Cloud Creatures - 'Good Luck'
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I'm usually a sucker for anything experimental and lo-fi, so obviously I'm into this spaced-out guitar sketch.
Eddie Vedder at the Times-Union Center
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In 1990 Vedder formed the band Pearl Jam with guitarists Mike McReady and Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, and drummer Dave Krusen. Krusen has since been replaced by Soundgarden's Matt Cameron. The original name of the band was Mookie Blaylock, after the University of Oklahoma basketball player, whose jersey number, 10, was made the tile of the their first album. They were forced to change the band's name after signing with Epic , but kept the album title. The album, which would produce 1990s classics like “Alive”, the anthem “Evenflow”, and the quintessential angst-ridden teen theme song: “Jeremy”, would link the band's name with Seattle grunge for all time. Ten would go on to be certified 13x platinum.
Despite having a spat during the height of Ten's success, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder would be on good terms by the time Cobain died in 1994. Cobain had claimed that Pearl Jam was not truly alternative. Throughout the 1990s, the band would take several anti-commercial ideological stances, including not making videos for several of their most popular songs, and boycotting Ticketmaster. They would also be a backing band for one of their major influences: Neil Young.
In addition to the his musical contributions to the band, Vedder is an artist, creating works under the names Jerome Turner and Wes C. Addle. As a solo performer he has won a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award for his song “Guaranteed”, which was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Into the Wild.
Korn, Evanescence and Shinedown in Concert at the Metropolitan Park
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Yes, Korn is still around. As one of the pioneers of “nu metal”, Korn, along with Nirvana is one of the bands that best exemplifies the sound of rock from the 1990s. Korn’s sound would influence many bands, ranging from Slipknot to Jacksonville’s own Limp Bizkit. They are still putting out albums with the latest being last year’s The Path of Totality. Included on the album is the song “Get Up!”, which they did in collaboration with dubstep superstar, Skrillex.
Evanescence is best known as being one of the bigger rock bands from the early 2000s. Their first full length album, Fallen, sold more than 17 million copies and won the band two Grammy Awards. Their next album, The Open Door sold more than six million copies. The band’s best known member is lead singer Amy Lee. The have toured with other early-2000 bands like Chevelle and Finger Eleven while also appearing at festivals with Aerosmith and Velvet Revolver.
Shinedown is the best-known and most popular local rock band and on April 29 they will be back home performing in support of their their album Amaryllis which will drop on the 27th of March. Amaryllis is their fourth album and the band has already released a single from it titled “Bully”. Their last album, The Sound of Madness was their most successful album to date and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
The Caution Children - Unknown Lands
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Throw some post-hardcore vox on top of dreamy, spaced-out guitars and you'll get something like The Caution Children's screamgaze.
The Black Kids From Jax
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The Black Kids are an indie pop band that was formed in 2006 by siblings Reggie and Ali Youngblood, Owen Holmes, Dawn Watley, and Kevin Snow. The band became internationally recognized due to heavy media coverage in 2007, in part due to their Wizard of Ahhhs EP.
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Reggie Youngblood (lead singer and guitarist)
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Ali Youngblood (backing vocalist and keyboardist)
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Kevin Snow (drums)
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Dawn Watley (backing vocalist and keyboardist)
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Owen Holmes (bassist)
The band has referred to Jacksonville as a city largely devoid of culture, this despite the fact that up until 20o7, it was the only place that they were known. They would rise beyond Jacksonville’s music scene to become known for executing tight, professional pop-rock songs. This reputation would make them one of the most promising young prospects in their genre of popular music.
A performance at The Athens Popfest in the summer of 2007 would gain them the attention of music journalists and record companies.
The Wizard of Ahhhs EP
The EP was praised largely because of its distinctive aesthetic, which was crafted by the two keyboards, among other ingredients. The band's potential was clear from the four songs on Wizard of Ahhhs, each of which had effective hooks that promised pop greatness. Despite being relatively young and experienced only on the Jacksonville scene, the Black Kids had a mature and highly refined sound. Influences as disparate as Motown and Morrissey are evident in their songs. For the record, the Youngbloods are the only two black members of the Black Kids and formerly went by the name, Mata Hari.
The Cadets - 'Pax Cadetia'
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This Jacksonville supergroup first started recording On the Death of Science as a Major World Religion way back in 2001. Ten years later, it's out on Synconation Records as a free digital download. It's hard to pin down exactly which world the Cadets operate in, but it's definitely one where guitars are sacred.
