Amplified Avondale at Historic Avondale, Jacksonville (Mar 27, 2026)

The monthly Amplified Avondale event takes place on the last Friday of every month, at the very congested two blocks of the Historic Avondale all along St John’s Ave, in Jacksonville, Florida. The event is free and open to the public.

The weather was perfect for their March 27 show, proudly displaying classic cars that took up valuable parking spaces on St John’s Avenue. Speaking of parking, forget about finding any decent parking in the area, it’s nonexistent. You’re better off parking a block or two away and walking in. Even if you found a good parking space, some guy will show up and tell you that spot is reserved for the performing artist(s)… yes that happened to me.

I did run into one of the organizers of the event, Ron, who tells me that they’ve been doing this for three years. Musicians and DJs (five by five) are local and are rotated month to month. There are vendors along the sidewalks, offering everything from original art to food and drinks. There’s even a balloon artist. This is great for the whole family.

I went to see all of the bands on the bill. The way it is setup, two were amped up outside, and the other three were playing indoors. They were playing at different locations, at the same time… so if you really wanted a full set for one band, you may end up missing the other shows. The music was pretty diverse, so there’s a little something for everyone.

In no particular order:

Aaron & Erik DeCiccio at Cork Thyme
I actually could not, for the life of me, find Cork Thyme on the map. They might not have the right signage, because never did I see the words ‘cork’ and ‘thyme’ on any of the storefront. And I walked back and forth on both side of the streets! I eventually had to ask someone who was native to the area and he pointed me to the right place.

Once inside, the DeCiccio were performing all the way in the back, with Aaron behind a piano and Erik occasionally stands and sing. Her website lists rock, jazz, and blues, as well as a touch of the Musical Theatre nerd.

Update: The store is actually called All Spiced Up (this would explain why I never saw Cork Thyme). It is very confusing, I hope they update the sign and/or change the venue listing to the correct venue name name next time (All Spiced Up).

The Kimballs at Mojo’s
The full name of the bar is Mojo No. 4, an urban BBQ whiskey bar. The Kimballs, which I am assuming are a real-life family, playing bluegrass version of their favorite country and western songs.

Looking at their socials, it seems they’re a husband/wife duo (Allison plays the upright bass and Keith plays banjo or guitar), but will expand the band to include various guests and instruments. I believe that young fella is their son Noah.

Tendyr Brothers at The Brick
The Brick is an American restaurant, named after their brick-walled space (with a patio and bar). They were hosting Tendyr Brothers. You can’t really take these guys too seriously, after all, no one in the band is named Tendyr. I think their website lists Connor and Adam as Dooling. What’s even more confusing is that the Tendyr Brothers are really a band called Send Him Off!, but missing a third member called Mitchell Wylie.

Smokestack at Tucker Cycles
As you can guess, Tucker Cycles is a bicycle shop. It reminds me that I need to get a tuneup on my bike… and maybe next time, instead of driving to St John’s that I can just bike down and not have to worry about parking.

Smokestack is a very large southern rock band, featuring: Bryan Spradlin, Jack Corcoran, Bert Mingea, Brady Clampitt, Dylan Hess, Derek Maines, and Caitlin McWilliams. Although based on my photo, we’re missing two band members, one of which is Caitlin, missing in action (unless maybe they were just taking a break). Brady recently celebrated his birthday.

Groove Coalition at Mellow Mushroom
Some people claimed that Mellow Mushroom has the best pizza in town. I wanted to get a slice, but they were really busy and I didn’t really have the time to sit-and-eat… but eventually, I will need to try out their pizza and see what all the fuss is about.

Groove Coalition was a little more of my speed, and I feel had a good established fanbase. They started a little late, on account that their singer couldn’t find parking… but once she showed up, the band kicked off their set with Anthony Hamilton’s “Best of Me”.

The next Amplified Avondale event will take place on April 24, 2026.

vu ♥ wheartm.com ♥ @weheartmusic ♥ weheartmusicgroup