When it comes to hip-hop and its evolution, Soulja Boy is arguably one of the most influential artists of all time; he was one of the first artists to succeed in the internet age. Using MySpace during its prime, Soulja Boy showed how it’s possible to use social media to get your music heard.
Fresh off of this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, alternative punk rock/reggae band Ballyhoo! will make a stop in Gainesville on Friday night to play at High Dive.
Gainesville will host a completely solar-powered music event called Sunstock Solar Festival on Friday night.
High Dive will put Gainesville’s finest rap and R&B artists on display with its Local Hip Hop Showcase event today. The venue, located at 210 SW Second Ave., will kick off the show at 8 p.m. and will feature rappers with all-star connections.
Ft. Lauderdale-based quintet The Heavy Pets will be playing a set composed entirely of Beatles covers Friday at High Dive in a tribute show the group affectionately calls “Walrus.”
There have been some incredible releases so far in 2016 and over the past few weeks, several established artists released projects that are definitely worth checking out. Here are some of the best:
A Giant Dog, a garage-rock band from Austin, Texas, will perform at the Atlantic in downtown Gainesville on Tuesday. This is the band’s only Florida show before its American tour, where the group will soon join popular rock band Titus Andronicus.
The Gainesville-native band Less Than Jake will headline the fifth annual Wake N Bake festival at High Dive on Friday and Saturday.
A music festival known for taking over Miami every year is making a stop up north. Road to III Points will take over downtown this weekend.
Where is Frank Ocean? That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves for the past three years. Frank released his mixtape “Nostalgia, Ultra” in 2011 and his album “Channel Orange” in 2012. He made few appearances and features over the next few years, turning his back to the music world and the public eye. After teasing his album, called “Boys Don’t Cry,” in July 2015, he seemed to have vanished, leaving us in constant speculation on his whereabouts and the status of his album. Finally, after four long years, vague hints, a strange live broadcast on his website and countless memes, Frank Ocean is back. “Blonde” was released Saturday, and after having it on repeat over the past five days, I’m ready to review it.
After a 20-year “love affair” with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jonathan Savage decided to turn his obsession into a career. Inspired by the band to learn the bass at age 14, Savage moved on to create the Red Not Chili Peppers, a tribute to his musical idols.
It’s been a little over a month since my last hip-hop roundup, so there’s some catching up to do. With albums from Schoolboy Q, Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert and others, the last month has given us some quality music that continues to prove 2016 has been one of the best years ever for hip-hop. Catch up with these latest releases:
For those looking to explore music with a darker tone, Gainesville band GAUL is worth a listen. The band, which describes its sound as “blackened doom” and is composed of Derek (guitar/vox), Chris Hencher (bass) and Chris Vigilante (drums), is playing at the Atlantic this weekend. I sat down with Hencher to talk about the band’s experience.
From producing music and video content for artists in their Swamp Sessions, to hosting an annual showcase of Gainesville artists, Swamp Records has worked closely with the local music scene for the past three years.
New to Gainesville’s music scene is Just Neighbors, a rock band composed of Justice Diamond (guitar/bass), Dan Lohr (guitar), Jarrett Haines (keyboard/guitar/bass) and Reid Casey (drums). While they are new, the band is quickly making an impression on locals and are becoming regulars at clubs and bars around town. I sat down with Diamond to talk music and what’s next.
This is part two of a two-part interview with Logic. To read part one, check out last week’s Avenue.
Logic is currently on The Endless Summer Tour with G-Eazy, Yo Gotti and YG. At their show in Tampa this past Sunday, I, along with my good friend David Spreen, were able to sit down with Logic on his tour bus and talk about his latest project “Bobby Tarantino,” tour life, new music, traveling and more. Check out the highlights from my interview with Logic.
Christina Holder, known by her performance persona The Leonine Queen, is one of Gainesville’s top jazz singers and known for her range of musical styles. Formerly of popular Gainesville band Savants of Soul, Holder recently broke out on her own to do solo jazz shows all across town. I sat down with her to talk her upbringing in classical music and her solo debut.
A Grammy-nominated singer makes a stop in Gainesville this weekend as part of her 2016 tour.
Tribute bands Weeze and American Idiots are set to stage a live rock performance at the High Dive, located at 210 SW Second Ave., this Friday night. The bands will be covering the music of legendary rock bands Weezer and Green Day.
Solutions by The State News
