Discovering the Soundtrack of Gainesville: Inside MusicGNV’s AM/FM Festival

What comes to mind when you hear Gainesville, Florida? Is it the University of Florida, summer heat or nature trails? All valid answers. 

But if you think that’s all Gainesville has to offer, you’d be very wrong. To me, Gainesville and good music go hand-in-hand. And at the end of last month, MusicGNV put that truth on center stage — or should I say, stages?

On Feb. 22, MusicGNV’s AM/FM Festival hosted 27 local artists across three venues: The How Bazar, Loosey’s Bar and Grill, and The Bull. The entire event was free and open to the public, straight out of a college student’s dreams. Attendees could listen to poetic ballads, protest rock and lo-fi synth all in the same hour, performed by artists of every genre. Even those with the most niche tastes were sure to find a song that struck them. 

Ted McVay performing at Loosey’s. Photo by Avery Wilkerson.

I’ve spent the past four years on a mission to attend every public music event in Gainesville, from Bo Diddley Plaza to the Reitz Union North Lawn, and I’ve never seen an event quite as impactful. 

From the second I stepped into Loosey’s, the warm atmosphere melted off the chill of the day. People of all ages and walks of life gathered together, some with elbows resting on the bar, some swaying on the floor. They gazed at the performers, caught in an unbreakable enchantment, while other artists watched, leaning on their guitar cases. Student photographers practiced their skills from every angle as performers showcased their musical talent. Many in the crowd had been planning to attend the event for weeks, while others stumbled upon it during a study break or a downtown walk.

After finishing his set, local songwriter and 26-year-old University of Florida graduate Thomas Allain commended the audience because it’s “really special … when people come out and support other artists and different folks in town.” He sang songs drawn from personal experience, with lyrics like, “let me in, teach me how to live in my skin.” 

Thomas Allain performing at Loosey’s Bar and Grill. Photo by Kenzie Kemerson.

That warmth didn’t leave when I stepped outside the first venue. Families ordered from food trucks, and kids weaved their way to the front of The Bull’s outdoor stage. Meanwhile, The How Bazar created a mystic purple ambience as the band Loris laid down some beats.

“It’s fantastic,” said Liz Davis, 31, who performed earlier in the day with her band, Cathluina. Davis moved to Gainesville from New York 10 years ago. In addition to performing, she serves as the co-director of We Rock Gainesville, a local nonprofit children’s music camp, which she was also tabling for.

“Brandon [the director of MusicGNV] approached us and asked if we were interested in curating or co-curating some of the acts for the AM/FM Festival. We kind of keep tabs on which teenage bands are really kicking a**, so we submitted some of those. They like to involve us in these things, so when I got asked to play, I was like, ‘Oh, perfect. I’ll just bring the whole table with me.’”

Davis described how, while the event created a community within the audience, it also strengthened the friendships between the artists.

“It did a really amazing job of highlighting the local artists who are doing a lot and going out of their way. The selection of talent was really amazing,” Davis said. “There are tons of people out here. It was a beautiful day. I had a great time.”

As the day faded into night, more college students arrived, along with mother-daughter duos and longtime Gainesville natives. The energy was palpable. With the sunset, the temperature sank, but the excitement rose. The crowd sang along, danced with each other — even forming a kickline at one point — cheered for the artists and, at times, was invited to join them on stage. The lead singer of My Favorite Animal invited someone with no guitar experience to rock out the instrumental while attempting to form a mosh pit. The crowd went wild. 

Each and every performer radiated passion, talent and gratitude. Watching a college-age student dance alongside an eager kid while band members beamed at each other, making side comments in between songs, brought a smile I couldn’t wipe off my face. It was one of those perfect moments where pure human connection shines through, and it was beautiful.

High on my list of best moments was how approachable the artists were. I watched them perform with such talent and stage presence that it felt natural to imagine them hidden behind bodyguards with crowds screaming for autographs. But instead, they drifted around the festival, dancing with the audience, chatting with friends and taking the time to introduce themselves. One group I had the chance to speak with was Noise Next Door.

Noise Next Door performs at The Bull’s outdoor stage during the AM/FM Festival. Photo by Kenzie Kemerson.

The band began as balcony jam sessions between roommates Joseph Davi, lead singer, and original guitarist, Connor Balog. It grew through a web of fraternity ties and hometown friendships that ultimately completed the lineup, which includes 21-year-old Max Goldberg on drums, 20-year-old Landen Zamorano on guitar, 21-year-old Jess Chisholm on rhythm guitar and 20-year-old Aaron Gallego on bass.

