Sunday Will McLean Stage Performers

The Will McLean Stage features outstanding Florida Artists. These artists represent the BEST of Florida Folk and Acoustic Performers. It is funded by a grant from the Will McLean Foundation. We are grateful for their support and commitment to Florida music and musicians. 

Jazz Education Community Coalition 11:30 am

The JAZZ EDUCATION COMMUNITY COALITION (JECC) ensemble is a community-based artistic network available to all young people interested in learning JAZZ.  It offers aspiring jazz musicians an opportunity to connect with recognized leaders in the South Florida Jazz community, as well as with national and international jazz talents.

The ensemble has performed at the Art Deco Festival; South Dade Cultural Arts Center; Pinecrest Gardens; Art Walk of Hollywood; Olympia Theater and  Dade County Auditorium, where they served as opening act for the great Paquito D’ Rivera–just to name a few.

Utilizing a workshop format, young musicians receive performance training and learn jazz pedagogy.  The program meets every Saturday from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the WDNA jazz radio station, located at 2921 Coral Way, Miami, FL 33145. Each session costs $5.00 per student.

Listen

Jazz Education Community Coalition

Darrell Arnold Band 12:30 pm

Darrell Arnold is a country blues and Americana performer. His own compositions are soulful folk-rock, with a twist of country blues. Darrell has recorded five studio albums of his own music and has just released a recording of Delta country blues songs (Arco Records). In the 1990s and early 2000s Darrell lived in Germany and played regularly in Germany and the Netherlands. There he played with two bands, the Dead Buffaloes and the Buffalo Fish. Highlights from that period include opening for two tours with the Yardbirds as well as festivals with Canned Heat, Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Alvin Lee, and Joe Cocker. Darrell produced four CDs while in Germany. For Everyday Stories (2002), Darrell Arnold and the Dead Buffaloes won a national prize for CD production of the Year with the German Pop and Rock Music Association. Since 2010 Darrell has lived in the Miami area. In 2017 he recorded, Changing World, produced by Jack Shawde. In 2024 he released “Portraits of the Blues” (also produced by Shawde), an album of country blues music that accompanies a book on early blues of the same name.   

Accompanying Darrell at the South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival are Debbie Spring  and Rusty Hari Heck. Both are outstanding and amazingly versatile musicians. Both have played in classical ensembles, as well as jazz, Latin rock and folk groups. Debbie toured with a The Mavericks in the 1990s, has performed classical concerts with The Florida Grand Opera and the Santa Fe Opera, has backed the famous Miami Sound Machine with Gloria Estafan, and toured with Shakira. She also has her own group, the Debbie Spring Group, which performs jazz in the style of Jean Luc Ponty. Rusty, her husband, played as a young man from Chicago in blues groups before focusing on jazz. He was the bassist of Julio Iglesias as was well as K.C. and the Sunshine Band, as well as numerous outstanding jazz bands in South Florida. Sarah Jacob will also be joining the band for backup vocals. 

Listen

Darrell Arnold Band

Sundown Sound 1 pm

Sundown Sound

Vinnie Del Basso and Bill Ackerman 1:30 pm

Vinnie  Del Basso (aka Vinnie Dean) was born in Harlem and raised in Queens and now calls South Florida his home.  Sometime in the late 1970’s he started performing at the Monday Hootenannies at Folk City and soon became part of a circle of musician friends that included Rod MacDonald, Suzanne Vega, Willie Nile, Steve Forbert, Frank Christian and the late great Tom Intondi. 

Eventually in the early 1980’s with the help of many of the local musicians, a new club opened around the corner from Folk City called Speakeasy and that became Vinnie’s home away from home.  He also started playing regularly at KENNY’S CASTAWAYS, where he decided he needed a rock & roll band and then all heck broke loose.  Vinnie and Bill are now playing together in a South Florida classic rock & roll band called the Broward Rockers.  https://www.facebook.com/BrowardRockers

Bill Ackerman is a veteran of the New Jersey, New York, California and now Florida music scenes. He has decades of experience as a guitarist (electric, acoustic, lead, slide and rhythm) and lead and harmony vocalist in bands, duos, and as a solo performer since the age of 14. Bill has been a frontman and sideman (both live performances and recording) playing alongside several notable musicians, composers, and producers. Additionally, he has worked with respected NY songwriters and performers such as Will Hoppey, Charles Lyonhart, Jamie Kay, and Christopher Dean Sullivan. He’s been a featured performer at the prestigious Luna Star Cafe on several occasions and performed in Bulgaria and Greece. A highlight of his musical career was playing at the Woodstock 30th anniversary show on the original site stage.

Vinnie Del Basso is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He plays guitar, ukelele, and harmonica. Bill Ackerman is a guitar player and singer. They have played at the S. Florida Folk and Acoustic Festival several times and are always fun to watch and hear. 

Vinnie and Bill are part of a band known as The Broward Rockers. They play classic early rock and roll and a little of everything else. High energy music that you can dance and sing to. If John Lennon had a baby with Mick Jagger and it was raised by Bruce Springsteen you would say the spirit of that child was living in this band.

