Florida residents will be in for a treat during one of the last weekends of October. Ranging from the dates October 23-26, country artist Jake Owen and reggae rock band The Dirty Heads will join forces for a unique and creative concert experience. The Original Wailers ft. Al Anderson will also be a part of the festivities.
The event will kick off in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 23 and conclude in Pinellas Park, Florida, on October 26.
Lead singer for The Dirty Heads, Jared Watson, talked about how the idea for this fusion concert was birthed from organic means.
“We started seeing festivals like Stagecoach in California which is known for their country acts but people from the EDM world like Diplo were there. And rappers were there too. Then, we found out we were getting played on Kenny Chesney’s radio station. This showed us there was an overlap in our audiences. There was a common thread between our music. We also both celebrated a love of performing music that made people have a good time.” he said.
Jake Owen echoed these sentiments.
“People come out to enjoy the music. They come with family and friends to escape from life and just enjoy themselves. That’s what music is about whether it’s country or reggae music, it’s meant to make people feel good.” he said.
Jared feels there is also some overlap not only between country and reggae but also country…and rap. His analogy was creative, humorous, and truth-based.
“Country is just ‘white people rap.’ The songwriting often reflects the same themes. And, just like rap, there’s often creative and sometimes comedic analogies in country songs. I like lyricism in hip-hop and I hear those same songwriting techniques when I listen to country. The production is just obviously different,” he said.
Jake Owen talked about how he sees the overlap between country and reggae from a lyrical standpoint.
“I think they share similarities because they’re both about storytelling and what’s going on in life. Obviously, they’re sonically different and have different production styles but I think that’s why they’ll sound so great together for these shows.” he said.
To keep things interesting, the bands will regularly switch who opens the show. This keeps things engaging for people watching the shows as well as the artists on stage. Jared spoke on the importance of avoiding predictability in shows by keeping the fans’ experience at the forefront of his mind.
“I think the most important thing is not to force things when on stage. We used to force ourselves to talk in between songs. My advice to younger musicians is to just play the music for the crowd and be aware of the energy they’re giving you. You don’t have to make jokes, tell stories and have banter. Just play the music. That’s what the fans are there for. I’ve seen bands we toured with perform and the frontman told the same story at the same point in the show multiple times. I didn’t like that at all.” he said.
The Dirty Heads have been performing together for over 20 years. With all this experience, Jared shared that he has learned a variety of things about being an artist, including how he behaves both on and off the stage. These lessons have improved the band’s live performances more and more over the years.
“In our early stages, I would be drunk while performing. I was just this 20 year old that just wanted to party and rage. Then once I grew out of that, I started overthinking the performance. I was hyperfocused on hitting the right notes and just being critical of myself. At the same time, I was grinding and making sure the band grew. In the past five years, I’ve learned to balance it all. I’m mentally present when I’m on stage. I’m performing well and I’m having fun at the same time. It’s almost like a runner’s high. I enjoy seeing all the people respond to the music. There’s no better feeling than when you stop singing and the crowd is singing your music word for word ten times louder than you.” he said.
Jake Owen also spoke about how different his early performances are from his more recent ones.
“When I was a younger guy, I just let loose and didn’t care because I was just happy to be there. But, as you get older, you want things to be tighter and on point.” he said.
Interestingly enough, Jake echoed Jared’s perspective of sometimes overthinking the performance too.
“I’m much more comfortable on stage now but I overthink things sometimes in an OCD way because I want the show to be perfect.” he said.
Both Jared Watson and Jake Owen are excited about their upcoming joint shows. Their shared love of being on stage has kept them performing for years, and now they both get to do what they’ve been doing in a different way.
“I’m very fortunate to do what I do. When I see people out there and they’re having fun; they’ve been standing for an hour-and-a-half watching us do what we do, it’s a gift. It’s a flattering and fulfilling feeling. Seeing “happy” in people’s faces is the most important thing. My favorite memory is my family watching me perform. Having my Mom, Dad and little girls out in the crowd fills me with happiness. They see that I followed my dreams and I’m living them. There’s something so cool about doing what you told people you would do.” said Jake Owen.
Jared spoke on how he’s glad to have collaborated with Jake for this joint endeavor.
“It was cool to connect with Jake and see where he’s coming from and see his side of music. With the way we do things and the way they do things, there’s similarities and differences. It was cool to connect with someone from a completely different genre but find things in common and grow something cool out of it.” he said.
The collaborative concert with Jake Owen, The Dirty Heads, and The Original Wailers ft. Al Anderson will kick off in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 23 and conclude in Pinellas Park, Florida, on October 26. Attendees will have a variety of opportunities to see them at the following locations:
Thurs. 10/23 Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Fri. 10/24 iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL 33411
Sat. 10/25 Apopka Amphitheater, Apopka, FL 32712
Sun. 10/26 England Brothers Park, Pinellas Park, FL