More photos from Chris Carrabba’s “secret show”

The line stretched beyond the block at 6 p.m. in front of Lake Worth bar Propaganda for a show that was never formally announced.

Over 200 people turned out for the “secret show” on Nov. 22 which turned out to be local music hero Chris Carrabba, lead singer of nationally known Dashboard Confessional. The employees of the bar didn’t even know until two days before the event.

TheHoneyComb.com managed to put on a secret show that proves how viral the internet can be. Most who showed up heard about the show from Carrabba leaving random hints on his Twitter account.

“I’m playing a set in lake worth tonight. Come join me,” Carrabba tweeted earlier in the day. Before and after the show he was continually tweeting about his special solo appearance and answering his fans tweets about price and location.

He played a strictly acoustic set for about an hour to singing and screaming fans. The crowd even helped him out with what would be background vocals on some songs.

“I don’t have any merchandise with me but I do have some handshakes to give out,” Carrabba noted at the end of the show. He stayed around to make sure every fan got a photo and of course a handshake.

“I’m not sure that show can ever be topped,” Carrabba tweeted a couple hours after the event.

Stephanie Colaianni is a special contributor to pbpulse.com. She is a writer/photographer for maggish.com.

More photos: Santigold, Kid Cudi perform, plus “black” carpet shots

Diesel isn’t just a brand name. To the contrary, the denim and watches we know of is part of something bigger: Music. Diesel is hosting the U:Music World Tour which made one of two U.S appearances in Miami Beach.

In order to get a ticket to the Paris Theater event, you either had to be invited or had visited a particular Diesel store location within the past four days. The free event gave concert-goers the chance to jam to some of the brightest new stars in music – Kid Cudi, Santigold and more.

Before the event even began, as the ticket-holders would enter the venue, a red carpet (which was black) was set up for the celebrities who walked in. Other than some of the music acts — Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Jemina Pearl, Kid Cudi and Danny Masterson — a couple other unexpected guests arrived.
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David Johansen of the New York Dolls leads the crowd. (Stephanie Colaianni / maggish.com)
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Where: Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale

When: June 10

Our take: Who would have thought one of the oldest bands in the world is still touring?

Conceived in the early 1970’s, the New York Dolls have lost many members, but original members Sylvain Sylvain and David Johansen gave 100 percent at the Culture Room.

The Dolls’ newest guitarist, Steve Conte, and bald-headed drummer, Brian Delaney, seem to fit right in. Conte had the energy of an early glam-rocker while Delaney had the sour/angry face of the early punk.

The Dolls, at the height of their “glamness” in the early years, weren’t nearly as regarded as a punk band mainly because there was no audience for it.

After influencing big names such as The Ramones, Blondie, Kiss, Motley Crue and even Guns and Roses, more respect was gained in the long run.

The Culture Room audience ranged from the early 20’s to those who looked like they were in their late 70’s. There was no short hair in sight. Only a handful came out strutting the colorful bandanas and random-placed feathers, but the crowd as a whole looked more than excited to see the Dolls in action.

Watching the crowd dancing around, I had hoped a mosh pit would start, but I guess those times have passed. The feeling of love for the music replaced the angst of rebellion, I’m sure the Dolls know all too well.

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Propaganda was the most packed I had ever seen it this past Friday night for the band Nothing Rhymes with Orange. I dragged my friend out explaining that this bar is so chill you don’t need to weave in and out of people to get to the bathroom. We found ourselves weaving.

Who could blame the crowd for coming out? The South Florida band, led by brotherly duo Carl Almasy and Rich Coccaro, has just played their last announced U.S. date before crossing the pond for a European tour. They have been together for years playing shows all over. I remember my first NRWO show was at SunFest a few years back. They were a huge hit there and I still have my sticker from that show.

