Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 1/23/14-1/28/14

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Hi guys,
Quite often, I am asked about how I am able to go see so many bands. I always find that question odd, because I don’t understand how come people aren’t out more!  Almost every weekend, there is more than enough music to fill anyone’s palate.  Just this weekend, Friday night was full of plenty of music. There was bluegrass-rock with Waller at Dub’s, the Hypnotics played garage-rock at Molly MacPherson’s, and there was a night full of Americana at the Jinx (Waits & Co, Rachel Kate, and Lovely Locks). And on Sunday, there was a great all-day show at Doc’s on Tybee for the Ryan Buttimer Fundraiser. It was an excellent event and well worth the ride to Tybee! And now we have another music-packed weekend coming up. There are a few shows that I am expecting to be especially good this week, I am especially looking forward to the Thursday Night Opry Show on Thursday and the sold-out Lucero show at the Jinx on Monday (thanks to my special friends for the ticket).

You are really cheating yourself if you don’t make it to some music this month.  There are plenty of great shows out there, and some of them start as early as 6pm.  I thought I would add a few regular weekly shows that I usually don’t talk about, to help those of you who may not realize how often music is playing downtown.

On to the recommendations for this very cold week.

Thursday 23rd

Thursday Night Opry – Accomplices, Train Wrecks, City Hotel – Trinity United Methodist Church ($10, 7p) – This show is your chance to see three of Savannah’s best bands in a historic venue (my old church!).  I am sure this will be a good show.

Mississippi John Doude – Warehouse (8p) – Dirty electric blues band from Mississippi.  John is one of the traveling artists that I try to make sure I catch every time he is in town.

Call Me Bronco, Joe Nelson – Jinx (10p) – I hope to make it up to the Jinx in time to catch this night of American music from the multi-instrumentalist Joe Nelson and the three piece combo Call Me Bronco.

Friday 24th

Whiskey Dick – Jinx (6p) – Tony Beasley plays every Friday at the Jinx Happy Hour.  He plays outlaw country music, with a powerful voice.  You will get the occasional X-rated song thrown in, with a name like Whiskey Dick, what do you expect?

Andrew Gill Band – Jazz’d – This is one of  the bands that I don’t get to see as often as I would like.  Shane Baldwin is one of the best bald guitarists in Savannah.

City Hotel, Adam Kline – Jinx (10p) – Bluegrass at the Jinx. Missionary Blues – Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – Three-piece juke joint blues band

People’s Blues Of Richmond – Congress Street Social Club (10p) – Blues-rock, this is a show you will want to see.

Saturday 25th

Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6p) – Another of the Jinx’s fine happy hour bands, this band plays every Saturday. You won’t hear any better outlaw country music than this.

The Attack, Crazy Man Crazy – Jinx (10p) – Guitar rock from the Attack.  Rockabilly from CMC.  Could be a lot of fun.

Blackfoot Gypsies – Congress Street Social Club (10p) – Blues rock, video sounds good.

Niche, Brother Hawk, Stonerider – Hang Fire – 70’s style rock

Sunday 26th

Savannah Songwriters – A monthly event at the beautiful Johnny Harris Restaurant on Victory Drive, this event features four (usually) local songwriters performing solo acoustic versions of their songs. I don’t get to make it to the show as often as I would like, but I have always found it to be a well attended and classy show. This week features Savannah songwriter Jefferson Ross, Jim Crozier, DW Beasley, and Thomas Oliver

The Rosies – Jazz’d – Acoustic female duo who reside in Savannah

Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club – Three piece cover band with a rotating cast of Savannah musicians

Monday 27th

Eric Britt – Wild Wings Cafe (5p) – Acoustic music from the former frontman of Hazel Virtue.

Lucero, Johnny Fritz – Jinx – Southern indie folk.  This is one of the earliest sell-outs that I have seen at the Jinx.  I haven’t caught Lucero yet, but I am expecting a good show.

White Gold, Hot Hands, Wet Socks, Turbo Fruits – Dollhouse – Guitar rock.  You should go here if you don’t have a ticket for Lucero.

