SPELLLING Reworks “Hard to Please (Reprise)” in Grand, Gorgeous Fashion

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Those unfamiliar with Chrystia Cabral’s SPELLLING are being gifted the ideal entry point: The Bay Area art-pop pathfinder is breathing new life into her output to this point on her forthcoming fourth album, the self-produced SPELLLING & The Mystery School, coming Aug. 25 on Sacred Bones. Our latest preview of the career-spanning LP is “Hard to Please (Reprise),” a revitalized …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Aug. 7-13

Jason Isbell, Queer Country Disco, Stephen Marley and more

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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. A cappella  Pentatonix – Wednesday, August 9  Daily’s Place | Downtown Jacksonville Inarguably talented, unmistakably twee a cappella pop group Pentatonix performs at Daily’s Place Amphitheater on Wednesday.  More  Reggae  Stephen Marley – …

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Le Tigre’s Feminist Rage has Always been Fun

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When Bikini Kill reunited in 2017, later embarking on a tour that united feminist punks across generations, it introduced a clawing, almost desperate question in the back of my brain: Would Le Tigre ever reunite? The art punk, electronic, “whatever-you-wanna-call-it” group, fronted by Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna alongside Johanna Fateman and JD Samson, last toured in 2005, promoting its only …

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D.C. Rapper Sa-Roc Commands Respect on “Talk To Me Nice”

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Ahead of her fall Talk To Me Nice tour, D.C.-born emcee Sa-Roc has shared a new single and video of the same name, our first preview of the as-yet-untitled follow-up to her 2020 Rhymesayers Entertainment debut, The Sharecropper’s Daughter. Produced by resident Rhymesayers studio-wizard Sol Messiah, “Talk To Me Nice” uses both its lyrics and instrumental to send one unmistakable …

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Obongjayar | Tiny Desk Concert

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When I got downstairs to greet Obongjayar and his bandmates at NPR headquarters, they had already found their way over to some stationary bikes near the lobby to get the adrenaline pumping. OB and crew seemed shy but ready for this moment. During the show, I witnessed my colleagues go from wiping away tears to bouncing and clapping within a …

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On “Eat Paper,” Experimental UK Combo Food People Serve Up Tasty Psych 

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The Nottingham, U.K. trio Food People stay true to the DIY loose-ethos freedoms of what is considered lo-fi without being unfaithful to the band’s own hazy, cryptic romanticism. A track from their new full-length release, Many Glorious Petals, the four-and-a-half minutes of “Eat Paper” rolls forward as a placid soundtrack for travelers on the road with the vaguest of directions …

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New Book from Alan Paul Tells the Epic Story of the Allman Brothers Band’s 1970s Era

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Fifty years ago to the day, a few rock fans were arguably still coming down, reeling, rocking and neurologically smoldering, from attending the Watkins Glen Summer Jam. Held on Saturday, July 28, 1973 at the Watkins Glen International grand prix race track in central New York, the one-day festival featured performances from three of the biggest names in rock: The …

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Wilco Drop “Evicted,” the First Single from a New Album Produced by Cate Le Bon

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Through the years, I’ve developed a ritual for every new Wilco release. Before I press play, I ask myself: which Wilco do I want to hear? Am I hoping that their alt-country roots will come through the soil, or would I rather hear electronica reminiscent of their 2002 hit record Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Am I craving something with complex piano …

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Playlist | Best new music of August

New tracks from Big Thief, Wilco, Mitski, Animal Collective and more

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Featuring a few dozen new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists, our Fresh Squeeze playlist includes the best new music emanating 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 new singles from the most-band-iest band …

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On ‘Flutters,’ Duval Soul and R&B Artist Kearsten Monielle Shares “All I Want” and More

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Taken from her new Flutters EP, the latest from Duval soul and R&B artist Kearsten Monielle is a slow-burn ballad polished to a high sheen. Behind the major-key glimmer of producer Ian Williams, on “All I Want” Monielle serves up a song about letting go of negative energy, supplanted with positive vibrations, navigating what Monielle tells JME was born from …

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Backed by an All-Star Band of Florida Players, Jax Singer-Songwriter rickoLus Swings Through the Sunshine State 

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In August, Jacksonville singer-songwriter rickoLus will embark on a tour of the Sunshine State with Orlando indie-rock band The Pauses. rickoLus is the longtime project of the multi-talented Richard Colado, who, beginning with the power-pop band The Julius Airwave in the early-aughts, has been an integral member of the Northeast Florida music scene for two decades now. For the upcoming …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 31-Aug. 6

Jazz, punk and everything in between

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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 Blue Jay Jazz Jam – Tuesday, August 1 Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach  Every Tuesday, fun-sized Jax Beach venue Blue Jay Listening Room hosts a rotating cast of standout players …

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Facilities / Event Support, Level I (Crew)

The Level I Support position is an entry level on-call crew position which provides viable support to our Studio Facilities, Events, Building Operations and Production Departments’ daily schedules.

