16 June 15-21, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Misfit Society Black Market Fest celebrates sixth anniversary with “Disco Inferno.” BY DOUGLAS MARKOWITZ A gainst a backdrop of venue closures, political repression, and economic strife, South Florida’s alternative commu- nity has been struggling, to say the least. That’s why promoters like the Black Market, which has been running marketplace and live events in the area for more than half a decade, are so crucial. “Being a safe space is one of our main things,” says Panther Cordts, who runs the event series. “It’s a community space for peo- ple to be able to express themselves without prejudice.” Any given Black Market event sees a plethora of wild outfits and lifestyles, from punk and metal kids to goths and emos, and even cosplayers and anime fans. The queer community is also a fixture. Cordts, who be- gan the promo while working at the now- shuttered Churchill’s Pub, estimates about 20 percent of his guests are LGBTQ. All sorts of people assemble to shop for vinyl, vintage fashion, arts and crafts, home decor, bath and body products, and other goods while watch- ing talented local performers strut their stuff. The Black Market is turning up the heat for its sixth anniversary. Taking place Satur- day, June 17, at Revolution Live in Fort Lau- derdale, Black Market Fest will feature local bands, DJs, and performers across two stages with the theme of “Disco Inferno.” Funk- rockers Psychic Mirrors will headline the mainstage, with Donzii, Afrobeta, Salacia, House of Pris, SaturnSarii, DJ Rippin Kitten, and more on the undercard. A side stage will host drag and burlesque from Tito Bonito, Le Belle Michelle, Sin Silva, and other queens. It’s going to be a night of glitz and glamor — and perhaps even de- bauchery — that promises to put even Studio 54 to shame. Plenty of amenities will be available to put the “market” in Black Market. Food and drink stalls, a tarot reader, and a photo area will be on site along with more than 50 artisan and flea market vendors. Plus, a dance contest will offer 12 lucky contestants the chance to win a grand prize of $1,000. (All spots are full as of this writ- ing.) All this for the low, low price of $20. The Black Market’s six years of survival weren’t preordained, not least of all because of the pandemic. The party bounced around ven- ues after leaving Churchill’s Pub, landing at Las Rosas and later Base Camp (now Space Park) before finally landing at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. Despite its distance from Miami, Cordts prefers the larger capacity and its more central location drawing folks from Miami- Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. “I decided to go all in with the event and go bigger,” says Cordts, who started running the Black Market full-time during the pandemic after other opportunities dried up. Getting his foot in the door at Revolution meant the show would go on. “If it wasn’t for that I would’ve ended it,” he says. “It was either stop the event or find someplace big.” Plans are also in the works to take the promo even bigger. Cordts already runs an anime-themed event, Yokai Night, at Revolu- tion, and plans to move Void, the Black Mar- ket’s indie-music showcase at Domicile, to Broward as well. He’ll also run a Black Mar- ket event in Gainesville this year and is hop- ing to hit Atlanta and Brooklyn as well. Considering the dire lack of venues left serv- ing the alternative community in Miami, ex- panding is imperative — especially as the summer slow season dawns. “Summer slows down a lot,” he says. “It’s the time because there’s nothing happening down here.” Black Market Fest: Disco Inferno. With Psy- chic Mirrors, Donzii, and more. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolu- tion.net. Tickets cost $20 via shotgun.live. Black Market events have brought together misfits from all over Florida. Photo by Lazaro Ricardo “IT’S A COMMUNITY SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITHOUT PREJUDICE.” | CROSSFADE | ▼ Music Hopping To It The goofball members of Frogs Show Mercy take music very seriously. BY CATHERINE TORUÑO F rogs Show Mercy is one part silly and one part serious. As you get to know the quartet, it’s impossible not to be charmed by the band members’ goofy antics, balanced by their profound dedication to musical growth. “We can’t hide how goofball we like to be and how much we care about each other. It’s unavoid- able; it’s part of the music,” drummer Javi Nin says. The band’s sound is an impressive blend of alternative, emo, math rock, postpunk, and shoe- gaze, with lyrics that touch on serious themes such as relationships, life, abandonment, and loneliness. However, the way the lyrics are deliv- ered by vocalist and guitarist Yucky Poor, usually accompanied by a clever guitar melody, delivers the song’s message straight to the heart. The music video for “Stallion,” the band’s lat- est single, looks like a home-video glimpse into a regular day of Frogs Show Mercy. After an intro of Poor sitting alone on a bed singing, the mem- bers are seen dancing and jamming together. The single is one of four tracks on the band’s second EP When You’re Not Home. Last year, Frogs Show Mercy made the trek to Murphy, North Carolina, to hang out in a cabin and write music for six days. “We thought it would be a good way for us to isolate ourselves and write something that’s us and not like with some sort of incentive,” Nin adds. Two songs on the EP, “Stallion” and the acoustic track “Snows of Kilimanjaro,” were writ- ten during the self-imposed insolation. The band felt the two tracks would work best as part of the EP since the songs didn’t fit their upcoming al- bum’s overall theme and sound, which is still in the works. “In a way, it kind of feels like this EP is like a B- side of what could have been on the album,” bassist Karl Martinez says. “Like a before side,” Nin adds. Inspired by a scene in the 2014 film Frank, one of the two movies the band watched while in Murphy, Poor gathered field recordings while the other members ventured into the Bavarian- style town of Helen, Georgia. “I put a mic in the back of the cabin, which was on a mountain, and recorded ambient noise,” Poor explains. “There’s also a fireplace starting up and footsteps going up the stairs.” “Stallion” also features a cleverly placed sam- pled quote between characters Tony Soprano and Johnny Sack from The Sopranos. Since coming together three years ago, Frogs Show Mercy has garnered a loyal group of Frog- lodytes (the band’s name for its fans) that can often be seen singing along at shows. Still, beyond its silly exterior, Frogs Show Mercy takes itself very seriously. “We work really fucking hard,” guitarist Laz Matus says. “One thing about this band is the communi- cation aspect is very good, and it facilitates the process very well,” Martinez adds. “Even when we clash and butt heads and shit, we can still come to the center and make fire music.” Matus’ goal is for the band to headline a sold- out show at Gramps, and Nin hopes they can play at festivals like Bonnaroo and huge venues like Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks Am- phitheatre. Martinez would love for the band to perform alongside Midwest emo rockers Ameri- can Football. “My goal ultimately is to be able to create a new movement of emo music,” Poor says. “I want our music to be timeless and listened to and ad- mired by generations to come like a lot of my fa- vorite bands. Bands that bring in nostalgia, and specifically bands for high schoolers coming-of- age — like when you’re going through all of these fucking changes, and you’re like, ‘Who am I?’ and you’re trying to find yourself — I want to be one of those bands that helps you find yourself.” [email protected] Frogs Show Mercy Photo by Ian Ritter/@ianwokeup
