by | September 24, 2025
The Blue Jay Listening Room: Where to Catch Live Music in Jacksonville Beach
Once you go, Jacksonville’s Blue Jay Listening Room is the only place you’ll ever want to see live music again.
Tucked behind a nondescript door off Jacksonville Beach’s busy Third Street, Blue Jay Listening Room reverberates with the long, soulful squeal of a harmonica. Singer JJ Grey is wailing away to the delight of a standing-room-only crowd of about 80 people when he stops and breaks into a story about his days growing up across town in Baldwin. It’s just another Thursday night inside this tiny-but-mighty music venue: where vintage radios double as tables and a blue velvet curtain frames the stage. Before every show, owner Cara Murphy, 37, welcomes the audience in her signature rasp and reminds them how a listening room works: Hootin’ and hollerin’ in praise of the band is just fine, but once the music starts, make sure to shut the hell up. Murphy’s no-talking rule, however, doesn’t put a damper on the vibes or the level of talent performing on stage. On any given night, acts range from Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats to Flipturn to little-known bluegrass quartets you’ve never heard of before but will thank the music gods you did. In a world full of distractions, Murphy has created a spot along the lines of Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe—where original music, community and quiet reverence still matter. Flamingo caught up with Murphy on a recent afternoon to talk break-through moments, the listening lounge’s namesake, MTV Unplugged and Murphy’s all-time favorite artists.
What inspired you to open Blue Jay Listening Room?
Cara Murphy: I grew up in the (Jacksonville) Beaches area, and I grew tired of going to see my favorite local musicians in the corner of bars and restaurants and playing these gigs that nobody was listening to. I was tired of watching people that I knew were amazing songwriters be background music. I was obsessed with MTV Unplugged. And then I learned that there was this kind of listening room thing. I just wanted to create a space for artists to come in and share their original music to a room full of people who wanted to listen.
Where does the name Blue Jay come from?
CM: When I was 10 years old, my grandmother passed away suddenly. We had her funeral service out on her front lawn, and there’s this big magnolia tree. Her Sunday school teacher was giving this beautiful speech, and a blue jay flew out of the tree and just did loop-de-loops around the whole crowd about three or four times, just causing an absolute ruckus. My grandmother’s Sunday school teacher said, “OK, Sylvia, we know you’re here.” And from that moment forward, my grandmother was Blue Jay. If you read about blue jays, they’re very territorial. They protect their young. She was a lioness. She was a very strong, protective, progressive woman and she’s a huge inspiration for me.
You’ve been doing this since 2017. What keeps you going?
CM: It is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in all my life and by far the most difficult. But I’ve never been more proud of anything I’ve ever done. I’ve never worked harder at anything I’ve ever done. I’m gonna start crying, oh my God. To be a single female doing anything in the music industry, let alone owning a venue, poses a lot of roadblocks, a lot of obstacles. Looking back and having overcome most, if not all, of those over the past eight years is something I’m extremely proud of. And it hasn’t been single-handedly. I have an incredible community, an extremely supportive family and staff.
How do you find the artists who play Blue Jay?
CM: One of my favorite bands of all time (is) Yonder Mountain String Band. I got an email one day after Jeff Austin had left Yonder Mountain from his people wanting to book the Jeff Austin Band at Blue Jay Listening Room, and I about peed my pants. I was like, “How in the world?” That was such a moment for me. So, it is a combination of me discovering and reaching out and people reaching out to me. I’ve made a lot of great relationships with booking agents over the years. And if an artist has a good experience, they’re going to tell other musicians. That’s how I think I have gotten the more well-known artists. JJ Grey came in because his band had a great experience. So that’s been cool.
Are there any regional artists that you think are on the rise?
CM: The first person that comes to mind is Patrick Hagerman. I do not say this lightly: He is by far at the top. Like when I think of my favorite songwriters of all time, I think of John Prine, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and Patrick Hagerman. And I will die on that hill. I just started to manage him, and we are recording his debut record at Retrophonics Studio.
What’s next for Blue Jay?
CM: Next thing that I’m doing that I’m very excited about is the Cicada Series. I put in for this grant through the Live Music Society, and I won based on my proposal for an all-female Southern songwriters showcase. It’s going to be a series of shows that are going to have female-only lineups.
What’s the best part of owning your own music venue?
CM: You know, people say, “Don’t meet your heroes.” I’m like, I don’t know, man, I’ve met a few of my heroes, and they’re pretty great. That is something that’s been one of my favorite things about having a space that has this energy that’s built out of genuine love for music and respect for artists, is that everyone’s been really cool. I can count on half of one hand the people that haven’t been nice. It’s been so lovely to meet so many cool people, and to meet people that you’re fans of. And it turns out they’re just nice people.
Cara’s Top 5 Performers at Blue Jay Listening Room
1. Patrick Hagerman
“My favorite songwriters of all time: John Prine, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and Patrick Hagerman.”
2. Rambler Kane
“He did his live album here, and I’ll be rooting for him for forever”
3. Kaleigh Baker
“Her voice is otherworldly. If anybody sees that Kaylee Baker is playing, buy the ticket.”
4. Flipturn
“They’re blowing up huge. Those are the hometown heroes.”
5. Sierra Ferrell
“We had her for two nights, and then, you know, she flew to Nashville to play the Opry.”
For more Florida venues and the stories behind them, click here.
About the Author
As an editor and journalist, Jamie has covered travel and culture around the world. Her work has appeared in national and international publications. She spent much of her professional life abroad and worked in newsrooms from The Moscow Times to The Times of London. She holds degrees from Florida State and Georgetown. She founded Flamingo in 2015.