New Music Friday | The best releases out on July 28

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A year after releasing his last album — and becoming a dad for the first time — Post Malone is back with AUSTIN, a sprawling collection of intimate songs on addiction, afflictions and contradictions. On this week’s show, Atlanta-based culture journalist Gavin Godfrey, critic and reporter Cyrena Touros and writer LaTesha Harris, along with host Robin Hilton, look at the …

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The Kids Are Alright in Weirdly Fun Comp of 20th-Century French School House Rock 

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The recently released compilation from French label Born Bad Records is a kind of object lesson in true musical innocence, primitivism and an innately non-pretentious DIY that adds up to one of the more unique releases barreling across the Jacksonville Music Experience radar. Recorded from 1962-1982, the compilation Prends Le Temps D’Ecouter – Musique d’expression libre dans les classes Freinet …

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Stephen Steinbrink Shakes Free of Meaning on “Poured Back in the Stream”

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In August, veteran Bay Area singer-songwriter and producer Stephen Steinbrink returns with his first new album in five years, and our latest preview of Disappearing Coin (Aug. 18, Western Vinyl) has arrived in the form of the zenned-out “Poured Back in the Stream.” In press materials, Steinbrink says that Disappearing Coin “feels like an integration of all of my past …

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Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has Died at 56

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Updated July 26, 2023 at 4:33 PM ET Sinéad O’Connor, the Irish singer known for her intense and beautiful voice, her political convictions and the personal tumult that overtook her later years, has died, according to a family statement released to the BBC. She was 56 years old. O’Connor’s recording of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was one of the biggest …

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Dub Master Pachyman Brings His Vocals to the Front of the Mix on “Trago Coqueto”

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As Pachyman, L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist Pachy García has proven himself a master of dub, the musical style first popularized in late-’60s Jamaica by King Tubby and the late, unimpeachably great Lee “Scratch” Perry. Like his dub daddies and forefathers, Pachyman has made the studio console his lead instrument, bending and transmogrifying recorded audio to his whims to create mesmerizing and enjoyably-chill-AF …

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On ‘Peace Loving People,’ Pardoner Takes Aim at Late-Stage Capitalism with Slacker-Rock Gusto

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San Francisco’s Pardoner unpacks late-capitalism with nostalgic slacker rock pleasantries on their latest, the sarcastically-named full-length album Peace Loving People (out now on Bar/None Records). Throughout the record, the quartet’s punk tendencies glitter lightly through a newfound tenderness. The group’s blasé sound changes as quick as an Internet trend, bursting into heavy bits of breakdowns and then snapping back into …

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Should Artists Pay to Play? Upcoming Festival Employs Controversial Model For Booking Local Talent

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The First Coast Music Festival is held on Saturday, July 29 at Underbelly and 1904 Music Hall in Downtown Jacksonville. The event will feature a lineup of 32 local artists and is being promoted as a showcase of the region’s “best independent artists” competing for a “cash prize.”  The model the festival has employed to secure this lineup of local, …

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Trumpet was Too Loud, Clarinet was Too soft — Here’s ‘The Story of the Saxophone’

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Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome met at a “Purple Rain” party when they were 19 — sophomores at Pratt Institute. “I asked her to dance, and we’ve been dancing together ever since,” says James Ransome. Cline-Ransome was in the fashion department. Ransome was an illustration student. They began dating. “I think we knew we were a match because he would …

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The Latest from Duval Rockers Ducats Stays Faithful to Their Lo-Fidelity Psych Sensibilities 

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The latest from Duval rockers Ducats takes the continuous-release, narcoticized-guitar maneuvering of peak My Bloody Valentine and halcyon days Teenage Fanclub well into the 21st century. “Painless” is stylized but hardly flatlined or constrained by any rockist demands. Wobbly guitar shimmers over, under and around vocals unintelligible to the point of any distinguishable words — and that is a compliment. …

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Jason Aldean’s ‘Small Town’ is Part of a Long Legacy with a Very Dark Side

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Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” which ignited controversy this week over claims that the song and its new video promote white supremacy and violence, is far from the first country song to attack cities using racist dog whistles. “Try That” is most clearly a descendant of Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive” (1982), which claims, …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 24-30

John Fogerty, Goo Goo Dolls, Ulysses Owens Jr.'s Jazz Jam and more

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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. Metal/Parody Steel Panther – Wednesday, July 26 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville  Comedic glam band Steel Panther brings its hair-metal schtick to Underbelly on Wednesday. More Pop/Rock  Goo Goo Dolls & O.A.R. – Thursday, …

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On ‘Sunburn,’ Multi-Talented Florida-Bred Superstar Dominic Fike Shines Bright

