North Beach Social: Curating Miami’s Global Sound at the Bandshell

The Miami Beach Bandshell glows with colorful projections as the Afro-Caribbean ensemble Senualo performs during the North Beach Social music series last December. The monthly music series is held each third Thursday of the month with free admission. (Photo by OS Photography Studio)

The North Beach Social, a free monthly music series held each third Thursday at the Miami Beach Bandshell, showcases the city’s rich cultural diversity through its programming. Upcoming dates include Thursday, Nov. 20, and Thursday, Dec. 18.

Organized by the Rhythm Foundation, the series employs a broad curation strategy that consistently features Miami-based artists working across international genres, including Indian fusion, Latin-funk, and Cumbia. By highlighting the array of local talent, North Beach Social positions itself as a venue where the region’s diverse global musical traditions intersect with the local arts scene.

For Laura Quinlan, program director at the Rhythm Foundation, the music series was conceived as “a free monthly meet-up for music-loving neighbors.” North Beach Social began in 2019 as an initiative of the Rhythm Foundation to present Miami artists “who are celebrating a milestone, releasing new music, getting ambitious with stellar new projects or collaborations.”

The Miami-based trio Jacuzzi Boys perform their signature blend of garage and surf rock during the North Beach Social music series at the Miami Beach Bandshell last July. (Photo by OS Photography Studio)

The event is part of the City of Miami Beach’s monthly Culture Crawl, a program that opens cultural venues for free on the third Thursday of each month. It encourages residents and visitors to explore the arts citywide. North Beach Social slots into this wider initiative as a regular stop in the cultural circuit.

In 2020, the pandemic intervened, and the series shifted into a livestream concert format, and in the current era it has reverted to a full-scale live event while continuing to support new work.

“The pandemic shutdowns could have easily paused the program,” says Quinlan, “but we wanted to keep it going for both artists and audiences. By moving online, we kept our connection to the neighborhood and gave local musicians a chance to keep performing.”

Since returning to the live format, the series remained centered at the Miami Beach Bandshell. “Through all of the incarnations, it has remained as our calling card to the neighborhood,” says Quinlan. “It’s a way to support the local music ecosystem, showcase Miami excellence, and also create great materials for our media initiatives.”

Quinlan notes that the Bandshell’s size requires artists who can attract sizable audiences and bring strong local followings. “The Bandshell is a pretty big space — we need to attract several hundred people in order to feel a good vibe inside the venue,” she says. While the performers are Miami-based, she adds that the programming is guided by a “world music” sensibility that reflects the Rhythm Foundation’s broader mission. “The Rhythm Foundation focuses on top world music, so I try to keep our programming within that feeling.”

Rajesh Bhandari, bandleader of the Indian-fusion ensemble Navikaran Quartet, explains their concept: “We aim to keep one foot grounded in tradition while remaining flexible to explore new directions and sounds.” The band will perform at North Beach Social on Thursday, Nov. 20. (Photo by Fahad Abdullah)

That intentional curatorial strategy is evident in some of the past acts. “One of the strongest Miami scenes is the Latin-funk fusion. We have had fantastic experiences with bands like Suenalo, Afrobeta, Foom!. I have loved working with some young producers like Paperwater. I also loved recent rock shows, with amazing visuals, by Jacuzzi Boys, Las Nubes,” says Quinlan.

“We have done so much world traveling, without leaving town,” indicates Quinlan mentioning shows by Haitian artists such as Haitian konpa group Gabel and NSL Danse Ensemble, Brazilian nights, Indian music, salsa bands, French chanson, jazz, and so on. The lineup unfolds like a map of multiple diasporic and cross-cultural currents within Miami’s music ecosystem.

The season started with a performance by guitarist Diego Melgar in mid-October. It continues Thursday, Nov. 20, with the Indian-fusion ensemble Navikaran Quartet and in December with the cumbia collective Sonora Tukukuy.

The Navikaran Quartet combines instruments from both North and South Indian traditions (tabla, violin or sarangi, sitar or surbahar, and mridangam) creating a blend of rhythmic and melodic textures that bridge classical and contemporary sounds. They integrate electronic effects and synthesizers alongside classical Indian forms.

Bandleader Rajesh Bhandari explains their concept: “We try to approach this project with an innovative mindset by allowing the development of these compositions to have new avenues of expression through arrangement and collaboration. We aim to keep one foot grounded in tradition while remaining flexible to exploring new directions and sounds.”

Gabriel Ayala, bandleader of Sonora Tukukuy, a cumbia group deeply rooted in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood. The band will perform on Thursday, Dec. 18.(Photo by Giano Currie)

For the ensemble, appearing at North Beach Social provides a platform to reach the local South-Asian community while also engaging a broader eclectic audience. “We are committed as musicians to spread the joy of music and to celebrate cultural diversity by connecting with people of all backgrounds as well as with the large and diverse South Asian community in the area,” says Bhandari.

December’s lineup, Sonora Tukukuy, rooted in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, exemplifies another strand of the series’ curatorial reach.

“Tukukuy” means “the end” in Quechua, the language of the Incas. Their journey began in-house parties, progressed through clubs and festivals, and now includes national tours. “It sure has been a fast and wild ride,” says, Gabriel Ayala, the bandleader. “But this organic development of the collective has in many ways cemented the core direction we’ve had since the beginning: to celebrate the evolution of cumbia and its cultural impact in Miami, the United States, and the world, proudly made in Allapattah.”

On the broader significance of cumbia in the Miami-area experience, says Ayala, “Cumbia is the people’s music. It is a generous genre that invites people to celebrate and create community.” He continues, “Miami is a city of immigrants, and Cumbia is inherently attached to the immigrant experience. Cumbia is the soundtrack of our American dream.”

Afrobeta engages with fans during the band’s performance at the Miami Beach Bandshell in 2023, blending electronic beats with Latin-infused rhythms and theatrical flair. (Photo by OS Photography Studio)

Sonora Tukukuy’s December appearance coincides with the release of its new album and its second anniversary as a band.

North Beach Social has developed into a stable fixture within Miami Beach’s cultural calendar, according to Quinlan.

North Beach Social has developed into a stable fixture within Miami Beach’s cultural calendar, according to Quinlan. Its blend of neighborhood-scale accessibility and globally inflected music offers a model for how free public concerts might reflect both place and diversity.

WHAT: North Beach Social

 WHEN: 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20; Dec. 18, and every third Thursday of the month

 WHERE: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach

 COST: Free but RSVP requested.

 INFORMATION: (786) 453-2897 or miamibeachbandshell.com

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