Live music in Fort Myers, Cape Coral: Island Hopper, Ink Life, Blackwater Country Jam, etc.

Looking for live music? Here are some of my best bets for touring bands, original tunes, big acts and otherwise cool shows this September in Southwest Florida. I’ll add more as venues announce new shows.

This list focuses mostly on original music and interesting concerts. Check individual venues for cover bands and other shows.

ACMA

• Every Sunday: Songwriters Circle, weekly event where local songwriters get together, perform their original songs and get feedback from the group. Anyone is welcome. Just bring your guitar! 2-5 p.m. Free.

The Americana Community Music Association Listening Room inside All Faiths Unitarian Church, 2756 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. americanacma.org

ISLAND HOPPER: Midland headlines the annual music fest in Fort Myers, Captiva, Fort Myers Beach

CONCERT NEWS: Bob Dylan returns to Fort Myers for October concert at Mann Hall

THE BARREL ROOM

• Every Thursday: The Dan Miller & Lew Del Gatto Quartet, featuring trumpeter Miller (who has toured and recorded with Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis and more) and saxman Del Gatto (formerly of the Saturday Night Live band) playing jazz every week in this local quartet. 7-10 p.m. Free.
• Every Sunday: Joe Delaney & Don Mopsick, the jazz duo performs every Sunday for The Barrel Room’s Jazz Brunch. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 21: Little Eddie and the Fat Fingers, longtime Naples blues act led by singer/guitarist Ryan Bladen (otherwise known as Little Eddie). They play Delta and Chicago blues, boogie woogie and rocking blues.. 9 p.m. $5.
• Sept. 28: Ari & The Alibis, Grammy Award-nominated Sarasota jazz/funk/soul fusion five-piece led by singer Ari McManus. 9 p.m. $5.

The Barrel Room, 2214 Bay St., downtown Fort Myers. 333-2225 or barrelroomfortmyers.com

BEACH RECORDS

• Sept. 22: Autumn Underground, free annual music festival featuring 18 acts in many genres, including hip-hop and heavy metal. Plus art will be displayed. 3 p.m. to midnight. Free.

Beach Records, 16120 San Carlos Blvd., Unit 10, south Fort Myers. 878-7806 or facebook.com/BeachRecords

BERT’S BAR

• Sept. 21: Kate Keys Band, Englewood rock/blues band that plays covers and some originals.7:30 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 26: Scotty Bryan, local trop-rock singer/guitarist who plays obscure Jimmy Buffett tunes, other trop-rock covers and his own originals. 6:30 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 28: Mike Imbasciani and his BluezRockers, the young Southwest Florida bluesman has been singing and playing guitar professionally since age 5. 7:30 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 29: Brother Love, local blues band that plays covers and originals. 7 p.m. Free.

Bert’s Bar & Grill, 4271 Pine Island Road, Matlacha. 282-3232 or bertsbar.com

BIG BLUE BREWING

• Sept. 21: Betty Fox Band, Tampa blues/funk/soul favorites. 9 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 28: Jory Lyle Trio, the singer-songwriter and his trio play originals reminiscent of John Mayer and Counting Crows. They also play an eclectic mix of funky, danceable rock hits from the 70s to today. 9 p.m. Free.

Big Blue Brewing, 4721 S.E. 10th Place, downtown Cape Coral. 471-2777 or bigbluebrewing.com

BUCKINGHAM BLUES BAR

Ongoing: Open Stage Blues Jam, twice-weekly blues jam open to all musicians and hosted by bar owner and bluesman Tommy Lee Cook. 3-6 p.m. every Sunday, 8-11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free.

Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Road, Buckingham. 693-7111 or buckinghambar.com

BUDDHA ROCK CLUB

• Every Sunday: A200, modern rockers from Southwest Florida. About 10 p.m. Free.
• Every Tuesday: Sideshow Bob’s Electric Circus Jam Night, local bands perform and jam with guitarist/comedian Sideshow Bob and friends. Buddha Bar usually announces the guest band the week of the show. About 9 or 10 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 27: Skindred, popular Welsh metal act that’s a hybrid of thrash metal, punk, reggae and dance hall. 8 p.m. $4.

