Go | Live Music Recommendations

There was a time, say 2012, when Downtown Jacksonville was the center of Northeast Florida’s live music universe. If one were to wander along Bay Street from Liberty to Main, and went to the right on Ocean toward Adams Street, one would’ve likely heard (within that six-block radius) live music pouring out of no less than four mid-sized venues––Burro Bar, 1904 Music Hall, Club TSI––plus the historic Florida Theatre. 

Club TSI closed in September of 2015. Underbelly went under a month later. And Burro bit the dust in June of 2016. And while 1904 Music Hall has mightily kept music in the Urban Core, the city’s downtown has since been just another satellite in the vast Northeast Florida live music universe. 

That could be changing, as the folks behind 1904 reopen the popular but short-lived Underbelly this week, kicking things off with a sure-to-be soldout performance by post-hardcore/emo darlings Hawthorne Heights. It’s one of two big shows at the venue this week that JME Contributors think you should mask up for.

Here’s what we’re about this week. 

NOTE: The CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission even if you are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others. In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Singer-Songwriter

Songwriter Spotlight – Wednesday, August 25

Rain Dogs. | Five Points

Five Points watering hole and live music mainstay Rain Dogs. has acoustic balladry written in its genetic code. Long a safe space for the region’s troubadours to test their mettle, the venue’s Wednesday Songwriter Spotlight mixes songwriter workshopping with an inclusive, open mic ethos. 

This is a free show

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Emo

Hawthorne Heights – Friday, August 27 

Underbelly | Downtown Jax

Dayton, Ohio post-hardcore quintet Hawthorne Heights lends its voice in welcoming back popular Downtown Jax venue Underbelly, nearly six years after the venue was shuttered. The wildly popular emo band has its own reasons to celebrate, a new record The Rain Just Follows Me, which is the band’s eighth studio album, comes out September 10. 

Tickets

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Indie Rock & Pop punk

Intervention, Glazed, Bobby Kid, Seagate – Saturday, August 28 

Underbelly | Downtown Jax

Standouts from Jacksonville’s indie and pop punk spheres will be the first locals to christen the stage at the new-and-improved Underbelly in Downtown Jacksonville. 

Tickets

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