JJ Grey and Mofro's Blackwater Sol Revue 2024 | Thoughts by Jason Earle and Photos by Alycia Pollock

Photo by Alycia Pollock

Day One

JJ Grey and Mofro’s Blackwater Sol Revue took over the St. Augustine Amphitheater this Memorial Day weekend for two distinct days of incredible music. It was a tale of two lineups, each anchored by the powerhouse curator. 

It is edifying to see a band you have loved for years and seen in tiny rock clubs play a stage like the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Something stood out to me from the jump in St. Augustine. I have been watching several of these bands for the better part of two decades and can’t think of a night where they phoned it in or were not their best. This weekend would be no exception.  

Satsang opens the main stage. Acoustic. Barefoot. He has the kind of aesthetic that might lead to dismissal or pigeonholing if not for the welcoming feel of the festival. A couple of songs in he’s covering the Bee Gees and rewarding the open minded. Tells us he’s from Montana, which is a wonderful, wild, weird as hell part of the world that seems to frame Satsang’s set beautifully. 

He recounts coming off of tour and having to pass off his baby because he had a song idea.  There is a fella in front of me. Let’s call him Phil. He’s very Florida. Day one of Blackwater Sol Revue is very Florida, which makes sense given JJ Grey is Florida personified. 

Phil’s doing that dip pack thing. How many of you pictured exactly what I’m talking about as soon as I said it? Put your thumb and middle finger together. Let your index finger fly loose and flick your wrist in a celebratory fashion. Does it have a name? Is it a Southern thing? 

Satsang introduces a song about being smitten. “After a while you forget what that feels like then it happens again as you are about to turn forty.” His words and the following song skewer the near capacity crowd. 

American Aquarium follows to a smattering ovation. The boys open with their new single “Crier” which is a teeth kicking rock tune. There is a woman next to me who’s chasing the shade on this sweltering Florida night. She is unsure of these rock n’ rollers. Much of the crowd seems to not know American Aquarium yet. Phil does. He’s belting every song. I don’t feel bad about singing along with him. It’s a freeing feeling and Phil and I are bonding.

American Aquarium’s setlist is perfect. As the set progresses, BJ and the boys are making friends. This band is undeniable live. “Casualties of Rock n’ Roll,” “St. Mary’s,” “Losin’ Side of 25,” “Lonely Ain’t Easy,” just song after song of stunning work. 

American Aquarium ends with “Jacksonville,” which is always hits in this part of the world for obvious reasons, and “Burn. Flickr. Die.” There is no question the crowd is now in their hands. 

Photo by Alycia Pollock

Lucero follows, coming out to a roar. “At JJ Grey’s show, I don’t stand a chance at being good,” frontman Ben Nichols quips. Phil is having a blast. He only takes his arm away from his lady’s shoulders long enough to dap me up or do the dip pack celebration. 

The boys from Memphis play “Chain Link Fence” and “Sweet Little Thing” in succession. Haven’t heard either of those in a minute. A wave of gratitude settles on me. As they do every night, BJ Barham and Ben Nichols are both available for autographs and photos at the merch table. Two of the coolest rock bands on the planet fronted by guys who make a huge effort to connect with fans on a personal level.

There’s a bit of a break to set up Mofro. Looks like he’s gonna have twenty people on stage. The wave breaks out in the crowd. The Florida sky starts to threaten.

JJ Grey has a fervent fan base. It is wild to see how much that base has grown over the decades and how passionate folks are. The live show is always a blast and tonight is an exemplar of that reality.

Unfortunately, the heavens have their own performance to conduct. The sky opens into a downpour. 

Undeterred, after nearly an hour delay, JJ Grey and Mofro come back to satisfy a thinned out crowd and put a swampy bow on day one of Blackwater Sol Revue.

Day Two

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is a setting that makes even a festival feel like hanging out on a giant porch with 4,000 of your closest friends. The only thing missing is rocking chairs. Shows at The Amp are a communal affair and a celebration of North Florida, a place often misunderstood but well-represented in the music of JJ Grey.

Day two of JJ Grey and Mofro’s Blackwater Sol Revue is another scorcher. The Florida heat is oppressive but the lineup’s brand of heat helps distract and sooth. 

Anders Osborne opens the main stage as a duo with a saxophonist. The vibe feels divergent from yesterday. Not better or worse, just different. Lots of Grateful Dead shirts and tattoos. It is still very Florida in here but less like a documentary on the culture of the Sunshine State. Osborne’s gorgeous melodies awaken our appetites. 

