Icons of Americana and modern keepers of the folk tradition, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings have shared “Empty Trainload of Sky,” a single from the forthcoming full-length, Woodland, the latest entry in the duo’s two-and-a-half-decade-spanning career. Recorded in Welch and Rawlings’ own Woodland Sounds Studio in Nashville, “Empty Trainload of Sky” features the duo’s trademark tight-and-somber vocal harmonies, lyrics evoking …
The Neighborhood Playlist | July 20
How’s it going, Neighbors? July is moving and moving…and moving. It’s almost time for school and the summer will be wrapping up. In the meantime, The Neighborhood is here to keep your remaining summer HOT! On this walk through the neighborhood, I gave light to soul singer/songwriter Darien Brockington via The Soul Qurators podcast and playing a song from his …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | July 20
Last week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we heard from a variety of artists who are touring through the 904 soon, including King Stingray, who are opening for fellow monarchs King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard down at the St. Augustine Amphitheater on November 20, as well as The Breeders, who will …
UK Shoegazers Slowdive to Kick Off New Fall Tour at St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Shoegaze titans Slowdive will tour North America this fall in support of their latest album everything is alive, with a stop at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre among just 10 Stateside headlining dates. After early-November sets at Mexico City’s Hipnosis Festival and Austin’s Levitation Festival, the band will play a pair of Mexico shows before crossing back into the States for …
Flipturn, St. Paul & the Broken Bones Highlight this Year’s Two-Day Florida Fest in Jacksonville Beach
Now in its fourth year, the locally-produced Florida Fin Fest returns to Jacksonville Beach to offer a two-day lineup of eclectic indie-leaning music with an honorable intent to raise awareness for ocean conservation. Presented beaches-based apparel-lifestyle company, Natural Life, the festival includes partnerships with likeminded businesses and organizations to offer a family friendly event that includes an educational village, speaker …
Song of the Day | “Coast” by Kim Deal
On her first solo release for unimpeachably cool indie label 4AD, alternative-music icon Kim Deal arrives – as the meme goes – tanned, rested and ready; albeit it in true-Gen-X style. With its playful, sunkissed arrangement “Coast” retains the sonic spirit of some of Deal’s more lighthearted work with Pixies and The Breeders (the latter of whom play September’s Sing …
The Latest Collab from Dillon and Batsauce Serves Up High Quality Production with Kindred Spirit Kool Keith
The latest from Dillon and Batsauce is a call to arms with a guest turn from one of the more esoteric hip-hop artists of all time: Kool Keith. “Ready on the Left” is fueled by a magma-deep ostinato bass line anchoring swirling samples and chiming chords; peppered with blink-and-you’ll-miss-them processed-and-decaying tones and single percussive strikes. Savvy and mellow-boast rhymes abound …
Song of the Day | “Lie 95” by Bartees Strange
Bartees Strange’s 2022 LP, Farm to Table, earned the genre-defying singer and guitarist’s certain songwriting skills a much broader audience – as did successive tours with The National and boygenius. The DC-based, UK-born Strange is back with “Lie-95,” an emotional and texturally rich new single that features soaring vocals and an interstate highway’s worth of passion. All songs featured in …
Newly-Released Archive Recordings of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, ‘Early Daze’ is a Crucial Document of the Group’s Prime Era
Clocking in at a concise 39 minutes, the 10-track Early Daze is a collection of raw-and-raucous 1969 recordings of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Young’s 47th and most-recent release, it’s an intimate, crucial document of his prime era with his longtime backing band. While Young has worn many hats since his mid-‘60s Buffalo Springfield days — prolific solo songwriter; grudging …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | July 13
Last week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we spun tunes from a slew of Jacksonville musicians, including indie-folk duo The Dewars and nationally touring act Flipturn, as well as Alanis Morissette, who’s headlining Daily’s Place on September 21, and Sing Out Loud Festival artists Kevin Morby and The Breeders. Here’s what played …
Song of the Day | “Side Quest” by Pearl & the Oysters
A year after releasing their most successful album to date – the sweltering summer pop opus Coast 2 Coast – Los Angeles duo Pearl & The Oysters has shared “Side Quest,” a breezy and animated jazz-pop number that sounds as though it were designed to incite a Soul-Train-style line dance on Mars. P&TO is made up of high school friends …
Electro Lounge Playlist | July 13
The Electro Lounge is back and rolling out weekly dreamscapes — it’s an eclectic hour of chillout, downtempo songs, curiosities and deep cuts every Saturday at 10 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9. Listen here. Here’s what we played on June 22. Electro Lounge airs Saturday nights at 10 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9 and re-airs on the Independent 89.9 HD4 on Sundays at …
