By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photos by Emily Hoover
More than a year after Victor Holtz lost his Lincolnville home in a fire, he is releasing his first novel, called “And the Violent Taketh by Force.”

By Cal Colgan | jcolgan@flagler.edu

Howard Lewis is frustrated that while the city of St. Augustine has started to recognize the importance of the civil rights movement in shaping the town’s history of race relations, most tour guides have left out 400 years of black influence in the nation’s “Oldest City.” He said they do not even acknowledge that Augustine of Hippo, the famous philosopher and theologian who is the town’s namesake, was an African.

“If you look up St. Augustine, you’ll see that he was born in Médéa, and the Internet will tell you that that is now Thagaste, Algeria,” Lewis said.

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photographs by Phillip C. Sunkel IV

Fans of the St. Augustine sing-a-long band Wobbly Toms were not bothered by news of a CD release delay on Saturday, Jan. 15, the second day of Wobbly Fest at the White Lion Restaurant & Pub. Instead, they did not seem to notice. They were too busy dancing, singing, drinking and celebrating what the eight-piece band calls “feel good music.”

Music just comes naturally to Josh Santos.

Santos first started in music by playing the saxophone in his middle school band, but soon wanted to try other instruments. After his grandfather bought him a guitar the summer before Santos started high school, he knew he had found his instrument of choice.

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photos contributed by Rob Heinrich

PHOTO CAPTION: All Disaster vocalist Josh Allen screams his lyrics into the microphone.

Although Orlando street punk band The Angst were left stranded on Interstate 4 with a flat tire and had to cancel their performance, St. Augustine punk and metal band All Disaster rocked a strong local crowd at Nobby’s on Saturday, March 20.

By Erica England | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photos by Erica England

Self-proclaimed “feely artist,” Trish Vevera escaped impressionism and abstract realism to explore abstract expressionism in her most recent paintings.

“I’m departing from what I’ve been doing in the past,” Vevera said.

By Liliana Cerquozzi | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Phil Sunkel

Walking into a low lit room filled with paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and Christmas lights hanging from the walls, Flavors Eatery has the right ambiance for a night filled with Indie-acoustic sounds.

Sitting at a small table next to the stage set up in the corner, I watch two musicians doing what they love. Mandy Sloan, a 20-year-old musician, plays acoustic guitar and adds her raspy vocals to her set. Sloan plays her own music well as some well-known favorites such as Coldplay’s “Yellow.”

By Erica Andrew | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photos by Mary Elizabeth Fair

The farmers market that takes place Wednesdays at the St. Johns County Pier and Saturdays at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre gives students, locals and tourists a chance to sample what St. Augustine has to offer- including a vendor serving all-natural lemonade.

The Sister Shack, a vendor at the farmers markets, makes lemonade, Italian ice, and smoothies from all natural products. Unlike the many lemonade brands that use corn syrup and additives, the Sister Shack boasts their use of fresh fruit and raw natural sugar.

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photo by Josh Weaver

Amy Hendrickson performs at Stogies, Rendezvous and Mi Casa Café. She gets airtime on Flagler College radio. She’s a celebrity in a town of struggling artists.

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photo by Emily Hoover

For Waiting on Brian, a five-piece band of Flagler freshmen multi-instrumentalists, the Internet is a savior. Word of mouth, paired with social networking websites Myspace and Facebook, resulted in a full house at Kulture Hookah Lounge Nov. 5.

By Ashley Wermick | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Most residents of St. Augustine are familiar with the First Friday Art Walk, when art galleries downtown stay open late and showcase local artists. However, less people are familiar with Uptown Saturday Night.

By Emily Hoover | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Josh Weaver

Next to the White Lion bar and grill, in a little blue historic house that used to be a toy store, three music lovers create music for the independent record label The Spot Records.

Founded in April 2009 by local punk rocker Joe Moody, producer Shaun Strong and self-described “numbers cruncher” Stephen Kussmaul, The Spot Records aims to organize local music, promote independence and reach out to artists all over the country.

By Ashley Wermick | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Director of YiTrinity Ray Eme had one mission in mind when he took office: provide St. Augustine with a place to start a music scene. Eme is a Flagler junior who became director December 2008.

YiTrinity is located at Trinity Church on the corner of St. George and King streets. The organization is a ‘music venue with a message.’