Join Us for Family-Friendly Concerts and Amazing Sunsets
To celebrate the cool fall evenings and gorgeous sunsets, as well as all the local talent we have here in Northwest Florida, Mexico Beach is proud to host Music in the Park each September. This year’s lineup includes some of our favorite local musicians performing each Thursday in September from 6:00–8:00 PM (Central) at Sunset Park, right beside the El Governor Motel. The concerts are free to the public, so we hope both Mexico Beach residents and visitors alike will bring a chair or a blanket, load up the cooler, and bring the whole family out to Music in the Park!
September 1, 2016 – CrossRoads [CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER]
CrossRoads is not your daddy’s country music! The members of CrossRoads take their cues from the storytellers of old but the sounds of the new. Come jam to some contemporary country, rock, and blues covers and a few originals along the way.
September 8, 2016 – Baby Gray
Based in Tallahassee, Florida, the soulful duo of Michelle Milligan and Bobby Kennedy will perform a mix of pop, funk, country, and rock, and keep the audience tapping their feet and bobbing their heads as the sun goes down over Mexico Beach.
September 15, 2016 – The Krickets
From our neighboring towns in Northwest Florida came four “Spanish Moss Sirens” with a sound like no other. Having just debuted their first full-length album with their soulful, “swamp-folk” sound, come enjoy the Krickets on September 15!
September 22, 2016 – Heat and the Zydeco Gents
It’s not Mardi Gras, but Creole is coming to Mexico Beach this month as Heat and the Zydeco Gents spice things up for Music in the Park. Everyone will be dancing to the jazzy, funky sounds of zydeco.
September 29, 2016 – Koncrete Soul
According to reviews, Koncrete Soul is “guaranteed to raise the roof and rock the house.” Featuring KaTryna Vyshon on vocals, Clark Downs on guitar, and Victor Payano on saxophone, this local favorite is the perfect band for our Music in the Park grand finale.
More from The Krickets
In celebration of The Krickets’ debut album, Spanish Moss Sirens, and their upcoming Music in the Park show, we caught up with the lovely ladies of the band—Melissa Bowman, Emily Stuckey, Lauren Spring, and Katrina Kolb—for a quick Q&A!
How did the Krickets come together?
Lauren and Melissa started playing together through a breast cancer benefit called The Cricket Fund, which was set up in honor of Cricket Russell, who lost her battle with breast cancer at just 22 years of age. A year or so later, Melissa’s friend and former bandmate Emily moved closer—from the Alabama Gulf Coast area. At the time, Emily was playing with bassist Katrina Kolb of Silverhill, Alabama. The two groups combined forces and the rest is history.
Are you all from the Northwest Florida area?
We’re all transplants from various Southern states, but we now call the Florida Panhandle home.
What do you love about performing close to home?
For one thing, we live in paradise, and getting to play pretty much on the beachfront is a dream come true! We love the laid-back, happy vibe that our fans generate from this picturesque environment.
Who or what inspires you and your music?
Our families have been huge inspirations for our songwriting. A couple of the songs on our album were written about family members that aren’t with us any longer. We actually dedicated the album in memory of them. Also, a new baby was recently welcomed into the Kricket circle, inspiring a song as well. The other half of the album was strongly based on the surrounding nature and history of the Forgotten Coast.
What’s new for the band?
We recently teamed up with Cyber PR to broaden our musical horizon and hopefully line up a small tour. This past May, with the help of our amazing fans through Kickstarter, we were able to record and release our debut album, Spanish Moss Sirens. It was produced by the Alabama Shakes’ Ben Tanner of Sundrop Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. With as much fun as we had writing and putting the music together for Spanish Moss Sirens, a second album is definitely in our future.
What are you looking forward to most about Music in the Park?
Seeing all of our fans and friends that we made playing this event last year will definitely be a rewarding experience. It was one of our most cherished gigs last year because of them! The fact that the crowd actually listened to us was just amazing. It has us very eager to play again this year. We are so honored and proud to play this years Music in the Park and can’t wait to share what all we’ve been up to with our friends in Mexico Beach.
Learn more or get your copy of Spanish Moss Sirens at TheKrickets.com!
