Kurt Vile has always displayed a kind of sly, self awareness. The singer-songwriter and guitarist named his debut solo album Constant Hitmaker. That was 2008. And whether Vile was years ahead of the TikTok manifestation trend or just throwing out an audacious title for a debut, he has, over the course of a dozen or so albums, earned his share …
Jazz Harpist Brandee Younger on ‘Brand New Life’ and Paying Homage to Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane
Brandee Younger is a trailblazer. Over the course of the last 15 years, the New York-bred musician, composer and educator has contributed to works by a range of contemporary artists, from Common and Lauryn Hill to John Legend and Moses Sumney, placing her among a peer group of classically trained musicians strengthening the connective tissue between jazz and hip-hop, R&B, …
Progressive Rock Guitarist Steve Hackett and the Art of Moving Forward from Genesis Onward
Steve Hackett is many things: a pioneering progressive rock and jazz-fusion guitarist, an eager collaborator and tireless touring musician, and a classic-rock music survivor who remains refreshingly indifferent to pop-audience trends or attention. But one thing the 74-year-old Hackett certainly is not is idle. Whether it’s a matter of nervous energy or manic inspiration, along with being a core member …
Caroline Rose on Songwriting Evolution as a Form of Healing
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. The first time I ever heard “Feel the Way I Want” by Caroline Rose, I thought, “Wait a minute… is this my new anthem?” To me, Caroline’s music was stoic and earwormy. But on their latest record, 2023’s The Art of Forgetting, they took a turn …
Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C. Taylor on Writing Songs and Making a Racket
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to songwriters about the craft of songwriting. Like all good things in life, M.C. Taylor’s songwriting practice typically begins in a notebook. But lately, the Durham, NC singer-songwriter has been indulging more in the art of making a racket. Taylor has been releasing music under the moniker Hiss Golden Messenger since 2007. On …
Black Opry Founder Holly G On Creating Space for Black Artists in Country Music
Holly G is the founder of Black Opry, a platform for Black artists performing in country, Americana, folk and American-roots music. A self-described “music-industry disruptor,” Holly G started Black Opry as a website in 2021. It has quickly grown into a collective of sorts, encompassing the Black Opry Revue, a touring party of Black artists from all over the country. …
Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s ‘Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You’ Features Will OIdham’s Most Autobiographical Lyrics to Date
Since the dawn of the new millennium, the actor and singer-songwriter Will Oldham has been releasing music under the moniker Bonnie “Prince” Billy, drawing on a range of musical styles but more often folk traditions with a bent toward the literary, crafting austere and enchanting songs. As a prolific songwriter, Oldham has been compared to Charley Patton, Tom Waits and, …
How American-Roots Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist Sunny War Writes Her Songs
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to musicians about how they write their songs. Emerging from a broad spectrum of musical influences and styles, Nashville-born singer, songwriter and guitarist Sunny War blends folk music traditions with punk rock. Her latest album, 2023’s Anarchist Gospel, earned wide critical praise — Rolling Stone, Spin and Mojo named it one of the …
Brittany Howard is Going to Make her Dreams Come True
By the standards of the 2020s, when younger audiences metabolize music so quickly that performers need to keep a constant flow of memeable, streamable content coming, Brittany Howard‘s been laying low. Since wrapping the tour promoting her 2019 solo album Jaime and commissioning remixes of it from peers, she’s resurfaced only a handful of times leading up to the announcement …
André 3000 Opens Up About ‘New Blue Sun,’ his Daring New Solo Album
At a certain point in the winding lifespan of André 3000’s musical journey, there came a time when we as fans began to worry less about his lack of creative output and more about his general well-being. He’d ascended pop’s mountaintop as the outrageous half of OutKast, the best-selling hip-hop duo of all time. Then, without much explanation, he bowed …
Cindy Lee Mixes Old-School Chanteuse with New-Eon Indie Balladry
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: …
All Them Witches Guitarist Ben McLeod Shares Five Essential ATW Tracks
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 …
“The Music Carries You Along” | Martin Barre Talks a Half-Century of Jethro Tull and More
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 …