In my opinion, they are a great bar band. Influenced by Oasis, David Bowie, and The Beatles, their sound is a slight mix of Jet and The Killers with a little Bravery thrown in. Their performance was very upbeat and poppy without losing the rock-vibe. With super tight jeans and beat up cowboy boots, it’s hard to not see that these guys own their genre.

This weekend, Boynton Beach’s Kill Miss Pretty took over Propaganda in Lake Worth for a couple of entertaining hours.

The almost always belly-baring Alicia (vocals), Russell (guitar), Martin (bass) and Mr. Frisky (a drum machine) had everything they needed to put on a Hawaiian luau of a show. Between the hula-hoops, the piñata and their stage presence, the music seemed to come so naturally.

Alicia, dressed to impress as a wahine (Hawaiian woman), strutted her stuff with what seemed to be a fruit hat for their always exaggerated and unique themed performances.

She demanded of the crowd: “Take your shirt off, stand on the bar, and eat a banana.”

With the entertainment so far underway, it was a few songs into their show I realized they didn’t even have a drummer. Instead, the area behind the band consisted of more piñatas and an Apple computer.

Their stage show resembled a No Doubt show back in 1989, while the music is most comparable to Mindless Self Indulgence’s electro-punk style. The set was packed with songs about licking cats (“El Gato”) and proclaiming “you’re not the only one that’s crazy” (“Leave A Message”) as well as the estrogen-packed song “Glows in the Dark.”

This band seems to have the chemistry and will to entertain to keep bringing fans to every local venue they hit. They also keep you wondering: “What will she wear next time?”

When I first ran into Robbie Hazen I was photographing a homeless wedding at Young Circle in Hollywood, Fla. Hazen just happened to be setting up to play a small gig with a drummer, Brandon McClaskey. As the band, now known as Robbie Hazen and the Riot, set up, I enjoyed the sounds of The Postal Service coming through the speakers as we waited for the wedding to take place.

The guys had no connection to the wedding but after being asked by the father of the bride to play, they replaced the sounds of the traffic with a soft melody that truly fit the moment. I immediately gained respect for this musician who could have easily blown off the whole thing. I slipped him a card and a week later I had a complimentary CD in the mail with a smiley face drawn on the disc itself.

The album I received is his second album, Come to Life. The six-track EP is packed full of upbeat love songs with subjects ranging from relationships to family. I would call him a cross between a positive Alanis Morrisette and, sonically, Silversun Pickups.

Hazen doesn’t just happen to be a vocalist and guitarist — he also does percussion and even hits a few notes on the harmonica. He’s worked with engineer/producer Duane Lundy on this album, while on his first album Hazen worked with engineer/producer Freddy Pinero, Jr., a two-time Grammy winner.

Hazen’s optimism and affection for the word “love” in his lyrics can be a little sickly sweet, but at the same time gives me hope. He is very much the prototype romantic guitarist all the girls swoon over.

Robbie Hazen has played hundreds of gigs, including South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and the Florida Music Festival and Conference in Orlando. He primarily tours the southeast U.S. but you can typically find him locally in Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm, including his date tonight at Area 7 Music and Ale in Ft. Lauderdale. He’ll also make the road trip to Orlando every now and then.

Known for her quirky fashion sense and club beat music, Lady Gaga played a sold-out show at Ft. Lauderdale’s Revolution Live.

Everyone came dressed in their 1980’s fashionable Ray-Ban glasses and accessorized with crazy bows in their hair along with strands of neon spandex.

The show started with a projector short film on the curtain. It was almost difficult to hear the dialogue over the screams of the pre-teen girls. The curtain pulled away and Lady Gaga stood in what appeared to be a dress. This dress, probably made out of plywood, was moved around the stage in sections by stage hands. Her pale white skin and practically neon white hair contrasted so much to her black clothing.

She played all of her club hits like “Just Dance” and “Paparazzi”, but the most screams came about during her newest hit “Poker Face”. With influences of Yoko Ono, Queen, Nine Inch Nails, and Prince among others, her music is completely diversified between the pop and rock world.

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