Local music fans get to experience a performance by Southern rock royalty when Duane Betts performs at Intuition Ale Works on Sunday, July 16. While Betts may tire of his legendary rock heritage, as the son of founding Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, the younger guitarist-vocalist is a bona fide torchbearer of that rock-music lineage. The fact that the …
Best Live Music in Jax This Week | May 15-21
The Psychedelic Furs, Winona Forever, Songwriter's Night, '90s nostalgia and more
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. New Wave The Psychedelic Furs – Tuesday, May 16 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville Iconic British new wave band The Psychedelic Furs plays the Florida Theatre on Tuesday. Watch | Tickets | Map …
Comedy-Rock Gods Tenacious D Bring Spicy Meatball Tour to St. Augustine
Jack Black and Kyle Gass, the comedy-rock duo dubbed Tenacious D, will take the St. Augustine Amphitheatre stage this weekend, bringing the opening leg of their Spicy Meatball Tour to an end. Though Black has been especially busy lately — he voices the villainous Bowser in box-office smash “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” contributed the viral hit “Peaches” to its …
Watch Jacksonville Artists’ Tiny Desk Contest Submissions
The Tiny Desk Contest is back for 2023, with a new panel of judges and another opportunity for unsigned artists to earn an invite to perform on the revered, improvised stage in front of Bob Boilen’s desk at NPR Music HQ. Tens of thousands of musicians submitted their videos before the March 13 deadline — including nearly two-dozen artists from …
Sing Out Loud 2023 Announces Francis Field Showcase with The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and More
The Sing Out Loud Festival returns this year to St. Augustine and features a lineup of popular Grammy-winning artists as well as emerging national and regional performers. This year’s SOL includes the two-day Francis Field Showcase, featuring a roster of impressive acts, including the indie-to-arena style blues rock of The Black Keys, innovative UK soul of Yola, the new-country stylings …
Best Concerts of the Week in Jacksonville | May 8-14
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Tenacious D, Melissa Etheridge, Tidal Daze and more
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 Melissa Etheridge – Tuesday, May 9 Thrasher Horne Center | Orange Park Nearly four decades after her debut album became an underground sensation, singer-songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge continues to chase her …
Five Essential Mdou Moctar Tracks
Currently on a tour of North America, Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar will visit the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works on Tuesday, May 2 as part of our JME Presents Music Discovery Series. If you’re unfamiliar with Moctar (pronounced em-dew mock-tar)’s work, the singer, songwriter, actor and activist is best known as something of a guitar hero. Moctar taught himself …
On “True,” Tidal Daze Offers their Own Brand of Post-Punk Sentimentality
A recent NPR story addressed the proliferation of “therapy talk,” an increasing form of vulnerability in contemporary conversation that is, by default a design, tantamount to a carny talk of the heart. In the sense that in lieu of a direct transmission of what one is actually feeling, those very same emotions are tied up a little too tightly in …
Jax Rock Band Racewall Mosquitoes Share New Video for “Vagabond”
Last autumn, locals Racewall Mosquitoes gave us the concept album The Recital of Annie Lytle, which was a tribute to the rumored-to-be-haunted Public School Number Four. The real strength in that release was main-Mosquito singer-songwriter Matt Morgan’s ability to put melodicism and vulnerability square in the spotlight. The band are still incrementally doling out transmissions from Annie Lytle: the latest …
Record Store Day 2023 | Here’s What To Expect on RSD in Jax
Vinyl is (has been) back. And it’s arguably here to stay. For the last two years, sales of vinyl records easily outpaced those of CDs. And purchases weren’t confined to ultra-hip indie music shops. Big-box retailers like Target and Walmart are now big-time players, selling re-pressings of classic albums, as well as new drops from some of the world’s most …
Best Live Music in Jacksonville | May 1-7
Mdou Moctar, Wine Lips, Surf Curse and more
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/Tuareg Guitar Mdou Moctar – Tuesday, May 2 Intuition Ale Works | Downtown Jacksonville Tuareg singer, songwriter and guitar sensation Mdou Moctar plays Intuition Ale Works as part of our JME Presents series …
