Pensacola Beach Songwriters Fest Talent To Perform on TV; Studio Amped Season Kicks Off March 5
The 16th season of WSRE’s “StudioAmped” music series premieres on March 5 with the first of six concerts that were recorded in the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio at Pensacola State College in October. The program airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on WSRE and is available for streaming at wsre.org, on YouTube, and with the PBS app.
Kicking off the new season will be the annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival special, featuring Gary Nichols, Billy Droze, and The Burney Sisters performing in the round, with a special guest appearance by Kensie Coppin.
Nichols is a Grammy-winning producer, singer-songwriter and guitarist from Muscle Shoals, Ala., who was the lead singer and guitarist for The SteelDrivers from 2010 to 2017. On the show, he is joined on stage by Coppin, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Texas, for a duet. Droze is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with 11 No. 1 singles, and The Burney Sisters, siblings Emma and Bella Burney, are a multi-instrumentalist indie-folk duo based in Huntsville, Ala.
The season will continue with Katie Dineen on March 12, The Tree-Oh on March 19, About to Sweat on March 26, Ben Loftin & The Family on April 2, and Blue Mother Tupelo on April 9.
Dineen is a folk and indie-rock artist and founder of the monthly Pensacola Songwriter Rounds series. She released her debut album, “This One’s For You,” in August 2024. Performing with her for the show are Jacob Palmer (electric guitar and vocals), Taylor Whyte (drums), Zack Ketchum (bass and vocals), and Zachary Callahan (tenor saxophone).
From Ocean Springs, Miss., The Tree-Oh combines funky blues, R&B and bluesy reggae for a soulful mix of original music. Members are Bob Erickson (lead vocals and guitar), JoJo Morris (bass and vocals) and TK Lively (drums and vocals). Playing with The Tree-Oh for the show is keyboardist Chris Alexander.
Creating funky jazz-rock out of Fort Walton Beach, About to Sweat band members are Robbie Paynter (lead vocals, guitar and synthesizer), Hayden Welch (drums and vocals), Adrian Howland (bass and vocals), Josh Zook (tenor saxophone) and Chase Gasko (trombone).
From Pensacola, Ben Loftin & The Family produces a vibrant blend of pop, funk, soul and reggae heavily influenced by the rich musical cultures of the Gulf Coast. Performing are Ben Loftin (lead vocals, guitar and ukulele), Marcus Gillard (bass and vocals), Bo Fabbro (keyboards), Pollo Bondurant (drums), Brian Thomson (trombone) and Reid Murphy (tenor saxophone).
Chosen 2022 Music Artist of the Year by The Southland Music Line, Blue Mother Tupelo, from Como, Miss., is the married songwriting and recording artist team, Ricky Davis (vocals, acoustic guitar, dobro and kick drum) and Micol Davis (vocals, keyboards and tambourine), that brings a seasoned edge to their Southern soul, country rock, and Americana music.
“StudioAmped” Executive Producer Bill Harrell is a longtime Pensacola musician — from The Risin’ Sons and The Stonewalls of the 1960s to The Reunion Band of recent years and now The Calverts — and a former development director at WSRE.
“A big thank you to our sponsors and the folks who came out to be part of the live TV studio audiences, and, of course, a huge thank you to the 27 incredible musicians who shared their talents on the ‘StudioAmped’ stage,” said Harrell. “Season 16 is full of eclectic musical genres and sounds. The musical series has lived up to its mission of providing local and regional artists with the opportunity to showcase their original music. This is a wonderful season.”
The new season of “StudioAmped” is sponsored in part by The Bear Family Foundation and Blues Angel Music. The Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival is set for October 1-11. Stay tuned for details at www.PensacolaBeachSongwritersFestival.com.