Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. Born in Pensacola, 22-year-old pop artist Luci Lind has called Jacksonville home since he was a toddler. His coining of the genre “Jax pop” is just one example of his pride in being part of the Bold City music scene, where he gathers inspiration from his …
9 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Flaming Lips, Earthgang, Billy Strings, rickoLus, Sextile and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every week. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Want our concert picks delivered to your inbox every Tuesday? Sign up of the JME Live newsletter and never miss a show. Ska/Reggae The Toasters – Tuesday, April 16 Jack Rabbits | San Marco Seminal third-wave ska act, New …
Jax Musician Kennie Mason on ‘My Dog Ate My Patriotism,’ her noisy debut album as Siichaq
Kennie Mason, lead singer and founder of Jacksonville band Siichaq (pronounced sea-check), always felt like a fish out of water in the community she grew up in. Her music career began early, checking off the rite of passage of many a beach kid: singing in a rock band with a bunch of surfers. After a few years of growth and …
Jacksonville Band Ducats Offers Worthy Psych-Rock Delights on New Single, “Uggo Druggo”
Springtime apparently activates febrile indie rock music. The latest track from locals Ducats, “Uggo Druggo” heralds the seasonal arc in the form of an unhurried post-punk planted in a field of reverb. Over the course of its four-and-a-half minutes, “Uggo Druggo” is carried along in a bramble of guitar stabs and textures, riffs closing and falling back into the echoes, …
The Gear that Jacksonville Band Folk Is People Employs to Achieve their Ever-Evolving American-Roots-Inspired Sound
A staple of the Jacksonville music scene for over a decade, Folk is People breathes new life into old country and bluegrass traditions. Singer and guitarist Stacey Bennett started writing songs for the band in 2011, releasing the first Folk is People EP the following year. “When we started,” Bennett says, “it was all acoustic instruments. I was playing mandolin, …
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival Returns with Kenny Barron, Gregory Porter, Nicholas Payton, Lakecia Benjamin, Keiko Matsui and More at New Venue Sites
This Memorial Day weekend, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival is held in the downtown district, with performances at Metropolitan Park and Daily’s Place. A staple of city-run cultural events for four decades, each year jazz legends and emerging artists perform at multiple on-site venues. Last year’s festival attracted an estimated 75,000 attendees, creating an estimable, positive economic impact on the city. …
11 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
River Jams, Gamble Rogers Fest, Grace Kelly and More
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Rock/Glam Scott Yoder – Tuesday, April 9 Sarbez | St. Augustine Seattle glam-folkie Scott Yoder puts on a theatrical, one-of-a-kind show. And his latest full length, Scooter Pie, channels the twee-ist and rocking-est of the Marc Bolan/T. Rex …
Watch Jacksonville Artists’ 2024 Tiny Desk Contest Videos
The Tiny Desk Contest is back for 2024, with a new (and stacked) panel of judges and another opportunity for unsigned artists to earn an invite to perform on the revered, improvised stage located in offices of NPR Music’s Washington, D.C. HQ. Over the past nine years, tens-of-thousands of musicians have submitted their videos to the Tiny Desk Contest (TDC) …
5 Concerts to See this Week
Brent Cobb, Juice, Joe Satriani & Steve Vai and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Guitar Lords Joe Satriani & Steve Vai – Tuesday, March 26 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville A duo of legendary shredders, the 15-time Grammy winner Joe Satriani and three-time winner (15-time nominee) Steve Vai trade licks at the …
6 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Widespread Panic, TimaLikesMusic, Rodgers & Hammerstein and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Jazz Blue Jay Jazz Jam – Tuesday, March 19 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach Every Tuesday, standouts from the region’s jazz scene descend upon fun-size Jax Beach music venue Blue Jay for the Blue Jay Jazz …
Bad Madonna’s Alexis Rhode Goes Solo as ROADIE, Shares First Single “Ball of String”
Alexis Rhode of Jacksonville indie-rock act Bad Madonna has shared her first solo single as ROADIE, exploring a more delicate singer-songwriter sound on the pensive breakup song “Ball of String.” Rhode is backed by Danny Strickland, Milan Algood and Jordan Mixon on her new single, but you wouldn’t know it from the song’s opening moments. “I guess I got in …
Latest from Duval-to-NYC Musician Alexei Shishkin is a Quality Byrds-Style Flight Plan
Make no mistake: “Wind Picks Up Again,” the third track from Alexei Shishkin’s recent album dagger, is a fantastic rock song. From the start, it’s evident that the Jacksonvillian-turned-NYC-Brooklynite is adept at evoking the kind of lysergic 12-string-guitar shimmer that made 1966-era Byrds achieve stratospheric peaks, and the driving bass and drums accompaniment of Shishkin’s economical approach propels and enhances …
How Jacksonville Synth Wizard James Scott Rubia Spins Swamp-Pop Sounds as Animal Clinic
Gathering production influence from Brian Eno and songwriting inspiration from Leonard Cohen, solo synth act Animal Clinic aims for complexity in both sound and emotion. “I wanted to say something very personal,” says Animal Clinic’s sole musician James Scott Rubia. “I wanted to say it with detail, and I wanted listeners to be able to hopefully feel what I was …
Indie-Folk Fave Jenny Lewis Extends Joy’All Ball Tour, Adds a Stop at Intuition Ale Works in Jacksonville
Local lovers of legit indie-folk and innovative Americana have hit the summer sweepstakes. Jenny Lewis and her Joy’All Ball Tour makes a stop at Intuition Ale Works on Saturday, June 29. Lewis will be joined in Jax by the great Seattle songsmith Dean Johnson. Lewis’ latest, 2023’s ten-song Joy’All, finds Lewis in peak form, traversing traditional singer-songwriter terrain and experimental …
8 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Bob Dylan, Brandee Younger, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ron Artis II, Scarface and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Singer-Songwriter/Classic Rock Bob Dylan – Tuesday, March 12 Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts | Downtown Jacksonville An extension of his so-called “Never Ending Tour” (1988-?), the legendary Bob Dylan is in the midst of a three-year run …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | March 2
On the March 2 episode of the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we were joined by singer-songwriter Rick Colado, best known as rickoLus, whose album, These Things Happen, was released on March 1. The Jacksonville music veteran has been part of the local scene for decades and told us about the evolution of the …
Faye Webster Adds Fall Florida Theatre Show Supporting ‘Underdressed at the Symphony’
Now with another acclaimed album under her belt, Atlanta alt-folk singer-songwriter Faye Webster has announced a dozen new September and October shows, including a stop at Jacksonville’s storied Florida Theatre. Webster’s new shows are an extension of her impending North American tour in support of her fifth studio album Underdressed at the Symphony, released last week via Secretly Canadian. The …
Electronic Fusion Faves the Thievery Corporation Announce May Backyard Stage Show at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Groundbreaking electronic group the Thievery Corporation will bring their global-music sound to the Backyard Stage at St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Tuesday, May 23. Presented by Intuition Ale Works, tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, March 8 and are available online and at the Amp box office. Thievery Corporation was formed in Washington, D.C. in 1995 by Rob …
8 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
ZZ Top, Joyce Manor, Gospel in Jax, Mom Jeans and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Rock/Blues ZZ Top – Tuesday, March 5 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville Surviving members of classic-rock icons ZZ Top perform at the Florida Theatre with support from Northeast Florida alt-country/blues group Annie Dukes on Tuesday. More Gospel Gospel …
The Neighborhood Playlist | February 24
Neighbors! We’re at the end of February. The time was short, but hopefully you enjoyed the playlists and the interviews. In this episode, I sat with visual artist Erin Kendrick at Jacksonville Arts and Music School (aka JAMS) and we talked about the music she listens to as well as what she’s currently creating. Enjoy the playlist below. #TOTHETOP Corinne …
Duval Indie-Pop Impresario HUAN Delivers an Anthemic Takedown with “Finer Things”
Operating in a creative realm parallel to bedroom dream-pop exists Duval-based musician HUAN, aka Juan Mallorca, who throws a little nuanced neon light and electronic-soul on his DIY domain. Mallorca’s garage-rock jollies are satisfied with his project Jawberry and he’s also the mastermind behind the latin-trap entity, Chico Honey. Over a breezy riff that is smooth to the point of …
Photo Recap | Winterland Six Music Festival
Jacksonville music fans turned out for Osees, Caroline Rose, Blonde Redhead, Isaiah Collier and More
Over the course of the last weekend of February, Jacksonville music fans turned out to see nearly three dozen local, regional and nationally touring bands during Winterland Six. Held in James Weldon Johnson Park in Downtown Jacksonville, the music festival was headlined by Blonde Redhead, Caroline Rose and Osees. Enjoy a photo recap from the lenses of Toni Smailagic and …
7 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Hiss Golden Messenger, Steve Hackett, Ekkstacy and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Indie-Folk/Alt-Country Hiss Golden Messenger – Wednesday, February 28 Intuition Ale Works | Downtown Jacksonville Prolific, Grammy-nominated indie-folk singer-songwriter Hiss Golden Messenger plays the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works on Wednesday. Listen to JME’s Hurley Winkler talk to …
Erica Reese Spirals Through Shoegaze on Hooky New Single “Pretty”
Ahead of her set at this weekend’s Winterland Six music festival, Jacksonville’s own Erica Reese has shared a shoegazing new single, “Pretty,” produced by her Coastal Creature collaborator Parker Dixon. Awash in oceanic guitar tones and unflinching vulnerability, “Pretty” finds Reese’s narrator seeking external validation in what she knows deep down is a futile effort to fill some internal emptiness. …