There is no one quite like G.Love who is up next. The set opens with a few songs from his Grammy nominated, Keb’ Mo’ produced 2020 release The Juice and makes its way through his catalog. He brings out Devon Allman and Duane Betts. I notice a cop who looks like a transformer to my left. Kind of snaps me out of my bliss for a second. Why do you need to be dressed like you are entering a war zone while G.Love sings about having a “Soul B Que?” 

Photo by Alycia Pollock

Even Coptimus Prime can’t put a damper on this day. G.’s set includes some of his classics. “My Baby’s Got Sauce” gets everyone out of their seats. I notice a couple near the front bumping their butts into one another. It’s adorable and G. Love has run with the vibe in that direction.

“Cold Beverages” may be a tick campy but it’s a blast live. Hard not to smile. I head to the restroom and grab one of my own between sets. A fella grabs my arm and claps his other hand against my chest as I walk out of the row, “good work!” he says. I’m not sure what I’ve done but thank him nonetheless. 

The Allman Betts Band takes the stage to an enthusiastic welcome. Duane Betts and Devon Allman manage to balance carrying on the legacy of their legendary fathers with forging their own path. This set includes ten songs including crowd favorites “King Crawler” and “Savannah’s Dream,” along with a blistering cover of the Dickey Betts (father of Duane) penned Allman Brothers classic “Blue Sky.” 

All leading up to the Sonny Boy Williamson tune “One Way Out” with G.Love. Duane is shredding. G. playing harmonica. The band has fully opened the throttle and we are all along for the ride. 

JJ Grey and Mofro opens their second set of the weekend with “Country Ghetto,” a song that speaks to this place with precision. There is a comfort in these songs for those of us who grew up here and a universality to the themes that burrows into the depths of the human condition. This set, like last night's, draws thousands of souls in for a big, sweaty hug. Such was the weekend at Blackwater Sol Revue.

Necessary Smiles | American Aquarium, Blackberry Smoke, and Turnpike Troubadours in Jacksonville, FL

American Aquarium, Blackberry Smoke, and Turnpike Troubadours may show up in the same section of the record store but they each bring something special to the table. American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham writes introspective, often painful songs, BlackBerry Smoke is a chart-topping radio-friendly machine, and Turnpike Troubadours have developed a cult-like following by being masters of melody. Saturday, November 5, 2022, joins all three to bring buckets of joy at Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL.

The previous weekend saw the annual Florida-Georgia game in Duval County marred by a rousing ovation for Florida’s fascist governor followed by anti-Semitic messages being projected around downtown. Hate was palpable that night. This is a state and a city in need of the healing balm of live music and these three bands feel like the perfect prescription.

On the way into the amphitheater one cannot help but guess who each tailgater is there to see. The older folks are probably ready for Blackberry Smoke? Girls in sundresses and boots are fired up for Turnpike Troubadours? Bearded guys in trucker hats and pearl snaps got there early for American Aquarium? No matter who the motivating us all to be here, the general vibe feels celebratory and loving. Smiles abound.

American Aquarium takes the stage at a prompt 7:00. Folks are still filing in with some unaware of this opener and others scream singing lyrics on the way to their seats. BJ and the boys open with a new one, the gorgeous “All I Needed” from their latest record Chicamacomico. As the opener, they only have about forty minutes to cover a catalog spanning back to 2006. It is a tall order for most bands but American Aquarium is up to the task. We are getting newer songs, an obligatory “Jacksonville” which never gets old in this setting, and of course the loud singalongs for which an American Aquarium show is known. 

During one of these communal performances, “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart,” two guys with wide-eyed grins shuffle into their seats.

“Who IS this?!” 

“The band on stage? That’s American Aquarium.”

“Damn, they are great! I’ve never heard of them. Gonna look it up on Spotify. Oh, shit! I’ve liked a bunch of their songs already. Hell yeah. By the way, don’t you think it’s weird Blackberry Smoke isn’t the headliner?”

“I mean, maybe from a record sales perspective, but for my taste American Aquarium is the best band on this bill with all due respect to the others.”

“No shit?!”

“No shit.”

By the end of Burn. Flickr. Die. both men are singing along with the chorus, drunk on the discovery of a new favorite band. 

BJ Barham has been at this music making thing for a long time. The crowds have steadily grown and so have the lines waiting to meet him at the merch table. It is a time honored tradition at American Aquarium and BJ Barham solo shows. He shakes every hand he can. Signs every record. Takes every picture. Tonight the line to say hello spans what looks like fifty feet and keeps replenishing itself. Not a melancholy look in sight waiting to meet the sultan of sad songs. 

