Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to concoct the tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context). Here are three new songs …
Barry Harris, beloved jazz pianist devoted to bebop, dies at 91
Barry Harris, a pianist who carefully preserved the language of bebop throughout a seven-decade career as a brilliant performer and influential teacher, died Wednesday at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, N.J. He was 91 and lived in Weehawken, N.J. Harris had been hospitalized for the last two weeks and died of complications due to Covid, said Kira von Ostenfeld-Suske, …
Local Spotlight | “HITEM” by LANNDS
Jacksonville psych-pop duo sprouts an auditory oasis
While the psych-pop music of Rania Woodard and Brian Squillace has been reverberating below ground for nearly a half decade, LANNDS has done much to plant the seed to broaden their audience in 2021. Earlier this year, LANNDS’ debut for Boston-based Run For Cover Records, “In The Garden,” landed on NPR Music’s #NowPlaying blog and earned mentions from big national …
Go | ‘Hip Hop Nutcracker’ @ the Florida Theatre
Kurtis "The Breaks" Blow takes on Petipa, Ivanov and Tchaikovsky's ballet
Most of us have seen some version of The Nutcracker at least once. Heck, some of us (especially those of us who took dance lessons growing up), may have lost track of the number of times we’ve seen the classic two-act ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and scored by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. But, if it’s just not the …
Local Spotlight | ‘Lines of Flight’ by Georgio Valentino
Georgio Valentino’s new album is local music, recorded worldwide
Lines of Flight is the newest album by Georgio Valentino, a singer-songwriter and guitarist who was formerly the editor of Folio Weekly. In March of 2020, Valentino left Jacksonville for what was intended as a two-week sojourn to Greece, a city with which he was very familiar, being of Greek descent himself. The pandemic began mere days later, and the …
The Best Record Stores in Northeast Florida
Wondering where to shop for vinyl in and around Jacksonville? We got you covered.
In 2021, 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 made bank this year selling re-pressings of classic albums, as well as new drops from some of the world’s most successful pop-stars––Olivia Rodgrio, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, et al. If you need more proof …
Local Spotlight | “Crying For Free” by Jahny Steel
A haunting and contemplative new tune from one of Duval’s most anomalous creatives
Since dropping his 14-song opus, Mister 9, Duval hip-hop artist Jahny Steel has done little to dispel the notion that he is one of the most prolific and anomalous creatives in the 904. That is to say: He’s been doing the most. Riding the buzz of Mister 9, Steel’s followed up a slew of new songs (“Plate,” “Ice,” “Tea”) and …
Fresh Rotation | Three new songs the JME team really digs
Desert blues from Algeria, avant-garde pop from the UK and Crenshaw Soul from LA
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to concoct the tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context). Here are three new songs …
Go | The best shows in Northeast Florida this week
From psych funk to psyching on the holidays
Each and every week the Jacksonville Music Experience team identifies the best concerts in Northeast Florida. This week’s calendar features several holiday themed concerts. Here’s what the JME team suggests to get you in the holiday spirit. Psych-Funk Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – Thursday, December 9 St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine Indefinable Baltimore quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong bring their …
Fresh Squeeze | A juicy playlist of new tunes handpicked by the JME team
Each month, JME contributors pick the juiciest noise emanating from Northeast Florida and beyond for our Fresh Squeeze playlist. Featuring a few dozen new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists, there are no rules or genre restrictions; just songs we thought were worth a share. Follow the Jacksonville Music Experience on Spotify and our Fresh Squeeze playlist to keep your …
Wet Leg: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It’s the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space. No other band has brought me more joy in 2021 than Wet Leg, and I truly needed …
Listen | New Electro Lounge playlist is a potpourri of tasty treats
Something new, something uplifting and something modern for the first week of December
The latest Electro Lounge playlist is a potpourri of tasty treats. With something new, something to lift you up, something modern, and much more in between, Electro Lounge is as eclectic as ever this week. If you are not hip to Danish artist The Swan And The Lake, consider “Stuck On You” your introduction. You’ve likely heard of Nick Hakim––the …
After Get Back | What happened to The Beatles after that rooftop concert?