The Neighborhood Playlist | February 17
Neighbors! It’s Mr. Al Pete here with another round of tunes that were played on my show. I wanted to add a song that centered and commemorated the late J. Dilla (Mochilla presents Timeless: Suite for Ma Dukes – Untitled/Fantastic). He was a powerful source to hip hop, soul, and other genres. There are a vast amount of people that …
Caroline Rose on Songwriting Evolution as a Form of Healing
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. The first time I ever heard “Feel the Way I Want” by Caroline Rose, I thought, “Wait a minute… is this my new anthem?” To me, Caroline’s music was stoic and earwormy. But on their latest record, 2023’s The Art of Forgetting, they took a turn …
Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C. Taylor on Writing Songs and Making a Racket
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. Like all good things in life, M.C. Taylor’s songwriting practice typically begins in a notebook. But lately, the Durham, NC singer-songwriter has been indulging more in the art of making a racket. Taylor has been releasing music under the moniker Hiss Golden Messenger since 2007. On …
7 Concerts to See in Jacksonville this Week
Winterland music festival, the Symphony does McCartney and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Bluegrass/American Roots Nickel Creek – Wednesday, February 21 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville Founded as a trio of child-prodigy pickers in the early ‘90s, the Chris Thile-led bluegrass outfit Nickel Creek reunited in 2023. They trio plays the …
Vampire Weekend Return With 2 New Tracks, North American Tour Feat. St. Augustine Stop
Indie-rock institution Vampire Weekend will soon return with their first new album in five years, Only God Was Above Us (April 5, Columbia Records), and to hold us over until then, Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson have shared two stellar new singles, “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops,” and announced a sprawling North American tour that features an October stop …
On New EP, Jacksonville Hip-Hop Artist Willie Evans Jr. Explores High-Level Concepts with Nuanced Cool
Prolificity, patience, and discernment are all evident in the mix-mind of Willie Evans Jr. The Duval-based hip-hop polymath has been creating music and cultivating the overall contemporary Southeastern rap scene for so long—25+ years and counting—that it seems as if he was always been present. Evans is woven tightly into the Full Plate label-scene, an imprint that has codified and …
10 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Black Opry Revue, Willie Nelson, Keb' 'Mo, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and more
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Alt-Rock Evan Dando – Tuesday, February 13 Jack Rabbits | San Marco Evan Dando, founding member of ‘90s, Boston-bred alternative-rock outfit The Lemonheads performs a special solo set in celebration of Jack Rabbits 25th anniversary on Tuesday night. …
Kurt Vile and The Violators Announce New Tour Dates, Including a Stop at Jacksonville’s Intuition Ale Works
Singer-songwriter and purveyor of certifried guitar-pop tunes Kurt Vile has expanded his upcoming tour, announcing additional spring dates, including a visit to Jacksonville to perform at the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works on Thursday, May 9. The announcement comes as Vile’s latest, the extensive extended player Back to Moon Beach has earned critical adoration and broad airplay, floating around …
Winterland Six | Lineup Guide and Festival Schedule
The Winterland music festival is held Friday, February 23 through Sunday, February 25 in James Weldon Johnson Park in Downtown Jacksonville. Single-day and three-day passes are available here. Scroll to the bottom for everything you need to KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. Full schedule below. Friday, February 23 (Gates open at 4 p.m.) Friday’s schedule below. Click on the artist to …
Tiny Desk Producer Bobby Carter (and an All-Star Panel of Judges) Will Watch Your Tiny Desk Contest Video
One of the most popular live-performance video series in the world, NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts continue to delight and inspire, all the while turning audiences on to emerging bands and offering a new and more intimate lens with which to view iconic artists. In late January, the Tiny Desk Contest – NPR Music’s annual nationwide search for the next …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | February 3
This week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we had a special treat from Geoff Rickly, lead singer of the veteran hardcore band Thursday. Rickly wrote a novel, Someone Who Isn’t Me, released last year on Rose Books, and he read a section from his book during our show on Saturday night at …
8 Concerts to See this Week in Jacksonville
Common, Wynton Marsalis, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bold City Circuit and more.
Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. R&B October London – Wednesday, February 7 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville On tour for his Billboard-chart topping debut, The Rebirth of Marvin, R&B singer October London visits the Florida Theatre on Wednesday. More Hip …