Orange Blossom Jamboree is entering its 11th year as Florida’s premiere local music festival. Nestled in the rolling hills of Midwest Florida, OBJ calls the Sertoma Youth Ranch home. Here, a throng of thirsty music fans converge to enjoy the best 40 acts Florida has to offer.
Miami’s alt-pop Magic City Hippies are headlining this event with Thomas Wynn & The Believers also receiving a top spot on this years bill!
I am excited to check out The Black Honkeys who were voted best soul-rock ‘n’ roll band in Tampa Bay and Wall of Echoes which is Florida’s Pink Floyd tribute band. Other gems in the mix are Guavatron, Daniel Heitz Band, Shaw Davis & The Black Ties, Chuck Magid Band, and Stephanie Perez!
Shaded camping, RV reserved spots, covered viewing area, great beer, food, and merchandise vendors are all to be expected at this wonderfully curated event. Read our review from last year so you know what to expect! Orange Blossom Jamboree 2019 Review + Photos.
Coheed and Cambria just annoucned a 40+ date 2020 Tour! There are four Florida dates at the very end, stopping in Orlando at Hard Rock Live September 30, 2020, and coming to a wonderful close at Jannus Live in St. Pete on October 3, 2020. They are promising to perform their 2007 fourth studio album, Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World For Tomorrow, in its entirety! I remember the first time I saw them was in 2003 at House of Blues in Orlando. If you really want it to feel like 2003, head up to Worcester, MA on September 19 to see THURSDAY open for Coheed!
Claudio Sanchez elaborated on the tour, stating, “Neverender is a special chance for us to celebrate the milestones that have made us Coheed and Cambria. And while the title of this chapter may suggest the end, I would like to think this and past Neverenders will help inform how we approach this ritual in the future.”
In other Coheed and Cambria news, the No World for Tomorrow comic series is slated to arrive in late 2020 via Boom! Studios.
Comprised of Claudio Sanchez (Vocals / Guitar), Travis Stever (Guitar), Josh Eppard (Drums) and Zach Cooper (Bass), Coheed and Cambria have gripped listeners and press around the globe with their visionary compositions and conceptual mastery. Full 2020 Tour Dates below.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA NEVERENDER NWFT Tour
ALL DATES WITH CHON EXCEPT*
Coheed & Cambria / CHON — 2020 Tour Dates
May 05 2020 – ACL Live at the Moody Theater – Austin, TX
May 06 2020 – The Aztec Theatre – San Antonio, TX
May 08 2020 – Revention Music Center – Houston, TX
May 09 2020 – Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
May 10 2020 – Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
May 12 2020 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
May 13 2020 – Riverside Municipal Auditorium – Riverside, CA
May 15 2020 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
May 16 2020 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
May 17 2020 – Redding Civic Auditorium – Redding, CA
May 19 2020 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
May 20 2020 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
May 21 2020 – The Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC, Canada
May 23 2020 – The Palace Theatre – Calgary, AB, Canada
May 24 2020 – Knitting Factory Concert House – Spokane, WA
May 25 2020 – The Wilma – Missoula, MT
May 27 2020 – Knitting Factory Concert House – Boise, ID
May 28 2020 – The Union Event Center – Salt Lake City, UT
May 29 2020 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
May 31 2020 – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV
Aug 30 2020 – Royal Oak Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
Sep 01 2020 – The Pageant – Saint Louis, MO
Sep 02 2020 – Uptown Theater – Kansas City, MO
Sep 04 2020 – Harrah’s Council Bluffs – Stir Concert Cove – Council Bluffs, IA
Sep 05 2020 – Palace Theatre – Saint Paul, MN
Sep 06 2020 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI
Sep 08 2020 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH
Sep 09 2020 – Sweetwater Performance Pavilion – Fort Wayne, IN
Sep 15 2020 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
Sep 16 2020 – The Rooftop at Pier 17 – New York, NY
Sep 19 2020 – The Palladium Outdoors – Worcester, MA*
Sep 20 2020 – The Metropolitan Opera House – Philadelphia, PA
Sep 22 2020 – The Norva – Norfolk, VA
