Score "Desde Que Se Fue" by the Rockadictos, Performing Live With Stuka This Friday

Miami's the Rockadictos don't play Latin rock. It's pure rock 'n' roll that happens to be in Spanish.

Too bad about the name, though, because they're a much better band than their dumb little moniker might make you think. It's a cartoony one that conjures up the image of four crack-rock-addicted Carlos Santanas groping cherry-red Flying Vs.

OK, this rant about the name is almost done. But ... Please, Rockadictos, change it before your really good debut album comes out. We don't want you to be ignored. We want people to see you.

Anyway, the Rockadictos is a bunch of Argentine transplants that plays deeply melodic hard rock with traces of Guns N' Roses, New Wave, reggae, and power-pop. Check out the MP3 of "Desde Que Se Fue" that we've supplied for you. It starts off with a tasty riff, moving in the span of four and a half minutes through several genres without ever sounding like a Frankenstein monster of a song.

This band doesn't care about what's cool or fashionable. And yet they never sound bad. The glue that holds these guys together is frontman Javier Rockadictos' smooth casi-baritone vocals. Whether the Rockadictos is playing something that sounds like Aerosmith, the Killers, or Argentine punk icons Attaque 77, his melodies are as catchy as that flu you're still trying to get over. And let's not forget the hyperprecise rhythm unit: Rockadictos' thick bass, Pablo Cobo's intense lead guitar playing and Bernardo Giaggiani's larger than life drumming; plus they have local rock legend Gus Rod Gonzalez on rhythm guitar for the live shows.

This Friday, the Rockadictos will be playing a free show at Rock Shop on South Beach along with Stuka from Los Violadores, one of the first ever punk bands in Latin America. And Argentine website El Aire De La Ciudad will broadcast the show live on the internet.

Now, just one more time: The Rockadictos are an excellent band that will definitely make a name for themselves, if they change their name.

Download:

The Rockadictos' "Desde Que Se Fue"

The Rockadictos with Stuka. Friday, April 15. The Rock Shop, 1334 Washington Ave., South Beach. The show starts 10 p.m.