Sing Out Loud Festival kicks off this weekend

Free month-long music festival to feature Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, The Decemberists and much more

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This Saturday, Sept. 1 marks the kickoff weekend of the Sing Out Loud Music Festival, one of Florida’s largest free music festivals taking place over the course of four weekends this September in St. Augustine.

Over a dozen St. Augustine venues will host 70 showcases featuring over 250 musicians, bands, poets and comedians during this annual celebration of live entertainment. The full festival schedule is available online at www.singoutloudfestival.com, via the free 2018 Sing Out Loud Festival app, and on Facebook at @singoutloudSJC. Additionally, the festival announced details on the Sept. 20 music industry panel discussion “Perspectives on the Florida Music Scene: The Current State, Its Future and How Florida Artists Can Break Past the State Line.” The panel discussion is free and open to the public.

The Backyard Stage at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre will host this Saturday, Sept. 1’s Sing Out Loud Festival Kickoff from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. Featuring live music by Sailor Jane, Night Nurse, Kapowski and I-Vibes, this Kickoff is presented by Flagler College and WFCF 88.5 Flagler College Radio, and is part of Flagler College’s Welcome Back Week.

Old Town Trolley will provide free shuttle service for students to and from Keenan Hall at Flagler College to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The following day, Sunday, Sept. 2, the Backyard will host acclaimed indie rock group The Mountain Goats with The Weepies, David Dondero, Al Riggs, Katie Grace Helow and Carsie Blanton.

Additionally, new this year will be the Thursday, Sept. 20 “Perspectives on the Florida Music Scene: The Current State, Its Future and How Florida Artists Can Break Past the State Line” Panel Discussion. Consisting of 10 entertainment industry leaders, this panel will explore the past and future of the Florida music scene, how the Florida scene compares to the national scene and how musicians and those interested in the music industry can break through to promoters, venues and media outlets outside of Florida.

The panel will be moderated by Festival organizer and director of St. Johns County Cultural Events Division Ryan Murphy and attending panelists include Ray Roa of Creative Loafing Tampa, John Valentino of AEG Presents, Kevin Stone of the Florida Theatre, Todd Kennedy of WFIT 89.5, Michael McRaney of Foundation Presents and The Social, Roxanne Gallo of The Bolt, freelance music writer and musician Dan Brown, singer/songwriter and audio engineer Christina Wagner, musician and talent buyer Tierney Tough and touring musician Jason Black. The panel will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Corazon, located at 36 Granada Street in St. Augustine, and is free and open to the public.

 “The musical diversity and incredible talent coming to perform at this Festival speaks volumes about the Festival and St. Augustine’s ever-growing reputation within the music industry as a fantastic place to play live,” Murphy said. “This energy, coupled with the community’s eager anticipation for the return of this massive free music festival, has created this palpable excitement going into the third year of the festival. I’m thrilled.”

Since its inception in 2016, the St. Augustine music festival has welcomed an estimated 25,000 music fans and featured over 600 performing artists at over a dozen venues. The multi-year commitment made by Community First Credit Union to the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division helps support events that would not be as large without private support.

“The Sing Out Loud Music Festival has become a popular event in the community and among artists,” said John Hirabayashi, CEO and president of Community First Credit Union. “We are proud to continue our support of this event that showcases local and regional talent like no other.”

For more information on the festival, including lineups and venues, go to www.singoutloudfestival.com.