DJ ALEX GUTIERREZ

  A Father’s Pride: Passing the Soul Torch to My Son There’s a quiet kind of joy that sneaks up on you when you least expect it—like when your grown son sends you a text in the morning, not asking for advice or money, but simply dropping a link to a song he just discovered. It’s his way of saying, “Dad, I get you.” And I have to say, few things make me prouder than moments like these. This morning was one of those moments. My son, who grew up on a steady diet of whatever soul, funk, and R&B I could pump into his ears during car rides and lazy Sunday afternoons, sent me a track that stopped me in my tracks. “Really Wanna Be With You” by Durand Jones & The Indications . He just said, “This feels like you.” And it did . Durand Jones & The Indications are part of a refreshing new wave of artists that are bringing soul back.... real soul. The kind with lush strings, heart-wrenching harmonies, and that analog warmth that wraps around you like a vinyl hug. Formed in 2012...

  Shrimp, Grits, and a Side of Glam: My Curious Encounter with Dolly Parton's TV Dinner Alex Gutierrez As a self-declared Shrimp and Grits enthusiast (okay, maybe borderline obsessive), I’ve sampled this Southern staple from the cobblestone streets of New Orleans to local gems like The Village Tavern in Broward which, by the way, never lets me down. So naturally, when I spotted a frozen "TV Dinner" version of Shrimp and Grits with Dolly Parton's name on it wrapped in a bright, Barbie-pink box that could signal a glitter emergency I was intrigued. Correction: I was suspiciously intrigued. I quietly slipped it into my cart and later removed the cardboard sleeve in the breakroom like I was disposing of contraband. I just wasn’t in the mood to explain why my lunch looked like it came from Barbie’s Deep South Dreamhouse. To my surprise, it wasn’t bad. Actually, it was better than your average frozen food fare—closer to “shrimp and grits” than “mystery stew with delusi...

  Sunday Drives with Tom Jones and my Father by DJ Alex Gutierrez Back in the late '60s and '70s, growing up in Miami meant sun-soaked days, mangos falling off trees, and Sunday car rides that felt like magic carpets on four wheels. But what truly made them magical wasn’t just the scenery — it was the music floating out of our Oldsmobile , Cutlass Supremes' AM radio speakers, always carefully selected by my father. He wasn’t much of a “ talker” He was the undisputed DJ of our family road trips. Whether we were cruising down Biscayne Boulevard or heading out to Eden Roc on Miami Beach,, my old man had a strict playlist: Ray Conniff and the 101 Strings, Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass, and the ever-passionate Tom Jones. And let me tell you — nothing quite captures the feeling of watching palm trees blur past your window like a trumpet solo from “A Taste of Honey” or the dramatic croon of “It’s Not Unusual.” Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize at the time that those sounds were ...