Jax Songwriter Adam Cotton Goes Heavy on the Gentleness with Latest EP

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Locals with a hankering for singer-songwriter action in the style of Dave Matthews, Keller Williams, late-era James Taylor, most assuredly the late Jimmy Buffet, will likely enjoy the latest from Northeast Florida musician Adam Cotton. Released in March the three-song EP All These Horizons is Cotton’s latest. The title track offers a canon-like motif, as Cotton’s finger-picked guitar and earnestness …

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Live Sessions | Susto Performs “Good Right Now” and “The Get Down” at Intuition Ale Works

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Led by singer-songwriter Justin Osborne, the Charleston-bred indie-Americana band Susto visited Jacksonville in early 2023, performing at the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works. The band broke out with the 2021’s Time in the Sun, which combined Osborne’s introspective songwriting with an energetic live-band feel. And with 2023’s My Entire Life — another suite of songs grounded in American roots, …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Sept. 25-Oct. 1

Beethoven, Rein Sanction, Timothy Eerie, Circle Jerks

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Jazz  Blue Jay Jazz Jam – Tuesday, September 26 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach Every Tuesday, fun-size Jax Beach venue Blue Jay Listening Room hosts one of the city’s premier jazz …

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Juan Rollan Quartet Shows Some Love for John Coltrane’s Iconic Spiritual-Jazz Masterpiece

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In the mid-1960s, saxophonist John Coltrane was experiencing an undeniable evolution. Having the ability to perform slow-burn ballads and high-speed changes with equal agility, he had spent the previous decade establishing himself as a firebrand soloist with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. As Coltrane’s compositional skills increased, so did his prolificity as a bandleader. After signing with the label Impulse! …

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As Eureka Springs, Cory Driscoll Expands His Sonic Vision with New Single, “The Mirage”

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Eureka Springs have released their second single, a downtempo, jangly meditation called “The Mirage.” Some housekeeping first: Eureka Springs is the full-band project of Jacksonville singer-songwriter Cory Driscoll, whose 2022 album is also called Eureka Springs. Driscoll also has a song called “Eureka Springs” from the album Eureka Springs which–what with the artist, song and album–approaches The-1975-levels of meta.  In …

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On “Hits,” Jacksonville’s BlissFund Utilizes a Reductionist Approach to Blend Folk and Rock

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Jacksonville’s BlissFund was started in 2018 primarily as a writing project by G.A. Mallinson.  “Hits,” the opening track from his new full-length release Revelator, finds Mallinson deploying a plain-spoken, talking-folk-blues approach. Simple chords strummed over abstract guitar swells, a drumbeat that is minimal and tentative, and the song’s narrator dealing out ambiguities in a love story that he considers “lighting …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Sept. 18-24

Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and more play Sing Out Loud; Nas and Wu-Tang Clan in Jax

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Reggae The Original Wailers feat. Al Anderson – Wednesday, September 20  Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville Formed by guitarists Junior Marvin and Al Anderson – who backed up Bob Marley – the Original Wailers …

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Bold City Circuit Brings Intimate Concert Experiences to Jacksonville Residents’ Places of Residence

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On a recent Sunday, renowned Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Deidre McCalla settled in for a Bold City Circuit performance. Born and raised in New York City, McCalla cut her teeth in the highly competitive busking scene around Macdougal Street, which later produced legends like Suzanne Vega, Patti Smith and Tracy Chapman, among many others. McCalla’s album Don’t Doubt It (Olivia Records, 1985), …

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Live Session | Watch Frankie and the Witch Fingers Melt Faces on the JME Soundstage

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Nearly a decade of constant touring is paying dividends for the L.A.-based psychedelic-rock outfit Frankie and the Witch Fingers. The group cranks out energetic, riff-heavy earworms befitting of a band that has shown incredible stamina. And their seventh-studio record, Data Doom (out now via Greenway Records) is poised to make the band’s extraneous nom de plume (there are no Frankies …

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Steep Canyon Rangers Bring Their Deep Take on Bluegrass to the Florida Theatre

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The Steep Canyon Rangers will return to the Florida Theatre on Saturday, November 4. Over the course of two decades, the group has collaborated with banjo-playing comedy legend Steve Martin, singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and a whole host of others on their way to be being heralded as one of the finest bluegrass outfits working today. And while the Rangers have …

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Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards on the Letting Go and Going Within

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How does one rock and roll the ineffable?  Starting in 2003, Erika Wennerstrom has been the founder and forge of the Heartless Bastards. While the band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 2007 Wennerstrom has called Austin, Texas home. Since their inception, and despite some lineup changes, Heartless Bastards have garnered a devoted audience and critical raves due to their …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | September 11-17

Lil Baby, Tank and the Bangas, Heartless Bastards and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Rock  3 Doors Down – Wednesday, September 13 Daily’s Place | Downtown Jacksonville Nineties rock-radio faves 3 Doors Down performs at Daily’s Place with support from grunge-era standouts Candlebox on Wednesday.  More  Various …