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Over the last few years, Naples-native Dominic Fike has found himself in rarified air: A bonafide, Florida-bred superstar. Perhaps more widely recognized for his role as Elliot on the HBO original Euphoria, before Fike was acting, he was making music here in the Sunshine State. In July, Fike released his third full-length album, Sunburn. Over the course of the record’s 15 …

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Kate Teague Harbors a Broken Heart on New Single “I Feel Bad for My Dog”

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Memphis, Tennessee, singer-songwriter Kate Teague has a new EP due out in under a month, and in the lead up to Loose Screw (Aug. 11, self-released), she shared its second single this week, the lovesick slow burn “I Feel Bad for My Dog.” Building from nothing but moody keys and Teague’s emotive vocal, the song finds the singer not only …

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New Music Friday | The best releases out on July 21

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NewJeans has only been putting out music for about a year, but is already taking a serious run at K-pop domination, partly by subverting the genre’s conventions. On the group’s second EP, Get Up, the songs do lean heavily into cute, sugary sweet dance pop, but leave the edges a bit more ragged with a warmer, more genuine sound. On …

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Jacksonville Today Earns National Honors In 2023 Local Media Association Awards

Media Contact:  Neily Braren, Promotion & Marketing Associate 904.318.2633 • nbraren@wjct.org Jacksonville Today Earns National Honors In 2023 Local Media Association Awards Digital local news service earns first place in Best Local Newsletter/Email Strategy and second place in Best Philanthropy Journalism and/or Fundraising Campaign  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — July 20, 2023 — WJCT Public Media announced today that its digital local …

Atmosphere Choose “Still Life” in New Video, Detail Tour De Friends

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Atmosphere shared their umpteenth album in May’s So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously, and this week, the Minneapolis indie hip-hop veterans followed their latest LP with a music video for standout track “Still Life,” plus a new set of November tour dates. Rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and producer Ant (Anthony Davis) collaborate with East London vocalist Murkage Dave on the …

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Interview | Young The Giant’s Sameer Gadhia Talks About His Efforts to Make Alt More Inclusive

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Popular and enduring indie/alt-rock quintet Young The Giant plays the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Thursday, July 20. The group’s latest release, 2023’s Both Sides EP, features live and acoustic recordings. A few months back, former First Coast Connect host Melissa Ross spoke with the band’s lead singer, Sameer Gadhia, about the show, the group’s new music and his efforts to …

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Lincolnville Porch Fest, Record Fair and Night Market Added to Sing Out Loud Programming

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Sing Out Loud, St. Augustine’s month-long music festival, has added three more free events to its 2023 programming: Lincolnville Porch Fest (September 16), the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Night Market (September 19) and the St. Augustine Record Fair (September 24). True to form, the folks behind SOL have packed the month of September with tons of music. Programming for SOL 2023 …

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On “The Key to My Door,” Singer-Songwriter Tori Nance Proves She’s the Local Queen of the Breakup Song

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The latest from Northeast Florida singer-songwriter Tori Nance aligns with her self-professed title of “the Queen of Breakup Songs.” Leaning into an indie-adult-album-alternative sound, “The Key to My Door” is an acrimonious anthem that is a minor-key delight for codependency and flat-out lovelorn listeners. Over the course of the song’s three and a half minutes, Nance doesn’t roll too far …

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Best Concerts in Jacksonville | Jul. 17-23

Yellowcard, Young the Giant, Michael Franti & Spearhead and more

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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 Buckcherry – Tuesday, July 18 Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville Hard-rock outfit Buckcherry, who had a handful of alt-rock-radio hits in the ‘90s, including “Lit Up,” play Underbelly on Tuesday.  More Indie/Folk/Punk Emily …

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The Latest from Guitarist Dominic Miller Maintains the Quality Control of Mercurial Label ECM Records

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ECM Records remains an object lesson in autonomy, tenacity and true independence.  Co-founded by bassist-producer Manfred Eicher in 1969 to highlight the then-under-looked European jazz scene, ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) has gone onto release more than 1700 albums. The now-80-year-old Eicher has overseen every release, and the label’s cover designs are as consistent as Eicher’s ethereal-meets-high-fidelity production approach. To name …

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50 years ago, Teenagers Partied in the Bronx — and Gave Rise to Hip-Hop

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When Jerry Leader was growing up, he made himself a toy set of DJ equipment. Two empty cereal boxes were the turntables. For the records, he cut circles out of cardboard. The needle, a plastic spoon. He would sing to himself, “mixing” the tracks. Leader grew up in an 18-story apartment building in the Bronx, New York City, during the …

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Yo La Tengo Added to Sing Out Loud Lineup

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Update: This show has been postponed. Yo La Tengo provided the following message to Sing Out Loud. “Hi everybody – it pains us to write this message (in Georgia’s case, literally), but we have no choice except to postpone our September dates until early 2024.  A knee that’s been bothering Georgia for years has gotten bad enough that she’s going …

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