One of my favorite places to see shows in all of Florida is the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach. It’s beautiful and dilapidated in that Miami Beach kinda way, it’s right on the beach, and – most importantly – thanks to the efforts of the fine folks at Rhythm Foundation, it’s often host to concerts by some superb international musicians.

This year’s edition of the TransAtlantic festival (April 14, 27, 29, and 30 in Miami; full-festival passes are only $40!) is a perfect example; with a lineup featuring Bomba Éstereo, Antibalas, Tango Conspiracy, and other prime exemplars of “contemporary world music,” the TransAtlantic will again be the place to be for lovers of international music that is not lame. (Apologies to readers of this site who may be unfamiliar with my writing history, but it is an ongoing mission of mine to prove that artists who sing in a language that is not English or base their music in an idiom that is not I-IV-V changes are just as capable of rocking your ass or blowing your mind as those that do; and, more importantly, that this music is not the purview of bespectacled grad students or NPR acolytes … whew, rant over … welcome to the blog!)