For continuing coverage, visit Buildings and Food.
Wednesday March 14, 2007
Spam All-Stars
Miami’s house band, the Spam All-Stars, have been playing all over the place lately; here they are on Ed Bell’s show on WLRN a couple of weeks ago. They look like the Hipster Village People and they sound like . . . hmm, I guess they sound like Miami — a little of everything. Le Spam’s beats and Tomas Diaz’s percussion ridiculously very well, retaining the thump of a beatbox and the organic quality of live drumming; it’s only seeing them play live that it’s possible to tell where how exactly the sounds fit together. Guitarist Adam Zimmon delivers funk, reggae, and rock riffage without making the it sound like a “guitar band.” And they have this neat trick where LeSpam drops a beat, lets it go for a few bars, and silences it exactly at the moment the horn section comes in, which sounds impossibly like a perfectly mixed dance record.
The horn section is (left to right) Mercedes Abal, AJ Hill, and Chad Bernstein (there are a couple of other members that weren’t there that day), and they’re all great in a soul, not really a jazz, sort of way. They have an effortless quality about them that comes from playing together for almost 15 years, and a box-full of little tricks (at one point Chad jammed out on two conch shells). Most of the members contribute little vocal flourishes here and there, but mostly it’s instrumental jams, which is why this is more of a dance band then anything else — Hoy Como Ayer is the place to see them (they play there most Thursdays). You can download their new album from their site for 99ยข/song, or grab some older stuff for free.
By the way, this is in Studio 1 at WLRN (that’s Ed taking pictures in the bottom photo). Here’s Ed (a one-time contributor to CM) rocking the mic, and here is a pretty lousy picture of Studio 2, where most of the live shows get recorded. Behind that is the control booth. The building is owned by the school board, and it shows, but different parts of the building feel, alternatively, like a corporate office, like a dorm room, and like a slick modern lounge.
Tags: music · Post to del.icio.us, digg, reddit · Comment feed for this post: RSS, atom
I super-heart DJ Spam and the Spam Allstars, and I see them live when I can. When they take over the world, I’ll be one of those crotchety people who say with disdain, “well, I saw them play at I/O back when they were a Miami band.” Does I/O still exist, by the way?
I’m proud to know Andrew DJ Le SPAM for many years and remember way back when he used to prepare actual SPAM on stage in a hot skillet.
The band would play while the SPAM cooked. Towards the end of their set all the drunken party people would receive a steaming hot plate full of delicious SPAM!
The irony is that Andrew is the healthiest vegetarian I have ever known!
They are one of the best things happening musically in this City, State, Region, COUNTRY, W O R L D, U N I V E R S E!
Viva le SPAM!
Viva le Fuquaire!
Viva le Poonanny!
Viva le Boom!
The Spam All Stars really epitomize Miami in their music. So much infectious energy. Infusion of different styles of music blending together in a melting pot of sounds. People from their early 20’s to their late 60’s dancing side by side.
Whenever I have someone coming in from out of state they always want to hear “Miami Music”.
First stop I take them? The Spam All Stars.
I haven’t heard them too many times but I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed myself whenever I have. It’s not over the top pure salsa or anyone particular style, but a great fusion. It’s refreshing! I need to go hear them more, they make my heart sing and my booty shake!
...spam in asshole = fun!
they are playing the miami river fest next saturday the 24th. they did the carnaval on the mile a couple of weeks ago… did miami proud, and the mile was knee deep in new orleans brass.
very tight