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 …
Ryuichi Sakamoto, a godfather of electronic pop, has died
Ryuichi Sakamoto, a trailblazing composer and producer who was one of the first musicians to incorporate electronic production into popular songcraft, has died at the age of 71. Sakamoto died on March 28 after a multi-year battle with cancer, according to a statement published on his website Sunday. “We would like to share one of Sakamoto’s favorite quotes,” the statement …
Yves Tumor’s disruptive pop-cultural synthesis
The latest Yves Tumor album begins with a scream and ends with a call to lock eyes. A project with the koan-like title Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) might seem like it’s obscuring or even deliberately thumbing its nose at meaning, but the carnal bookending of a scream and a …
The Beths | Tiny Desk Concert
If you squint hard enough at the paper in front of Elizabeth Stokes, you’ll find an encouraging note she wrote to herself: Breathe. Relax. Smile. (followed by a hand-drawn smiley face, of course). We get it: The Tiny Desk is filmed in broad daylight, at eye level, in front of NPR employees and, eventually, is released to “the inside of …
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, …
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Nielson on the family-inspired new album ‘V’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s sound is something of a mystery. While it’s bathed in a lo-fi aesthetic, it has managed to evolve and grow through genres such a psychedelic, punk and even disco through the band’s decade-plus making music. UMO is back now with its latest album, V, bathing this time in the pools of Palm Springs and oceans of Hawaii …
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 …
After allegations against Win Butler, an existential crisis lingers for Montréal
“I usually write,” Élise Jetté laughs. “It’s hard to speak about a very emotional subject like this one.” The freelance music journalist had always been a fan of Arcade Fire. More than just one of her favorite bands, Arcade Fire defined her career. The band that made her a music journalist. As a young student at Université de Sherbrooke, she …
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 …
Celebrated Guitarist Eli Winter on his Early Influences, his Eponymously-Titled New Album and More
When 20th-century occultist-artist Austin Osman Spare remarked that, “It was the straying that found the path direct,” he could have been anticipating the peripatetic ways of guitarist Eli Winter. Granted, the British magician died nearly 70 years ago and Winter was born in 1997. Yet the Chicago-born Winter has packed a lot of experiential wallop and road miles in a …
Electropop Duo LANNDS on the Creative Process Behind “Blueprint” from their Estimable Debut LP
Welcome to Jacksonville Music Experience’s Songwriting School, where we talk to local songwriters about how they wrote one specific song. Rania Woodard and Brian Squillace of LANNDS met here in Jacksonville and have been making psychedelic electropop together since 2016, releasing singles and EPs regularly. On March 3, LANNDS released their first-ever full-length album, Music for the Future (Run for …
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, …
Louder Than A Riot Returns Thursday, March 16
New season explores the sexist prejudice against Black women in hip hop.