Buddha Rock Club, 12701 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. 482-8565 or buddharockclub.com

CAPE CABARET

• Sept. 28: David Morin, popular Elvis tribute artist who performs Elvis songs and other tunes from the 60s. 7 p.m. $15 with $10 minimum food or drink purchase.
• Sept. 29: The Goldtones, quartet sings four-part harmony on doo-wop and oldies tunes. 7 p.m. $5 with $10 minimum food or drink purchase.

Cape Cabaret, 4725 Vincennes Blvd., Cape Coral. 549-3000 or capecabaret.com

CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS BONITA SPRINGS

• Sept. 22: Albert Castiglia, the bluesman and his South Florida band play what he calls “red-raw, sweat-and-hair blues that gives it to you straight.”  8 p.m. $20-$30.

Center for Performing Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. 495-8989 or artcenterbonita.org

CHARLOTTE HARBOR EVENT AND CONFERENCE CENTER

• Sept. 21-23: Ink Life Tour, the Fort Myers music and tattoo fest moves north to Punta Gorda for three days of tattoo artists, vendors and live bands (including Friday headliner Matisyahu and Saturday headliner Filter). Noon to about 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to about 8 p.m. Sunday. $20-$25 per day, $40 for a weekend pass (including concerts).

Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, 75 Taylor St., Punta Gorda. (941) 833-5444 or charlotteharborecc.com

CIGAR BAR LIVE

• Every Wednesday: The Electric Mud, the gritty and soulful rock band from Fort Myers plays during Ladies Night. 8 p.m. to midnight. Free.

Cigar Bar Live, 1508 Hendry St., downtown Fort Myers. 337-4662 or worldfamouscigarbar.com/live

DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS (THE RIVER DISTRICT)

• Sept. 21: Music Walk, downtown Fort Myers comes alive with music at this monthly celebration with bands in the streets and inside the bars and venues. 6-10 p.m. Music Walk takes place on the third Friday of every month. Free.

Downtown Fort Myers. downtownfortmyers.com/music_walk

FORT MYERS BREWING COMPANY

• Sept. 22: Them Hamilton Boys, Naples rock band plays covers and originals. Plus food truck Classic Cuban. All day (specific band times unavailable). Free.

Fort Myers Brewing Company, 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive, Unit 28, south Fort Myers. 313-6576 or fmbrew.com

GEORGE & WENDY’S SANIBEL SEAFOOD GRILLE

• Sept. 21: The Marty Stokes Band, local band known for its raw, ferocious blues power. 9 p.m. to midnight. Free.
• Sept. 22: The Pitbull of Blues Band, frontman Josh Rowand — otherwise known as The Pitbull of Blues — and his high-energy band known for its fun mix of traditional and original blues. 9 p.m. to midnight. Free.
• Sept. 28: Rex Bongo Band, local blues, roots-music and swamp country-rock trio. 9 p.m. to midnight. Free.

George & Wendy’s Sanibel Seafood Grille, 2499 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island. 395-1263 or sanibelseafoodgrille.com

HOWL

• Every Thursday: HOWL Open Jam, local musicians jam together with host Frankie Colt, a house drum kit and some surprises (including comedy and burlesque performances). 8-11 p.m. $5.

HOWL, 4160 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers. 332-0161 or howlftmyers.com

ISLAND HOPPER

• Sept. 21-30: Island Hopper Songwriter Fest, Midland and Locash headline the fifth annual music festival. The sprawling Island Hopper takes place at venues throughout Lee County. The lineup includes songwriters Earl Bud Lee (Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”), Dylan Altman (Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”), Lee Thomas Miller (Chris Stapleton’s “Whiskey and You”) and Wendell Mobley (Kenny Chesney’s “There Goes My Life”). Most events are free, but tickets for Midland and Locash are $35 in advance, $45 at the door.

Various venues in Lee County. islandhopperfest.com

LAISHLEY PARK

• Sept. 22: Blackwater Country Jam, new country-music fest featuring headliner Jerrod Niemann, plus Runaway June, Jacob Bryant, Taylor Phillips, Meghan Patrick, JB Crockett and the Cody Williams Band. 1-10 p.m. $35 ($75 for VIP).