Blackberry Smoke is playing a stripped down set with one of their members recovering from a health scare. They are a dextrous band. Clearly full of talented musicians, Blackberry Smoke can start off the night with a bro country radio hit and then drop into a psychedelic jam. Tonight feels like they got together for a pickin’ circle and the venue contributes to that vibe. Their songs make a lot of sense in this context and they are an ideal bridge between American Aquarium’s heart wrenching lyrics and Turnpike’s own brand of Americana. 

The sound, coming off of American Aquarium’s burning rock n’ roll set, is dialed in for this quieter affair. There does not seem to be a bad seat in the 5,500 capacity amphitheater. It is a Florida November night. The kind where you leave the house unsure of whether to wear jeans or shorts. The slight breeze carries Blackberry Smokes tales of backroad driving into contented ears. 

As we wait for Turnpike Troubadours to take the stage, that positive energy begins to swell. Regardless of whoever got each of us in the door, we are now there for one band. A band that has not been to Florida in way too long. A band that has drawn 5,500 rabid fans to this wonderful amphitheater on this gorgeous night. A band that seems poised to put a boisterous bow on this beautiful experience. 

The ovation is deafening as they saunter on stage. Ear plugs have not been necessary to this point but from the first note Turnpike and their fans make it clear that is about to end. Unlike American Aquarium, Turnpike has only produced five records so if you want to hear something your wish is probably gonna come true. This has been the kind of night where most of us feel satisfied.

Turnpike Troubadours took a well-publicized break a few years ago and have only been back on the road a few short months. If there is any rust from that hiatus, it is not on display tonight. This is a boot stomping production without a throw away song or performance. The band looks like they are having as much fun as we are.

As the last note of the encore rings and we shuffle unimpeded from the venue, those smiles that were ever-present as we all started the night have grown into billboards of love. 

Album Review | American Aquarium's Lamentations

It feels like yesterday American Aquarium released Things Change, a record begging the listener to live in its characters. A man consoling his partner who devastatingly recognizes the “world is on fire.” Someone coming to the hard realization they are better off confronting their addictions. Characters wrestling with the unconscionable and somehow making sense of it. 

Things Change was strong enough that new realizations continue to bubble to the surface. My initial reaction to the news that American Aquarium was headed into the studio with Shooter Fucking Jennings was, “I get you have a lot to say BJ, but we ain’t done processing the last one.”

Things Change was released in 2018. Since then, the pace of the real world has accelerated to warp speed while the power of American Aquarium’s Things Change has kept pace. When BJ Barham removed the governor from his songwriting motor several years ago, the result was an ascendancy to the upper echelon of his generation of tunesmiths. 

Lamentations, American Aquarium’s latest release straddles the raucous honky tonk rock of early American Aquarium and the more socially conscious nature of Barham’s last collection of songs. The themes are familiar - hard work, substance abuse and sobriety, the South, sad stories. With Lamentations, Barham has taken another huge step forward in songcraft. 

As we have come to expect, the album opens with a kick-in-the-teeth tune that comes to a soaring, anthemic coda. These things usually need time to marinate before we declare superlatives. Nonetheless, the title track is Barham’s finest songwriting. “Me + Mine (Lamentations)” sets the tone for an album full of scorching hot songs that feel like they were recorded at an American Aquarium show somewhere in Texas, the band’s home away from home. 

If you have seen them there, you know what I mean. American Aquarium always brings it regardless of venue. BJ and the boys (this lineup and those past) are professionals who take their craft seriously. But, the band is fueled by the fervor of its fans and folks in Texas take it up a notch.

More than any other studio release, Lamentations captures the spirit of American Aquarium’s greatest live shows- a testament to the touch of producer Shooter Jennings. Shooter seems to be the bridge between early, raw American Aquarium and the renaissance that began with Burn. Flicker. Die.

Most importantly, Barham has taken another stride in his examination of the South. We are living in a time where a generation of southern writers are taking on the South with a warm demanding hand. Folks like the Bitter Southerner, Jason Isbell, Drive-by Truckers, Lee Bains III- the list is long and growing. A group of people who are not content to make excuses for the way things are and the way things were. 

“I believe in a better south,” Barham sings on the album’s eighth track. It is a tune showcasing his acute ability to use critical observation as a source of hope. Hope for a better South, a better nation, a more honest examination of the ills that plague us collectively and individually. Lamentations is more than a new American Aquarium record. It’s a manifesto of the power of our best instincts.