Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 4/10/14-4/15/14

by  • 

Hey guys,
I hope you made it downtown for at least one of the great shows last weekend. As usual, there were several exciting shows up and down Congress Street all weekend. I especially enjoyed COEDS’ debut at the Jinx, Omingnome’s new line-up at Barrelhouse South, and Heyrocco at Hang Fire. There is such energy in the music throughout downtown that it gives the entire area a truly magical feeling. This weekend is full of more exciting shows and I am sure more of that Savannah Music Magic. I am not sure if I talk much about the variety of music downtown, but I am sure you can find something you like. Even on a Thursday, you can manage to see some punk rock (Crazy Bag Lady), jazz-funk (4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra), Americana (TimeCop vs DangerSnake) and R&B (Ambrose) all within steps of each other at Hang Fire, Molly MacPherson’s and Barrelhouse South (old Retro). There is that much variety on most nights downtown.

One last (I hope) request, if you haven’t voted in the Connect Best of poll yet, I would like to go to the Best of Party. So, if you can live with it, vote for me for best blogger (instead of the many better bloggers) so I can go. Or vote for my wife, Susan Sammons (Ga Southern University) for best nurse, cause she really is the best nurse. And I hope that she would take me.

On to the music picks.

Thursday 4/10/14
Ambrose (R&B and much more) – Barrelhouse South (old Retro, 9:30p)
4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra (8-piece klezmer-funk-rock-jazz ensemble from Atlanta), Crazy Bag Lady (fracas rock), and White Treasure – Hang Fire Bar
TimeCop vs DangerSnake – Molly MacPherson’s – Matt Eckstine and Zac Smith of the Accomplices.

Friday 4/11/14
Cusses, Electric Sons – SCAD Museum of Art (601 Turner Blvd, 3p) – An all ages daytime show from one of Savannah’s most exciting bands, the Cusses.
Parrot Head Cover Band – Flip Flop Tiki Bar
Ambrose – Congress Street Social Club (10p) – If you missed them on Thursday at Barrelhouse South, you better catch them tonight.  If you saw them at the Barrel (I like that nickname), you probably already have plans to see them again tonight.
Jeff Two-Names & The Born Agains, Yamacraw – Jinx (10p) – Local punk bands
Horse Feathers (stark lyrics with subtle acoustic arrangements), mumbledust – Ampersand (old Sparetime, 9p, $10) – Horse Feathers’ 10th Anniversary Acoustic Tour
Sarah Tollerson (pop, folk, indie rock), Shapes & Their Names (indie pop), Beneath Trees (blues grunge punk) – Pour Larry’s
Fellowship Of Love (R&B, soul) – Boomy’s (old Murphy’s Law, next to Rail Pub)

Saturday 4/12/14
Royal Noise, Consider The Source – Wormhole Bar – This will be a classy show.  Royal Noise at a rare home-town show.  And see Consider The Source here before they start touring larger venues.
Urban Pioneers (old time fiddle banjo music), Rachel Kate – Hang Fire Bar – Rachel Kate is an exciting performer from Charleston.  Glad to see her back so soon after a successful show a few months ago with Lovely Locks.
Saint Frances (Americana) – Congress Street Social Club (10p)
Missionary Blues (juke joint blues band) – Molly MacPherson’s (10p)

Sunday 4/13/14
Danielle Hicks – Barrelhouse South (9:30)
Voodoo Soup (classic rock covers) – Congress Street Social Club

Monday 4/14/14
Water Seed (New Orleans jazz/funk/contemporary) – Sentient Bean
Post Teens, Shitstorm – Graveface Records (7p) – I didn’t look them up, I think the name says it all.

Tuesday 4/15/14
Clouds & Satellites (indie rawk) – Foxy Loxy Café (9p)
Jubal Kane (harmonica-driven blues) – Bay Street Blues (9p)
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe

Heyrocco + Triathalon + Sunglow at Hang Fire — photos and short review

by  • 

There were some really great vibes at Hang Fire on Thursday night for the No Control party featuring Heyrocco, Triathalon, and Sunglow.

I had already had a pretty full night by the time I got to Hang Fire: a friend and I had dinner and drinks at Circa 1875 before seeing Roebrt Cray’s excellent Savannah Music Festival gig at the Lucas Theatre, and then we met up with more friends at Circa afterward.

We made our way across Whitaker Street to Hang Fire by about 10:15 or so to find the experimental electronic solo project Sunglow already on stage. Subtle, warm, more upbeat than not, Sunglow’s music seemed a perfect opener as the crowd built and got settled in.