Tuesday 28th

Jubal Kane – Bay Street Blues (9p) – Newly-reformed blues band led by harmonica player (and new American citizen) Ace Andersson.

Secret Lover X, House Of Gunt – Hang Fire – Pop rock from Massachusetts and a performance group from Savannah.

Skelton, Death Of Kings – Jinx (10p) – Trash/death metal fest.

Swear And Shake – Wormhole – Americana rock from New York

Crazy Bag Lady, Priests, and Forced Entry at Graveface Records – photos

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Last week’s great slew of shows culminated on Sunday with an in-store performance held at Graveface Records. Admittedly, I had a lot of concerns at first, not so much due to whether the shop could hold the crowd that bound to show up, but rather if the shop was well suited to host the bands making their way down. Every Savannah local should know at this point that any show with Forced Entry or Crazy Bag Lady on the bill are bound to get a little rowdy, and that’s putting it mildly. Honestly, as a record collector, I was worried about records getting trounced in the mosh. While space was a bit scarce, the venue ended up working perfectly for the show and luckily, as far as I know, no damage was done in the midst of the ensuing pits.

Opening up the show was Forced Entry, a straight forward, no-frills hardcore outfit based right here in Savannah. Admittedly, I was getting a little worried about the hardcore scene around town, but these guys are a breath of fresh air much needed on the scene. Even more surprisingly is that these guys set themselves apart by returning to some of hardcore’s early roots, drawing obvious influences from Black Flag (circa the Damaged LP) and Minor Threat. It’s pretty obvious that Forced Entry puts every bit of effort into their sets and it definitely reflects in the amount of crowd enthusiasm that they conjure up.

After Forced Entry came D.C.’s post-hardcore/garage rock troupe Priests. Priests seem to be building a more than solid fan base solely on their tenacious DIY work ethic and heavy touring schedule. In fact, from what I understand, this show was set up through a request sent through their Tumblr page which is pretty awesome in my book as I always feel that bands ignore those kinds of things. Despite Graveface being packed right up to the stage, Priests’ set was brimming with energy and intensity. While not as outright raucous as Forced Entry, Priests definitely showed a passion that only few bands have.

The night closed out with Crazy Bag Lady taking the stage. Even though CBL had taken the stage at Hang Fire just the night before, they definitely didn’t show any signs of fatigue during their set. The guys have definitely lived up to the reputation they’ve garnered in Savannah for putting on blistering exhibitions that could turn the most standard of venues into a scene that looks like it was ripped out of the craziest house party you can muster an image of in your head.

Check out a few shots from the night below and be sure to hit the jump for the full set.

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a gig you’ll regret missing: Meklit Hadero at Dollhouse on 1/21

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Meklit Hadero was born in Ethiopia, raised in the U.S., and heavily influenced by the arts scene in San Francisco. She was named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, has served as an artist-in-residence at New York University, has been involved with myriad other arts projects, and is an activist driving The Nile Project, which is promoting collaboration among “hip-hop and traditional musicians from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.”

And she makes some damn good music that has garnered rave reviews from around the world.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Meklit, you can check out this preview by Kenneth Rosen in Do and this interview by Bill DeYoung for Connect Savannah.

Or you can just show up at Dollhouse Productions at 980 Industry Drive in West Savannah on the evening of Tuesday, 1/21.

Leslie Adele, the talented singer from A Nickel Bag of Funk, and Atlanta alternative soul singer Danni Cassette will be opening. Adele is scheduled to go on at 8:30 p.m., with taking the stage Cassette at 9:15. That should put Meklit on stage around 10 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are available at the door.

Here’s Meklit with “Leaving Soon”:

Here’s a live version of “Call”:

And “Soleil Soleil”:

CUSSES, The Veraflames, GAM, The Rogues & more booked for Beatles’ tribute on 2/7

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We’ve posted before about efforts by Savannah Rocks! to preserve musical history and build bridges between generations of musicians and music lovers.

