Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber & Brian Osborne.
Hi Amber & Brian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Having met in Charleston where Brian was playing his first professional job after graduating Curtis Institute of Music, and Amber was finishing up her nursing degree at MUSC, we were accustom to a town rich in culture and beauty. When Brian won the job as trumpeter with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, we came down from Charleston; and spent a weekend in Jax with a hotel stay at the Omni downtown, a river taxi to the Southbank, a dinner at Ruths Chris, and a skyway ride home. The seven bridges lit up the river and the night with such beauty. It was inspiring and exciting to call this city our new home. We were fortunate to find a condo on the river. We immediately took up kayaking and boating, discovering our city from an entirely new perspective, and we fell in love calling it ours forever home. Over the years, we have greatly enjoyed seeing Jacksonville’s progress with local food and neighborhood businesses. Jacksonville has a vibrant music history, and we have been blessed to be a part of it. While sitting on our Dock during the lockdown, we realized many musician friends were out of work, people were isolated, and many had not experienced our River City from the river. As we pondered how to share our slice of heaven, Brian realized we had the infrastructure to meet all of these needs right from our Dock! Tiny Dock was born during the lockdown, but our community of musicians and neighbors have embraced the idea and made it a unique and special Jacksonville experience.
TD MISSION:
Our Why: Create a community culture of positivity surrounding our rivers via live local music.
Our How (we do it differently): Boaters only live music venue. Our event is made inclusive and unique by partnering with local businesses that provide means to experience the concert (River Taxi, Kayak rentals, Jet ski rentals, Boat rentals).
Our Impact: To create a space for the good we desire and encourage others to be a part of something bigger and lasting. (The world is starving for good).
Good that we desire to:
– Connect our community, the river basin, The Riverkeeper, and local businesses.
-To be a part of our music culture and history revival.
-Engage the community to benefit live music culture, St Johns River, and community cohesiveness.
-To build positive relations with and throughout the city; thereby creating opportunities as the city grows to grow with it and reach the greater community as a whole (Jax to be THE river city and SJRK the as the keeper)
Why Riverkeeper:
When they reached out, we were thrilled at the opportunity to support their cause and further our impact on the community. Living on the river inspires us to work towards a cleaner, healthier river so that our kids and grandkids can swim, play, and explore along St Johns and Tributaries. Beyond that, we are interested in making Jacksonville resilient and protecting against extreme weather and marshland development and dredging effects. We currently live in what was formerly a horse barn, converted to a 2 bedroom cottage. Six months after we converted it and moved in, Irma destroyed our hard work. After rebuilding and reimagining our property and purpose, we realized in many ways that Irma was a blessing. However, we seek to protect future property values, families, and businesses. Riverkeeper works hard every day, staying up to date with projects, research, trends, and bills while we are out enjoying the river and creating memories at our homes.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Creating an outdoor gathering event in the middle of the Covid lockdown on the river certainly had its challenges. Making sure participants had a safe way to gather, musicians felt safe performing, and our community to “see” each other within their own pandemic pods or from a safe distance on the river was our top priority. Florida weather presents its challenges with the scheduling and timing of each show. Since we do not have an alternative indoor venue, we must be aware of the safety of our attendees, musicians, and their equipment. Finding funding to keep the shows going can also be challenging during these economic times, but one hundred percent of the funding goes to paying the musicians; any above and beyond that goes to outreach and the mission of SJRK. Scaling the experience so that even more Jacksonville residents and visitors can experience this unique venue and the culture Jacksonville has to offer has its challenges, from funding to bookings to optimizing the schedule not to compete. Growth always comes with growing pains, and as we navigate new territory, relationships and opportunities, we have had to learn and pivot with them.
Fortunately, the partnership with St John’s Riverkeeper has allowed us to scale and create a larger impact across our watershed and city. We have been fortunate to have grammy winners on the Tiny Dock, exposing the community to a wide range of genres while keeping it family-friendly and professional. We have also been met with excitement from the local musician’s community, and they have expressed eagerness to participate and appreciation for the new experience and opportunity.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
As a lifelong professional in the music industry, it has been apparent to me that art and culture are things that last and are worthy of our time and resources. 18 years in the Jacksonville Symphony plus teaching at UNF, JU, and the University of FL have allowed me to pass down some of that experience to future generations. While working for these organizations/entities has been a blessing, my other takeaway from being an employee is that music demands constant re-invention and creativity. In short, we need music much more than it needs us, and as the saying goes, The Show Will Go On (with or without us.) We feel that Tiny Dock (name play off NPR’s Tiny Desk Series) is so impactful because of three things that will outlast any of us here: Music (or Art & Culture), The St. Johns River, and Community. Music has a way of bringing people of all socioeconomic, political, and religious beliefs together into a community and a unifying event to benefit Jacksonville’s greatest resource. Doing this during a time when there seems to be more division and separation than ever makes our mission even more important.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
We love the quality of life you can enjoy in Jacksonville whether you seek solitude and nature or a bustling community. The support and birth of many local markets, farms, and businesses has been exciting. We love Jacksonville’s rich history in music, our beautiful 7 bridges, and the river that runs through them. We also love the weather and all the activities we can enjoy outside and along our river and beaches as this creates so many opportunities for health, wellness, and togetherness (memory making).
We have always called Jacksonville “The city with the most potential.” We have often been frustrated by developments on marshlands, riverfront, and city areas going to the highest bidder with no overarching plan and vision (sometimes to the city’s detriment with reduction of flood plains and dissolutions of spaces that could be for the community at large). The birth and growth of DVI and DIA and partnerships are changing this dramatically, and we are so excited to see Jacksonville reach its potential.
Pricing: Free event hosted by the St Johns Riverkeeper HOWEVER
- Any donations are appreciated and help to keep the shows running. $30/boat would cover each show and allow us to book more.
- Sponsorships starting at $1500.00
- Add a show! – $3000.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org/tiny-dock-concert-series/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinyDockConcerts/?notif_id=1654856695610877¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif
- Other: https://linktr.ee/tinydock
