Q&A: The Sounds of Miami Featuring James Quinlan, Director of The Rhythm Foundation

Photography by Ryan Troy on September 28th, 2020 in Editorials, Lifestyle, Music

James Quinlan

Miami Beach, FL – September 28, 2020 – Its no secret that Miami is a melting pot; a paradise people flock to from all over the world for culture and entertainment. The music scene, of course, is no exception. Over the past three decades, the Rhythm Foundation has been a major influence in the development and preservation of our city’s remarkable entertainment industry, contributing to its growth on a local, national, and even international scale. Their focus is on creating shared cultural experiences that build and strengthen the diverse communities of South Florida through the presentation of live music.

In 2015, the City of Miami Beach awarded the Rhythm Foundation the management of the North Beach Bandshell, a 1400-capacity oceanfront amphitheater. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced venues everywhere to close, the foundation pivoted their business model and explored new and engaging ways to provide their audiences with a well-rounded calendar of events. The Rhythm Foundation and Bandshell did not let the absence of a live audience slow them down, curating an impressive, and entirely virtual “season of the arts” with full concert performances live streamed from the amphitheater. In addition to a digital transformation, the North Beach Bandshell has also undertaken a physical transformation with some much-needed capital improvements to ensure that once guests return, they will experience their favorite acts in a historic yet high-grade venue.

World Red Eye met up with the Rhythm Foundation director, James Quinlan, to discuss the upcoming fall season, relaunch of the Bandshell, and the foundation’s past highlights. Read the full Q&A below.

By Gaby Cuevas

James Quinlan

WRE: Tell us a little bit about the Rhythm Foundation. What are the foundation’s efforts centered around?

James Quinlan: Rhythm Foundation launched in Miami Beach in 1988. The focus originally was on international artists and modern world music – with the goal of sharing international culture and building community. Over the last 30 years we have presented some of the most beloved and innovative artists from the US, as well as from Latin America, Brazil, Europe, Africa and beyond. In 2015, we began our management of the North Beach Bandshell for the City of Miami Beach, which has been truly a game-changer for the organization. We believe international cultural exchange injects empathy and positivity into the global conversation, cultural activity develops community and builds neighborhoods, and sustainable practices are possible in event productions.

Miami is a young city. We have been a cultural presence for more than three decades, which means that we’re a part of the story of the city itself. In 1988, Miami was a very different place than the international crossroads we now love. We are so proud to think our work has played a meaningful part in our city’s growth! We hope to keep building the world we want to live in.

WRE: Miami is known as an epicenter of international culture and entertainment. How has this helped inform the foundation’s community programming for local events?

JQ: We began working more intensely with locally based artists and developing community-centric program a few years ago, with the launch of some signature series. These include Big Night in Little Haiti (monthly 2011 – 2016) which was transformative for the Little Haiti neighborhood, and helped us tap into the amazing Caribbean artists who live in South Florida; TransAtlantic Festival (annually 2003-2017) where we had a chance to feature ’the new sound of Miami’ right along with favorite international touring bands; and now some of our amazing annual programs at the North Beach Bandshell highlighted by the Ground Up Music Festival, Afro Roots Festival, Youth Music Festival, Global Cuba Fest and the Nu Deco Ensemble, who are in residence for their entire season this year.

WRE: In 2015 you officially made The North Beach Bandshell venue your new home. Tell us about your partnership with them. What has it been like hosting events there?

JQ: We find there is no substitute for consistency when it comes to building community-based partnerships and audiences. We are actively working with the City of Miami Beach to build the Bandshell as a first-choice platform for a wide diversity of the region’s best artists and performing arts organizations. Our years of production in a variety of venues provided insight into how to prioritize venue support for our cultural community. We are very proud of the growing range of high quality presenting partners who have chosen to work at the Bandshell including The Arsht Center, Fundarte, Florida Grand Opera, PopLife, Orchestra Miami, Dance Now!, Guitars Over Guns, Miami Broward One Carnival Host Committee, FilmGate Miami, Miami Light Project, Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival, FIU, Seraphic Fire, South Beach Jazz Festival, Florida Shakespeare Theater and Oolite Arts. We are grateful to the City of Miami Beach for entrusting us with the management of the Bandshell, one of the city’s cultural treasures. We have built a great team at the venue. We love the Bandshell; live music next to the ocean…. there is nowhere else like it.

WRE: The North Beach Bandshell is currently undergoing renovations. What are some improvements audiences can expect?

JQ: The installation of the Canopy and new seating system earlier this year are the biggest upgrades for the audience. We worked closely with the City for more than 5 years to find the right balance of design and functionality for the Canopy to protect the audience from rain and sun, while maintaining the feeling of an open air oceanfront ballroom as originally built in 1961.These major improvements along with tech investments in lighting, projection, and video systems will bring an exceptional patron experience. We are also prioritizing a complete revamping of concessions services to allow for higher levels of service and health safety.

James Quinlan

We have been a cultural presence for more than three decades, which means that we’re a part of the story of Miami itself… We are so proud to think our work has played a meaningful part in our city’s growth.

James Quinlan

WRE: With the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affecting the live-music and entertainment industry, many businesses have had to pivot to an online platform. How has the Rhythm Foundation handled this transition? What can audiences expect this upcoming season?

JQ: We began live-streaming performances the same weekend that we closed because of COVID-19, back in March. We are still presenting live music and finding ways to support our cultural ecosystem and keep our artists and crew working, we just have no live audience. One silver lining is we now have a platform to share the great artists from Miami with the entire world! Each month we are learning new techniques to be an active part of the birth of this new form of media. We have added Zoom inserts into the livestreams, experimented with live digital graphics and added real-life food & beverage partnerships. Some of the multimedia platforms that we are developing during the COVID-19 closure will continue to grow as part of our future, even after we welcome the public back in for live music. We have been very fortunate to see an overwhelming show of support for area cultural institutions by the City of Miami Beach and the Cultural Arts Council, from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and County Commissioners, and from the Knight Foundation and Miami Foundation.

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WRE: Live concerts, venue management, outdoor festivals, and countless community events later; you guys have done it all. Are there plans to expand into other mediums in the future?

JQ: Our work in multimedia platforms continues to expand. We are developing a variety TV show under the banner “North Beach Social”, to be presented initially on local cable television and the internet. We aim to extend Miami Beach’s tradition of hosting variety shows such as Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason and Mike Douglas and bring this format into the 21st century.

WRE: What are some of the most memorable moments and highlights over the past two decades?

JQ: This is the hard question – so many amazing shows! One of the most memorable nights for us was when Arcade Fire played at Big Night in Little Haiti, during the 2013 Reflektors tour. People still talk about it. We have worked with Seu Jorge many times over the years, including his first visit to the US in 2005 when only Wes Anderson fans knew him, through the samba nights, and then right up until his last visit when he performed The Life Aquatic solo as a tribute to Bowie. Caetano Veloso’s shows have also been highlights. The US debut of Spanish singer Buika was unforgettable, as was Cuban funk sensation Cimafunk’s last year. We’ve had amazing artists from Africa, too – Seun Kuti, Femi Kuti, Tinariwen, Bombino to name a few. Manu Chao at Bayfront Amphitheater was a dream come true. At the Bandshell, the GroundUP Music Festival with Snarky Puppy and their label mates each year is the most epic musical immersion. We are going through the archives during this downtime, and it’s been a fun to revisit so many great nights of music.