Savannah Rocks!’ user-created bulletin board of local rock and roll history is still hanging at The Sentient Bean, and now we know the full lineup for the big 2/7 show in the American Legion Post #135 ballroom commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ appearance on Ed Sullivan.

Here’s the poster:

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As you can see, the lineup includes CUSSES, The Veraflames, GAM, The Rogues, Voodoo Soup with special guest Jack Sherman, The Bill Avila All-Starts, and Ed Sullivan himself (?).

The Savannah Rocks! website has more info about the event, the bulletin board, and the organization’s goals. You can also find them on Facebook. Click here to buy tickets for the 2/7 show — that page also features info on each of the acts. Click here for the Facebook event.

Bruce Springsteen gives two shoutouts to Savannah native Kristina Train

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Savannah-raised and London-based singer-songwriter Kristina Train was mentioned twice this week by Bruce Springsteen in major national radio interviews promoting his new album High Hopes.

Springsteen raved about Train’s work in an interview on iHeartRadio and in an interview with Ann Powers on NPR. From the latter:

I’m gonna plug some people here because I love their records. […] Kristina Train: very Dusty Springfield. There’s a song called “Dark Black” that’s fantastic. I love that.

“Dark Black” is the title track from Train’s latest album:

As far as I know, the last time Train performed in her hometown was during the 2010 Savannah Music Festival — a really well-received set at the Morris Center.

Let’s hope she finds her way home again soon.

Perfect Pussy, Crazy Bag Lady, Tonto, Wet Socks at Hang Fire – more photos

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There’s not much I can add to the previous comments about this show. Saying that it was intense is like saying summer in Savannah is hot; apt, but an understatement at best. Wet Socks were a pleasant surprise add on to the list which was unexpected as they had just played Hang Fire the night before this show. Tonto’s set was one of the best executions I’ve seen them put on in the few shows of theirs that I’ve been able to catch. Crazy Bag Lady killed their set as usual and definitely set the bar pretty high for Perfect Pussy. Not to be outdone, Perfect Pussy delivered a fast and heavy set that combined noise punk and hardcore with such intensity that I even had to spend a few minutes in the pit in front of the stage. I’ve even got a nice, little scar to prove it (something that I haven’t left a show with since college)!

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The Accomplices at The Broken Spoke – photos

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With so many musical choices in Savannah Friday night, I took the easy way out and went to a show a little closer to home, The Accomplices at The Broken Spoke Coffee House & Cyclery (whoa,that’s a mouthful) on Hilton Head Island. I was actually killing two birds with one stone, I’d wanted to check out the venue for a while, and had somehow never seen The Accomplices before. I’d be pretty happy checking out either one again.

The Hilton Head music scene is an odd thing, there’s always plenty of young people and people who still act young around, but sometimes the scene is vibrant and exciting, and sometimes it seems like there’s just not much going on. Veterans of the scene remember The Old Post Office hosted Southeastern touring acts nightly, with Hootie and the Blowfish and Edwin McCain packing the place regularly. The Blue Nite or Blue Note, depending on the era, hosted some pretty great stuff, with multiple Fishbone shows, Seven Mary Three and the like coming through regularly. Then there was a great period of Shoreline Ballroom shows featuring Snoop Dogg, Social Distortion, Hank Williams III, Silversun Pickups, Les Claypool, and The Misfits, among others. It was a huge room, and other than Snoop Dogg, which was PACKED, the shows always seemed underattended to me and it was no surprise that it just didn’t work. The scene currently seems to consist of The Big Bamboo Cafe, which does some cool stuff, and Wild Wings, with their stable of acts playing a regular rotation. The point is, if I hear of a new venue, I definitely want to check it out.

Their Facebook page describes The Broken Spoke as a “Local, community driven music lounge and bicycle shop featuring organic Costa Rican coffee, teas and your favorite beers and wines”. Okay, I like bicycles and coffee and love music and lounging, so when I saw that the Accomplices were playing there, I took the opportunity to see what it was all about. The space was larger than I expected, but still cozy, with the bar situated in the middle and couches and chairs facing the stage at the back of the room. Comfortable is the word that immediately comes to mind. The audience held quite a few musicians, and a couple of them ended up on stage by the end of the night.