Laishley Park, 100 Nesbit St., downtown Punta Gorda.  

facebook.com/BlackwaterCountryJam

LANI KAI

• Sept.  27 and 29: Radio Ghost, Fort Myers trio that plays rock covers and originals. 9 or 9:30 p.m. to 1 or 1:30 a.m. Free.
• Sept. 28: Tyler Kluesner, acoustic and modern rock singer/guitarist who plays covers and his own originals. He’s also frontman for Dolt and guitarist for The Fall Down. 5-9 p.m. Free.

Lani Kai Island Resort, 1400 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach. 463-3111 or https://lanikaiislandresort.com/beach-activities

NICE GUYS

• Sept. 30: Group show, Lonely Night Media presents this concert featuring Florida rock acts The Time Framed, Dutch Martins, The Macier Brothers, Rose Dickeson and Stranger Places. 9 p.m. $5.

Nice Guys Pizza, 1334 Cape Coral Parkway E., downtown Cape Coral.  549-7542 or facebook.com/NiceGuysPizza

PATIO DE LEON

• Sept. 28: The Marty Stokes Band, local band known for its raw, ferocious blues power. 7-10 p.m. Free.

Patio De Leon in downtown Fort Myers (the brick-paved outdoor area near Cigar Bar, Space 39, Downtown House of Pizza and Indigo Room, just southwest of First and Hendry streets). facebook.com/ThePatioFortMyers

RACK’EM

• Sept. 23: Joe Nester, the Delaware singer-songwriter is known for his raw emotion, powerful voice and a sound that mixes rock, rap and acoustic music. He comes to Cape Coral as part of his "Never Gonna Take My Soul Acoustic Tour.” 7-10:30 p.m. $12 ($35 for meet and greet)

Rack’em Spirits & Times, 1011 S.E. 47th Terrace, downtown Cape Coral. facebook.com/RackemspiritsandTimes

THE RANCH CONCERT HALL & SALOON

• Sept. 29: Blackbird Anthem, Avon Park Southern rockers bring their tour to Fort Myers. 8 p.m. $5 admission. Free for active military, veterans and first responders.

The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. 985-9839 or theranchfortmyers.com

THE SHELL FACTORY

• Every Wednesday: Dance Nights with Jerry Dycke, the singer/songwriter/keyboardist performs covers of country songs, ballads, waltzes and more, plus some of his own solo music. Dycke is a former recording artist for Sun Records, the Memphis studio famous for Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. Three of his songs have made it onto the Billboard Top 100 radio charts: "I Never Said Goodbye,” "Daddy Played Harmonica” and “Beethoven Was Before My Time." He was inducted into the Florida Country Music Association  Hall of Fame in 1994. 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays. $6. Takes place in The Dolphin Room.

The Shell Factory & Nature Park, 2787 N. Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers. 995-2141 or shellfactory.com

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA EVENT CENTER

• Sept. 23: Here Come the Mummies, Nashville’s Here Come the Mummies aren’t like any other funk band you’ve seen — unless you happened to catch one of their frequent tour stops in Southwest Florida. They’re wrapped head to toe in mummy bandages as they raise the roof and get your booty shaking on their original jams. 8 p.m. $32-$55.
• Sept. 28: Rickie Lee Jones and Anders Osborne, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jones performs with Swedish born singer-songwriter Osborne. 7:30 p.m. $40-$70.

Southwest Florida Event Center, 11515 Bonita Beach Road S.E., Bonita Springs. 245-9910 or swfleventcenter.com

SPACE 39

• Every Thursday: Space Jam, weekly soul/funk jam open to everyone. 8 p.m. to midnight. Free.

Space 39 Art Bar & Martini Lounge, 39 Patio de Leon, downtown Fort Myers. 204-9949 or space39artbar.com

Want your band to be considered for the Live Music calendar and The News-Press’s various entertainment calendars? Just visit events.news-press.com and enter details about your upcoming shows. You can also email concert details (including times and ticket prices) and high-res band photos to crunnells@news-press.com. No cover bands, please!

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (News-Press) (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)