Heyrocco was up next. I’ve been a big fan for a couple of years now, and Thursday’s show only confirmed my belief that the trio has some big things ahead. Lead singer Nathan has embraced the theatricality of the stage — I’ve seen a lot of bands this year, but only a few with a more compelling or charismatic frontman/frontwoman. Heyrocco’s high-energy set is peppered with 90s influences, but the band’s stage presence is sort of a throwback to something even earlier — to some sort of mix of garage and glam rock. (I’m not sure the kids in the crowd entirely got it, but the old folks sure did.)

Heyrocco-16

Whatever influences one hears or sees, Heyrocco still captures the here and now; they have the immediacy of passion that one expects from a great young rock band. Heyrocco has a video soon to be released for their fun new-ish song “Mom Jeans” and I gather they’ve got an album more or less in the can too. Their latest single “Melt” before is one of the best songs you’ll ever hear about premature ejaculation:

“The awkward, long apology, much longer than the sex.” Love it.

Savannah-based Triathalon was up last, playing to a packed house. The set reminded me of the first couple of times I saw the band back in 2012. Lead singer Adam Intrator and company really feed off the energy of the crowd, and they’ve always liked playing on the floor, so the small stage and tight confines of Hang Fire provided the perfect atmosphere. Former member Mike Younker was filling in on bass, as he did on a recent short tour, and Jeff Zagers joined too on keys and sax.

Between the crowd in the bar and the crowd on stage, not to mention the fact that I had to be up the next morning, I managed just a few decent shots of Triathalon, but got more of Heyrocco. Panhandle Slim’s paintings made for a nice backdrop, as they always do for pretty much everything, including life itself. A few pics here and then more after the jump:

Sunglow:
Sunglow-1

Sunglow-2

Triathalon:
Triathalon-2

Triathalon-3

Read more →

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 4/3/14-4/8/14

by  • 

Hey everybody,
Alright, the nice weather has started and you guys really need to get downtown to enjoy some of this great music that is going on. Last weekend had some very good shows and this weekend looks just as good. The weekend starts on Thursday with a rock show at Hang Fire and the music continues through Friday and Saturday with several more personal favorites. It looks like another weekend to kind of bounce around to a bunch of shows (but, aren’t they all?). 

If you really want to continue the music after the weekend, I have a couple of recommendations for Monday and Tuesday as well.  This week there are several early shows, most of which are at all-ages venues, for those of you with kids (or those of you that are kids).

Thursday – 4/3/14
Robert Cray Band – Lucas Theater – Talking to people about this show, I was sad to realize that most people under 35 do not know who he is.  I am glad to be attending this show, one of my few Savannah Music Festival shows this year.
Triathalon, Heyrocco, Sunglow – Hang Fire

Friday – 4/4/14
Waits & Co. (Americana) – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p) – First Friday Art March (all ages)
Turncoat Collective, Miggs, Culture Vulture, Unicycle Escape Pod – Pale Blue Dot (514 Seiler Ave, 6:30p) – Another all-ages show.  I hope to get by there and check out a few of these acts. (all ages)
Bottles & Cans – Jazz’d (9p) – Not my favorite venue to watch music, but I do love Bottles & Cans
Gypsy Slim – Barrelhouse South (9:30) – This is the old Retro/ Mercury Lounge.  If you haven’t been there yet, tonight would be a good one to try it.  There will be some good blues and 70’s-style rock from Mark Molloy and company.
Charlie Fog Band – Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – Music of the Grateful Dead
Shack Band – Congress Street Social Club (10p) – Five piece rock band from Richmond, VA.  I have seen them a few times, I am looking forward to seeing them again.  I read that they have added a sax since the last time I saw them, I don’t get to see enough bands with saxophone players around here.
Souls Harbor Acoustic – Pour Larry’s

Saturday 4/5/14
Missionary Blues – Bub-Ba-Q (6p) – This is the old Blowin’ Smoke/ Brick House on MLK venue.  They are just starting to have music, I hope they will get some support.  The BBQ is good.  And I saw Missionary Blues last week, they are definitely worth checking out. (all ages)
COEDS, Brilliant Lie, Bully Pulpit – Jinx (10p) – A rock show, this will be a good one.
Hypnotics – Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – 60’s garage rock, be prepared to dance
Zach Myers (Shinedown) and Justin Moore (Ingram Hill) Acoustic Tour – Rachael’s 1190 ($20/$25 door) – I won’t be able to make it there, but I hope some of you are interested in this show. The location is the old Steamer’s in Georgetown.