Jax Post-Punk Trio Glass Chapel Let Love Consume Them on “Alive”
Lovers of synth-pop, post-punk, and waves new, dark and cold, lend us your ears: Jacksonville’s own Glass Chapel have released their first new music in more than a year, the darkly romantic “Alive.” The trio self-produced “Alive,” their first single since May 2023’s “Foreign Rain,” with mastering by Matthew Messore (Cathedral Bells, Midi Memory). Jake Phillips (vocals, guitar, synth, drum …
Jacksonville Garage Rockers Seagate Chew on Rabid Punk Rock on Snarling New Single “Dog Bite”
A toothy track from their new five-song release, Wannabe Rock N’ Roll, the tune “Dog Bite” by beaches-based rockers Seagate is a three-minute garage-rock grinder with just enough echo and fuzz guitar to nudge it into psychedelic shimmer. A grinding, lockstep riff of barre chords and minimalist drum wallop is stabbed and goaded by some sizzling guitar, as vocalist-guitarist Sam …
Jacksonville’s Coyboi Circumvents the Monotony on Groovy New Single, “Time Away”
“Spent some time away, looking for reasons to love myself again,” sings Coyboi frontperson Cortnie Frazier on the opening salvo of “Time Away,” the funk-R&B-and-smooth-jazz infused new single from the popular Jacksonville indie band. The song opens with a disco beat and some invocative interplay between two guitar motifs – reverb-drenched strums and a funky vamp – all of which …
Song of the Day | “Tuesday” by Toro y Moi
Another record, another reinvention for Toro y Moi. In the two years since his the funk-driven full length MAHAL, the indie polymath has released an album of instrumentals, and, now, changed course with “Tuesday,” an industrial, melodically pop-punk anthem that foreshadows his latest sonic exploration, Hole Erth (due in September on Dead Oceans). With jagged guitar tones and an earnest …
Electro Lounge Playlist | July 6
The Electro Lounge is back and rolling out weekly dreamscapes — it’s an eclectic hour of chillout, downtempo songs, curiosities and deep cuts every Saturday at 10 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9. Listen here. Here’s what we played on June 22. Electro Lounge airs Saturday nights at 10 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9 and re-airs on the Independent 89.9 HD4 on Sundays at …
The Neighborhood Playlist | July 6
Happy July, Neighbors! I hope your holiday weekend was restful and accompanied with grilled food and sun. I made sure that the show was upbeat so the listeners could bask in the festivities. But if you missed the show, below is the list of jams that were played. We had a dose of local music (Jeremy Ryan & Culture School, …
Song of the Day | “No. 1 Headband” by Lupe Fiasco
Considered one of the best emcees of his (or any) generation, Lupe Fiasco’s sword remains sharp. On his latest the mid-tempo, jazz-infused “No. 1 Headband,” a single from a new full length Samurai (out now on 1st & 15th Too by way of Thirty Tigers), the Chicago rapper slices and dices. Showing off his agility with a dynamically diverse delivery, …
King Gizz Boogie Down and Pass the Mic on “Le Risque,” the First Single from New LP, ‘Flight b741’
Australian band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard will touch down on U.S. soil in a little over a month for a lengthy romp through some of North America’s most-hallowed theaters, theatres, amphitheaters and arenas including the The Forum in Los Angeles, three nights at Denver’s Red Rocks and, in November, a visit to The Amp in St. Augustine. In …
Bobby Weir, The String Cheese Incident to Co-Headline Hulaween 2024 as The Bobby Weir Incident
The lineup for this year’s 11th annual edition of the Suwannee Hulaween festival has been unveiled, with a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Grateful Dead co-founder Bobby Weir and perennial festival fixtures The String Cheese Incident—dubbed The Bobby Weir Incident—at the top of the bill. The impromptu supergroup’s one and, for the foreseeable future, only performance will comprise two consecutive sets closing …
Song of the Day | “Low Sun” by Hermanos Gutiérrez
The instrumental music of Swiss-Ecuadorian siblings Hermanos Gutiérrez can sound tailor made for a listening culture that exalts vibes over all else. However, much like Khruangbin – perhaps the most exalted purveyors of vibes – the brothers’ intricate guitar work is best enjoyed as an intentional listening experience, rather than a passive one. On “Low Sun,” the lead single from …
Song of the Day | “Humble Me” by Killer Mike
On February 4, after picking up three Grammy Awards, Atlanta rapper Killer Mike found himself handcuffed and arrested. He was in the studio the next day and celebrating the news that his son would finally receive a kidney transplant after three years of waiting. The dynamic peaks and valleys of those 48-or-so hours animate “Humble Me,” Killer Mike’s first single …
Jax Music Hour (Hot Local Summer) Playlist | June 22
Last week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we rang in the official start of summertime with an hour of summer songs by local artists. Go ahead and get “Sandy” at the beach with Teal Peel, sip “Lemonade” with Coastal Creature, lace up your skates at the “Roller Rink” with Chalooby, and stop …
Electro Lounge Playlist | June 22
