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Monday, February 09, 2026

El Caimán

Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Album review: Brett Dennen – "Hope for the Hopeless"

Tall and bulky under a mess of red hair, Brett Dennen looks like the guy who used to stuff you in your locker in the sixth grade- and then serenade you with gentle, acoustic lullabies. On "Hope for the Hopeless," the former camp counselor and current Bay Area folkie uses his powers - expressive wordplay, hippie guitar - to spread West Coast peace and love. He claims this record was inspired by "Exile on Main St." Yes, and this review was inspired by "The Grapes of Wrath." Not buying it: "San Francisco" and "Heaven" are breezy, Stones-free odes to diversity. "Hope" works as a sermon to the converted - music for sandaled peaceniks. As for lingering misconceptions, Dennen clears things up on the effortless "Wrong About Me." He's a lover, not a fighter.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Album review: Electric Six – "Flashy"

Bravado by any other name is Electric Six. The opening cut from "Flashy" not only self-references a past "classic" but actually features the a cappella chorus "Gay Bar Part Two," which gives you some idea of how unabashedly cheeky this band really is. Amidst a barrage of guitar fire and trumpet riffs, Detroit's "Full Monty" punk troupe dishes an unending slew of one-liners in preparation for showtime at The Apollo. There's a little Chris Rock - "In the event of a water landing / you can use my body as a flotation device." There's a lot of Krusty the Clown - "You never want to find yourself trapped in heavy woman's thighs." So bust out your best heckle routine and a box of tomatoes. If you don't think it's funny, then the joke's on them.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

Wanted: girlfriend for loney bachelor

After the first hint of the holiday season, I'm beginning to notice that girlfriend-shaped empty space by my side. Sure, Halloween may not be the most romantic of all holidays, but something about seeing all those girls in slutty cat costumes awakened my companionship instinct.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

In good company

Crammed into Nick Greene's sound-proof bedroom, Boss Lady and the Company played a few of their original tracks Thursday night. Instead of awkwardly standing around explaining what they're about, the band members decided to show it.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MOVIES AND TV

'Zac and Miri' make a porno and many laughs

In "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," lifelong friends Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy and can't seem to make the awkward newly adult years work for them. Barely able to keep a roof over their heads, the two find themselves working minimum wage jobs just to cover expenses. Left without any other option, they decide to make, as the title would suggest, a porno. With the help of a strangely assorted cast and crew assembled from the bottom tier of society, the two set to work, finding out along the way that they might have feelings for each other beyond friendship.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Obama win brings hope to Americans

Sitting on the floor against the wall in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, I had separated myself from the masses and slowly began to grasp what President-elect Barack Obama's victory meant to the black students at UF.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Album review: AC/DC – "Black Ice"

Via a lucrative contract, "Black Ice" sells exclusively through Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. No big deal - we already knew AC/DC was in tight with Satan. Of more importance, after an eight-year sabbatical, the Australian metal titans still rest their laurels on a time-tested principle as fundamental to rock 'n' roll as the band itself: play three chords and let the truth do the rest. "Rock 'N Roll Train" sounds like the classic here, aiming for and achieving a big thrills, no frills anthem best played loud. Likewise, the power-chord manifestos "War Machine" and "Rock N Roll Dream" reaffirm the Young brothers' status atop the riff-rock hierarchy. There are no variations, no pointless detours and, really, no need. The Highway to Hell is a one-way street.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MUSIC

Q&A with Danny Boone from Rehab

Earlier this year, Rehab's "Bartender Song (Sittin' At a Bar)" made the leap from jukebox phenomenon to Hot 100 entry. Now Danny Boone, mastermind of the honky hip-hoppers, finds himself on the cusp of fame. On Nov. 8, Rehab will play alongside bands such as Hinder and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at the Planetfest, a music festival in Jacksonville. Has life changed? How could it not? Says Boone, "We've got more beer than we've ever had in our life."


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