Special guests Kelly Goddard + Brian Durham will also perform in the Gamble Rogers Concert Series

Every October to June, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival and the St. Johns Cultural Council co-present “Live From The Waterworks,” a monthly concert series hosted at the historic venue built in 1898. The series is now in its second year, and aims to do what the annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival does in April: celebrate folk music by showcasing musicians who echo Rogers’ balladry and storytelling.

The series’ next performance features Jontavious Willis, with special guests Kelly Goddard and Brian Durham, who go by the stage name They Came From The Same, on Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 7-10 PM.

Jontavious Willis is a GRAMMY-nominated musician and songwriter from rural Georgia, whose unique sound blends his Southern heritage with his deep reverence for traditional blues. He performs original, toe-tapping tunes in the style of Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel Blues, and has toured with blues legends Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’. He takes his inspiration from the rich cultural roots of his upbringing, where he spent much of his childhood singing gospel music with his grandfather. His dynamic vocals, technical prowess, and abundance of Southern charm are revitalizing today’s blues community. “I hope to get the world dancing again,” Willis shares in press material. “I feel when I play the blues I am connecting with those before me and presenting it to others – a spiritual type thing.” His acoustic debut album, Blue Metamorphosis, was released in 2016, garnering rave reviews, and he won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge 2018 Award for Best Self-Produced CD. His sophomore album, Spectacular Class, was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2020.

Special guests They Came From The Same will also play at the February 17th show and will host a school workshop at St. Augustine High School with Trey Brewer’s guitar class on Friday, February 16th. Led by Brian Durham and Kelly Goddard, the brother-and-sister duo explores the nuances of sibling harmonies with acoustic instrumentation, producing a sound that is familiar and comforting. The two also represent two-thirds of the Tallahassee-based Americana band, The New 76ers.

Doors open at 6:30 PM and the show starts at 7 PM. The intimate venue sells only 120 tickets, so don’t miss this special opportunity. Tickets are $20 each and are available on Eventbrite.

The final winter show of the concert series will be March 16th, featuring Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, with Larry Mangum. And don’t forget that the 28th Annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is also coming soon! Held at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds April 12-14, the three-day music fest will feature dozens of folk, Americana, and bluegrass bands on four stages. Get tickets here.

ABOUT THE LIVE AT THE WATERWORKS CONCERT SERIES: “Live From The Waterworks” is a monthly concert series hosted at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine, and is an extension of the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, an annual event celebrating the life and music of folk legend Gamble Rogers. The series is sponsored and co-hosted by the St. Johns Cultural Council, with support from Ashlar Lodge No. 98, which is also a sponsor of the festival’s educational outreach workshops at local schools. Learn more at gamblerogersfest.org and follow along on social media @gamblerogersfest