Midwest Princess Chappell Roan is Spreading Queer Joy through Her Dazzling Pop Tour
Pop is glittery, girly and gay again thanks to Missouri-native Chappell Roan. She just released her first full-length album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, on September 22. Some of Roan’s popular tracks include “Pink Pony Club,” and this summer’s cheerleader inspired anthem “HOT TO GO!” The songs are thematic, dramatic and glamorous, with call-and-response hooks, sensational synths …
Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards on the Letting Go and Going Within
How does one rock and roll the ineffable? Starting in 2003, Erika Wennerstrom has been the founder and forge of the Heartless Bastards. While the band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 2007 Wennerstrom has called Austin, Texas home. Since their inception, and despite some lineup changes, Heartless Bastards have garnered a devoted audience and critical raves due to their …
Teal Peel Singer and Guitarist Taylor Neal Battled Perfectionism While Writing and Producing His Song “Sandy”
Welcome to Songwriting School, where we talk to local songwriters about how they wrote one specific song. As frontman of Jacksonville based indie-rock band Teal Peel, songwriter Taylor Neal is the first to admit to his own perfectionism. He held onto some of the band’s songs for several years prior to releasing them. But when you hear the recordings, his …
Backed by an All-Star Band of Florida Players, Jax Singer-Songwriter rickoLus Swings Through the Sunshine State
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 …
Interview | Young The Giant’s Sameer Gadhia Talks About His Efforts to Make Alt More Inclusive
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 …
Duane Betts Finds Serenity and Soul in His ‘Wild & Precious Life’
When Duane Betts and his band Palmetto Motel hit the stage at Downtown Jacksonville’s Intuition Ale Works on Sunday, July 16, they’ll be performing mere miles from where the Allman Brothers Band formed more than fifty years ago. As the son of founding ABB member Dickey Betts, the now-45-year-old Duane was born within a direct lineage of that elder band’s …
Duval Country-Rockers Dean Winter and the Heat Get Ready to Fire It Up at Their Upcoming Vinyl Release Party at Intuition Ale Works
If you are lucky in country music, you will eventually run into hard luck. Anyone can have gratitude on a sunny Friday pay day. It’s the broke-a** rainy Tuesdays that keep you on your feet or flat on your back. And while country music isn’t all ragged blues and boozy ruminations, arguably the best and most memorable music of that …
Five Essential Mdou Moctar Tracks
Currently on a tour of North America, Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar will visit the Bier Hall inside Intuition Ale Works on Tuesday, May 2 as part of our JME Presents Music Discovery Series. If you’re unfamiliar with Moctar (pronounced em-dew mock-tar)’s work, the singer, songwriter, actor and activist is best known as something of a guitar hero. Moctar taught himself …
Jax Indie-Rock Band flipturn on the JME Soundstage
Indie-rock band flipturn is ascendant. The Fernandina-founded, now-Jax-based quintet is probably the biggest Jacksonville-music success story since Black Kids blew up in the early aughts. Watch flipturn, as well as performance videos of other local and nationally touring artists on our NPR Live Sessions Page On the strength Shadowglow, their debut for unimpeachably cool boutique label Dualtone (Shovels & Rope, …
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Nielson on the family-inspired new album ‘V’
Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s sound is something of a mystery. While it’s bathed in a lo-fi aesthetic, it has managed to evolve and grow through genres such a psychedelic, punk and even disco through the band’s decade-plus making music. UMO is back now with its latest album, V, bathing this time in the pools of Palm Springs and oceans of Hawaii …
Famed EDM DJ and Producer Deorro on His Ultra Music Festival Debut
Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, which is billed as “the world’s premiere electronic music festival,” is right around he corner. The three-day fest returns to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami March 24-26, and will once again serve as the grand finale to Miami Music Week, an annual marathon of electronic music events. We recently spoke to DJ and producer Deorro, who will …
Celebrated Guitarist Eli Winter on his Early Influences, his Eponymously-Titled New Album and More
When 20th-century occultist-artist Austin Osman Spare remarked that, “It was the straying that found the path direct,” he could have been anticipating the peripatetic ways of guitarist Eli Winter. Granted, the British magician died nearly 70 years ago and Winter was born in 1997. Yet the Chicago-born Winter has packed a lot of experiential wallop and road miles in a …
