
by Kellie Abrahamson
Jacksonville’s only television show dedicated to local music is celebrating its one year anniversary next month and is doing it in style. YourJax Music will host a showcase at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach this month and then a day-long free festival at City Hall Pub Downtown on September 5th.
YourJax Music is a weekly half hour program that airs on CW17 and features musical performances and interviews with artists in and around the First Coast. The show is the brainchild of host Jake McCain, a musician himself who also serves as the CW’s eMedia Manager. The simple yet brilliant idea in hand, McCain and the CW then approached EU about becoming sponsors and co-collaborators and the rest, as they say, is history. Approximately 30 episodes of YourJax Music have aired at this writing which translates to 15 hours of programming consisting of 220 songs by 63 artists. Over a dozen of those featured have signed on to rock out at the YourJax Music Fest in September.
Like the show itself, the festival will bring musicians from all genres to City Hall Pub’s two stages. Acoustic artists, rock bands, hip-hop acts and blues men are all scheduled to perform throughout the day. The impressive lineup includes Fusebox Funk, kLoB, the Tony Smotherman Project, the iGive, Yankee Slickers, Amy Hendrickson & the Prime Directive, Ace Winn, Goliath Flores, Wes Cobb, the Daryl Hance Band, Grandpas Cough Medicine, Nate Holley, John Earle, Rosco Caine, Dan Reading, Charlie Walker and more. This is an unparalleled opportunity to experience some of Jacksonville’s most talented musicians all in one day, all for free. You can’t beat that! The YourJax Music Fest kicks off at noon on September 5th and continues with non-stop tunes until closing.
In anticipation of the festival, each episode of YourJax Music leading up to the event will be hosted by one of the artists performing and will include fun, candid looks at their lives and music. The schedule is as follows:
Aug 7 & 8 – kLoB
Aug 14 & 15 – The Tony Smotherman Project
Aug 21 & 22 – The iGive
Aug 28 & 29 – Yankee Slickers
If you can’t wait ‘til September to experience some great local music, head over to the Freebird on August 13th for a sneak peek at what the Fest will bring. There you’ll get find the YourJax Music Showcase, a one night only event that will have three of our favorite acts from the show performing live in concert. Multi-instrumentalist Goliath Flores will open, starting the night off right with his exotic brand of mood music inspired by folk acts from around the world. Next up is the always wildly entertaining kLoB. This five-piece blends the blues with funk and soul to bring audiences toe-tapping tunes that stay with you long after the lights go down. Rounding out the evening will be Amy Hendrickson & the Prime Directive, a band out of St. Augustine that defies categorization. Since forming in 2009 this folky, jazz-drenched, alt-rock experiment has blown minds at home and across the nation thanks to their unforgettable live performances. They even earned a standing ovation at the Florida Theatre last year when they opened for the Wallflowers. Tickets for the YourJax Music Showcase are $8 in advance and $10 the day of the show, a small price to pay for what will ultimately be a phenomenal night of local music.
The River City is home to so many terrific musical acts and YourJax Music has only scratched the surface with this, its first year on the air. We look forward to assisting with many seasons to come and are eager to give even more local artists the opportunity to step into the spotlight and share their talents with the community. If you’re interested in being one of the artists featured on the show you can email Jake McCain at music@yourjax.com to submit an audition CD. You can catch YourJax Music on CW17 every Saturday at 10 pm and on Sundays at 6:30 pm. For more information, visit www.yourjaxmusic.com.
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