Well, here we are on the verge of Savannah Stopover Music Festival‘s sixth year, and I’m more excited about the lineup than ever. Tom has already shared his best tips on how to make the best of your time during Stopover in his survival guide, so I’ll do my best to avoid repeating his wise words. And Larry Jack, he’s shared his schedule with you, but we’re not all as ambitious as Larry. So here I am offering up some choice picks for the common folk like me who will stick around to hear most or all of a band’s set. That said, if you’re not feeling it don’t be afraid to grab a to go cup and walk down the street, chances are you’ll like whoever is playing in the next venue.
A quick note, I normally plan my schedule at the very last minute, but this year I’ve got a friend from out of town tagging along with me and she wanted a plan. So we sat up late one night listening to the Savannah Stopover playlist on Spotify, put a check by my favorites and sorted it out in to a schedule. What I’m saying is, take a moment today and skip around through that playlist yourself and find your own favorites.
Astericks indicate a band I’ve seen before. However, it’s entirely possible that I’ve seen a band and forgotten about it, I don’t keep spreadsheets and stats like Larry Jack. There can be only one.
THURSDAY
6:00 PM – Band Poster Exhibition – Ships of the Sea North Garden – I know it’s not cool to show up early, but since the first year of Stopover I’ve found myself really impressed with many of the posters entered in the competion. Make a point to get there and check them out before the music kicks off!
6:30 – Breakers * – Ships of the Sea North Garden – This local four piece has been generating quite a bit of buzz lately and impressing fans of all ages. I highly recommend that you come and catch them as they kick off the sixth year.
7:00 – Sun Club – Ships of the Sea North Garden – I know next to nothing about these guys, other than their singer’s voice reminds me a little of Stopover alum Brad Oberhofer. In fact, when I first heard their tune “Tropicoller Lease” on the Savannah Stopover 2016 playlist, I thought it was a new Oberhofer song. What I do know is they have a fun, energetic vibe that draws me in. Check out this Audiotree performance:
8:00 – Ra Ra Riot – Ships of the Sea North Garden – Once again, I’ve heard a lot of buzz on Ra Ra Riot, but I’m not familiar with more than a couple of their songs. If you didn’t notice, these are the only bands playing in these slots up to this point, and at 9:00 your options really open up. This is one where I haven’t really explored them other than the one song on the playlist, but I’m trusing the Stopover crew. In the past this plan has left me impressed more often than not.
9:00 – Quiet Hollers – Trinity – Highly recommended. Unfortunately I have to eat at some point so I may not catch them.
10:30 – Chief Scout * – Congress St Social Club – I can’t say enough good things about these guys, I first saw them at Hang Fire a year or so ago. Loved them from the start and apparently so did Kayne. If memory serves I saw them once more here in Savannah and then in a small record shop in Macon during Bragg Jam last July. Think a classic power trio that’s channeling the best of that format with a plenty of catchy guitar riffs and a little pop sensibility.
11:00 – David Wax Museum – Trinity – They’ve been described as “Andrew Bird with a Mexican Folk bent.” I’ll take that.
11:30 – T. Hardy Morris * – Congress St Social Club – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Hardy, one of my recent faves was watching him at Grant’s Lounge in Macon for Bragg Jam. Somehow that seemed the perfect spot for him that day despite the poor visibility. But when the songs and performance are this strong I don’t really care if I can see or not. Don’t miss this one if you’ve not seen T. Hardy Morris before.
12:00 – PWR BTTM – Ampersand – I’ve been looking forward to these guys for a while just based on their music, and now Bill has posted an excellent preview that I’d suggest checking out. Or you could just trust me and go be inspired.
12:00 – Terror Pigeon – Club One – Can you tell I’m torn for the midnight time slot? That’s right, get used to it. I’m going to do my best to bounce from PWR BTTM to Terror Pigeon and then…
12:00 – White Reaper – The Jinx – I can’t believe it, but this will be my first stop at what is essentially my home base for music here in Savannah. Hopefully I can pull off this hat trick and finish with a couple of kick ass tunes from these high intensity Kentucky rockers.
FRIDAY
5:00 – Christopher Paul Stelling * – The Jinx – What can I say, I think he’s played every Stopover now and there’s a reason. He’s damned good. Catch him now because it seems that in the last year the rest of the world has finally figured this out. Highly recommended.
6:00 – Hiss Golden Messenger * – The Jinx – I’ll be sticking around The Jinx to catch these guys again.
7:00 – Lucette – Ships of the Sea North Garden – Lucette is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while, I don’t know much but I know this is one I don’t want to miss. 100% guaranteed you’ll find me at this show. In fact I may just camp out at Ships for a while. Just listen to this one where she teamed up with Sturgill Simpson.
8:00 – Family and Friends * – Trinity – They’ve played for us here in Savannah before, and we love them and keep going back. I’m guessing they’ll be a great fit for this venue. I’ll probably stick around Ships long enough to catch the beginning of the Great Peacock set however.
10:00 – Blitzen Trapper * – Ships of the Sea North Garden – I can’t even put into words how pumped I am to see these guys again. Expect a fantastic show, don’t miss it!
11:00 – David Bowie tribute, Capsula plays Ziggy Stardust * – Trinity – These guys rock like few others, and I’ve seen them absolutely tear up Bowie tunes in the past. Make sure to come out for this one!
11:30 – Big Ups – The Jinx – It’s going to be difficult to tear myself away from Capsula, but I’m going to make an effort to head to The Jinx for this one. Prince Rama at Club One is another great option.
12:30 – Mr. Little Jeans – Club One – She hails from Norway and will be a perfect way for me to end night number two.
SATURDAY
12:00 – Stopover in the yard at The Grey – Music begins at 1:00 with The High Divers – You can’t beat good food and music outdoors. Looking foward to kicking off the final day here.
3:00 – Dosti Music Project – Trinity – Ten world class musicians from India, Pakistan, and the U.S. Expect to be surprised and a little amazed, this one should be pretty special.
5:00 – Damon and the Shitkickers * – The Jinx – My Saturday wouldn’t be complete without catching Damon and the boys slinging outlaw country at The Jinx. They’re definitely worth seeing if you’re not familiar, and they’re playing about an hour earlier than their normal happy hour slot.
8:00 – Des Ark – Congress St. Social Club – Catchy tunes and a nice sound, I think I’m really going to enjoy this one.
9:00 – Susto * – Ships of the Sea North Garden – I was at Bragg Jam last year, and some of the guys from Futurebirds pulled me aside and made sure I knew to catch Susto later that night. Then some other friends who’d caught a solo set by the singer earlier did the same thing. Boy I’m glad I listend to them, Susto is a new favorite. Don’t miss this one!
10:00 – Futurebirds * – Ships of the Sea North Garden – These guys just spent some time on the road with the aforementioned Susto, and have really come in to their own in the past year or so. Their latest album Hotel Parties has been on heavy rotation at my house since it came out. You may also want to check out Porches over at Trinity in this time slot.
12:00 – Capsula – The Jinx – I can’t think of a better way to cap off the weekend than to see them blow the roof off The Jinx yet again. Will Larry Jack grab the guitar and shred? Come see for yourself!