Sep 23 2020 – The Orange Peel – Outdoor Stage – Asheville, NC
Sep 25 2020 – Coca-Cola Roxy – Atlanta, GA
Sep 26 2020 – The Fillmore at Harrah’s New Orleans – New Orleans, LA
Sep 27 2020 – Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN
Sep 29 2020 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL Sep 30 2020 – Hard Rock Live Orlando – Orlando, FL
Oct 02 2020 – The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Center – Miami Beach, FL Oct 03 2020 – Jannus Live – Saint Petersburg, FL
Coheed and Cambria 2020 Tour — Orlando Tickets by Mitch
Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival returns to South Florida for the largest, most diverse, independent concert event in the Southeast. Florida’s premiere spring break destination is host to a huge four day festival that will feature over 100 artists and 5 stages on 300 acres. Spring break dreams come true with a sandy beach, cool lake, and live music around the clock! Housed in a beautiful Sunshine Grove area, the three main stages will boast big time acts like Rufus Du Sol, Bassnectar, Vampire Weekend, Mumford & Sons, and so many more! Hang out by the beach and enjoy a smoothie while you soak up the sounds of the Beach Stage. Overnight delights will be bumpin’ at JUNGLE 51 all night for all the bassheads (and we do mean, all night). Okeechobee is the perfect reason to grab your squad and head to SoFla for a bangin’ weekend! Check out the full lineup below! (GRiZ is the biggest addition to the lineup)
Don’t forget about Destination Okeechobee! All of your favorite regional bands are rockin’ their way to Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival. Bands will compete for the chance to Perform in Paradise! Tickets for the ORLANDO DATE HERE! SIGT will be setting up a booth with ANOTHER CHANCE to WIN VIP TICKETS to Okeechobee 2020!
February 8th in Orlando at Celine the battling bands are The 502’s, G.W. Souther, Pacos Eric, Run Raquel, Sweet Cambodia, Yokai, and Universal Funk Orchestra. This party is presented by Shows I Go To and will start at 5pm. Stop by the SIGT booth where we will be giving away a pair of VIP tickets! RSVP HERE! TICKETS HERE! (Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door. First 100 people get a free ticket here — Enter Promo Code SIGT).
The first round (online voting) is over and now these stellar acts will play their asses off to reach stardom and play Okeechobee! The first battle of the bands will be held January 30th in St. Petersburg, Florida at Jannus Live w Crownz, Grant Lee, Kerry Courtney, The Reality, Rohna, and Wd-Han fighting for the crown presented by No Clubs.
The next battle of the bands is February 7th in Gainesville at Signal with Arrows in Action, Dustan Wallace & Friends, Driveaway, Driptones, The Forum, Juslo, Tamayo.
Destination Okeechobee Miami features Artlovetrap, The Polar Boys, Los Wizzards, Remyz, The Summit, Supergold, Tasty Vibrations at The Ground on February 13th.
Finally on Sunday February 9th in Florida’s capitol, Tallahassee, in The Garden at Potbelly’s hosts Evalution, Dubyes, Gaia Jones, Good Times, Floral Band, No-Li, Ray Benton, and Yung Smilez. Good Luck to all the bands!
Okeechobee 2020 Lineup and Ticket Giveaway by Spencer.
A quick trip to St. Petersburg Florida is nothing when its for the five time Grammy Awards winning Isley Brothers. They are a gigantic and influential R&B band that also dabbles in soul and gospel in its later years. We arrive almost on time for this epic event. This duo which used to be strictly a family affair is touring for their 60th anniversary!! They wrote “Shout” in 1959!! We race over through thicc I4 traffic and arrive to the venue Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete., just before the show starts. Pulling in to the venue, we can tell it is a nice place because it shares a parking lot with the Salvador Dahli Museum. The place has lots of room in the lobby, as well as a medium sized theater with traditional seats and everyone in attendance is dressed up. One lady is decked out head to toe in red. Her red feather hat and dress matched perfectly the red outfit that was worn by Ronald Isley on stage tonight. I pulled her a side after the show to ask where she got her inside information and she said she had no idea that red was the color of the evening. We sit down in our seats and make friends like the rest of the crowd while we wait for the show to begin.
