Gainesville may be a small city, but its music scene has echoed around the world. Gainesville natives Tom Petty and Don Felder, guitar player for the Eagles, used to play in local venues back before they became rock stars. Petty even came back to play shows in his hometown after reaching his fame. While there have not been any high-profile musicians to come out of Greater Gainesville in a while, it currently boasts a vibrant music scene for artists and lovers of live music. Greater Gainesville has also been inspiration for numerous artists –– including JJ Grey, who grew up in Whitehouse, a small town in Duval County just outside of Jacksonville. “It’s all about home, man, you know. That’s where we’re all headed, where we want to be, wherever it may be. I was born and raised in Florida, just across a line, an imaginary line between there and here, but it’s all about having them places where you can just feel it, you can feel something come through, something shining through, something that takes you away from the world of problems, the world of worry, the world of care.”
“And for me, that little place is a place called Lochloosa, right there between Gainesville and Ocala, Florida,” JJ Grey sings in his famous song, “Lochloosa,” which is widely known in and around Gainesville. Grey’s words resonate even with those who did not grow up in Florida. Music is not just a way to get lost after a long day of work, but it is also a way to connect with the community and friends.
A birthplace for music legends
Despite Greater Gainesville’s relatively small size, it has some big names in the music scene to be proud of. The catchy smash hit “Hotel California” by the Eagles would have likely never existed without Gainesville native Don Felder, who co-wrote the song. Felder played guitar for the Eagles from 1974 to 2001, and he also co-wrote “Victim of Love.” Before his fame, Felder formed two bands in high school. He went on to teach guitar lessons at Lipham Music, where he crossed paths with the late Tom Petty, who was three years his junior and one of his students. Felder was admitted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennesse, in 2016. The Hall of Fame based out of Gainesville is small but impressive. Petty is also a Gainesville native and led local groups before forming his band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, known for the iconic songs “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “American Girl,” “Refugee” and a host of others. The band also consists of other Greater Gainesville natives, such as Benmont Tench and former member Stan Lynch. Band members Mike Campbell and Ron Blair are transplants; however, all of them were admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. After leading a successful international career, the band brought big business back to Gainesville, with two national tours in 1993 and 2006.
“I love playing in Gainesville, I love it,” Petty said in an interview with The Sun in 2014. “I think we’ll get back before all is said and done.”
Going back down memory lane, one of the most transformative decades in music was the ’90s. From grunge to garage punk to alternative rock, the ’90s had it all –– and Gainesville did, too. The band Sister Hazel emerged out of Gainesville during this era. Ken Block, Jett Beres, Andrew Copeland, Ryan Newell and Mark Trojanowski formed Sister Hazel in 1993. Keyboard and saxophone player Dave LaGrande joined the band in 2012. Sister Hazel was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Independent Performers of the last 15 years by Performing Songwriter Magazine. In 1997, Sister Hazel’s hit “All For You” made it in the top 10 of the adult alternative charts, earning them platinum status. Eventually, the band branched out to country music, with four entries in the Billboard Top Country Album Charts. The band’s admiration of one of their Gainesville neighbors inspired Sister Hazel’s standout band name.
“There was a female minister in our hometown named Sister Hazel Williams. She ran a rescue mission for as long as we can remember,” Copeland said. “It was in her spirit of unconditional love for all people that we choose to name our band after her.”
Sister Hazel never acted too cool to engage with fans and everyday people. The band recognized the community and fans that supported their rise to success by hosting annual events such as Camp Hazelnut and Hazelnut hang, as well as through social media. Sister Hazel also gave back by co-funding The Rock Boat and creating the charity. Lyrics for Life, co-founded by Ken Block. Lyrics for Life unites musicians for auctions and concerts to profit patient-care charities and cancer research. However, 2020 was a rough year not just for music venues, but also for musicians, since all tours were canceled. Sister Hazel managed to get by. “We have continued to try and control the things that we can, work hard to create opportunities and have faith that things will eventually get back to some semblance of normal,” Copeland said.
A booming live music scene
Greater Gainesville has a considerable amount of music venues that offer live music for patrons to enjoy and provide new bands a place to shine. One of the hottest venues in the heart of Gainesville is Heartwood Soundstage. This popular venue has been around since February 2017. “This venue was built from the ground up as a high-end audio-video studio designed to showcase our incredibly rich regional talent pool,” said Dave Melosh, co-owner, co-founder and general manager of Heartwood Soundstage. Although most bands usually play smaller venues first, the team of Heartwood Soundstage has supported many bands through their journey towards regional and even national success. However, the coronavirus pandemic was challenging for Heartwood Soundstage. “We squeaked by [in 2020]. Over 90% of our events were canceled but we adapted by focusing on live streaming, an outdoor farmers market, and video production services,” Melosh said. Heartwood Soundstage looks forward to better times in 2021 and beyond.Another stop on the list is none other than High Dive, located in downtown Gainesville. High Dive combines a gritty and glamorous rock ‘n’ roll vibe with a polished, reputable setting, which promises a superb concert experience. High Dive has a large, new sound system patrons can hear from the venue’s every corner, and perhaps out into the streets.
The Bull, close to the busy University Avenue, was established in January 2011. Owner Jacob Larson refers to it as Gainesville’s living room. Many bands, such as Michael Tomayo, Hannah Tombs, Late Night Losers, Local Voices and Lowly Worm, to name a few, had their first shows at the Bull. “We had Nicole Migless of Hundred Waters, who used to play a solo show. We have a lot of locally famous acts [friends],” Larson said. The Bull is an important part of the Gainesville culture because this venue is built by the community and supports and connects local artists. The pandemic definitely tested that. “Our regulars and lovers of the Bull pulled us through. We had PPP (Personal Protection Program loan) and county assistance too, but without the lovers, we wouldn’t have made it,” Larson said. Since 2020 was a bit of an interesting year, venues and musicians had to be a tad bit more creative than usual to entertain the crowds, hosting anything from Zoom shows to drive-in concerts, such as in Newberry. In response to the challenges of 2020, the nonprofit MusicGNV was founded to bring premium shows to Gainesville, deliver opportunities to artists and provide resources for a bigger following and larger bookings. Gainesville’s music scene has an impressive history and is a crucial component of the city’s culture.
MusicGNV strives to keep the music scene in Gainesville alive despite the pandemic flipping the music scene upside down. MusicGNV also raises awareness to the many other local venues impacted. This nonprofit is determined to make Gainesville better for artists through artist resources, trade apprentices, curated shows and talent-fostering.
As JJ Grey would write in his lyrics, “When you find that place, you hold onto it, you know, and somebody told me, ‘Well, you just go there to escape reality. And then I thought about it for a minute and it was like, well, maybe I do go there to escape reality. But then I thought a little longer and I was like, “No, hoss, you got it backwards. I go there to get to reality, and get away from all these problems that I invent.”’ Yes, indeed. Gainesville is just the place for that.