Best Live Music In Jacksonville This Week | April 17-23
Wilco, Moonchild, Laura Jane Grace, three nights of Billy Strings and more
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/R&B Moonchild – Tuesday, April 18 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville Eclecting L.A. fusion trio Moonchild performs at Jack Rabbits on Tuesday night. To learn more about the band, check out our concert announcement …
On “lookin’,” Duval’s Broadway Louie Soundtracks the Perennial Search for Connection
Duval artist Broadway Louie’s new song “lookin’’ foreshadows spring and summer car rides, nightlife explorations and the perennial search for connection; either in the moment, or forever. Producer Cheap Limosuine lends the track its enjoyably retro feel, with an active rhythm, that makes it easy for Louie to interject with his melodies. Louie’s lyrics, meanwhile, give “lookin’” a cheerful energy, …
On the Sunny, Textured “Surrender,” Jax Band Ducats Resists and Combats Emotional and Artistic Stasis
Since relocating to Jacksonville from Chicago, musician Trent Holton has seamlessly embedded himself in the local scene – while also arguably doing as much as an interloper could to invigorate that same scene. After introducing his Ducats (pronounced duh-kits) project with a collection of primal, DIY garage tunes, Glob, in 2022, Holton’s band has, in short order, become one of …
With First New Single in 15 years, The Julius Airwave Returns to the Power-Pop Fore
Whether it’s a career comeback or an inevitable resolve, the return of the Julius Airwave with their new single “Slow Erode” is an object lesson in the ebb and flow of youth, music, relationships, the viability of balancing the two, arguably love and time. Some 20 years ago, the band were precociously young: dapper dressers with crooked neckties, popping off …
Wilco Return to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre for 2023 Spring Tour
Wilco are readying to kick off their 2023 spring tour in support of their current, critically lauded 12th album, Cruel Country, and will return to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre for a performance on Wednesday, April 19. Recorded at the Loft, the six-piece band’s Chicago studio space, Cruel Country is a double-album release that has been lauded as one of the best albums …
Best Live Music in Jacksonville this Week | April 10-16
Mattson 2, River Jams, Local Showcase, Hovvdy, Bobby Kid
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 The Mattson 2 – Wednesday, April 12 Hotel Palms | Atlantic Beach San Diego twin-brother duo the Mattson 2 bring their surf-meets-jazz-meets-dreampop swing to the Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach on Wednesday. …
Rob Rase, Left On High and the Loud Art of Evolution and Survival
Call it ferocity in domesticity rather than fully tamed. Rob Rase is sitting in the home recording studio in the Westside home he shares with wife, Brenda Kato. Sleeved and legged in tattoos, sporting a Rat Town Records t-shirt, Rase grins as he shows off the gear he’s assembled in a relatively short time. The studio doubles as a practice …
Wynton Marsalis, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Samara Joy, Ulysses Owens Jr. and More to Play 2023 Jacksonville Jazz Festival
For more than 40 years, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival has brought international jazz legends and emerging artists, as well as offering local musicians the chance to be seen and heard. Held every Memorial Day Weekend, the festival attracts jazz fans from around the globe to soak up some (hopefully) warmer weather and cool sounds on different stages. This year is …
On Eureka Springs’ “Nothing Quite Like,” Jax Singer-Songwriter Cory Driscoll Balances the Light and Dark
The latest from Duval singer-songwriter Cory Driscoll is an impressive mix of what could be described as cheery morosity—no small feat when one considers the “ship in a bottle” delicacy of penning a tune, about love no less, that is neither grinningly hypomanic nor headed for the psych ward. “Nothing Quite Like” is the first song of Driscoll’s new full-band …
It Could Happen To You | Playing One Tune with Jazz Great Bunky Green
As I have traveled the world as a jazz musician from Jacksonville, I’ve found that there are only a few jazz musicians from Northeast Florida that everyone recognizes. Globally, saxophonist Bunky Green is at the top of that list. In 2015 I was on tour with Christian McBride Trio when we played a concert at Wigmore Hall. I remember running …
The Best Concerts in Jacksonville This Week | April 3-9
Jax River Jams, Sleeping Giant Fest and more.