The Accomplices sounded great, I love that “Lowcountry string band” sound. They had a washboard (electric, with effects pedals!) player with them all night, a guest guitarist sat in for several songs, and then a guest didgeridoo player helped them cover The Beatles “Dear Prudence”. Yes, I said a didgeridoo. That was a first for me. The band seemed to have a good time and the crowd was into the set, dancing, and cheering after each song. I actually saw THE WORST dancer I have ever seen, I sure hope that guy didn’t drive home. I was glad he only “danced” for one song because I could not look away, it was awe inspiring. I would definitely recommend seeing The Accomplices if you haven’t, or again, if you have, and if you see that an act you’re interested in is playing The Broken Spoke, it’s a comfortable, fun place, worth checking out.

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Dope Sandwich launches Kickstarter, takes over Hang Fire on 1/18

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Dope Sandwich, the Savannah-based hip hop label that has been at the forefront of the local scene for over a decade, has entered the new year with new goals and ambitions.

With plans to release three albums in 2014 — by F.E.B, KNife, and Miggs — Dope Sandwich has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a plethora of diverse rewards. Check out the campaign. Here’s the accompanying video:

And here’s one from KNife:

On Saturday, 1/18, Dope Sandwich is presenting a show at Hang Fire featuring Miggs, Electric Park, The Difference Machine, and KNife. Click here for the Facebook event.

Bill DeYoung has a revealing interview with KNife (Kedrick Mack) in this week’s Connect Savannah: A new beginning for Dope Sandwich.

Savannah was the home of Big Boi and the late Camoflauge, we have a number of talented acts active right now, there are regular hip hop nights at The Jinx, hip hop gets prominent play on local radio, and the genre seems wildly popular around town, especially among young people. Despite all those and other assets, the local scene isn’t always supported as much as it seems like it would be.

It’s good to see Dope Sandwich hitting the ground running in 2014.

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 1/16/14 – 1/21/14

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Hi guys,
Just as expected, last weekend was full of good music. I was just in a discussion with a friend about what my favorite show of the weekend was, then I realized that I was listing too many choices. Of course, now that I am on my own blog I can talk about as many bands as I want 🙂   Lobo Marino at the Sentient Bean on Friday were excellent, they will be on my list every time they come to town. Not very often I get to see a harmonium. I think the Burning Mansions should play at the Jinx every time they put on one of their rare shows, what a great venue for their Black Sabbath-type sound. I thought Tonto at Hang Fire was one of the best shows I have seen Anders Thomsen and company play. The Accomplices always put on a good show at Molly MacPherson’s and they did not disappoint on Saturday. Although I am not always in the mood for punk music, Priests at Graveface Records on Sunday were a pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed the show. And Ray Lundy at Foxy Loxy on Tuesday was the perfect way to end my musical week, one of my favorite venues with one of my favorite musicians playing to a great crowd.

Don’t worry, if you missed last weekend, this weekend looks like it will be just as good, although it will be a little colder. There are several shows that I have very high expectations for.  This will be another long music weekend, with an all-day show at Doc’s on Sunday that is not to be missed.  On to the picks.

Thursday 1/16
Jason Bible – Rocks on the Roof – An acoustic show from the Train Wrecks frontman
TimeCop vs. DangerSnake – Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – Matt and Zac from the Accomplices

Friday 1/17
Waller – Dub’s Pub (8p) – Bluegrass music at Dub’s.  A great way to start the evening.
Rachel Kate, Lovely Locks, Waits & Co. – Jinx (10p) – Any of these bands are worth seeing on their own.  I expect an excellent show.  Don’t miss any of these acts, especially former Shaniqua Brown singer Rachel Kate.
Hypnotics – Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – I will be back and forth to this show several times.  This is one of my favorite party bands in town.