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The Gear That Gave Jax’s Ducats the Grungy Sound They Needed to Record Their Latest Single, “Painless”

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“Our songs are pretty pop/melody driven,” says Trent Holton, leader of the Jacksonville-based lo-fi garage act Ducats. “But we like to make noise and sound ugly sometimes in practice. We just drone and wail. The essence of music-making, for me, is represented in those loose moments: creation, destruction, spontaneity, grit, grime, happy, sad, pure energy.” That playful, throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach shines …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Sept. 4-10

904 Soul Showcase, Johnnyswim, Kind Hearted Strangers and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Singer/Songwriter  Johnnyswim – Wednesday, September 6 PV Concert Hall | Ponte Vedra  Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter duo Johnnyswim, which features Jacksonville-bred multi-instrumentalist and producer Jonathan Berlin on guitar, perform at the PV Concert Hall …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Aug. 28 – Sept. 3

Taco & Tequila Festival, Jemere Morgan, Slightly Stoopid and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Reggae Jemere Morgan – Wednesday, August 30 Jack Rabbits | San Marco  Grandson of reggae legend Denroy Morgan and son of Morgan Heritage member Gramps Morgan, Jemere Morgan brings his fusion of contemporary …

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Multitalented Duval Artist Jordan Blackburn Steps out of the Digital Cumulus with First Full-Length Release, ‘Abnormal Hues’

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Considering the semi-infinite roster of SoundCloud (with a bandwidth-buckling 30 million musicians currently featured on the DIY site), it’s easy for an artist to be lost or overlooked in that digital cumulus. “Shake” is the new single from Duval solo artist Jordan Blackburn and the closing track from his seven-song debut, Abnormal Hues. According to his EPK, Blackburn is a …

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Live Session | Jacksonville Indie-Folk Band Bobby Kid Plays Songs from their Beloved New Record, ‘Babyface’

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A few weeks back, the Jacksonville Music Experience conducted an in-no-way-scientific poll of our Instagram followers (a small-but-mighty bunch nearing 2K; follow here) based on the following prompt: Fave Local Release of 2023. Of the four-dozen or so respondents, nearly half said they either liked Bobby Kid‘s Babyface or a song from the band’s new full-length album. In some ways …

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Teal Peel Singer and Guitarist Taylor Neal Battled Perfectionism While Writing and Producing His Song “Sandy”

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Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to local songwriters about how they wrote one specific song.  As frontman of Jacksonville based indie-rock band Teal Peel, songwriter Taylor Neal is the first to admit to his own perfectionism. He held onto some of the band’s songs for several years prior to releasing them. But when you hear the recordings, his …

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Coastal Creature Kick Back and Sip “Lemonade” on Breezy New Single

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Duval DIY indie-pop duo Coastal Creature are plotting the fall release of their debut EP, but in the meantime, they’ve shared a new tune to keep you cool through the summer swelter. Lead single “Lemonade” is out as of this week, with a music video to follow in early September. Erica Reese and Parker Dixon, then recent Florida transplants, met …

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On ‘Low Cost Cobra,’ Jax Synthwave Duo Limo Scene Tap Into Feel-Good ’80s Revivalism

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Rolling forward with their recently released full-length album, Low Cost Cobra, local synthwave duo Limo Scene continue with their celebratory obsession with ‘80s new wave sounds. The opening cut from the six-song collection, “Vocode” essentially sets the neon-lit stage for the remainder of the album. A four-on-the-floor beat and soft-funk guitar chord progression ballast the four-minute groove of “Vocode.” A …

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The Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Aug. 14-20

Blue Jay turns six, plus jazz, EDM, punk, new wave and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Jazz Taylor Roberts – Monday, August 14 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach  Duval jazz guitarist Taylor Roberts continues his once-a-month Monday night residency at Blue Jay. Read about Roberts’ new record …

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Jax Indie Rockers Faze Wave Share “Teenage Nightmare,” Plot Fall Tour

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Remember Seinfeld’s “Summer of George”? Well, this is about to be the Fall of Faze Wave. The Jacksonville rock four-piece have shared a new single, the hard-charging “Teenage Nightmare,” and announced a fall tour, with eight East Coast shows set for October. Faze Wave are in fine form on “Teenage Nightmare,” a rollicking ode to youthful angst whose jangly rock …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Aug. 7-13

Jason Isbell, Queer Country Disco, Stephen Marley and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. A cappella  Pentatonix – Wednesday, August 9  Daily’s Place | Downtown Jacksonville Inarguably talented, unmistakably twee a cappella pop group Pentatonix performs at Daily’s Place Amphitheater on Wednesday.  More  Reggae  Stephen Marley – …

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On ‘Flutters,’ Duval Soul and R&B Artist Kearsten Monielle Shares “All I Want” and More

