Perry Farrell can do no wrong, it seems. The legendary Jane's Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza founder has long taken a page from the David Bowie playbook, reinventing himself according to time and whim.
While he may still be best known for his turns at the helm of Jane's and Porno for Pyros, Farrell went multidisciplinary decades ago. As a wholehearted early adopter of dance music, his forays into blending electronic beats and performance art with a little rock swagger long predated later hipster dance-rock crossover trends.
So nothing about his event Thursday night in Miami would or should have surprised longtime Farrell-watchers -- except maybe that it wasn't quite that weird. It was against the sprawling backdrop of Art Basel Miami Beach that Farrell chose to fete his latest venture with manager/business partner Garrett Chau, Precision Guided Musicians.
Born from Farrell mishearing a friend who was talking about smart bombs ("precision guided musicians"), the organization hopes to spur on the creation of smart bombs of music and art in a mission of spreading world peace and parties. That means, in concrete terms, a nationwide search for a new up-and-coming artist, who will receive a grant, a series of gallery shows and the opportunity to design the organization's visual aesthetic.
It also means, for music lovers, a series of new destination events. Precision Guided Musicians is also a series of worldwide parties, the largest so far planned with Coachella founder Paul Tollett and set for next summer in Southern California.
The kick-off event was decidedly more modest and in line with Farrell's desire to grow the project organically. Rather than glitzy South Beach, he chose to hit midtown Miami
