There must be five dozen happy hours all over Miami, Wood Tavern in Wywood has one of my favorites. Tuesday nights there are free tacos & half off drinks, Wednesdays there are free drinks for the ladies from 5-8pm with 50 cent wings. Friday night DJ Kumi is more often than not spinning all of my favorite Hip Hop jams in the back patio & all drinks are half off from 5-8pm. The vibe Kumi creates with his positive energy and song selection make this the best night at Wood; where else can you hear Souls of Mischief, Eric B. and Rakim and Tribe Called Quest in one set?
DJ Kumi at Wood Tavern.
DJ Kumi at Wood Tavern Friday Night.
O, Miami has been celebrating National Poetry Month in full force with different events scheduled around town daily. We caught up with Afrobeta having commandeered the Magic Poetry Bus to the PAMM. Aboard the bus Cuci Amador hosted fun interactive poetry drills including: poetry readings, group poetry games, mad libs, and live performances by the band. Cuci handed out prescription bottles that contained a poem for when you may require some medicinal poetry as well as O,Miami totes and plenty of good vibes. The month is not over so do check in on the upcoming schedule for the remainder of April.
The O, Miami Magic Poetry Bus parked at the PAMM.
Prescription Poetry for mental consumption.
Inside the O, Miami Magic Poetry Bus parked at the PAMM.
The Stanley Jordan Trio performed at the Miniaci Theater at Nova University. Until this night I had not heard much from or about the artist so it was a major impression when I witnessed his unique style of playing complex classical and jazz numbers strictly off his guitar’s fret-board. He later played both guitar and piano simultaneously, which made everyone’s jaw drop. At one point the trio was joined by Jordan’s daughter, Julia, to harmonize on a couple of tunes.
The Stanley Jordan Trio and his daughter Julia Jordan at the Miniaci Theater at Nova University.
The Stanley Jordan Trio at the Miniaci Theater at Nova University.
The Wynwood Yard hosted an event sponsored by Pandora called the Queen of Hearts featuring all Latin female groups like Yoli Mayor, Raquel Sofia, and Flor de Tolache. We arrived as Raquel Sofia was wrapping up a set just in time to enjoy her emotional and sassy style in the vein of a Latin Ani Defranco. The Grammy nominated all female mariachi group, Flor de Tolache, amazed the audience with their engaging performance. More than proficient at their individual instruments the women each sing and harmonize like angels. The mariachis played mainly original tunes but pulled out some unique versions of songs like “Me Gustas Mucho” and “Come As You Are”.
Raquel Sofia playing at the Queen of Hearts event at Wynwood Yard.
Flor de Tolache playing at the Queen of Hearts event at Wynwood Yard.
Flor de Tolache playing at the Queen of Hearts event at Wynwood Yard.
Primary Projects celebrated the opening of the exhibit The Motion of Movements. This fun group show including works by: Carlos Betancourt, Gavin Perry, Manny Prieres, Ben Penderson, Deon Rubi, Keenan/Riley, Wade Schaming, and Ronald Moran.
The Motion of Movements exhibit at Primary Projects.
The Motion of Movements exhibit at Primary Projects.
Wynwood Life took place this past weekend. The block party included: vendors, artisans, food trucks, and music in the neighborhood; for me the most enjoyable part of it all is the live painting. Having only attended the event on Saturday evening we had the chance to see Weerdo working on a skull portrait reminiscent of Skelator, mixing spray paint and large markers in his application. The ID Art folks teamed up with Rei Ramirez and David Lavernia to decorate their supply RV with a marine life theme, showing off their collaborative skills.
Wywood Life live painting by Weerdo.
Weerdo painting at the Wynwood Life party.
Collaboration between David Lavernia and Rei Ramirez on the ID Art Supply RV at Wynwood Life at dusk, no filter.
Rei Ramirez putting the finishing touches on the ID Art Supply RV at Wynwood Life.
Running through April 29 in the spirit of National Poetry Month, the Laundromat Art Space features “Word Play”. The exhibit’s theme is all about incorprating text as art and includes three up and coming artists: Elysa Batista, Ronald Sanchez, & JC Rodriguez. This night included a live performance by the Biscayne Poet, reciting poetry with a live jazz soundtrack. In between performances the Biscayne Poet and his team encouraged attendees to supply 3 words in order to elaborate and customize poems utilizing old typewriters. We had a blast, what a great way to wrap up the night!
Oscar Fuentes “The Biscayne Poet” performing spoken word jazz with Ronald Rodriguez and Mr. Drew at the Laundromat Art Space.
It was Poetry Night at the Laundromat Art Space whilst Word Play was the featured exhibit. Elysa Batista, Ronald Sanchez, JC Rodriguez, and Oscar Fuentes.