The lights dim while the crowd turns up as the Isley Brothers & Co walk on stage. There are flowers in a vase just in front of the drummer as well as a stool shaped like a pair of red lips. The band consists of a drummer and percussionist as well as two keys players, a bassist and brothers Ronald & Ernie Isley on vocals and screamin’ electric guitar. In addition, there are two female back up singers, also dressed in red, who turn out to be Ronald’s sister in law and his wife. Holy shit can these two sing. Combine them with a male back up singer in the back and the full band is ready to rock some of the biggest hits my ears have ever heard.
“Fight the Power” is the opening song. They all sing together as three dancers join them on stage to give life to the music. Ernie Isley has a long guitar solo outro that turns into the sexy beginning of “That Lady.” He’s still got it. Ernie’s playing was sharp, organized, and even had teeth in some places. Ronald takes a moment after the slow and sexy song to talk about his next big hit, “Between the Sheets.” It was awesome to see them nod to the new school by rapping the chorus to “Big Poppa,” the song by Notorious B.I.G. that samples theirs hit single. Then the crowd really gets into it for the remainder of that tune and especially for the next one, “Footsteps in the Dark.” This song has been sampled one way or another by 77 different artists. “It was a Good Day,” Ice Cube; “One Day You’ll Be Mine,” Usher; and even Thundercat samples the drum portion for his hit, “Them Changes!”
Next they slow it down with the sexy “Smooth Sailin’ Tonight.” In the middle of the song, Ronald notices a woman in the front rows who is singing her heart out. He compliments her singing and asks the back up singers to lend their microphone so that she can share her talent with the whole room. So now she is beet red, holding the mic gingly was being super shy. The crowd starts to hit her with vocal affirmations, “You can do it hunny!” “Sing it, girl!” “You got this!” People shout all around me while the band sits in the pocket ready for her to pick up at the next chorus. She dominates the next few moments with her pipping hot vocals! Hot damn! The crowd lets her have it and she returns to her seat with a look of pride. Ronald sticks around complimenting her until he says, “Oh, is that your husband? Yes? Whoops!”
Next, they transport us back to 1969 for “It’s Your Thing.” This funk song has the crowd dancin’ and movin’. “Shout Part 1” is after that. The ladies scream and sing along all around me. From here they move stools to the front of the stage and Ronald along with the female back up singers run through a medley of songs from back in the day. They cover or tease “Don’t Say Goodnight,” Sam Cooke’s “What a Wonderful World,” Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” and Earth Wind and Fire’s “Devotion.” They move back into originals with the couples tune, “For the Love of You.” All three of these people can fawkin’ sang. Like big voices that can fill the room with ease! His wife Kandy Johnson Isley takes the reigns and performs the biggest “Jesus Love Me” I have ever heard (I worked in the church for 5 years) as well as a nod to Diana Ross with her song “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).”
Rounding out the set, they complete their song “Voyage to Atlantis” which is a little on the slow side but I notice that the rapper Pastor Troy has sampled this song for his hit track, “Atlanta.”
The dancers return to the stage to close out the set. They add to the mix during “Summer Breeze.” Here, Ernie shreds things softly with his sensual but sharp tones on guitar. They jam their way over to “Shout Part 2” and the grand finale of the evening. What a show! We loved the venue and the music! Oh, and… I was lucky enough to get a backstage pass and got to meet the brothers as well as have our profesh photo together! Schwing! What a great night!
