beats to be this good.
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Lil' Wayne adjusts his shades on stage at the BankAtlantic Center. (Christina Mendenhall / rhythmscene.com)

Last night, it seemed as though all of the stars in the hip-hop universe had aligned themselves as thousands descended on Sunrise to witness one of the hottest acts in music today. Lil’ Wayne brought his “I Am Still Music” tour to the BankAtlantic Center to continue building his case as to why he’s the “best rapper alive”.

And it wasn’t long after the house lights went down that every soul in the near packed house began to feel the same way.

Never one to shy away from his own troubles, Wayne’s three-tiered set resembled a cell house for his massive opener “I’m Goin’ In”. Although throughout his performance, the set seemed to take on a Hollywood Squares kind of feel with members of his band and dancers replacing celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and Caroline Rhea.
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