The 6th annual Savannah Stopover is on the horizon — the 3-day fest is slated for March 10 to 12, 2016 — and today MusicFile Productions announced the first wave of 43 confirmed bands.
Ra Ra Riot, Yuck, and Futurebirds top the eclectic list of confirmed bands. The second and final wave of bands, including some Savannah-based acts, will be announced in January. Organizers are planning for 80+ bands in total, so today’s announcement represents about half the expected lineup.
Most of the acts in the lineup announced today have not played the Savannah market before, and most will be “stopping over” in Savannah on their way to SXSW Music Festival and Conference in Austin.
I’m sure there will be a great deal of buzz about Ra Ra Riot from Syracuse and Yuck from London.
Headliner Futurebirds is from Athens and has played Savannah a number of times, although this will be their first Stopover appearance. Their new album Hotel Parties is excellent.
There are a number of alums from previous Stopovers among the 43 bands announced today, including Hiss Golden Messenger, Big UPS , Christopher Paul Stelling, Blank Range, French Horn Rebellion and New Madrid.
Never heard of any of these bands? As my co-editor Tom says, “Stopover is all about discovery.” Combine the low price, the proximity of the venues, and Savannah’s to-go cup rules, and you’ve got a recipe for an incredible three days. The fact that Stopover has already established a reputation for catching talent on the rise is just an added bonus.
In a press release, festival founder Kayne Lanahan said, “We’re very excited about this initial list of confirmed bands. Whether it’s established acts like Ra Ra Riot and Yuck, both of whom have new records coming out but have never played the market, or rising stars like NoBS! Brass Band from Richmond, VA or Diet Cig from New Paltz, New York, the talent is just incredible. Some of these bands like Mass Gothic and Mothers have debut albums that won’t be out until just before the festival so Savannah gets to be among the first to really help set these music 2016 trends!”
The 2016 Savannah Stopover will also feature perhaps the best venues that the festival has ever assembled. The confirmed locations so far are Ships Of The Sea North Garden, Trinity United Methodist Church, Club One, The Jinx, and Congress Street Social Club. More venues will be confirmed when the detailed schedule is announced early next year.
Early-bird tickets for the festival go on sale at 11 a.m. on 11/17 and include 3-day advance passes at $65 (regular priced 3-day Passes will increase to $79) and VIP Passes at $125. Click here for tickets. The festival website has band bios, videos, and such.
If the embed below doesn’t work, click here for Savannah Stopover 2016 Spotify playlist.
Confirmed Bands:
- Ra Ra Riot – Syracuse, NY
- Yuck – London, UK
- Futurebirds – Athens, GA
- NoBS! Brass Band – Richmond, VA
- Hiss Golden Messenger – Durham, NC
- Mass Gothic – New York, NY
- White Reaper – Louisville, KY
- Mystery Skulls – Los Angeles, CA
- French Horn Rebellion – Brooklyn, NY
- Mothers – Athens, GA
- Diet Cig – New Paltz, NY
- Beverly – Brooklyn, NY
- Big Ups – New York, NY
- PWR BTTM – Hudson, NY
- Rathborne – Brunswick, ME
- Christopher Paul Stelling – Brooklyn, NY
- And The Kids – Northampton, MA
- New Madrid – Athens, Ga
- Heaters – Grand Rapids, MI
- Twin Limb – Louisville KY
- Sweet Crude – New Orleans, LA
- Blank Range – Nashville, TN
- Daniel Bachman – Chapel Hill, NC
- Alex Calder – Edmonton, Canada
- OxenFree – Brooklyn, NY
- HayBaby – Brooklyn, NY
- All Dogs – Columbus, OH
- Des Ark – Pittsboro, NC
- Howard – Brooklyn, NY
- Go!Zilla – Florence, Italy
- Chief Scout – Athens, GA
- Susto – Charleston, SC
- David Wax Museum – Charlottesville, VA
- The Ballroom Thieves – Boston, MA
- Faux Ferocious – Nashville, TN
- Hollis Brown – Queens, New York
- Lazyeyes – Brooklyn, NY
- Porches – New York, NY
- Alex G – Philadelphia, PA
- Your Friend – Winfield, KS
- Great Peacock – Nashville, TN
- Acid Dad – New York, NY
- Lucette – Edmonton, CA
Here’s a quick sampling of videos from Ra Ra Riot and Yuck:
And videos by three bands that could become breakout acts in 2016:
And some photos that we’ve previously published here at hissing lawns:
Futurebirds at Bragg Jam
White Reaper at Forecastle 2015
Christopher Paul Stelling at Revival Fest 2015
Daniel Bachman at Trinity UMC, 2014
Chief Scout at Bragg Jam
Blank Range at Shaky Knees 2015
Des Ark at Graveface anniversary
Hiss Golden Messenger at Savannah Stopover 2014
Big Ups at Savannah Stopover 2014
David Wax Museum at Revival Fest 2014