21st Annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive Hosted by WJCT Public Media Returns This November

Media Contact:  Neily Braren, Promotion & Marketing Associate 904.318.2633 • nbraren@wjct.org 21st Annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive Hosted by WJCT Public Media Returns This November New and lightly used sweaters, jackets and blankets will be collected beginning Wednesday, November 1, 2023 November 1, 2023 — Jacksonville, Fla. — WJCT Public Media is partnering with the VyStar Credit Union, Tom …

Rubblebucket Revel in Millennial Misery on New Single, “Teardrops”

By Matthew Shaw
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Makers of eclectic, fanciful pop, Rubblebucket are back with “Teardrops,” an infectious bite of melancholia, and the first single since their breakout 2022 full-length Earth Worship. Call it Millennial melancholy if you will. But in the current milieu, there are no sad songs; just songs. And on “Teardrops,” the Brooklyn indie duo made up of Annakalmia Traver and Alex Toth …

In this article: Rubblebucket and teardrops

The Majority of Artists May Soon Earn Even Less From Spotify 

By Matthew Shaw
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Music streaming service Spotify plans to make changes to its royalties model, which could impact the earnings of artists whose songs do not meet a minimum stream requirement, according to reporting by Music Business Worldwide and Billboard. The reported changes are intended to increase the amount of money paid out to the labels and artists with the most streams and …

In this article: news, royalties and Spotify

Madonna and Britney Spears: It’s them against the world

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While Britney Spears was trying to get over her very public breakup with fellow pop star Justin Timberlake, Madonna came to visit her. “She walked into the place and immediately, of course, she owned the room,” Spears writes in her new memoir, The Woman in Me. “I remember thinking, It’s Madonna’s room now. Stunningly beautiful, she exuded power and confidence… …

In this article: book, Britney Spears and Madonna

Local Indie Troubadour Kithera Shines a Light on the Shadows

By Daniel A. Brown
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Contrary to the sparkle-and-shine of current Logic/Pro Tools recording-gloss readily available for independent bedroom artists, local singer-songwriter Kithera opts for a low(er)-fi production, to great effect, on “The sun could explode tomorrow and I’d still be asleep.” A two-chord ballad that’s just on the side of being in tune, the four-minutes of “The sun” sits squarely in the covenant of …

In this article: Kithera and the sun could explode tomorrow and I'd still be asleep

5 Concerts to See the Week in Jacksonville

Front Bottoms, Cindy Lee, Rebirth Brass Band, Porchfest, Martin Barre

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Indie Rock/Electronic Cindy Lee – Tuesday, October 31 The Walrus | Murray Hill  Canadian indie-rock singer-songwriter Cindy Lee and fellow Canucks Freak Heat Waves visit the Walrus on Halloween night, with support from Jax’s Severed+Said, Golden Clouds and more. …

In this article: concerts and jacksonville

‘Stop Time,’ A Crucial Archival Release of Barry Altschul, David Izenzon and Perry Robinson Live Performance Documents a Peak Moment of NYC Free Jazz 

By Daniel A. Brown
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Formidable but wholly invitational, Stop Time is an impressive time capsule of high-potency NYC free jazz. On the track “Untitled III,” the trio of drummer Barry Altschul, double bassist David Izenzon and clarinetist Perry Robinson bring the goods and then some on this 1978 previously unreleased live performance. The players were progenitors of the ’60s free jazz and ‘70s loft …

In this article: Barry Altschul, David Izenzon, free jazz, Perry Robinson and Stop Time

All Songs Considered | The best releases out on Oct. 27

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The Austin, Texas, duo Black Pumas drew album-of-the-year nods when they dropped their self-titled debut in 2019. Now the group is back with its long-awaited followup, Chronicles of a Diamond, a scruffy, fuzzed-out soul and psych-rock album anchored by singer Eric Burton’s unforgettable voice. We give Chronicles of a Diamond a spin to kick off this week’s show and talk …

In this article: All Songs Considered and New Music Friday

WJCT Public Media to Celebrate Public Radio Music Day on October 25

                         Media Contact:  Neily Braren, Promotion & Marketing Associate 904.318.2633 • nbraren@wjct.org WJCT Public Media to Celebrate Public Radio Music Day on October 25 Non-commercial music stations will highlight how they uplift and elevate local artists and communities through this commemorative celebration JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – October 25, 2023 – WJCT Public Media announced today that the station will participate in the …

Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman | Tiny Desk Concert

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There’s a sweet moment between songs when Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman reminisce about their love for traditional banjo and fiddle tunes. Speaking about the “The Old Blue Bonnet,” banjo picker Nora Brown says she first heard the song when she was about 10 or 11. That puts a grin on fiddler Stephanie Coleman’s face, as she chimes in to …

In this article: Nora Brown, Stephanie Coleman and Tiny Desk

Oscar-Winning Composer Hauschka Brings Prepared Piano and Poignant Works to 21st Century Playlists

By Daniel A. Brown
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The first single from his forthcoming album Philanthropy, the six-minute “Nature” from Hauschka is a prime nominee for the gallery space playlist. The alter-ego of Academy Award and BAFTA-winning German composer-pianist Volker Bertelmann,  Hauschka is adroit at blending arch-conceptual experimentalism and pop-ambient soundtrack work. His elegiac score for last year’s antiwar epic film All Quiet on the Western Front snagged him …

In this article: Hauschka and nature

Jordan Ward | Tiny Desk Concert

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Jordan Ward showed up to NPR headquarters radiating with a warm energy that felt familiar, like linking up with your favorite cousins at the cookout. After all, the immense amount of creativity and synergy displayed by Ward and his bandmates during this Tiny Desk performance is indicative of pure fellowship. The St. Louis-bred singer-songwriter started his professional career as a …

In this article: Jordan Ward and Tiny Desk

Kurt Vile Announces New “EP” & Shares First Single, “Another good year for the roses”

By Matthew Shaw
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Purveyor of certi-fried guitar pop Kurt Vile has announced Back to Moon Beach, a new collection, which — featuring an hour-plus worth of music — stretches the agreed-upon definition of EP. It’s Vile’s first new music since 2022’s watch my moves.  Last week the Philadelphia-bred musician shared “Another good year for the roses,” a catchy, arpeggiated-piano-driven number that features both …

In this article: Another good year for the roses, Back to Moon Beach and Kurt Vile

On “Big Picture” Jacksonville’s Chalooby Pens a Worthy Upbeat Downer

By Daniel A. Brown
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In late May, Jacksonville-based act Chalooby dropped Bloom FM, an 11-track offering of dream pop that serves as a worthy and divergent follow up to 2022’s hazy long player, lofi love. Chalooby is the brainchild of local singer-songwriter Micah George. While he offers that the sound was inspired by everything from ‘60s surf rock to ‘80s synth pop — or …

In this article: Big Picture, Bloom FM and Chalooby

Aussie Alt-Rockers Middle Kids Share New Single, the Melodious Crackler, “Dramamine”

By Daniel A. Brown
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Too electrified to be fully twee, too melodious for mere jagged guitar-rock, Australian alt-rockers Middle Kids work the middle path and serve up an above-par crackler with their latest single, “Dramamine.” A heads-up from their forthcoming third album, Faith Crisis Pt 1, the three-minute upbeat “Dramamine” fires up with an Afropop-leaning guitar figure but then takes a nice bite out …

In this article: Dramamine and Middle Kids

Cindy Lee Mixes Old-School Chanteuse with New-Eon Indie Balladry

By Daniel A. Brown
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While a broken heart isn’t required for romance, it seems like something has to give. Cindy Lee, the creative alter-ego of Patrick Flegel, is a bridge between the reverb-rich music of ‘60s girl groups and the guitar freefall of indie rock. Following the 2012 dissolution of Flegel’s former Canadian band Women, Flegel began releasing music as their drag queen persona: …

In this article: Cindy Lee, concert, Interview, jacksonville and The Walrus

5 Concerts to See This Week in Jacksonville

Barns Courtney, Billy Ocean, Ritz Chamber Players, Punk Rock Halloween

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. R&B/Pop Billy Ocean – Wednesday, October 25 Thrasher Horne Center | Orange Park  The international pop sensation Billy Ocean is 73-years young and still going strong. He’ll bring his radio smashes, including “Caribbean Queen” and “Get Outta My Dreams, …

In this article: Barns Courtney, concerts, jacksonville and Rapheal Saadiq

Bad Madonna Fight for Their Right to Party on “Vicious Party Girl”

By Scott Russell
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Local indie-rock act Bad Madonna have shared their first new material as a four-piece, the spiky anti-judgment anthem “Vicious Party Girl,” ahead of a single release show on October 20, at The Block Skate Supply in Springfield, with an accompanying music video due out Friday, October 27. On “Vicious Party Girl,” singer-songwriter Alexis Rhode, guitarist Dylan Young and bassist Storm …

In this article: Bad Madonna, jacksonville, Local Spotlight and Vicious Party Girl