“The festival lineup came out, and we didn’t get invited,” said Goldberg, a third-year accounting major at the University of Florida. “I don’t think there’s anything to it. There’s a million amazing bands in Gainesville that are better than us.” A few days later, the band received a last-minute Instagram message from MusicGNV: a group had dropped out, and whoever responded first could take the slot. Goldberg immediately texted the group chat. They answered fast enough, and suddenly, Noise Next Door was on the lineup. 

Despite Davi’s voice being sore from performing a two-hour show the night before and both of Zamorano’s guitars breaking just before they went on, the band gleamed with gratitude for the opportunity throughout our conversation and seemed to have as much fun on stage as the audience did. 

“It’s great how there’s a lot of these bands coming together,” said Zamorano, a third-year construction management major at the University of Florida. “It’s pretty cool how people go in and out all throughout the day and look at different bands. We don’t really get to see that a lot in Gainesville … I mean, you can just walk to the bar, go see one band, walk next door, just like Nashville.”

Noise Next Door’s drummer, Max Goldberg, performs on stage. Photo by Kenzie Kemerson.

For Noise Next Door, the most striking part of the night wasn’t just the size of the lineup, but the crowd’s willingness to listen.

“It’s nice to play for a crowd that wants to hear original music and not just somebody being on aux,” said Davi, a fourth-year behavioral analysis and neuropsychology major at the University of Florida.

“That’s so true,” Goldberg chimed in. “I feel like it’s really rare that you get more than one person in front of you that wants to hear songs they’ve never heard of from a band that they’ve never seen before. The fact that there’s a community for that is really special here.”

Davi added that even slower songs held the audience’s attention.

“Being able to play a six-minute love country-esque ballad and having people engaged for almost all of it. It’s nice instead of people being like, ‘I don’t think I know this one. Let me go to the bar.’”

During the show, the band performed a song they had just written at their last practice. On stage, they scuffled, “New song?” “Which one?” “Our only new song!”

“Frankly, I was super against it,” said Davi. “Any artist wants to be perceived in a positive light, especially when songwriting lyrically shows a lot of myself and my experiences reduced down [to] a few minutes or seconds. And it’s hard to not feel scared when you don’t know if the message is what you want it to be yet. And then having it put, literally put on a stage, under a spotlight, is a stressful experience, and it’s good to do. I’m glad we did it.” He explained that while other crowds wouldn’t have been open to it, “this crowd, they really liked it, so it was nice to feel scared and then have that positively reinforced.”

At most events, the band explained, they’re often limited to covers or a specific genre. This night was different.

“Those shows are fun, but this show, we had the freedom to make it sound, look and feel however we wanted,” said Goldberg.

“Each song can be a different genre,” Davi added. “And the genre is us, not something specific.”

If this event taught me one thing, it’s that music is the heart of Gainesville. It connects the community and displays the wealth of talent this city holds. 

Goldberg said it best: “It’s pretty special that Gainesville is a city that has a place for this.” 

The wildest part? These are just snippets of conversations with a handful of the artists I spoke to that day. Each performer had a story that brought them to the AM/FM stages, and none overlapped in their distinct styles. 

 Stirling Myles performs his final ballad of the night to the crowd at Loosey’s. Photo by Amanda Jones.

As the night grew colder, I followed the crowd as they applauded the talented Stirling Myles, then eagerly gathered to watch The Nancys, a band steadily rising to fame in Gainesville. The night ended with their brand new hit, and previous performers, newcomers and all-day audience members danced together amid the cheers for just “one more song!”

 The Nancys performs at the AM/FM Festival as the crowd begins to chant for an encore. Photo by Amanda Jones. 

“Thank you, Brandon and MusicGNV, for thinking of us,” said Goldberg. “Definitely a bit of a last-minute addition, but we’re super, super happy to be here and to be part of an event with all these amazing Gainesville bands.”

Between the whispers of attendees and the acknowledgments of artists, the theme throughout the night was gratitude. And I’ll fall in line. I’m so thankful to MusicGNV for hosting such an accessible, incredible event. If I wasn’t already a follower before, now I’m hooked on every note.

Drummer and guitarist of The Nancys smiling to each other as they perform at The Bull’s outdoor stage. Photo by Amanda Jones. 

About MusicGNV

“MusicGNV is dedicated to fostering an equitable and thriving music scene in Gainesville, Florida, and the north-central Florida region. Through active engagement with diverse community stakeholders, MusicGNV develops and implements programs that expand opportunities for local musicians and music industry professionals. As the organization grows, it remains committed to diverse leadership and ensuring that its programs and opportunities are accessible to marginalized and underserved members of the community.”

— The Awesome Foundation