Gainesville Live Music Scene

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 brought about the interruption of many things once taken for granted, and live music was no exception. As once crowded music venues and concert halls began to collect dust, the occasional live-streamed concert left much to be missed by the hordes of live music fans who wished for nothing more than to discover a new local band or rock out to a fan favorite together again. Gainesville’s live music scene quickly became one of the pandemic’s various casualties—many of the city’s staples, ranging from the High Dive to Heartwood Soundstage, faced temporary closures and struggled to stay in business during quarantine. Fortunately, with a new year comes new opportunities, and the past few months have seen a triumphant rebirth of Gainesville’s music scene. The return of classic music events ranging from the annual Heartwood Soundstage Music Festival to the highly-anticipated Indie Live series marks a definitive comeback for the world of music, yet with a number of key differences this time around. I spoke to some of Gainesville’s hottest up-and-coming bands to get the inside scoop on what has changed within the past couple of years.

The Late Night Losers, an indie-rock band, made their debut in January 2021 and have spent much of their career navigating the post-pandemic music scene. After recently signing with Swamp Records, a student-run independent record label based in Gainesville, the band has since skyrocketed in popularity. While the pandemic has posed many challenges ranging from last-minute cancellations to limited venue options, the group actually believes the pandemic has done a lot of good for Gainesville’s live music scene. “It forced the venues to stop booking regional and national acts, which really allowed the local bands to get shows and create a following,” drummer Wilson Gaberino said, “that’s been huge…the whole thing basically started from scratch in the past year, and we all became a community of artists.” Lead singer

Thomas Allain agrees—as music venues like Heartwood Soundstage have begun offering new events to help stay afloat during the pandemic, such as a weekly farmers’ market, Gainesville has witnessed an increased sense of community. “Everything about Heartwood, from the regulars attending the weekly farmers’ markets to the shows, atmosphere and location has a great sense of community and relationship,” Allain said.

Many local artists agree that Gainesville’s music community is notably unique. Clay Dixon of the innovative folk-indie Piccadillies Band believes that Gainesville’s music scene is a special experience that cannot be found elsewhere. “I think it’s really special what we have in Gainesville,” says Dixon. “I lived in Orlando for 20 years, and I did not experience the same level of people being excited about your music.” Dixon says that Gainesville’s indie music scene is like a giant group of friends, and this sense of community can’t be found elsewhere. “That tells me that there’s really something special here.” Furthermore, Dixon agrees that changes brought about by the pandemic have opened up many opportunities for local bands, putting an unusual highlight on local music that is only bound to grow as Gainesville’s music scene continues to thrive.