All Songs Considered | The best releases out on Oct. 20

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U.K. singer-songwriter Sampha has become a go-to guest vocalist for artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Alicia Keys, Frank Ocean, Solange and Stormzy. Naturally, he’s got a distinctive, genre-blending style as a solo artist, too: Sampha’s second full-length album, LAHAI, showcases his vulnerability, growth and gorgeous vocals, which can sound both timelessly familiar and futuristic, often simultaneously. We’ve also got …

In this article: All Songs Considered, New music and Sampha

IDLES Lay Claim to the Dance Floor on Lead Single From New Album ‘TANGK’

By Scott Russell
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Bristol’s IDLES have always been a band to smile with a mouthful of blood, but on their newly announced fifth album TANGK (Feb. 16, 2024, Partisan Records), previewed via lead single and video “DANCER” this week, the hard-nosed English rockers don’t just smile—they dance, too. TANGK—“pronounced ‘tank’ with a whiff of the ‘g’ and an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing …

In this article: Dancer, IDLES, LCD Soundsystem and TANGK

Indie Troubadour Bonnie “Prince” Billy Shares 2023-2024 Tour, Including Stop at Intuition in Jacksonville

By Matthew Shaw
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The enigmatic singer-songwriter who performs under the name Bonnie “Prince” Billy and acts in films as Will Oldham has announced 2023-2024 tour dates. Beginning in mid-October and including multi-night runs in New York and Philadelphia, the tour will bring Oldham to the Sunshine State with a stop at Intuition Ale Works in Jacksonville on January 18. “If you’re in Florida we …

In this article: Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Intuition Ale Works and jacksonville

Carla Bley, prolific and expansive jazz pianist, dies at 87

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Carla Bley, the pianist behind some of the most beloved compositions in the jazz canon, who recorded over two dozen albums between 1966 and 2019, died Tuesday. Her death was confirmed by her husband and longtime collaborator, bassist Steve Swallow; the cause given was complications from brain cancer. She was 87. Bley was a force in jazz even before she …

In this article: Carla Bley, jazz and obituary

WJCT Announces New Additions to Board of Trustees

Media Contact:  Neily Braren, Promotion & Marketing Associate 904.318.2633 • nbraren@wjct.org WJCT Announces New Additions to Board of Trustees Brian Bush, Anne K. Madsen, George E. Maxey and Kimmie Winston elected at the annual meeting JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – October 17, 2023 – WJCT Public Media today announced four new additions to its Board of Trustees,  along with the election of …

“Trance,” the Latest from Jacksonville’s K.UTIE is a Winning Dance-Floor Reverie

By Daniel A. Brown
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The latest from K.UTIE is a genre-shifter for the changing of seasons, with enough high-gloss soul to usher in the cooler weather. Produced by Mantra, “Trance” serves up three strong minutes of hypnotizing sliding synths, switched-up percussion to keep things in motion, propelled by jabs of bass, as K.UTIE sings about being both mesmerized by—and questioning of—the daze of love: …

In this article: jacksonville, K.UTIE, Local Spotlight and Trance

For the 2023-2024 Season, The Jacksonville Symphony is Bigger and Better Than Ever

By Shelton Hull
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As the venerable Jacksonville Symphony edges closer to its 75th year of operation, the future is looking brighter than ever for Northeast Florida’s premier cultural institution. With dozens of concerts and other events scheduled for the 2023-2024 season, not only is there something for everyone this year, there are actually several things for everyone. The season is already underway, so let’s …

In this article: 2023-2024 season and Jacksonville Symphony

St. Augustine’s Spotless Record Share First Single, “Sertraline Dream”

By Scott Russell
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From Isola Collective, the St. Augustine-based queer music collective who brought you Kids in Their Cars, comes the new band Spotless Record, who recently shared “Sertraline Dream,” the first single from their forthcoming debut album growing pains. The Isola Collective thread begins with this summer’s mary st. demos, the first EP of three from Kids in Their Cars that will …

In this article: Isola Collective, Local Spotlight, Sertraline Dream, Spotless Record and st. augustine

Orlando Emcee Wahid Makes His Innovative Leisure Debut With ‘WILT/CORNERSTONE’

By Scott Russell
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Allow Wahid to reintroduce himself: The Orlando-born and -based rapper with Jamaican roots, a rapid-fire flow, and a subtly reggae and dancehall-influenced sound has shared WILT/CORNERSTONE, his two-track debut EP on eclectic Los Angeles-based indie label Innovative Leisure. The record might as well be the first flaps of a phoenix’s wings, which brings us to the ashes: Wahid co-founded nine-person …

