Jam Like a Local This Weekend, Every Weekend

The 30A Songwriters Festival is right around the corner, which means Sowal will be packed to the brim with more than a hundred amazing and talented musicians. But is that really all that different from a normal weekend here? Locals know excellent musicians jam at the joint down the street every weekend in SoWal.

The festival is an awesome event and may be sold out come Friday. If you miss getting a ticket or if the price is just too steep - not to worry. There is still plenty of live music to be heard outside of the festival this weekend, including local favorites and touring acts. 

Local Catch Bar & Grill is just one of the places this weekend offering lots of live acts in a hot atmosphere. Friday night will feature Reed Lightfoot, a singer-songwriter whose music is purely Gulf-centric. Raised in Louisiana and now residing in Pensacola, Lightfoot’s laid-back tunes have touches of delta blues, soul and rock. His music is a hit in New Orleans, South Walton, and everywhere in between. Sunday will be an all-day party with Wes Heath and the Whiskey Band jamming all afternoon. Local favorite Forrest Williams, who will be playing the festival Friday and Saturday, will close out the weekend at Local Catch where he is a regular performer.

Weekend regulars will be out in full force this weekend too. Check out the Bottom's Up Band at Marie's Barside in Blue Mountain Beach Friday and Saturday, and Matt Hall on Sunday. Local bluegrass trio, The Steenos will be picking and plucking at Stinky’s Fish Camp on both Friday night and Sunday afternoon. If you love all the live music that happens at The Red Bar every weekend, don’t worry, you can still get your fix of the Red Bar Jazz Band Friday and Saturday night, and Dread Clampitt will still be rocking Sunday Brunch.

When you’re out this weekend, it might also be a good idea to keep your ears open for impromptu performances by some of the festival’s performers. It just might be that your favorite artist that you missed may be playing a last minute gig somewhere around town. So even if you can’t make it to the festival, there will still be plenty to hear and see in Sowal this weekend.

If you have any hot music tips, we'd love to hear them. Be sure to keep your eye on the SoWal Live Music Calendar at SoWal.com/music and the SoWal Music & Nightlife Forum.