The Electro Lounge is back and rolling out weekly dreamscapes — it’s an eclectic hour of chillout, downtempo songs, curiosities and deep cuts every Saturday at 10 p.m. on WJCT News 89.9. Listen here. Here’s what we played on June 22. 1 Hess Is More – You and Me and ThemStream 2 Be Lanuit Jimenez & Kasper Tranberg – Hippie …
MJ Lenderman Announces New Album ‘Manning Fireworks,’ Shares “She’s Leaving You”
North Carolina indie-rock singer-songwriter MJ Lenderman hasn’t missed in recent memory, and he’s not about to start on “She’s Leaving You,” the lead single from his forthcoming Boat Songs follow-up Manning Fireworks (Sept. 6, ANTI- Records). Recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios in between tour dates and co-produced by Lenderman with his frequent collaborator Alex Farrar, the full-length is …
Atlanta’s Lunar Vacation “Set the Stage” for Second Album With Atmospheric First Single
On Decatur, Georgia, “pool rock” quintet Lunar Vacation’s forthcoming sophomore album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire (Sept. 13, Keeled Scales). Our first taste of the LP is “Set the Stage,” released this week alongside a music video directed by musician, actor and friend of the band Finn Wolfhard. “Our last album was super produced, manicured,” vocalist/guitarist Maggie Geeslin said of Lunar …
Jax Music Hour Playlist | June 15
Last week on the Jax Music Hour (Saturdays at 8PM on WJCT News 89.9 FM), we wove local artists like country crooner Rambler Kane, power rock trio DigDog, and Jacksonville-native saxophonist DeAndre Lettsome with soon-to-be-in-Jax touring acts such as Two Door Cinema Club, My Morning Jacket, and The Aristocrats. Here’s what played on the Jax Music Hour this week. Catch …
The Neighborhood Playlist | June 15
Hey Neighbors! Hope each and everyone of you are in great spirits. On the last episode of The Neighborhood, I played some great tunes from the ‘Ville to worldwide. I might be biased but this show is one of my favorites to date. As always, I want to share music that I believe the neighbors would take with them and …
Shovels & Rope Announce New Album ‘Something Is Working Up Above My Head,’ Share 2 New Singles
Charleston’s Shovels & Rope—that is, married couple Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent—have announced their sixth studio album, Something Is Working Up Above My Head (Sept. 6, Dualtone Records), and shared its first two singles, the story-forward “Colorado River” and “Love Song From a Dog.” The folk-punk duo have also unveiled a fall tour in support of their new record. …
Previously Unreleased Album by Alan Vega Initiates a Rightful Resurrection of the Suicide Frontman’s Certain Legacy
Alan Vega lives well beyond Suicide. That 1970s NYC band were the prickliest of the protean US punk scene. Fueled by Martin Rev’s primitive synths and Vega’s unhinged vocals and assaultive stage antics, where audience participation might include Vega clocking members of the crowd, the duo originally coalesced in 1970 and used the term “punk music” before it was defined, …
Soccer Mommy Finds Beauty in Grief on New Single, “Lost”
Nashville indie-rock singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, who performs and records as Soccer Mommy, is back with her first new single since the 2022 release of her acclaimed third album Sometimes, Forever. “Lost” shares its title with The Lost Shows, Allison’s recent run of sold-out, intimate solo performances in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Nashville, where she has been live-debuting new …
Denzel Curry Drops a “Hot One” Ahead of His ‘King of the Mischievous South’ Sequel
Don’t mistake this for a Denzel Curry episode of Hot Ones, though we’d gladly take that, too: The Carol City, Miami rapper has released “Hot One,” featuring A$AP Ferg and TiaCorine, the first single from the forthcoming follow-up to his 2012 mixtape King of the Mischievous South. With King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 (July 19, Loma Vista Recordings), …
Song of the Day | “U Should Not Be Doing That” by Amyl and The Sniffers
Melbourne, Australia punks Amyl and The Sniffers are back with a new stand-alone single, “U Should Not Be Doing That,” their first release since the raucous 2021 full-length album, Comfort to Me. On “U Should Not Be Doing That,” the group — Amy Taylor, Dec Martens, Gus Romer and Bryce Wilson — trade the roaring menace of their previous releases …
Jane’s Addiction and Love and Rockets Join Forces Once Again for a Double-Billed Tour that Lands in Jacksonville
Two groups that kickstarted the alt-rock revolution perform in downtown Jacksonville this summer. Jane’s Addiction and openers Love and Rockets play at Daily’s Place on Tuesday, August 27. Both bands feature their original line-ups and both bring decades of post-new-wave, pre-grunge rock history with them. Formed in 1985, and featuring the instrumental backline of UK goth-rock demigods Bauhaus, the three-piece …
Producer and L.O.V.E. Culture Artist Spiritxiii’s Gear Essentials
An original member of Duval hip-hop collective L.O.V.E. Culture, Spiritxiii feels just as at-home in a DAW as he does onstage. In addition to L.O.V.E. Culture’s own albums, Spirit’s most recent production credits include Jacksonville R&B songstress Ebonique’s latest album, alterEBO, and he’s currently overseeing production of a collaboration between Rab G, Kale That Raps, and Sir Mayes, not to …