The Dandy Warhols and the Art of Three Decades of 15 Minutes of Fame
Call it the long game. Since their formation, indie-alt-what-have-you stalwarts the Dandy Warhols have remained essentially intact and absolutely active. Formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994, the band has outlasted most of their peers and even survived their hometown’s upscale evolution from a well-rooted, post-‘60s counterculture to its present-day Airbnb-ing and foodie oasis. Their earliest live shows were a raucous …
Os Mutantes’ Sérgio Dias on Five Decades of Making Left-of-Field Music
When Os Mutantes perform at Winterland V, the free, two-day music festival in downtown Jacksonville on Sunday, February 26, the storied band brings a half-century-plus of iconoclastic Brazilian musical history to the local 21st-century stage. Even in the freak-freely 1960s, Os Mutantes (“The Mutants” in Brazilian Portuguese) were precocious teenagers formed during the decidedly youth-revolt of the Tropicália movement. A …
Celebrated Singer-Songwriter Neko Case On Her Many Career Milestones, Her Love of Collaboration and Feelings About Twitter
Judging by her sheer velocity and creative endeavors, 30 years into her career, Neko Case remains too busy to glance at her reflection. Prior to our talk with the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, she had just completed an intense tour with The New Pornographers; the Canadian indie-pop-juggernaut group whom Case began working with some 25 years ago. Yet her current tour, in …
On ‘Time In The Sun,’ Susto’s Justin Osborne Explores the Circle of Life
After nearly a decade of crafting introspective songs as Susto, Justin Osborne wrote his most personal record to date. On 2021’s Time in the Sun, the Charleston, South-Carolina-bred singer-songwriter and guitarist unpacks, at times, contradictory ideas of hope and despair. Time in the Sun was written during the early onset of what has become into an open-ended global pandemic. And …
Jax Singer-Songwriter rickoLus live from JME Studios
In a now famous — and, thanks to YouTube, now widely available — 1965 press conference, a young and insouciant Bob Dylan was asked if he considers himself more of a singer or a poet, among other earnest questions by a fawning San Francisco press corps. “Oh, I consider myself a song and dance man, y’know?” Dylan answers without skipping …
Watch | Bad Madonna on the JME Soundstage
Back in September, singer and guitarist Alexis Rhode released Iron Fist, her second EP of 2022 as Bad Madonna. On Fist, Rhode traded the rootsy acoustics of her first five-song collection, Velvet Glove, for grit and distortion, teaming with guitarist Dylan Young and a crack rhythm section — Storm Bauer (bass), Joey French (drums) — to pack Fist with ample …
Bob Mould Crams a 40-Year Career of Alternative Noise into a Solo Electric Show
Alt-rock pioneer Bob Mould, who founded both Hüsker Dü and Sugar (among other projects), performs a solo-electric show at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Friday, October 14. He recently spoke with First Coast Connect host Melissa Ross about the gig, his 40-year career and his latest work. Listen to the interview below. Bob Mould performs at the Ponte Vedra …
Interview | EDM artist Darude on his upcoming 904 Day DJ set in Jax
Darude, one of electronic dance music’s most influential stars, will spin a set at Myth Nighclub on Sunday, September 4 (aka 904 Day). The Finnish DJ and producer, whose real name is Ville Virtanen, is best known for his 1999 hit “Sandstorm,” which went on to became one of the best-selling electronic dance singles in music history. Since its release, “Sandstorm,” which …
Inside Soccer Mommy’s Widescreen World
Clients of Nashville’s historic Sound Emporium studios are reminded right away that they’re in elite company. Plaques commemorating the commercial success of Kenny Chesney, Kacey Musgraves and other past patrons line the hallways, and across from the reception desk is a wall of framed snapshots, taken when the likes of Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant …
Liner Notes | Bebe Deluxe is Not Asking for Your Respect
Bebe Deluxe has been cranking out distinctive electropop for a few years now. And she’s one of several Jacksonville artists who seemed to come out of the pandemic with a sense of urgency and a renewed creative drive. Deluxe has been performing at a heavy clip recently, and was even invited to play this year’s SXSW back in March. And …
MUNA’s New Album Features Growth and An ‘Astral Projection Anthem’
A new album by MUNA, out today, has it all: personal growth, influences from pop prophet Robyn and a song the band calls an “astral projection anthem.” Singer-songwriter Katie Gavin and bandmates Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson met in college, and have been making music together for nearly a decade. But it hasn’t been easy lately – after releasing their …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2