EU’s Jack Diablo stays on top of the Jacksonville music scene, so you don’t have to! Check in every month for album reviews, show recommendations, and local music news.

Jun 7 – Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional at St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Hello high school version of Jack, would you like to see all that made the early 2000’s either really great or complete crap depending on your perspective? Heck yes I would. Over the past few years I’ve witnessed more than a handful ironic renditions of Jumper during nearly every karaoke session I’ve participated in. I don’t even know if ironic is the appropriate term when it comes to an unapologetic nostalgia for stuff like Third Eye Blind. Perhaps guilty pleasure is a better fit but don’t act like you don’t belt out the chorus and bang on your steering wheel when you’re alone in the car and Semi-Charmed Kinda Life comes on. Admit it. I won’t force you to confess a love for Dashboard Confessional, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would do that, guilty pleasure or not, that’s just weak.

June 10 – Ancient River, Fjord Explorer @ Burro Bar

Ancient River are one of those underappreciated semi-local bands that it big in towns like Austin but have yet to catch on in their own backyard. Originally from Gainesville Channeling the sounds of big-time psych rock acts like Tame Impala or Clinic they bridge the spectrum from shoegaze to Americana but more often than not in a more subdued, restrained way than some of the real crazy stuff not unlike something like Atlas Sound in a sense. Their latest album, Keeper of the Dawn, finds them more deeply exploring the realms of psychedelia, a dark yet illuminating territory. Catch them with Jacksonville’s own psych-Americana outfit, Fjord Explorer, featuring yours truly. I’ve never been above a shameless plug.

June 11 – Tycho at Freebird Live

Tycho makes some very chill music. In fact, you might want to bring a chair to this one. While I am completely kidding and do enjoy the bleeps and bloops of what a friend of mine would call “graphic designer music,” I don’t know how much I want to experience Tycho standing up. It makes for really good background music when you’re trying to focus on something or otherwise tuning out the world but unless there’s a substantial visual component, I wouldn’t expect a whole heck of a lot.

June 12 – Swamp Radio at Florida Theatre

If a Prairie Home Companion were set in Northeast Florida instead of Lake Wobegon, it might sound a lot like Swamp Radio. I’m sure the creative team behind the show is sick of that comparison but it’s an apt one. As a recipient of the Cultural Council’s Spark Grant, Swamp Radio brings the rich history, culture, music and storytelling of Jacksonville and the surrounding area to the stage, airwaves, and interwebs to weave an “audio tapestry” that encapsulates the North Florida experience. This particular installment focuses on the summer and features music from Mama Blue, Herd of Watts and the WillowWacks.

June 13 – 2nd Annual Stevie Ray Stiletto Memorial and Benefit @ Rain Dogs

Years ago I was tasked with chronicling the life and times of Jacksonville punk legend Stevie Stiletto for this very publication. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about the assignment and in the end, let another writer carry the story. I didn’t grow up here and SRS was way before my time. I thought him a washed-up, never-was and rolled my eyes on the inside when he handed me his hand-written biography and told me stories of days gone by. A few years later, he succumbed to liver cancer and I think I still have that bio somewhere. While his life and music may not have meant much to me, that certainly isn’t the case for Jacksonville’s old school punks. For the second year in a row since his 2013 death, those who claim Ray McKelvey as an influence have gathered to celebrate the punk rock pioneer’s life and career and raise money for Sweet Relief’s mission to aide musicians with cancer. Don’t miss legends such as Whiskey Gods, Grabbag, PowerBall, The Senses and more as they pay homage and tribute to this larger-than-life character.

July 3 – Black Tusk, Loudon, Black Stache @ Burro Bar

Tragedy is no match for the likes of Savannah’s swampiest metal band, Black Tusk. Just six months ago, they lost their bass player, Jonathan Athon, to a motorcycle accident but have faithfully kept the music alive, forging ahead and continuing on as best they can. Contemporaries of fellow Savannah metalheads Baroness and Kylesa, Black Tusk were at the forefront of the latest wave of Southern metal, blending sweet stoner riffs with aggressive hardcore punk, all infused with a distinct swampiness that just can’t be faked. The band was featured on Cartoon Network’s compilation Metal Swim alongside badasses like Boris, Torche, Skeletonwitch, Isis, Zoroaster and more and will be releasing their next album (recorded before Athon’s death) very soon.