We’re supposedly living in a renaissance for Black women and queer folks in hip-hop, with so many running the game. But if you’re one of those people at the top, you’ve definitely come into contact with one of the most constraining forces in the culture: misogynoir, or the sexist prejudice against Black women specifically. Louder Than A Riot is a …
Best Concerts of the Week in Jacksonville
The Avett Brothers, Cheap Trick, Third Eye Blind, The Slaps 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 Cheap Trick – Wednesday, March 15 Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville Eighties rock icons Cheap Trick visit the Florida Theatre on Wednesday. Watch | Tickets | Map Pop/Rock Third Eye Blind – …
Join us at SXSW as Thee Sacred Souls, DEBBY FRIDAY, Hermanos Gutiérrez Perform on Public Radio Stage
SXSW, the week-long music industry (et al) gathering in Austin, Texas is in full-swing. And the Jacksonville Music Experience is there, too… kind of. As a Public Media organization and member station of NPR Music’s Live Sessions, we’re helping to welcome four emerging artists to the Public Radio Day Stage at SXSW. On Friday, March 17, San Diego soul trio …
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 …
Mama’s Broke | Tiny Desk Concert
A couple of chairs, a small room and a cozy crowd describes the last eight years of tour stops for Mama’s Broke. Having performed in intimate venues including homes and cabins, as well as stages, being at the Tiny Desk may have felt right at home for the Canadian duo. Lisa Maria Bates and Amy Lou Keeler make powerful songs …
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. …
Artsy Jax Noise Duo golfer two’s ‘bl00db4th6000’ is Four Minutes of Enjoyable Unorthodoxy
Jacksonville experimental outfit golfer two recently released a new album, bl00db4th6000, that assuredly has regional noise acts shaking in their hand-me-down boots. The duo’s unimpeachably-DIY and innovative psychoactive sound has hit the market (see: bandcamp) and unlike the infamous synthetic amphetamine that led to an albeit short-lived trend of face-eating in Miami, golfer two’s album is labeled for human consumption. …
2023 is the Magic Number | For generations of rap fans, De La Soul was a phantom. Welcome to a new age
For a long time, De La Soul tracks felt like Easter eggs, littered across the landscape for only the most enterprising young rap fans to stumble across. My first conscious encounter with one of their cuts was hammering away at the “Race for the Heisman” mode on NCAA Football 06 for Playstation 2, grinding to turn my unheralded college running …
Wayne Shorter, sage of the saxophone, dies at 89
Updated March 2, 2023 at 1:58 PM ET Wayne Shorter, the 12-time Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer and the creator of one of the singular sounds in contemporary jazz over more than half a century, died on Thursday, March 2 in Los Angeles. Shorter was 89 years old. Cem Kurosman, a publicist at Blue Note Records, which released Shorter’s recent recordings, …
The Best Live Music in Jacksonville this Week
Loggins, Reba and Jill Scott, plus Fruition at Intuition and psych and indie rock at The Walrus.
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. Neo-Soul Jill Scott – Tuesday, March 7 Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts | Downtown Jacksonville Singer-songwriter Jill Scott blends jazz, R&B, spoken word and hip-hop in a style all her own.. Scott …
Jax Hip-Hop Group L.O.V.E. Culture Shares New Video, Provides Update on East Coast Tour
When it came time to curate our 2023 Jacksonville Artists to Watch list, we made a concerted effort to not repeat any artists from the previous year’s list. In the case of Duval hip-hop collective L.O.V.E. Culture, we made an exception. If they ever hit a ceiling at all after the release of their debut full-length, 1827 N Pearl, in …
Playlist | March’s Best New Music
Featuring a few dozen new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists, our Fresh Squeeze playlist features the best new music emenanating 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 playlist includes music from Gorillaz, whose new record is …
On ‘Endings That Are Beginnings’, UNF Grad and Emerging Jazz Star Kelly Green Finds Salvation in Music
Endings That Are Beginnings is the third album by Kelly Green, an Orlando native and UNF graduate who’s been making a name for herself on the highly competitive New York jazz scene during the last eight years she’s resided in the city. Green is probably best known for her classic trio with Alex Tremblay (bass) and Evan Hyde (drums). The …
Eclectic Alt-R&B Group Moonchild Announces Tour Stop in Jacksonville in April
Moonchild, the popular LA trip that fuses jazz with R&B, soul and more, has announced an April tour of the East Coast, Southeast and Midwest, with a stop in Jacksonville. The group plays Underbelly in Downtown Jax on Tuesday, April 18. Wikipedia describes Moonchild as an “alternative R&B band”, but that description, much like their entry on the site, barely …
The Joys of the Tiny Desk Contest and the Serious Business of Picking a Winner
After a roughly two-year hiatus the world-renowned Tiny Desk Concert series from NPR Music has been back in in-person action, inviting both emerging and established artists for intimate, one-of-a-kind performances at the desk of Tiny Desk creator Bob Boilen. And with that the Tiny Desk Contest has returned for its ninth year, offering yet another opportunity for unsigned, yet-to-be-discovered artists …