Sing Out Loud Staff Picks

With tons of free music events at a dozen or so venues throughout the month of September, there’s a lot to look forward to at this year’s Sing Out Loud. And it’s all free!

There’s so much, in fact, that it’d be impossible to see and hear it all.

The team at the Jacksonville Music Experience will be on the streets of St. Augustine and in the venues around town. Here’s what’s on our agenda.

For the full list of venues and performers check out our Interactive Guide to this year’s fest. Or scroll to the bottom of this page.

Homegrown Platform, Local Flavor

Underwire Collective Showcases

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 9-11 | Sarbez & Dog Rose Brewing 

Established in 2019 by St. Augustine locals Bianca Dawson and Kinsley Stewart, Underwire Collective uses music to put a spotlight on BIPOC femmes, trans and queer creatives. Underwire hosts three showcases throughout SOL’s first weekend with performances by Bebe Deluxe, Dust Fuss, Folk is People (featured above) and more. Go to JME’s Sing Out Loud guide for a full list of venues and performers.–Matthew Shaw

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Folk Yeah!

Jim Carrick and Charley Simmons

Sunday, September 11 | Colonial Oak Music Park

Paris had the Left Bank; St. Augustine has the Tradewinds Tropical Lounge. Beginning in the ‘60s, the late troubadour and Florida-folk guru Gamble Rogers held musical court at this de facto watering hole; singer-songwriters Jim Carrick and Charley Simmons became eventual devotees. Decades later, Carrick and Simmons continue on the tradition of regional folk music, with definite themes — Sunshine State environmentalism, social justice, humorous storytelling, and confessional lyricism — delivered by way of seasoned acoustic flatpicking. The duo are sure to be a festival highlight, deft at bringing intimacy and connection to the festival environment. The Gamble Rogers Showcase is held from 3-10 p.m. on Sunday, September 11 and features performances by Old City Gemmels, Bad Dog Mama, Marianne Lerbs and John Winters & Mark Riche. Jim Carrick and Charley Simmons are scheduled to perform at 7 p.m.–Daniel A. Brown

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Ind-E-Mail

Snail Mail

Friday, September 16 | Backyard Stage at The Amp 

Snail Mail, the project of 23-year-old Lindsey Jordan, is one of the most innovative — and popular (600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and counting) — young independent singer-songwriters working today. Lush, her 2018 debut on Brooklyn’s Matador Records, included the single “Pristine,” a track that’s indicative of Jordan’s distinctive guitar style, diaristic lyrical approach and knack for the anthemic. The song (and the album) landed on basically every music publication’s year-end best-of lists. Stream her 2021 full-length Valentine to hear why she was awarded the top spot on Billboard’s Emerging Artists list last year. Snail Mail performs on the Backyard Stage on Friday, September 16.–Matthew Shaw 

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(Noisy) Oldest City Stalwarts

Telepathic Lines

Saturday, September 17 | Shanghai Nobby’s

Long-standing veterans of the Oldest City’s indie scene and overall DIY machinery (band member Rich Diem runs the Bakery Outlet label), Telepathic Lines dish out savvy tunes that have enough cerebral panache and melodic sophistication to make us wonder if they have air-conditioning (gasp!) in the garage where they rock. “Sylvia Sails Away with 70 Men,” the opener from their 2020 release The Earliest Dawn, boasts a killer Tom Verlaine-Robert Quine-style guitar hook and is a worthy introduction to Telepathic Lines’ sound. The band performs as part of The Mental Showcase with Isya, Mercy Mercy and Woodpecker Paradise. Show starts at 8:30 p.m.–Daniel A. Brown

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Grit & Glitter

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Saturday, September 17 | Colonial Oak Music Park

At 36, Ohio Native Aaron Lee Tasjan well into the second the decade of a career in which, as a producer, guitarist and singer-songwriter, he’s mined a broad range of styles, unearthing something shiny and interesting with each swing of the metaphorical axe. “Up All Night,” the lead single from Tasjan’s latest full-length Tasjan!Tasjan!Tasjan! is perhaps the artist’s shiniest work to date, glittering with glam-pop excess and an undeniably paisley spirit. Tasjan performs at Colonial Oak Music Park on Saturday, September 17.–Matthew Shaw

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Crate Expectations

St. Augustine Record Fair

Sunday, September 25 | The Amp

Whether you’re a well-travelled thrill (of the find) seeker or just starting your vinyl-collecting journey, the St. Augustine Record Fair is the once-a-year opportunity to be absolutely gluttonous. A cohort of independent music sellers led by unimpeachably cool St. Aug shop Tone Vendor will have stacks-on-stacks of new and used wax for sale. Jacksonville’s own purveyor of Latin vibrations, DJ Papi Disco, will be on the decks and wildly popular children’s music performers Bears and Lions will perform. The fair is held from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. It’s free to attend, so you can save your shekels for more records.

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Darn Good DIY Duo 

Shovels & Rope 

Sunday, September 25 | Backyard Stage at The Amp 

Husband and wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst exposited on their DIY bonafides in the semi-autobiographical tune “Birmingham” from the group’s breakout 2012 full-length O’ Be Joyful: “When the road got rough and the wheels all broke / Couldn’t take more then we could tow / Making something out of nothing with a scratcher and our hope / With two old guitars like a shovel and a rope.” A decade in, despite the duo’s enhanced profile, Shovels & Rope are still doing it DIY-style. The duo plays the Backyard Stage on Sunday, September 25.–Matthew Shaw

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