Listen

Acoustic Soul: Gary Frost and Debbie Tassone  2 pm

ACOUSTIC SOUL  is an innovative acoustic duo from Jupiter, FL, featuring singer/songwriter/guitarists Debbie Tassone and Gary frost. Since 2009, Acoustic Soul has been captivating audiences throughout South Florida with their unique acoustic versions of familiar Pop, R&B and classic rock songs.     Their lush harmonies, Debbie’s soulful vocals and Gary’s riveting guitar playing creates an entertaining performance which has earned them a loyal following of Acoustic Soul “Mates”!    Prior to Acoustic Soul, Debbie was living in New York City and performed throughout the New York City area.   Gary has been playing music in the Palm Beach County area for many years both solo acoustic and with the bands Big Vince and the Phat Cats and Night Train.   In November 2013, Debbie & Gary released their debut original music album, “Home” and their second original album, “Story of our lives” in July 2018, both of which have garnered several songwriting awards and accolades.

Listen

Sarah McCulloch and Raiford Starke 2:30 pm

Sarah was one of our three singer-songwriter finalists at the 2024 South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival. We are excited for her to return to our stage. 

In November, Sarah WON the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Competition. “Everglades City 1985” — a tender and gritty tale of love and loss amidst the drug scandals in  a small Florida town that time forgot –  came in FIRST PLACE!! Sarah will be performing the song at the Will McLean Festival in Brooksville, Florida in March 2025. 

Sarah’s  sweet and sultry voice cuts through the lush musical productions that have earned her both local and international recognition. Her album Sawmiller’s Daughter received glowing reviews and spawned the award-winning song “Sugartown,” which is as authentically Floridian as she is. Sarah has collaborated once again with producer Jim Bickerstaff and outlaw guitar slinger Raiford Starke for a homespun, acoustic album.  Driving Me Home is a unique collection of 12  brand new songs, all written by Sarah and steeped in the folk/country storytelling that she is becoming so well known for. With her penchant for emotive, nostalgic lyrics and timeless storytelling, her new collection of songs is sure to captivate her ever-growing audience.

Raiford Starke, aka Colin Kenny, is one of the south’s premiere musicians. He is a seventh-generation Florida “good ol’ boy” whose brand of blues will have you tapping your toes and singing along in no time at all! Please join us in paying tribute to one of the best guitarists around.

Listen

Grant Livingston 3 pm

Grant Livingston has been a favorite at acoustic music venues throughout Florida since the mid-eighties. 

 An offbeat sense of humor comes through the stories told in Livingston’s songs. You’ll meet Einstein and Gypsy Rose on a road trip, a guy who is way serious about eating pie, a French-speaking cat in a graveyard, armadillos, barnacles, an unleashed dog and more.

Many of Grant’s songs reflect his love for his South Florida home. History, environment, social commentary, bringing Florida’s past to light and making light of its present, Grant has earned the title of Miami’s Historian-in-Song.

 As a guitarist Livingston employs a style which is a unique mix of ragtime, country blues, and early swing. 

Grant’s songs appeal to the child in grownups, and to the adult in kids. He often plays for schools, museums, and other children’s programs. 

Grant has taught songwriting at Miami-Dade College and, along with fellow songwriter Janet Goodman, coordinates the Nashville Songwriters’ Association’s South Florida chapter. 

Listen

Grant Livingston

Christin Alynn  3:30 pm

Meet Christin Alynn, a soulful songstress on a journey of truth, healing one strum at a time. With every note she sings, she delves deep into the heart of human experience, crafting stories that resonate with raw emotion and undeniable authenticity. Her performances are a soulful blend of passion and vulnerability, inviting listeners to connect with their own stories in her melodies. Imagine the soothing presence of James Taylor, the soul-stirring resonance of Bonnie Raitt, and the intimate charm of Norah Jones, all harmonizing to create an unforgettable musical experience.

Listen

Mike Fuller  4 pm

Mike Fuller, a singer-songwriter originally from Hamilton, NJ, blends Americana, rock, folk, and soul to create a sound that’s both refreshing and timeless. His latest release, The Missed Connection EP, recorded with drummer Jordan Rose (Maggie Rogers, Cory Wong) and bassist Andy Hess (The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule), showcases his energetic blues-rock style, drawing comparisons to Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer Trio. Fuller made his mark during the pandemic with his virtual concert series, “Quarantunes,” raising over $3,500 for NYC charities. Now based in Pompano Beach, FL, he continues to perform and record, with a new album slated for 2025.

Mike fuller

Rebecca Marie 4:30 pm (round)

“You gotta feel it to heal it.” Rebecca Marie is a Singer-Songwriter from Florida who uses music as a way to work through emotions and to feel good while doing it. Rebecca Marie realizes the fragility of life, as she is a Thyroid Cancer Survivor. Inspired by multi-genre music and real life experiences.

Listen

Rebecca Marie

Carlie and Sebastien 4:30 pm (round)

Carlie & Sebastien are a live music duo based in Palm Beach County, Florida eager to share their talent and passion for music with the local community!

Former Gators, Carlie and Sebastien have won the hearts of music lovers from all walks of life in the South Florida area. Together they have over 3 decades worth of musical training as well as practice, perfecting their individuals crafts. The duo has performed at a variety of venues including restaurants, bars, weddings and other events. their joy, charisma, and talent light up every room they enter and the melodies they make fill every space. their repertoire ranges genres that include current hits like harry styles, Jack Johnson, train, the weekend, & h.e.r.  to soulful classics throughout the decades such as the foundations, Fleetwood Mac, the Beatles, billy Joel, hall & oats and beyond. they strive to make their music their own by making a memorable, entertaining experience that audiences of all different ages and backgrounds will enjoy.

Listen

Carlie and Sebastien