Dig deeper on the new Beatles documentary on WJCT 89.9FM
If you’re a Beatles fan or even just a regular user of social media, you’ve probably heard the buzz around the new documentary The Beatles: Get Back. Over the course of more than eight hours, Peter Jackson’s film documents the tumult, joy and creative breakthroughs as The Beatles worked their way through the recording of Let It Be and plotted …
Virtuoso pianist Alessio Bax and the Jacksonville Symphony present Mozart’s atmospheric masterpiece
The classical music maestro discusses his love for Mozart and the Jax Symphony's new Steinway
While still only in his early forties, pianist Alessio Bax has the credentials of a bona fide maestro of classical music. At 14 years old, he graduated from the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory in Bari, Italy. In his teens, he was already winning international competitions. In the decades since, he’s performed with major symphonies around the globe, has been featured on more …
‘From Staircase to Stage’: Raekwon on growing up in N.Y. and the Wu-Tang Clan
To hear the broadcast version of this interview, use the audio player below. “Park Hill was a pretty nice environment — the buildings were very clean and they had doormen, intercoms in order to get in the building,” recalls Raekwon, the legendary rapper best known as a core member of the canonical Wu-Tang Clan, of some early memories. In a …
Honored onscreen and in sound, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a messenger whose time is now
Beverly Glenn-Copeland, or Glenn as he’s known to friends, compares himself to a radio that’s tuned to pick up certain frequencies. These ideas and sounds, which typically defy classification, come to him by way of what he calls the “Universal Broadcast System.” He sees his role as merely to receive and transcribe them, then send them back into the world …
Go | These are the Jacksonville concerts you don’t want to miss this week
Classical, prog punk or salsa: Take your pick
Each and every week the Jacksonville Music Experience team identifies the best concerts in Northeast Florida. This week’s calendar is chocked full of top-notch shows. Here’s what the JME team wants to see and hear. Americana The Wood Brothers – Wednesday, December 1 Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | Ponte Vedra With a new record grounded in improvisation, Grammy Award-nominated Americana trio …
The Wood Brothers let the improv dictate the terms on their most recent release
The Wood Brothers play the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on December 1
If there is a current band willing and able to reference delta blues king Charley Patton and jazz polymath Ornette Coleman, it is the Wood Brothers. Since 2004, the roots-music trio of brothers Chris Wood (bass/vox), Oliver (guitar/vox) Wood and Jano Rix (multi-instruments/vox) have been forging an inventive blend of blues and folk through an open-minded jazz paradigm. They share …
Fresh Rotation | Three juicy tunes handpicked by the JME team
New music from La Luz, Joy Orbison and Amyl & the Sniffers to add to your playlists
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to concoct the tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context). Here are three new songs …
Dave Grohl retraces his life-affirming path from Nirvana to Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl still remembers the first punk show he ever saw: Naked Raygun, in Chicago around 1982, at a little corner bar across from Wrigley Field called The Cubby Bear. “They knew four chords and the singer was, like, on top of my head, and I was against the stage, and it was life-affirming, because I thought … ‘Oh my …
Adele asked Spotify to remove the default shuffle button for albums, and they obliged
Spotify has removed a play button that automatically shuffled songs regardless of an album’s track list, and it’s all thanks to Adele. The singer-songwriter tweeted on Saturday that she had requested the change for the release of her fourth studio album, 30, which arrived on streaming services on Friday. “This was the only request I had in our ever changing …
Go | Underbelly stirs up reggae night with Central FL’s King Tappa and genre stalwarts Link&Chain
Newly reopened Underbelly hosts its inaugural reggae night
Kurt Prince, aka King Tappa, has been making his name in the country’s reggae scene for over a decade now. Influenced by artists like Sizzla, Steel Pulse, Beres Hammond and Gregory Isaac, his work encompasses a wide range of roots music, from dancehall to dub. He began behind the boards, as a producer and DJ, before transitioning into writing and …
Go | These are the best shows in Jacksonville this week
We’re thankful for a jazz jam, one of the city’s best hip-hop acts and some alt-country
Each and every week the Jacksonville Music Experience team identifies the best concerts in Northeast Florida. This week we found much to be thankful for. Here’s what’s on the JME team’s concert calendar for the week of Thanksgiving. Jazz Blue Jay Jazz Jam – Tuesday, November 23 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jax Beach If looking to show out-of-town family a …
Local Spotlight | ‘1827 N Pearl’ by L.O.V.E. Culture
Duval hip-hop collective seeks emotional and spiritual enlightenment on new full-length
The opening track on 1827 N Pearl, the new full-length from Duval hip-hop collective L.O.V.E. Culture, begins with an invocation. On top of a few electric piano strokes and some puffs of soprano saxophone played by Christopher White (the Katz Down Stairz), singer and emcee Che Forreign wonders if her creator can hear her prayer: “I don’t even know if …
Giveaway | Want a copy of the Grateful Dead Live in St. Louis, 1971?