In this article: cornerstone, Innovative Leisure, wahid and wilt

All Them Witches Guitarist Ben McLeod Shares Five Essential ATW Tracks

By Matthew Shaw
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The members of experimental rock group All Them Witches met in Nashville in the early 2010s. That may seem like a curious locale for a band whose music has more in common with the sonic experimentation of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” than it does the country garb of denim and rhinestones. “Nashville has always had a really excellent …

In this article: All Them Witches, Ben McLeod, Interview, Intuition Ale Works and jacksonville

Asheville’s Wednesday Announce New Documentary and 2024 Shows, Including Jacksonville Stop

By Scott Russell
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It’s been a breakout year for Asheville indie-rock quintet Wednesday, and the momentum generated by the band’s latest and greatest album Rat Saw God is poised to carry them right into 2024: Karly Hartzman and company have announced the expansion of their current tour with new U.S. dates, including a February stop at Jack Rabbits, and a documentary on their …

In this article: documentary, Jack Rabbits, jacksonville, Rat Bastards of Haw Creek, Rat Saw God, tour and Wednesday

Aussie Rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Bring their Enjoyable, Exploratory Noise to Jack Rabbits

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Australian psych band, the aptly-yet-archly named Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are currently stomping through the US on a month-long North American tour with fellow noisy experimentalists, the Austin-based group Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band. The tour hits the Sunshine State in mid-October, with a stop at Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville on Friday, October 20. The Crumpets’ latest, the 2022 full-length album Night …

In this article: concert, Jack Rabbits, Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band, psych and psychedelic porn crumpets

Smokey Robinson | Tiny Desk Concert

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Legend is a word thrown around far too often. But if there was ever an artist the word “legend” applies to, it would be Smokey Robinson. The iconic songwriter, producer and vocalist was not only a key architect of the Motown sound, but also R&B and soul music as a whole. His uncanny ability to craft tender and catchy romantic …

In this article: Smokey Robinson and Tiny Desk

Jacksonville’s Jeremy Marshall Blanton Delivers the Goods with “Strange Cargo”

By Daniel A. Brown
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The title track from Duval singer-songwriter Jeremy Marshall Blanton‘s Strange Cargo EP dropped in mid-October and it’s a certain gem for anyone seeking local musical treasure. While Blanton has worked with estimable area acts including Robert Lester Folsom, Dean Winter and the Heat and Strangerwolf, the flavors Blanton serves up on his debut EP are surely his own. The intro …

In this article: jacksonville, Jeremy Marshall Blanton, Local Spotlight and Strange Cargo

“The Music Carries You Along” | Martin Barre Talks a Half-Century of Jethro Tull and More

By Daniel A. Brown
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On Thursday, November 2, guitarist Martin Barre brings his current tour A Brief History of Tull, to the Florida Theatre. Barre has arguably come full circle. The longtime Jethro Tull guitarist was born in Birmingham, U.K., a working-class town that also produced other formidable ‘60s musicians who went on to form The Move, Traffic and Black Sabbath. Influenced by jazz …

In this article: Florida Theatre, Interview, Jethro Tull and Martin Barre

Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Oct. 16-22

The Head and the Heart, Buddy Guy, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, All Them Witches and more

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Our weekly Go concert recommendations are updated every Monday morning. For a comprehensive list of this week’s concerts, go to our live music calendar page. Folk/Pop The Head and the Heart – Wednesday, October 18 The Amp | St. Augustine  Seattle indie-folk-pop act the Head and the Heart return to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Wednesday. Singer-songwriter Amanda Shires opens the show.  More  Rock/Psych  …

In this article: calendar, concert picks, concerts, jacksonville and Live music

All Songs Considered | The best releases out Oct. 13

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We didn’t get a chance to hear Bad Bunny’s new album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, prior to taping this week’s episode. But we did hit some of the other records that highlight a busy week of new releases. Australian singer and actor Troye Sivan put out one of this year’s late-breaking Song Of The Summer contenders …

In this article: All Songs Considered and New Music Friday

Violent Femmes Self-Titled Debut Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue

By Matthew Shaw
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Pioneering folk-punks Violent Femmes will reissue their self-titled debut with planned digital Deluxe edition release in December and a box-set edition in February. The reissue features numerous b-sides, alternative takes and never-before-heard live performances by the core Midwest trio. The group recently shared the first single from the special anniversary reissue, a live take of the spunky lovesick classic “Gone …

In this article: 40th Anniversary, reissue and Violent Femmes