Florida International University’s Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab (WPHL) is partnering with Miami soundscapes, Leadership Prep Foundation, Taste of Coco Bahamas and Backroom Sessions MIA to present music, art and culture in Coconut Grove on Grand Ave at the Taste of Coco Bahamas featuring Spoon’s Smokehouse BBQ & Bahamian Cuisine.

Recently designated “Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove,” this neighborhood embodies the culture, history, and contribution of thousands of Bahamians who not only live and work in Miami, but also were integral to the city’s founding. 

This project, located in the heart of Little Bahamas, will bring much-deserved attention and meaning to this neighborhood so long neglected and under-resourced. This project will bring a new music venue and cultural hub to the creative community all throughout Miami and nurture a new generation of artists/musicians within the community.

WHERE WILL THIS HAPPEN? 

This project resides in the heart of Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove, on Grand Ave between Plaza and 37th at Taste of Coco Bahamas 3659 Grand Ave. This venue (food, art, entertainment, community) is a point of community gravity, hosting music, art, sports events, and much more. This project promises to activate the space.

The mission of Miami Soundscapes is to create opportunities for community unification and collaboration through music. The goal is to bring more music to the local community and more of the community to its music, and chronicling the Miami Sound, past, present, and future, from the early soul and R+B from Overtown, Bahamian Junkanoo of the West Grove, the Caribbean's impact from its vast diaspora living in South Florida, Cuban, Haitian, Puerto Rician, Jamaican and more.

We capture stories – both instrumental and interpersonal – by the most prolific creators and producers in Miami and South Florida sound through recorded conversations on video podcast, and eventually documentaries. Our community-based work benefits people of all ages who want to have more music in their lives, with a special focus on our underserved communities. We have begun to curate and record Miami’s sound, including with Claudens Louis and Cortadito, in order to discuss the many layers of Miami's local music scene and the many iterations of the Miami sound, its history, current status and future prospects.

Reach out to us at (786) 914-1687 or drop us a line at [email protected]. Your next great story awaits!