Local Musicians

EVENT: Palm Trees & Power Lines at Rock on the River 6 DATE: Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) VENUE: The Jacksonville Landing TICKETS: FREE CONTACT: www.jacksonvillelanding.com, www.x1029.com Florida’s wink of a spring is almost gone, and that means it’s finally time to make a break for the beach and find a perfect summer playlist. We’ve got you covered with on-the-rise , who are currently killing it with high-profile gigs like ,  and  6. The band, which started playing together in 2012, is comprised of Jacksonville natives , ,  and . They debuted their High Hopes EP back in November 2013, …

A lot has changed in the 34 years since a modest crowd gathered in the historic fishing village for the first ever . Growing pains paved the way to venue changes, an expanded festival schedule and booming attendance throughout the years. One constant that has remained relentlessly intact is the caliber of artistry at the festival and the unwavering commitment to jazz in all of its forms. Formerly billed as the Mayport and All That Jazz Festival, the Jacksonville Jazz Fest evolved from a small, single day event to a nationally recognized destination at  produced by and partners. The  took …

, a four-time veteran of , headlines it for the second time this year. He is a perfect fit for the festival’s stage. “I was born into music. My mother played piano, and my father played trombone, and I grew up in the church,” says Parris. He relates that both his father and mother encouraged him to pursue music, although the road to performing jazz wound through lots of gospel. “The group for me that made me feel like jazz was the right choice was the . They are my favorite jazz band of all time. If you listen to …

Duval-based comic calls on comedians and musicians alike to get all aboard his entertainment express at Jax Comedy Club If you are at all intimate with the stand-up scene in Jax, then you are most certainly familiar with Jacksonville’s own professional jokester, . He’s been performing here “all his life,” starting out as the “funny kid” and, now into adulthood, opening for many notable national acts such as , , and . If you cover the Jax yuk-yuk scene as I do, he is as much of a fixture in greenrooms as is neurosis. The always affable and down-to-earth comic …

Hemming Park is exploding with art all over the park on Saturday, May 2, sponsored by . From 10 am to 3 pm, children and adults are invited to a free day of fun with the best of the city’s cultural organizations offering live performances, participatory events and even a water spirit emerging thanks to artist . Come along any way you wish – by bicycle, skyway, river taxi or walk the bridges. Just be there for a jammed pack day of exciting events over at , too, where the  at  or around the bend at  for more food, fun …

For many blues performers and their audiences, the relationship between the musical performance and storytelling is definitive of the genre and central to the blues tradition. These stories are rich in history, building a legacy of perseverance and success from the early days of field hollers and slave spirituals to the stories born on dimly lit stages and preserved in dusty tomes. The started small, as stories do. Founder had an idea to create a local music festival celebrating blues music. Plans were simple – one day and six bands on a tiny, open-air stage in the heart of Jacksonville …