Monday 4/7/14
Chester Endersby, Gwazda, Sunglow – Graveface Records (7p, all ages)

Tuesday 4/8/14
Brent Collins (Whaleboat) – Foxy Loxy Café (all ages)
Jubal Kane – Bay Street Blues
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Café

new live video of Gregg Allman performing “Midnight Rider” with Vince Gill, Zac Brown

by  • 

Via Rolling Stone:

From the story:
Just over three months after Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes announced that they would be leaving the Allman Brothers Band at the end of the year, Gregg Allman will be releasing a one-DVD, two-CD live set at the beginning of May. Recorded this past January at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman features the singer playing both Allman Brothers and solo material, backed by a band that includes both Hayes and Trucks, as well as Trucks’ wife, Susan Tedeschi, and Gregg’s son, Devon Allman. […] In the clip above, which we’re premiering here today, watch Gregg play Allman Brothers classic “Midnight Rider” with Vince Gill and Zac Brown.

Off the Avenue releases 19 videos of studio sessions from Savannah Stopover

by  • 

Well Savannah Stopover has been over for several weeks, but today we got some more good news out of the indie music festival, which invades venues across the city’s Historic District for 3 days each March just before hundreds of bands descend on Austin for SXSW

This year, Off the Avenue recorded 19 studio sessions with Stopover acts at Dollhouse Productions.

Click here for the full playlist that includes the following:

  • TEEN “Not For Long”
  • Triathalon “Surf’n”
  • The Teen Age “Nothing”
  • New Madrid “And She Smiles”
  • Fare the Gap “Everybody Knows I Love You”
  • Brothertiger “Lost”
  • Big Ups “Fresh Meat”
  • The Teen Age “Sleep Alone”
  • The Belle Game “Wait Up For You”
  • The Tennis System “The Summer After”
  • Big Ups “Justice”
  • Matrimony “Lucky Man”
  • Leverage Models “The Chance to Go”
  • Weekender “A Secret For You And Me”
  • Wild Child “Stitches”
  • Ski Lodge “Just To Be Like You”
  • DEGA “Fox Hole”
  • Juan Wauters “Continue To Be You”
  • Good Graeff “I Want That”

A couple of Savannah bands made the list. Here’s Fare the Gap:

And here’s Triathalon, who brought in a piano player and backup singers for their Off the Avenue session:

And a few others that we especially like.

Here’s Matrimony:

Wild Child:

Big Ups:

check out Whaleboat’s new EP “Convoys”

by  • 

Savannah’s Whaleboat returned to the stage last week with a release show at Dollhouse Productions for the band’s new EP Convoys, which was recorded last year at Dollhouse.

And now you can stream and purchase Convoys on Bandcamp:

It’s an impressive record — lots of layers and interesting choices that add up to some vigorous rock and roll.

Spring 2014 Playlist: Your Heart Is A Drum

by  • 

 Your Heart Is A Drum and Other Musical Musings: new Music from Beck, The War on Drugs, Future Islands, Black Lips and many, many more…

Beck

“Your heart is a drum/keeping time with everyone”

Beck gorgeously delivers this simple concept on the 3rd track off his new album, Morning Phase; one of 40 tunes we showcase in our Spring 2014 Playlist.

From September- February, we’re 100% focused on our Stopover Bands; we’re obsessed and totally dedicated to them but once Savannah Stopover ends, it’s time to delve back into the all the new music that’s been piling up in queues over the past several months. It’s one of my favorite times of year to just sit back and listen to dozens and dozens of CD’s I’ve been meaning to get to. There’s a wealth of great stuff out there (REALLY!) so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share the best of what we’ve recently unearthed; two hours of heartfelt, uplifting, roll down the window and feel alive kind of music, including:

-Great new music from Stopover alums The War On Drugs and Mac Demarco

-New tracks from several bands that were on our Stopover short list who couldn’t make it to this year’s festival: Dum Dum Girls, Drowners, Hospitality and Natural Child

-New bands that have seriously grabbed our ears: La Luz, Cosmonauts, Diane Coffee, Panama, Cherry Glazerr, James Supercave and Pure Bathing Culture to name a few! (p.s. a ton of these bands are coming out of the LA music scene).

-Bands from around the globe that are doing it up right: Boy & Bear from Australia, Vaadat Charigim from Israel (yes, they sing in Hebrew), an unlikely New Orleans style funk and soul band from The Netherlands called The Eminent Stars and Wolf Alice, Jungle and Temples, all rising stars from London. (I can’t get enough of Temples!)

– Brand new music from 2014 Stopover faves Wye Oak, Future Islands and Milagres plus a few deeper cuts from 2014 Stopover faves St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Hurray For the Riff Raff and Clear Plastic Masks.

