With over a decade of released music behind him, Alex G has long taken a playfully distorted approach to songwriting, like he’s filtering his music through a funhouse mirror. The 29-year-old artist often addresses or morphs into fictional characters: insecure teenage girls and children with names like Sarah, Alina, Sandy. Flashes of storybook innocence, tales of guarded treehouses and stolen …
Marc Bolan and T. Rex Blended the Visionary with the Saccharine
A deep dive into the glam-rock pioneer's varied catalog
There are so many alleged geniuses in music that the field has grown fallow. Marc Bolan wasn’t a genius. But judging by his body of songs, and the overall harvest, he was absolutely guided by a conditional brilliance. Equal parts Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry and John Keats, the late UK glam god seemed to misplace the stolen promethean fire of …
‘Cheat Codes’ is the album Black Thought couldn’t have made until now
For many years, the Black Thought solo album felt like an imaginary object, long rumored yet never revealed. It went by several names — Masterpiece Theatre, The Talented Mr. Trotter — and had many soft launches. The Philly rapper born Tariq Trotter had of course already displayed his otherworldly dexterity as frontman and co-founder of The Roots, and, beginning in …
August 16, 1974 | The Ramones Play First Show at CBGB
"1, 2, 3, 4..."
Sometimes it can feel like the entire history of classic rock — every new direction, every iconic performance, every paradigm shift — was condensed into a little more than a decade. From The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (1964) to Pet Sounds (1966), Woodstock (1969) to the Sex Pistols on The Ed Grundy Show (1976), the cultural zeitgeist moved from “Her …
Fresh Rotation | 4 New Songs We Really Dig
New music from Dry Cleaning, The A's, John Cale and Katalyst
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4 (and to our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist). Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least …
Summer of Sharing | Who Wants Free Music?
Vinyl, concert tickets, swag and more!
The Jacksonville Music Experience is all about sharing — It’s what we do all day long on The Independent 89.9 HD4 when we share the latest from new and inventive artists. And what we do on jaxmusic.org when we dive even deeper to share the latest music news, reviews, profiles, and live music events. But this summer we’re sharing even …
Fresh Rotation | 3 Songs We Can’t Stop Listening To
Avant-pop from Dummy, folk punk from Pigeon Pit and a mythic free-jazz reissue
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4 (and to our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist). Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least …
Local Spotlight | 3 Great Tracks by Jax Artists Out Now
New music from Flipturn, K.UTIE and Severed + Said
We’re always keeping our ear to the ground in order to put the spotlight on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This week, Jacksonville Music Experience contributors share three new songs by local artists that we think you’ll dig. Let’s dive in. “Halfway” by Flipturn Since their more-precocious days of being Fernandina Beach high-school rockers circa 2015, to their …
Fresh Rotation | 4 Songs We’re Listening to Right Now
New music from Sharon Van Etten, Khalid, Holiday Ghosts and a long-overdue Terry Allen reissue
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4 (and to our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist). Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least …
On ‘Stories Up High,’ Laney Jones Seeks the Flow State
Nashville singer-songwriter brings her record to Blue Jay Listening Room
Since her debut nearly a decade ago, Nashville singer-songwriter Laney Jones has been impossible to pigeon hole. In naming Jones one of its Country Artists to Watch in 2016, Rolling Stone magazine said Jones’ music worked just as well “on the indie stage of a bluegrass festival as it would in an iTunes commercial.” For her latest full-length, Stories Up …
Celebrate David Byrne’s Birthday on The Independent 89.9 HD4
Put on a baggy suit, bust out your angular dance moves and turn on the radio.
David Byrne turns 70-years young on Saturday. The singer, songwriter, filmmaker, writer, actor and music theorist has left an indelible mark on both popular music and American culture. Together with his art school pals in Talking Heads, Byrne turned contemporary music on its ear in the ’70s and ’80s. And, as he enters his septuagenarian years, Byrne shows no sign …
LPT’s ‘Se Quema El Mundo’ is a dance-floor-ready Fire Stoked with Social Commentary
Jacksonville’s mighty 10-piece Afro-Cuban Salsa Orchestra LPT first introduced themselves through a series of monthly showcases in the backroom of Five Points watering hole Rain Dogs, enticing revelrous, full-capacity crowds onto the dance floor. From the jump, they were a force to be reckoned with. A band with a promising future. But right after the group’s debut of original material, …
Fresh Rotation | 4 new songs we’re listening to right now
New music from Wilco, King Gizzard, Moonchild and Kikagaku Moyo
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4 (and to our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist). Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least …
New Mix | Fresh Squeeze
Discover the best new music added to rotation on the Independent 89.9 HD4
Each month, JME contributors pick the juiciest noise emanating from Northeast Florida and beyond for our Fresh Squeeze playlist. Featuring a few dozen new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists, there are no rules or genre restrictions; just songs we thought were worth a share. This month we’ve got a ton of great new music in rotation on The …
Fresh Rotation | 3 new tracks we’re listening to right now
New music from Cass McCombs and The Slaps, and an unearthed track from garage-rock apostles The Preachers
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add to the rotation on The Independent 89.9 HD4 (and to our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist). Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or …
Here’s What to Expect from The Independent 89.9 HD4, Our New Music Discovery Station
Today, WJCT Public Media and the Jacksonville Music Experience officially unveiled The Independent 89.9 HD4, our new music discovery radio station. Folks of a certain age may be wondering: What’s a radio station? Well, long before subscription music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal) made available the entirety of recorded music for a flat monthly fee, radio stations provided the connective …
Go | JME Showcase Series at Underbelly
Catch five emerging Jacksonville acts on one stage
WJCT Public Media and the Jacksonville Music Experience are putting the spotlight on the artists making noise in Northeast Florida with the JME Showcase Series (Stop #2) at Underbelly in Downtown Jacksonville On Thursday, April 21, we’ll bring another eclectic, all-local lineup to the stage, with singer-songwriter Bad Madonna, indie-folk artist Howdy, new wave band Seagate, indie-pop standout Huan and hip-hop collective L.O.V.E. Culture. Doors are …
Local Spotlight | 3 new tracks by Jax artists out now
New music from L.O.V.E Culture and Ebony-Payne English feat. Ulysses Owens Jr, plus Jawberry’s debut
We’re always keeping our ear to the ground in order to put the spotlight on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This week, Jacksonville Music Experience contributors share three new songs by local artists that we think you’ll really dig. Let’s dive in. “Growth” by L.O.V.E. Culture Duval hip-hop ensemble L.O.V.E. Culture stay prolific with their latest, a single …
On ‘Eureka Springs’ Cory Driscoll Chronicles a Physical and Emotional Journey
Jax singer-songwriter on how a road trip to America's heartland inspired his latest concept album
In an era in which music streaming services seem to encourage consumption of singles, Jax-based singer-songwriter Cory Driscoll writes tunes based around a theme in order to create an entire body of work –– it’s called an album, kids. Driscoll’s been in several musical projects over the years, but his first record under his given name, 2018’s Tropical Depression, was …
Fresh Rotation | 3 new tracks JME Contributors think you should listen to
The Stroppies make uncool cool, Mark Turner turns jazz on its ear and Angel Olsen soars above the fray
Each and every week the JME team handpicks the juiciest new tunes from local, regional, national and international artists to add into our tasty, tall-glass-of-a-listening-experience that is our monthly Fresh Squeeze playlist. Each song is chosen with intention. And so we often feel like they are worthy of a broader discussion (or at least a bit of context). Here are three …