Suwannee Rising is back! Like a phoenix, this festival has risen from the ashes of its ancestors. Music lovers will gather in mid-April for a gorgeous mixture of Wanee, Bear Creek, and Aura music. The decade couldn’t have gotten off to a better start! A fledgling festival last year, Rising hosted badass bands like Lettuce, moe., Ghost-Note, annnd Oteil & Friends! Last year’s successful event was thrown together at the last minute and since then, the anticipation for this years lineup as been off the charts! Here it is, your 2020 Suwannee Rising Lineup!
Phil Lesh & Friends lead the way for this incredible weekend. The bassist for the Grateful Dead is still playing rad originals as well as sprinkling in gems from other artists while celebrating his 80th birthday! The funk is strong at this festival with Lettuce x2, Soulive, Ghost-Note x2, Polyrythmics x2, Big Something, Dumpstaphunk, and many more. If you like Southern rock and guitar, then go check out North Mississippi Allstars, Bonnie Blue, Heather Gillis, Melody Trucks Band, and Travers Brothership x2. Get some soul with Black Pumas (Grammy nominated for Best New Artist), The Nth Power w/ Jennifer Heartswick, Butcher Brown x2, Erica Falls Band, Erin and the Wildfire, West End Blend, and more. Other great acts on the poster include Zach Deputy x2, Anthill Cinema (formerly The Difference), and Somatic.
The festival will be situated on three stages: The Amphitheater, The Porch Stage, and the Music Hall Stage. The second coming of Suwannee Rising is sure to be a hoot! Gather your tribe and meet us under the Spanish moss at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Buy Tickets Now!
Florida natives, The Polar Boys open up the night with an infectious energy at The Beacham in Downtown Orlando. So much so, that you can’t help but wear a big smile on your face. This foursome takes the stage in their matching yellow suits. This is one example of how they stick out from your typical alternative rock bands, with both unique sound and image. Tonight is their first performance in a while.
Polar Boys ⭐ December 5, 2019 ⭐ The Beacham — Orlando, FL ⭐ Photos by Cindy Ros — instagram.com/cindyros_
The Polar Boys sound great with their fun, catchy tunes. Their dreamy surf pop style works well for them. The crowd seems to acknowledge the hiatus with their especially warm welcome. I have been listening to their music in anticipation of this performance. I like it so much I even put it on repeat to get a feel of their sound but I am completely blown away by their performance tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come back to Orlando as a headliner on their next tour. 😉 I’m excited to see where their music takes them.
Polar Boys ⭐ December 5, 2019 ⭐ The Beacham — Orlando, FL ⭐ Photos by Cindy Ros — instagram.com/cindyros_
Half Alive makes me feel alive! They bring art to life with their choreography and creative lighting choice. They just released their debut album, Now, Not Yet in August 2019, an alt/indie work of art everyone can enjoy. The set opens with a dark room. An intense projector light moves all around shining the way for a good show tonight. As soon as the lights come up, the crowd’s roar intensify the music as they start with their hit single “Runaway.”
Half•Alive ⭐ December 5, 2019 ⭐ The Beacham — Orlando, FL ⭐ Photos by Cindy Ros — instagram.com/cindyros_
One of the most delightful parts of a Half Alive show is the clear and genuine connection and appreciation the band members hold for their fans, thanking them every chance they got. The catchy soaring melodies have the audience swaying and singing along to every single. They perform a bunch from their record including “Arrow,” “Still Feel,” and “The Fall.”
Half•Alive ⭐ December 5, 2019 ⭐ The Beacham — Orlando, FL ⭐ Photos by Cindy Ros — instagram.com/cindyros_
Lead singer and guitarist, Josh Taylor, introduces their band’s dance team: Jordan Johnson and Aidan Carberry. The dance squad is extremely engaging with the crowd and takes the time out during the show to teach the audience dance move to use during one of the songs. These dance moves are on point and add to the magic of the music. These guys are just starting out and their performance is already this great! Half Alive is a band that plays to their full potential and can really make the room come alive.
Half Alive Live Review and Photos w/ Polar Boys by Cindy Ros /// @cindyros_