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Taken from her new Flutters EP, the latest from Duval soul and R&B artist Kearsten Monielle is a slow-burn ballad polished to a high sheen. Behind the major-key glimmer of producer Ian Williams, on “All I Want” Monielle serves up a song about letting go of negative energy, supplanted with positive vibrations, navigating what Monielle tells JME was born from …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 31-Aug. 6

Jazz, punk and everything in between

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Jazz Blue Jay Jazz Jam – Tuesday, August 1 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach  Every Tuesday, fun-sized Jax Beach venue Blue Jay Listening Room hosts a rotating cast of standout players …

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Should Artists Pay to Play? Upcoming Festival Employs Controversial Model For Booking Local Talent

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The First Coast Music Festival is held on Saturday, July 29 at Underbelly and 1904 Music Hall in Downtown Jacksonville. The event will feature a lineup of 32 local artists and is being promoted as a showcase of the region’s “best independent artists” competing for a “cash prize.”  The model the festival has employed to secure this lineup of local, …

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The Latest from Duval Rockers Ducats Stays Faithful to Their Lo-Fidelity Psych Sensibilities 

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The latest from Duval rockers Ducats takes the continuous-release, narcoticized-guitar maneuvering of peak My Bloody Valentine and halcyon days Teenage Fanclub well into the 21st century. “Painless” is stylized but hardly flatlined or constrained by any rockist demands. Wobbly guitar shimmers over, under and around vocals unintelligible to the point of any distinguishable words — and that is a compliment. …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 24-30

John Fogerty, Goo Goo Dolls, Ulysses Owens Jr.'s Jazz Jam and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Metal/Parody Steel Panther – Wednesday, July 26 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville  Comedic glam band Steel Panther brings its hair-metal schtick to Underbelly on Wednesday. More Pop/Rock  Goo Goo Dolls & O.A.R. – Thursday, …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 17-23

Yellowcard, Young the Giant, Michael Franti & Spearhead and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Rock Buckcherry – Tuesday, July 18 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville Hard-rock outfit Buckcherry, who had a handful of alt-rock-radio hits in the ‘90s, including “Lit Up,” play Underbelly on Tuesday.  More Indie/Folk/Punk Emily …

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Bobby Kid Singer and Guitarist Anna Lester Shares the Highs and Lows of Writing her Song “Seeds”

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Welcome to Jacksonville Music Experience’s Songwriting School, where we talk to local songwriters about how they wrote one specific song.  Jacksonville-based songwriter Anna Lester has been recording and performing music since 2017 under the name Bobby Kid, an indie rock band she started with her husband, drummer Brian Lester. In March, Bobby Kid released their second album, Babyface.  This long-awaited …

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On “Agradecido,” Emerging Duval Indie-Pop Artist Huan Pens a Sincere Song in Spanish

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Huan, the Jacksonville-based purveyor of dreamy indie-pop has released his latest single, “Agradecido,” an open thank-you note to his mother, and his first single in Spanish. “This is my love letter to her while leaving a digital footprint at the same time,” Huan said about the song in an email. “Her name and voice deserve to live forever. I didn’t …

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Playlist | Best New Music of July

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Featuring a few dozen new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists, our Fresh Squeeze playlist includes the best new music emanating from Northeast Florida and beyond. Handpicked by our team of contributors, there are no rules or genre restrictions; just songs we thought were worth a share. Our latest Fresh Squeeze includes new music from wholly original acts Blonde …

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For the Jacksonville Music Scene, Little Alley Shows Offer Intimacy and Discovery

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Proprietor Emily Moody is already a key figure in local music history, in her own right–not as a performer, but as a facilitator. “Jacksonville has a long history of great music,“ she says. ”It has always been a mission of mine to highlight and celebrate music created right in our city.” She’s done just that, for almost every notable local …

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Duane Betts Finds Serenity and Soul in His ‘Wild & Precious Life’

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When Duane Betts and his band Palmetto Motel hit the stage at Downtown Jacksonville’s Intuition Ale Works on Sunday, July 16, they’ll be performing mere miles from where the Allman Brothers Band formed more than fifty years ago.  As the son of founding ABB member Dickey Betts, the now-45-year-old Duane was born within a direct lineage of that elder band’s …

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The Best Concerts in Jacksonville | July 3-9

Little Alley Shows, Matchbox 20, Bear Grillz and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning and are always available on jaxmusic.org. For the comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Hip Hop/R&B Che Forreign – Wednesday, July 5 Little Alley Shows | Downtown Jacksonville The latest installment in a series of pop-up concerts curated by Downtown vintage boutique Wolf & Cub, Jax singer …

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North Florida Bands: Sing Out Loud is Accepting Applications for 2023 Festival

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Local musicians looking for a chance to perform in front of a live audience (compared to a dead or undead audience) are in luck.  The seventh-annual Sing Out Loud Festival is accepting applications from Northeast Florida musicians to perform during the festival, held each year at various venues in and around St. Augustine. The festival is accepting applications from solo …

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