The holidays are traditionally a time for giving gifts, getting sweaters and bringing joy to others in the spirit of goodwill and fellowship. At least that's what Oprah keeps telling us.

Last weekend, Southwest Floridians took the message to heart and managed to have a little bit of fun at the same time.

On Saturday, December 1st, local radio station WINK 96.9 hosted The Almost Acoustic Christmas Concert at Junkanoo on Fort Myers Beach featuring Mat Kearney, known for his hit "Nothing Left to Lose," Emerson Hart, the former lead singer of Tonic and Orange County, and California up-and-comers Melee.

Courtesy of www.matkearney.com

Mat Kearney spent his 29th birthday signing to SWFL at Junkanoo. Happy Birthday, Mat!

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Tickets for the show, which benefited needy local families, went for $7, raising over $3,500 dollars and serving as the grand finale in a series of fund-raisers over the course of November that helped raise a total of $10,000. All proceeds went towards assisting SWFL families with everything from buying food and clothing to paying water bills.

Junkanoo proved to be a worthy venue for the show, maintaining a sweet, low-key hip vibe reminiscent of the House of Blues, only with a beach in the backyard and a slight lack of storied history

For the 29 year-old Kearny, who made a name for himself after landing a spot as one of VH1's "You Oughta Know" artists, the concert was only his second visit to SWFL. However, his recent hits "Nothing Left to Lose" and "Undeniable" along with his Jack Johnson-esque story-telling style have clearly earned him a strong following. Some fans had traveled from as far as Jacksonville to catch his 40-minute Junkanoo set.

Kearney took the opportunity of performing in a small venue to ask the audience which of his songs they wanted to hear. Playing through them, he also announced that it was his birthday, and the audience promptly sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

"That was nice, that was the first time that an audience sang something to me other than one of my own songs – I covered Beyonce once and I didn't know the words, but the audience did," Kearney said. "I'm here because the station has supported my music, and I wanted to give something back at Christmas."

Kearney admitted to not doing quite as many charity events as he would like, but said that as a newly popular artist with a second album coming out soon, he has his hands full.

The show's headlining act, Emerson Hart, also has his fans full, mostly of charity gigs.

Courtesy of http://emersonhart.musiccitynetworks.com/

Emerson Hart, formerly of Tonic, has gone solo, but his easy stage presence and lively banter made him an instant hit with the crowd at Junkanoo.

Hart sang some of Tonic's more popular songs, like "You Wanted More" and "If You Could Only See (The Way She Loves Me)," as well as a few tracks off his recent solo album, Cigarettes and Gasoline. Even while playing to a crowd that largely didn't recognize him at first glance, his songs jogged the audience's memory, and his stage presence won them over.

At one point, a couple sitting on the floor in front of the stage told Hart in between songs that his music had brought them together, to which he replied to the man "That makes me feel good, you better not screw this up or I'll feel like a failure."

He also told jokes of being mistaken for the lead singer of Tonic at open mike nights as he tried out new songs that he had written at local bars.

"Even in the Tonic days, we've always had fun coming through here," said Hart who stopped in SWFL earlier this year to do another benefit concert with 96.9 FM. "The people here are always so kind – just a real chill kind of easy-hang crowd – and those are my kind of people. I get a lot of chances to do charity work, and if I can fit it in my schedule, like if I have four shows to do in a week, I'll do one on my day off."

After Saturday's show, Hart was on a plane to Ohio to perform at a benefit for a children's hospital in Cleveland. Talk about spreading the holiday cheer.