Whippersnap Music & Arts Festival: 7 Bands & a Queen
Whippersnap Music & Arts Festival again heads to Florida Sand Music Ranch in Brooksville with 28 bands, four artists at large, four days, two stages, and a whole troop of great music fans ready to throw down February 18–21. We shared a story about everyone on the schedule. Now we’d like to highlight seven bands and a queen you should check out during the weekend.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
8:00 – 9:15 Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes
9:45 – 11:00 Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes
Eddie Roberts is the dapper guitarist for The New Mastersounds (who just played their last show on U.S. soil New Year’s Eve. He was looking for a chance to branch out for a bit of rock’n’roll with his outstanding quartet The Lucky Strokes. He found like-minded string-bender Shelby Kemp, whose genuine Southern growl is superb. The band is topped off by homegrown heroes Ashley and Taylor Galbraith, the mighty rhythm section. Two great sets to send Whippersnap into the stratosphere!
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
12:00 – 1:00 Sooza Brass Band
Every festival should have a brass band, and the Sooza folks from Gainesville are superb. They have deservedly been popping up at shows and festival throughout the state, including a fine show at Suwannee Hulaween. Expect a parade through the grounds before the show! And the Sooza Horns are artists at large! Thanks to Funkcity.net for the video!
7:55 – 9:15 Dizgo
Indianapolis quartet Dizgo began appearing all over the Sunshine State (they like the weather… and the receptive audiences!). They played a massive set at Suwannee Hulaween, and they are about to jump on Jam Cruise for the first time Saturday. Funk, livetronica, and rock pour off the stage whenever they play.
9:30 – 11:00 Spafford
Improvisational jamsters Spafford always bring the heat! We’ve seen them play entire improv sets, and their jamming is pure magic. Also, be sure you check out their first show of 2026 on bandcamp from Knoxville; the entire first set is a 57-minute homage to “The Other One.”
https://spaffordmusic.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-barleys-01-14-26-knoxville-tn
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20
4:50 – 6:00 S.P.O.R.E.
Looking forward to the return of their “High-Energy Progressive Electronic Rock.” The group have been on hiatus a few times, and it is always welcome to see them resurface. S.P.O.R.E. are: Steven Honig, bass; Joe King, guitar; Chris Richard, drums; and Alex Sears, keyboards and flute. They describe themselves as a “live instrumentated electrofunk jam band.”
9:00 – 10:15 Guavatron
The West Palm Beach quartet throw down a brilliant amalgam of livetronica, prog rock, funk, and jam. They will host their own Guavafest March 7 at Terra Fermata, and last year’s Whippersnap set featured a magical two-song sit-in by the jam queen herself, Kanika Moore.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21
11:30 – 12:40 Zenzi
Never heard of Zenzi? That is because they are making their debut Saturday at Whippersnap. This collaborative project have been coming together, and we can’t wait to hear the results. Personnel? From MiniM, Brendan Havens, guitar, vocals; and Shane Lavigne, percussion; Mike Nivens (Ajeva), guitar; Miguel Lantigua (Antelope, Tropico Blvd), bass; Kelsey Sharp, keyboards, vocals; Kat Hines, vocals; Mac Schmitz (Voodoo Visionary), drums; and three members of The Sooza Horns: Adrienne Widener, trumpet; Brian Burwell, trombone; and Ryan Gamberino, saxophone.
10:30 – 12:00 Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
The Diesel: Karl D has been in the business since before his recordings with Lenny Kravitz, then solo LPS, The Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and much more. Perhaps you recognize him from his appearance in both Coming to America movies as the sax player for Sexual Chocolate. Or perhaps you’ve seen him blowing sax with The Rolling Stones! His band is tighter than tight, and they bring positivity to everything they do.
ARTISTS AT LARGE
Kanika Moore is the undisputed queen of the jam scene, from her emergence with Doom Flamingo, tours with TAUK, and revered performances at every festival and on Jam Cruise. She had several sit-ins last year at Whippersnap, and we are certainly looking to seeing her again.
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