Throughout several iterations of the band and over several decades of touring, the Grateful Dead’s many performances in St. Louis are revered among Deadheads. And a new 3-CD set of a performance at the city’s Fox Theatre, recorded in 1971, does much legitimize that reverence. Fox Theatre, St. Louis 12.10.71 captures one of the most influential bands of the 20th …
Local Spotlight | The best new music by Jax artists out right now
Jesabel's Infectious pop, top-notch hip-hop from IntricateTheAlmighty, Howdy says "aloha" to L.A., Lazuli Vane steeps a funk-laced brew and a Lynchian new video from Cory Driscoll
Though the Jacksonville Music Experience team covers new music from around the globe, we’re always keeping our collective ear to the ground, locally. And right now, our Jax-made-music cup overfloweth. Here’s a rundown of the five best new tracks by Jacksonville artists, all of which appear on JME’s November Fresh Squeeze playlist on Spotify. “Squeeze” by IntricateTheAlmighty Duval-based rapper IntricateTheAlmighty …
Go | Tiger Records celebrates two years in biz with new merch and much vinyl
Vinyl shortage be damned: When Tiger Records celebrates an anniversary, the wax is sure to be in plentiful supply. In just 24 months in business, the upstart brick-and-mortar music shop in the heart of Riverside has made a case not just for the viability vinyl records, but for the enterprise of independent music stores, omnino. This weekend, Tiger celebrates two …
Symphony in 60 | Courtney Lewis and the Jacksonville Symphony are bringing classical music to places its never been
“Symphony in 60” is the latest initiative by the Jacksonville Symphony, which under the leadership of Music Director Courtney Lewis has been putting an increased emphasis on accessibility over the last few years. Those efforts have paid off well. Conditions were far from ideal for classical music institutions like the Jacksonville Symphony even before the pandemic applied near-lethal financial pressure …
Just Announced | Savannah Stopover brings indie heavy hitters to Georgia
The Savannah Stopover music festival looks lit
No excuse is ever needed for a weekend in Savannah, but here’s a great one, anyway: The 11th annual Savannah Stopover Festival takes place on March 11 & 12, 2022. Savannah Stopover 2022 Venue announcement from Savannah Stopover on Vimeo. Tickets are tiered, $89 and $99, with VIP packages going for $189 and $214. At least 32 acts are already …
Just Announced | Iron & Wine @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
The professorially dressed singer-songwriter brings his artful lyrics (and guitar) to Northeast Florida
The South Carolina-bred, former film professor Sam Beam played an integral role in the neo-folk revival of the early aughts, dispensing a handful of whispery, lo-fi and critically lauded albums under the moniker Iron & Wine, including The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) and Our Endless Numbered Days (2004). A studied visual artist, the often professorially dressed Beam’s cinematic lyrics …
Go | This week’s best live music bets
Harvard educated viral video maker, Beethoven’s best and a Southern Hip-hop standout
Each and every week the Jacksonville Music Experience team identifies the best concerts in Northeast Florida. Here’s what’s on the JME team’s concert calendar this week. Singer-Songwriter Austin Weber – Monday, November 15 Eraser Records | Murray Hill Austin Weber is probably the type of guy you want at your birthday party. He’s famed for creating viral videos. He studied …
Local Spotlight | “Every Excuse” by Jesabel
Ambitious pop from talented Jacksonville-based singer-songwriter
Since the release of her 2020 debut single, “Forgiveness,” Jacksonville singer-songwriter Jesabel has continued to crank out the kind of ambitious indie pop that’s more easily suited for FM radio than open-mic nights at coffee houses. Her latest, the lush and cathartically sung “Every Excuse,” is packaged for comparable grandeur. “Every lie, every break, every second that you take is …
Local Spotlight | ‘The Elements’ by Madre Vaca
Members of Jacksonville’s jazz vanguard drop their 13th release as Madre Vaca.
The latest release from Madre Vaca, The Elements, features the top tier of Jacksonville’s modern jazz scene reestablishing their motivic connections. On the quartet’s 13th album, each member of the ensemble (Jarret Carter, guitar; Thomas Milovac, bass; Jonah Pierre, piano; Benjamin Shorstein, drums) introduce an extended piece based on one of four earth elements, upon which the accompanying players improvise …
The Tables Have Turned on Vinyl
Jacksonville musicians, labels and manufacturers embrace vinyl’s renewed popularity; if only they could get their records on press
The music of LPT is tailor made for vinyl. The Jacksonville-based ten piece performs original son cubano, salsa dura and salsa romántica, mambo, cha-cha-cha and other styles of Afro-Cuban Salsa, a fusion of sounds which, when introduced by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians in New York in the 1970s, was distributed widely on vinyl records––the preferred format of the day. …
Local Spotlight | “All Great Love” by Cory Driscoll
A colorful new song and Lynchian new video from the Jax-based singer-songwriter
Jax-based singer-songwriter Cory Driscoll is set to release Eureka Springs, the follow-up to 2018’s Tropical Depression, an album of earnest folk tunes chronicling an anxious period between the landfalls of hurricanes Matthew and Irma. If anything, Tropical Depression proved Driscoll not only a crafty songwriter, but an ambitious and calculating artist capable of tying together loose threads across a sprawling …
Sound & Vision | Visual artist Tony Rodrigues curates a playlist for his new exhibit ‘Flex Deficit’
The Black Angels, Can, Woody Guthrie, Gil Scott-Heron, Fela Kuti, Run the Jewels and more fuel Tony Rodrigues' work
Sound & Vision is a semi-regular feature that examines how music influences Northeast Florida artists. Accompanying playlists for each Sound & Vision feature can be found on JME’s spotify channel. During these groaning opening decades of the 21st century, it can feel like we are all living on borrowed time. Or maybe time on loan with the lowest possible APR financing. Celebillionaires …