Gamble Rogers Concert Series: Sunny War

On February 21, 2026, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the Gamble Rogers Concert Series presents guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sunny War.

Sunny War

Raised in Tennessee and then Venice, California, Sunny War took lessons in piano and harmonica as a child, and is a self-taught guitarist, who learned by watching a friend's dad play the banjo. Her resulting distinctive finger-picking style offers a special element to her music. While busking in Venice, she learned that to be successful, she had to learn to play covers. Her success as an artist now owes a great deal to her songs, which offer honest, empathetic lyrics with 21st-century themes, played with a hint of punk, gospel, and Americana roots.

War has released five studio albums. The third, Simple Syrup (2021), garnered her a lot of attention, and the fourth, Anarchist Gospel (2023), moved her career to new heights. War has appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! She's also appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series. In 2025, she released the album Armageddon in a Summer Dress and toured across the U.S. and in Madrid, Spain. She performs frequently at folk and Americana festivals. 

The Gamble Rogers Concert Series

The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival has partnered with the St. Johns Cultural Council to present a monthly series of Saturday concerts at the Waterworks, from October 18, 2025, through June 20, 2026. These concerts celebrate St. Augustine's Gamble Rogers—songwriter, storyteller, guitarist, and recording artist—who taught, befriended, and performed with many of the performers on the schedule. Each concert includes two acts: a YoungFolk performer who opens the show, followed by a musician with national or international acclaim. 

The Details

Held at the Waterworks, a renovated historic building on San Marco Avenue, each concert is limited to 100 attendees. Advanced tickets are strongly encouraged.

Admission: $30.00 for general admission, $40.00 for seats in the first two rows. Tickets for all shows are now available. 

When: Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Where: St. Augustine Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Getting There: Access to the Waterworks is through the St. Augustine Main Library parking lot. (Use 1960 North Ponce de Leon Blvd. in your GPS.) 

Headliners for the 2025/26 Gamble Rogers Concert Series

• Saturday, October 18, 2025—The New 76ers
• Saturday, November 22, 2025—Jordan Tice
• Saturday, December 20, 2025—A Guitar Outlaw Christmas
• Saturday, January 17, 2026—Robert Bowlin & Will Maring
• Saturday, February 21, 2026—Sunny War
• Saturday, March 21, 2026—Pat Bergeson & Bruce Forman
• In April, there will be no Waterworks concerts; the Gamble Rogers Music Festival is April 10 to 12, 2026
• Saturday, May 16, 2026—Walter Parks
• Saturday, June 20, 2026—Guy Davis

The Waterworks

Built in 1898, the St. Augustine Waterworks is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city moved this waterworks facility to a new location after significant population growth. For a time, the building served as a community center and theater, and was later left unused. Now fully renovated again, this facility is accessible, has free parking, and yet retains its historic architectural properties and charm.