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. Blues Jimmie Vaughan – Tuesday, April 4 PV Concert Hall | Ponte Vedra Texas blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan returns to Northeast Florida, performing at the PV Concert Hall with his Tilt-a-Whirl Band on …
On “King Kong,” Jax Duo Jawberry Unleashes a Monster Mashup of Indie, Grunge and Hip Hop
The latest from Jawberry, the collab project from local indies Huan (aka Juan Mallorca) and Rockbot Studios owner Josh Cobb, “King Kong” mashes up prominent ‘90s guitar-slack-and-hip-hop styles into three-minutes of casually retro-vibed, upbeat rock, with a riff that is maybe one chord from a “Smells Like Teen Spirit” lawsuit. A minor sin, considering the legion of songwriters that have …
Jax Indie-Rock Band flipturn on the JME Soundstage
Indie-rock band flipturn is ascendant. The Fernandina-founded, now-Jax-based quintet is probably the biggest Jacksonville-music success story since Black Kids blew up in the early aughts. Watch flipturn, as well as performance videos of other local and nationally touring artists on our NPR Live Sessions Page On the strength Shadowglow, their debut for unimpeachably cool boutique label Dualtone (Shovels & Rope, …
San Diego Surf-Jazz Duo Mattson 2 to Play Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach
We’re stoked to welcome world-renowned surf-jazz duo the Mattson 2 to Jacksonville as part of our JME Presents Music Discovery Series. The San Diego based duo, made up of twin brothers Jonathan and Jared Mattson, will perform at the Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach on Wednesday, April 12. Over the last decade-plus, the Mattsons have consistently displayed a kind of …
The Best Concerts in Jax this Week | March 27-April 2
Lucius, Del McCoury Band, Unwritten Law and more
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 Jaydaakiing – Thursday, March 30 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville Having amassed more than two-million followers on Instagram, Arizona rapper Jaydaakiing will wield substantial influence when he takes the stage at Underbelly …
Preview | Jax rock quartet Skyview tells its celestial stories at Underbelly
Skyview is doing some of the most interesting stuff in the rock genre right now, and if you don’t believe me, just ask them. Seriously, though, Evan Smith and his colleagues are justifiably proud of what they’ve accomplished in their current incarnation, and they promote themselves with gusto. It’s not so much a matter of personal pride, though, so much …
Famed EDM DJ and Producer Deorro on His Ultra Music Festival Debut
Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, which is billed as “the world’s premiere electronic music festival,” is right around he corner. The three-day fest returns to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami March 24-26, and will once again serve as the grand finale to Miami Music Week, an annual marathon of electronic music events. We recently spoke to DJ and producer Deorro, who will …
Jacksonville Saxophonist and Improvisational Musician Jamison Williams’ Peels Away the Brass on the 38-Minute “Mary Blair”
Saxophonist and multi-reed polymath Jamison Williams continues to uncover a vast realm contained in the proverbial small world within the greater corpus-universe of Walt Disney. Williams is amassing a daunting body of work: dozens of massive and miniature projects, released in various formats from limited-edition lathe cuts and hardcopy books to direct downloads. Recorded in NYC, “Mary Blair” is his …
Jax Indie-Folk Faves Bobby Kid Return Just In Time with the Tearjerking “Ten Minutes Late”
Get the tissue box ready before listening to Bobby Kid’s newest single. On “Ten Minutes Late,” the popular local indie-folk band — made up of Anna Lester (vocals and guitar), Brian Lester (drums), Phillip Hess (lead guitar), Daniel Hubert Jr. (bass) and Caleb Hollan (pianist) — tells a story of familial loss, love that was once shared and the reminiscence …
Best Concerts in Jacksonville this Week | March 20-26
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. Folk Eli Winter, Eureka Springs – Thursday, March 23 The Walrus | Murray Hill Buzzed-about guitarist Eli Winter plays The Walrus with support from Cory Driscoll’s Eureka Springs band on Thursday. Read Winter’s …
The St. Johns Meets the Seine on the Debut from Lonely Rose
The St. Johns River merges with the Seine on the debut from transcontinental group, Lonely Rose. The track “Tonight is Yours (Ce soir est à toi)” from the group’s debut, French Love Songs, is a blues-meets-chanson hybrid which, according to band founder and lyricist William Sims, is the look into the mind of a heroine in a fugue of forlorn, …
On “Mistakes With The Bottle,” Singer-Producer Luci Lind Pours from His Deep Well of Melody and Empathy
Though he’s been releasing DIY singles since 2018, Jax bedroom-pop singer-songwriter-producer Luci Lind has lately been honing his craft, dropping a torrent of new music and delighting crowds with raucous, energetic sets at Murray Hill’s The Walrus; he was also, most recently, an early-afternoon-crowd fave at this year’s Winterland music festival. Lind’s latest, “Mistakes With The Bottle,” showcases the artist’s …
On “On Your Line,” Jax’s Rambler Kane Dispenses Honky-Tonk Allegory Over a Country-Rock Stomp
“On Your Line,” the latest from Jacksonville singer-songwriter Rambler Kane is a three-minute stomp of country-rock choogle that serves up facets of the form—a relentless rhythm section in two-four, rolling finger-picked acoustic, and some tasty Hank Garland-style electric soloing—and Kane’s winning lyrics that are a honky-tonk allegory about fishing in the neon bar lights, and getting caught up; hook, line, …
With “La La,” Jax Progressive-Soul Duo Bright Purpel has Preemptively Bloomed the Local Song of the Summer
A strong lead-in track from the equally consistent Colors, the debut album from Duval progressive-soul duo Bright Purpel, “La La” is the summertime jam of 2023; bloomed early in the spring. A three-minute paen to being blindsided by love, a fat-free-and-lean production (including tasty brass and a savvy loop of “La La” that is an electro-percussive force unto itself), and …
Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Gary Rossington dies at 71
Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member who also helped to found the group, died Sunday at the age of 71. No cause of death was given. “It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. …