Music

N.W. Izzard to Release New EP, Show Dates Announced

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In 2016 I spent a year living beachside in Jacksonville, the town I grew up in most of my life. Beach living and city dwelling in Jacksonville are immensely different cultures, and being the grass-is-always-greener type I felt I might find a little more happiness on the other side of “the ditch.” And I did, for awhile.

I fully immersed myself in the every-day-is-a-vacation lifestyle, spending my lunch hours sprawled out on an oversized towel answering emails on my iphone with sandy fingers. On Sunday evenings I celebrated the Sabbath by sipping rum runners at Lemon Bar, my favorite local spot for libations, watching the setting sun draw brilliant red-orange streamers across the Atlantic ocean.

The idea of crossing the Intercoastal Waterway bridge to resume my old life was enough to wreak anxiety on my overly complacent mind. I had taken an early retirement as far as I was concerned. Unfortunately all the major music concerts I cover for work migrated downtown and some other adulting stuff arose so I had to suck it up and return to reality. Beach life would have to be put on hold.

Reflecting back now, that year of my life replays like a distant dream, like a movie of myself I watched a long time ago. Today I can only faintly recall the scenes, the cast and the plot, but the soundtrack is still vividly clear. That year belonged to N.W. Izzard, with “Hole in One” endlessly looping while I cruised A1A with the sunroof open looking for nothing to do.

Nicholas Izzard’s bluesy funk-rock guitar and easy-living lyrics mentally transport me to a tropical playland every time I resurrect that 5-track sampler cd a friend left in my car. The music is bold and sometimes tip toes on the dark side with feel-good rhythms balancing out the mood. It’s music for surfing all day, drinking all night and repeating all summer.

Today I’m graciously sharing with you one of our town’s best kept secrets. N.W. Izzard is set to release a new EP, Midnight Magic, in the coming months and the debut album No Sleep is now available on Spotify. Several shows have also been announced – see below for info:

Jun 06 Lynch’s Irish Pub Jacksonville Beach, FL
Jun 09 Hoptinger Five Points Jacksonville, FL
Jun 10 Hoptinger Saint Augustine, FL
Jun 15 1904 Music Hall Jacksonville, FL Tickets
Jun 16 Copper Cover Club Madeira Beach, FL

Here are a few memories from the recent show we covered at 1904 Music Hall. The next show at 1904 Music Hall is scheduled for Thursday, June 15th with Sumilan. More info here.

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