Gladys Knight's Upcoming Performance at the Florida Theater
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Gladys Knight’s career started in the heyday of the Motown label. While not ever considered to be in the class of divas like Diana Ross, Ms Knight has a strong following and reputation among true and dedicated fans of soul music. Together with her backing vocal group, the Pips, she has recorded some of the more memorable soul standards in the genre’s history, including her signature song, “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “I heard it Through the Grapevine”, which was recorded by Marvin Gaye, but only after first being sung by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Entering (and winning) a TV talent show at the age of seven is what started Gladys Knight out in her career of singing, and later stardom. Signing up with Motown in 1966 would be the next big step in the singer’s career. Gladys Knight and the Pips would open for Diana Ross and the Supremes and then later be removed from their tour. According to Ms Knight, this was because her singing overshadowed that of Ross.
Hit Songs by Gladys Knight and the Pips:
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“Midnight Train to Georgia”
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“Friendship Train”
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“I don’t Want to Do Wrong”
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“When a Child is Born” (with Johnny Mathis)
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“Love Overboard”
Gladys Knight won a Golden Globe award for being the Best New Actress for 1976 for her role in Pipe Dreams. The movie was a romantic drama co-starring her husband, Barry Hankerson. Her other acting work included roles on TV in the 1980s, including a regular role on Charlie & Co, a sitcom starring Flip Wilson.
Her performance at the Florida Theater on February 18th will be a part of her farewell tour. Dionne Warwick and Tito Jackson are among the notables who will be accompanying her on stage.
They Might Be Giants in Ponte Vedra Beach
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They Might be Giants will be performing at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on the 9th of February. The band is considered one of the classic alternative rock acts of the 1980s and 90s and has sold more than four million albums in their 30 years of playing together.
They Might Be Giants began as a duo in 1982 and chose their name from a 1971 movie, the title of which came from a passage in Cervantes’ Don Quixote. They would expand to a full five member band in the early 1990s but before that they would be the house band at a club in New York called Darinka where they would sell out every one of their performances for three years straight.
They are known for promoting their music via an answering machine. During hiatus in the late 1980s, members of the band recorded music on an answering machine and advertised the number in the classified section of a newspaper under the name “Dial-a-Song”. The service acquired a following and was instrumental in getting They Might Be Giants noticed. Around this time, the band would record a demo that would eventually get them their first record deal with Bar/None Records.
Among their more well known singles are the songs, “Birdhouse in Your Soul”, from the 1990 album Flood, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” from the same album and Boss of me from the soundtrack album of the TV show Malcolm in the Middle. Boss of me was the show’s theme song.
The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is located at 1050 A1A North and the concert will start at 8PM.
Personnes - 'One Who Descends'
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So far these guys have only put up four demos total, but they're all great, sincere, lo-fi indie rock tuneage.
On the Road Again: Willie Nelson is Coming to Jacksonville in February
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One of the more storied country singers of all time will be gracing a Jacksonville stage with his presence in February. Willie Nelson is, unarguably, a country music legend. He first became prominent in 1973 and has managed to rise beyond mere music and become simply an entertainment legend. 1973 was the year that Nelson rose to prominence, but it he was well-known even before that.
Nelson began his musical career at the age of seven when he wrote his first song, and from that point proceeded to build a unique sound that blended blues, rock, jazz and traditional country. Nelson, essentially, invented his own sub-genre of country music. Not only is he renowned as a performer, he has written some of the most well-known and well-loved songs in all of modern music history, including Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and Ray Price’s “Night Life”. He has also recorded albums with a number of other bona fide country music legends like Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. He has seven Grammy Awards, recorded several dozen gold platinum and multi-platinum albums. Nelson is possibly the most widely accepted country music legend when it comes to being loved across generational and cultural lines.
In the 1980s, Nelson would not only take on several acting roles, he would also continue recording legendary hit songs like a cover of “Always on My Mind”, originally sung by Elvis Presley and his own “On the Road Again”. He would also join up with The Highwaymen, which featured Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Despite various run-ins with the law, Nelson continue recording and touring throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.
Those who attend the February 8 show at the Florida Theater on East Forsyth Street should expect all the trappings that come with a show put on by a legend who is still recording music. There will be lots of the faithful fans of all ages and lots of his more recent recordings in addition to the old standards.