4 – A love letter to Jacksonville

This week’s show is a love letter to my adopted hometown, Jacksonville, Fla. Our city government recently made the news because they tried to steal the Republican National Convention no one wanted and still failed. Like Berkman Plaza 2 or its monorail remind residents, sometimes the risk of big and bold is missing the mark completely.

I love this city because it’s an important city. Life goes back here as far as it does anywhere in North America. I’m wary to define Jacksonville much more than that. Jacksonville is a great because it’s Jacksonville. You either get it or you don’t.

I picked out big Jacksonville hits, but I tried my best to show off a few different neighborhoods in town. Rein Sanction was a cool find – what happened to them? The ‘80s feel a little mysterious to an outsider. The ‘70s are defined by Southern Rock and a lot of musical activity, but that party is wrapping up in the ‘80s. Hip-hop picks up steam in the ‘80s, but seems to hit its stride in the ‘90s.

I try my best to showcase local artists, but I am not a scene fixture. I’m picking catchy music that fits well in a playlist. A few of these artists, like LANNDS and flo.wav, seem as good or better than any pop music out there, but there are more noteworthy work than I can keep up with. Consider this the first in a series.

Notes

• RE: “Re-arranged.” If you can’t accept Jacksonville at its Limp Bizkit, you don’t deserve it at its LANNDS.

• Jacksonville has a vibrant and diverse jazz scene that includes figures like Doug Carn. I don’t know much about these people and I’m interested to learn more.

• Cherry Springer made the cut based on the name alone.