Best of Orlando 2024: Local Music
The coffeehouse show is a shiver-inducing trope for good reason. The ones happening at Framework Craft Coffee House, however, are the exception. That has a lot to do with the fact that owner Danny Forester is a DIY champion. And his Mills 50 café has taken on a second life after hours as a space for all stripes of interesting music, so you can get your latte spiked with live indie rock, psych, shoegaze, folk, punk and more.
1201 N. Mills Ave., facebook.com/frameworkcoffeehouse
It was "only rock & roll" at the Rolling Stones' Camping World Stadium show in June, as the group that has been rocking since 1962 greeted fans old and very new. The sold-out "Hackney Diamonds Tour" set saw a rowdy audience spanning generations and an ever-energetic band that put many younger acts to shame. A show like this may not happen again — and another world tour by the Rolling Stones seems extremely unlikely — but Orlando sure made this one count.
June 3, 2024
It's been awhile since a band has ignited the underground like young hardcore group Watts has. While they quickly became the stuff of live lore with the way they stoke instant riots on the floor, Watts released a debut collection this summer that bottles their sheer muscle and fury. Like a deadly serious Amyl & the Sniffers, Watts kill and thrill on the six-song Retribution like no other locals right now.
Orlando Girls Rock Camp continues to shine a light on the future of local music, and in these young stars' hands, that future is bright. Reserved for female, nonbinary and trans campers aged 8 to 17, OGRC provides young'uns with an environment conducive to empowerment and patriarchal ass-kicking. It's more than a legitimately cool music camp, it's a safe and inclusive space for the next generation. Don't forget the annual OGRC showcase, where you'll find that girls really do rock.
International shipping charges during the seemingly eternal reign of Louis DeJoy are a bad joke; however, we would gladly fork over many dollars to get a cassette copy of Zoya Zafar's debut album, Some Songs, from Eastern European imprint Start-Track. Zafar's collection of lush electro-pop hymns and romps are captured on spools of magnetic tape housed in a crystal blue shell, all yours with no need for wifi or streaming platforms. Pro-tip: Zafar still has a few for sale at shows.
The Dr. Phillips Center's swank new supper club has been the talk of the town for obvious reasons. The national names featured there have been exceptional, but the real revelation has been how much of a local spotlight Judson's has turned out to be, giving stage to a diverse parade of native talent like Harber Wynn, Thomas Milovac Quartet, Claire Vandiver and others. That can be credited to Judson's booking manager Chris Belt, perhaps the city's best non-rock promoter.
445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org/events/judsonslive
The Casselberry smoke shop that doubles as a crucial DIY venue is a gathering point for the next generation of Orlando underground stars — ravers, hardcore kids, goths, drag performers, pop singers or experimental musicians. Overseen and curated majestically by Haize and Bunnii, Castle Smoke may be a little "out of the way" if your GPS only points you to Mills 50, but this all-ages spot gives a stage to a dazzling array of young and queer creativity. Its uncertain future as we go to press is another lesson in appreciating DIY spaces while you have them.
668 State Road 436, Casselberry, instagram.com/castlesmoke
Things looked bad for jazz haven the Blue Bamboo Center last year. Forced out of their longtime address because of rising rents, it would have been easy to give in to despair and cease operations. It only gave Bamboo headman Chris Cortez a greater sense of mission. BB became a roving entity, with shows spread over venues all over the city. The Center's biggest triumph came with a green light from the City of Winter Park to take over the old library building and turn it into a performance space and arts hub. Quite a long and winding road ...
It's a tough sell, a full weekend of music based on the most minimal of sonic and conceptual trappings. But the organizers of the inaugural ODrone Festival pulled it off. Taking place outdoors at Milk District destination the Nook on Robinson, the Circuit Church-offshoot event gathered a multigenerational crew of ambient and electronic practitioners who pushed single notes to their very limits. Familiar faces like Dan Reaves and Danielfuzztone shared space with a plethora of new practitioners like Terrapin and Salty Jazz Crabs. It was, inevitably, dreamy.
