As we unearth new tunes from artists around the globe, we love to shine the high beams of our Local Spotlight series on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This year, our team reviewed more than five dozen releases from Jacksonville artists. (That’s more than one new song per week!) Before we close out 2022, we wanted to make …
Toni Smailagic’s Favorite Albums of 2022
As we spin the final grooves of 2022, JME Contributors are recapping their favorite music of the year. Just when I thought I had my list of favorite albums set in stone, SZA dropped perhaps the best record of the year with the release of her sobering sophomore effort in December. Don’t get me wrong, RENAISSANCE is by far my …
The 10 Best Rock Albums of 2022
We still believe in rock and roll — as a force for good, laughter, debauchery, introspection or whatever revs your energy on a Saturday night. In 2022, the top 10 rock albums took a pilgrimage to Memphis, communed with theologians and poets, found the interconnectedness of all beings and danced through pain and pleasure. Below, find a ranked list of …
Alisa Amador, 2022 Tiny Desk Contest Winner | Tiny Desk Concert
It surely was a day of joyful tears. And those joyful tears for Alisa Amador, the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest, came at a time when she had been considering putting her music career on hold. For the staff of NPR and the Tiny Desk crew, it was our first Tiny Desk concert with an audience in over …
Four Takeaways from Shaky Knees 2022
Shaky Knees, arguably one of the best musical festivals in the Southeast, returned to its springtime roots earlier this month — and music lovers from all over the region showed up for it. After being canceled in 2020 and postponed to October in 2021 due to the pandemic, the indie- and alt-rock-heavy festival returned to Atlanta’s Central Park in late …
Announcing the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest
Choosing one Tiny Desk Contest winner from all the incredible entries NPR Music receives each year never gets any easier — though the process, where a panel of judges and I get to hear so many amazing unsigned artists from across the country who hope to play a Tiny Desk concert, is always pretty exciting. Now, after sifting through thousands …
Just Announced | Herbie Hancock will headline Jacksonville Jazz Fest
George Benson, Christian Sands Trio, Jazzmeia Horn and John Lumpkin also announced
Headliners for the 2022 Jacksonville Jazz Festival have been announced. Back is guitar-phenom George Benson. Youngsters like 30-year-old vocalist and songwriter Jazzmeia Horn, as well as 32-year-old pianist and composer Christian Sands are on the bill. Local drummer and bandleader John Lumpkin will performa as well. But the big news: Herbie Hancock. A multi-instrumentalist and architect of post-bop best known …
Go | The best concerts in Jax this week
Lucinda Williams, Tank and the Bangas and a big, free indie music fest in Downtown Jacksonville
The Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series continues with Tank and the Bangas (and more) and, finally, Winterland IV is here. The free, locally founded two-day music festival will kick off in Downtown Jacksonville on Saturday and Sunday, for two days of family friendly, big-time indie energy. The JME team will be there. Here’s a list of everything else the JME contributors …
10 Jacksonville Artists to Watch in 2022
These Northeast Florida artists are poised for a breakthrough
So, The Beatles are the most talked-about band in the world. Vinyl records are the most popular way to consume music. People are talking about Limp Bizkit. Taylor Swift’s Red, originally released in 2012, sits near the top of the charts. Kanye, Drake, J Cole, Adele and Tyler, The Creator have new music out. Oh, and Bob Dylan may have …
Intuition Ale Works to host Soccer Mommy, Reverend Horton Heat, Luna Luna and more
The winter/spring live-music calendar is filling up at Intuition Ale Works
Among Jacksonville’s many topnotch venues, Intuition Ale Works’ winter/spring concert calendar might offer the most exciting indie-focussed lineup of all. Notable acts visiting the Bier Hall inside Intuition’s downtown taproom include Nashville singer-songwriter Sophia Regina Allison’s project Soccer Mommy, the godfather of modern psychobilly Reverend Horton Heat and Latinx indie pop quartet Luna Luna. In recent weeks, GRAMMY-nominated all-female string …
Just Announced | Jax River Jams returns to Downtown Jacksonville
Spin Doctors, Boys II Men, Carly Pearce and Manchester Orchestra
After a successful first year, the month-long, multi-genre series of free shows, Jax River Jams, will return to Downtown Jacksonville’s Riverfront Plaza in April, with another bananas list of headliners including ’90s pop-rockers Spin Doctors, iconic vocal group Boyz II Men, country star Carly Pearce and Atlanta indie-rock darlings Manchester Orchestra. The announcement from the City of Jacksonville, Downtown Vision …
Go | Innings Festival brings Green Day, The Lumineers, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and more to Tampa
This Tampa-based music and baseball festival is worth a swing
Raymond James Stadium is the home of the defending NFL champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won the Super Bowl game in that facility just about a year ago. It was the third Super Bowl held there, but with a capacity running upwards of 70,000, the facility is good for much more than just football. For example, one of the …
The Grammys are postponed and Sundance is moved online because of omicron surge
It’s official. The 64th annual Grammy Awards are postponed and the Sundance Film Festival has been moved online. A joint statement on Wednesday by the Recording Academy and CBS blamed the Grammy rescheduling on the omicron variant. “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce …