Hot tunes under the stars kicks off the summer!
The Seaside Summer Concert Series kicks off an eleven week run of the best music along the Emerald Coast starting Wednesday, June 2nd. Each week popular acts from across the southeast, and beyond, will take the stage in the Seaside Amphitheater. Many of the artists featured this summer have never performed in Seaside or anywhere along the Florida Gulf Coast, so don’t miss your chance to experience these amazing musicians. Below are the bands scheduled to perform in Seaside during the month of June.
June 2: Biscuit Miller & The Mix – Biscuit Miller is a world-class bassist, entertainer, and bandleader. He commands the love, attention and respect of each audience that he touches with his unique brand of fun, funky rhythm & blues and soul. Biscuit is well known for playing behind Chicago’s legendary Lonnie Brooks and he co-wrote “Testify” from the album Live, which reached Billboard’s number one album on the Blues charts. They’re a high energy, charismatic band with lots of show. What’s better than a bowlful of soulful, funky Blues stew? A pipin’ hot Biscuit, of course! Biscuit and his band, The Mix, have combined their decades of live performance experience into a foot stompin’, booty-shakin’ show that is suited music lovers of all ages.
June 9: Honey Island Swamp Band
– Great music begins with great songs, and great songs are what the Honey Island Swamp Band is all about. Honey Island Swamp Band combines the talents of some of New Orleans instrumental ringers and lets them open it up for tunes that move from rock to roots to even reggae. All the songs are originals from the pens of guitarist Aaron Wilkinson and Chris Mule, both of whom were involved in artists that include Eric Lindell and Kirk Joseph, before Hurricane Katrina put them in San Francisco, where they formed this band and started writing. With their new album, Wishing Well, the first full-length release from Honey Island Swamp Band, both musicians bring their songwriting to new levels with their most fully developed material to date. From the opening bars of the title track to the album’s final note, it covers the entire landscape of southern roots music that has made the band’s live shows and eponymous 2007 EP favorites among music lovers of all genres.
June 16: Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes – Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes make Americana, folk, jazz, and soul-influenced pop music. From the toe-tapping catchiness of Electric In Love to the dark yet hopeful track, Signal, they create a sound that is as unique as it is accessible, as dynamic as it is simple, and as timeless as it is contemporary. Influenced by the writing of artists ranging from the likes of Jeff Tweedy and Josh Ritter to Elton John and Neil Young, yet with a definite style all his own, Ellsworth writes with a heartfelt honesty about love, religion, culture, and everything in between. Dave Paulson of The Tennessean commented on Daniel’s talent by saying, “Whether Ellsworth garners extra attention with the Great Lakes or remains unsigned and under sung, he has put his best foot forward here with an EP that offers much to listen to and learn from.”
June 23:
– Many artists struggle to establish their musical identity, laboriously trying on different musical styles like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. But there are others that emerge fully formed, in full command of their craft, their identity and their music. Tim Brantley fits firmly in the latter category. His new album, Goldtop Heights, is a captivating and moving debut that heralds the arrival of a gifted and significant new talent, one whose music feels familiar in the best possible way, while striking out on his own territory. The Boston Herald had this to say about Brantley’s album, “Brantley’s big-time debut comes roaring at you like an exploding time capsule of 70’s rock and pop, sound-checking such greats as Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John without ripping them off.”
June 30: Jonathan Singleton & The Grove
– Universal South Recording Artist Jonathan Singleton & The Grove only began performing together in 2009, but have hit the country music ground running from the start. Singleton’s background as a songwriter has garnered him some prestigious honors including co-writing Gary Allan’s 2007 “Watching Airplanes,” which spent more than thirty weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at #2. Singleton’s hometown of Jackson, Tennessee lies roughly halfway between Memphis and Nashville, and that turns out to be a pretty good guide to the geography of the music on his debut album. Singleton’s gritty guitars and blues-saturated vocal attack draw heavily from the American center of soul, while the stories and lyrical craft are pure Music City. It’s a potent mix, one born of a searching musical spirit, and truth be told, Singleton is a little surprised to find himself garnering so much interest and support from country music.
Seaside offers up an exciting lineup of musicians scheduled through August, so stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks. All events are made possible by the arts and entertainment fee collected by The Merchants of Seaside. For more information on our community & events, please visit us online at: www.seasidefl.com.