-Some fun, eclectic picks cuz that’s how we like to roll: Violin great Regina Carter has just released a great album of southern music called Southern Comfort, Merge Records has just reissued Lambchop’s seminal 2000 album, Nixon. There’s a spooky cool instrumental track from Dex Romweber’s new album, Images 13 and Luna and Galaxie 500 frontman Dean Wareham is back with a solo album (finally!) and his iconic off kilter indie warble.

Lastly, don’t miss the incomparable Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) who sneak peaks the title cut from his forthcoming solo album, Everyday Robots, out April 28th (it’s gonna make you wanna put down your cell phone and rejoin the human race!).

Which brings us back full circle to that notion that our hearts are really these wonderful drums helping us to keep time with the world around us. It’s why we love music so much-it connects us all and feeds our souls!

If you have trouble with the embed above, click here for the Spring 2014 Stopover playlist.

Forced Entry/Blackrune/Crazy Bag Lady/Hot Plate at Hang Fire – photos

by  • 

Saturday night at Hang Fire was a who’s who of local punk/metal/heavy rock featuring the classic hardcore of Forced Entry, the jams of Blackrune, the instrumental rock of Hot Plate and the unhinged punk that is Crazy Bag Lady.

I missed Forced Entry, and was a little surprised they played first. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they mature, I love that early hardcore sound that they’ve got going on. Next time.

I arrived just in time to catch Hot Plate for the first time, and I’m glad I did. They play a great mathy, complex, heavy, riffing post rock/instrumental metal mix that I am a total sucker for. Fans of Pelican, Russian Circles, Don Caballero, Slint, Trans Am and the like (umm, that’s me) should definitely check them out. I’ll go see them again in a heartbeat. I was smiling through their whole set, totally my speed.

I missed most of Blackrune‘s set, but I did enjoy the last few songs. Photography bonus: With only two people on the stage, all the members of the band were well lit!

Crazy Bag Lady is building a little bit of a reputation as a frantic live act, particularly frontman Josh Sterno, and this set just adds to the buzz. The band is getting tighter, the crowd is more familiar with the songs, there was a pit for a large part of the set, and Sterno was on the floor, on the bar, on people’s shoulders, had people on his shoulders, in the back of the room, under the projector screen, on the bench seats, and outside in the alley singing in the window (not all at once). Pretty damn fun live. Also, the faux rivalry between Forced Entry and Crazy Bag Lady is hilarious.

Here’s the photos. Typical Hang Fire photo issues – a few members of the the band well lit on stage, with front men in front of the lights, making available light (no flash) photography ummmm… let’s call it “tough”. Whining over, here’s a couple, more after the jump.

crazy bag lady-13

hangfire-2

Read more →

Nothing’s new video “Bent Nail”: an unruly audience, Kurt Vile, smashed produce

by  • 

I missed Nothing’s set at the recent Savannah Stopover, but if I knew that the audience could buy produce and eggs from Kurt Vile and then attack the band, I would have shown up for sure.

Pretty great stuff in Nothing’s new video for “Bent Nail”:

The A.V. Club has more about the video and about the Philly-based band’s upcoming tour.

Kristina Train, Pokey LaFarge in double bill this weekend at Savannah Music Festival

by  • 

Earlier this year, Bruce Springsteen twice said in national radio interviews that he loves the songs of Savannah native Kristina Train. Our post about the praise from The Boss drew more views than almost any other thing we’ve put on hissing lawns.

And if you want to check out why Springsteen loves Train’s work so much, you can hear and see her firsthand in a Savannah Music Festival double bill with Pokey LaFarge on 3/29 and 3/30 at the Morris Center. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.

And here’s the gorgeous title track off Kristina’s most recent album, Dark Black:

And here’s a taste of Pokey LaFarge singing “Central Time” last month in The Netherlands:

keeping up with Meklit and her new record “We Are Alive”

by  • 

I’m pretty thrilled that hissing lawns is associated with Meklit and her stirring new album We Are Alive, which has been earning great reviews. One of the photos that I shot back in January at Dollhouse Productions is on the cover.

A TED Fellow, Meklit appeared this week on PRI’s The World talking about The Nile Project and sharing some music:

Here’s a brand new video of a rehearsal of “A Train”:

Just last week, Meklit was featured in a cover story for the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

You can click on through the embed below to Meklit’s Facebook page and sites to buy the album.

Post by Meklit.

A couple of photos from the Savannah show can also be seen on Meklit’s website.

Read more →

check out The Casket Girls on Last Call with Carson Daly

by  • 

Check it out:

What a random and freaking hysterical interview with Ryan Graveface and the Greene sisters — Phaedra and Elsa. I would like to see all of these dream journals . . .