Saturday 1/18
Train Wrecks – Warehouse (8p) – The Train Wrecks are another band that has somehow turned into one of the old-timers around town.
Soul Gravy– Molly MacPherson’s (10p) – Guitar rock band
McLovins – Congress Street Social Club (10p) – Sound kind of Bob Seger-ish to me, for better or worse.
Miggs, Knife, Electric Park – Hang Fire (10p) – This will be an intense show of hip-hop music at Hang Fire.

Sunday 1/19
Ryan Buttimer Fundraiser – Doc’s on Tybee (1p) – Another choice for best show of the week.  This will be an all-day affair with Annie Allman, Samuel Adams Band, Michael Moody Band, Train Wrecks, Damon & The Shitkickers, Burning Mansions, Niche, and Bottles & Cans.  This could be one of the biggest gatherings of local musicians for all of 2014, and all for only $5.

Monday 1/20
Craig Tanner & Mr. Williams Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln (9:30p) – As I have said before, open mics tend to be hit and miss, but this one has a Mr. Williams blues set early

Tuesday 1/21
Ricardo & Sasha – Foxy Loxy (8p) – I would expect some good gypsy music from two of the members of Velvet Caravan.
Meklit Hando – Dollhouse – Soul, jazz, R&B music from Ethiopia.

Soft Science record release – more photos

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We may have mentioned this a time or three, but this past weekend was jammed with great shows. To start it all off was the Soft Science record/cassette release party at Hang Fire Thursday night. Petee’s already been over this, but here’s a few quick thoughts and a good many photos, both of the show and the newly released vinyl.

I enjoyed J. Zagers’ bedroom electro soul (Is that a thing?) that opened the night/ I hadn’t seen him before and wasn’t familiar with his sound. Pretty cool. White Treasure followed, and the crowd at the front seemed to be really into it. I was pretty impressed with Thee Holy Ghosts, as I am admittedly a sucker for catchy rock, and they fit the bill. Plus, they have “Thee” in their name, making them almost instantly cool. The local crowd has definitely caught on to Wet Socks, and their fanbase, energy and musicianship seems to be growing by leaps and bounds each time that I see them. Awesome. It was a great night of live music.

I picked up the 7″ from Wet Socks and the one from Thee Holy Ghosts. They also had cassettes, but I lived through that format once. I do support anything that gets people to actually buy music, and if people are buying cassettes, then I guess you make cassettes. Download codes included so that, you know, people actually listen to the music. Anyway, the singles I picked up sound great and are beautifully done. Check out pictures of them after some shots of the performances.

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Burning Mansions, The Hotels, and Sins of Godless Men at The Jinx – photos

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Following last Thursday’s show at Hang Fire came Friday night’s rock blowout at The Jinx. Starting things up were Burning Mansions, a local group of musicians that played a slightly bluesy, slightly jam inspired style of rock that was a good starter for the night. Next up, The Hotels out of Atlanta who delivered a poppier sound that seemed to take some heavy influences from the garage rock sound of the 90’s. Closing out the night was Savannah’s own Sins of Godless Men. Sins brought the heavy and furious sound that they’re known for and executed with their familiar blistering style. Check out some of pics below and see for yourself! Be sure to hit the jump for the entire set and check back tomorrow for a few additional photos of Saturday’s long awaited show at Hang Fire featuring the thrashy, noise punk outfit Perfect Pussy.

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Wye Oak, Future Islands, J Roddy Walston & The Business, Oberhofer, Wild Child, Kylesa join Savannah Stopover lineup

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Savannah Stopover today confirmed 84 acts for the 2014 festival. Note, however, that we might yet see some new band added to the list, and we haven’t seen the detailed schedule for March 6-8. [UPDATE: Click here to see the bands by day.]

Four Stopover bands are playing Coachella: Wye Oak, Future Islands, J Roddy Walston & The Business, and Bear Hands. That’s kind of a big deal, especially given the quality and critical reception of those acts.

For its 4th installment, Savannah Stopover features a wider array of music than ever. There’s more music from the South, more from international acts, more heavy stuff, and more of the downright fun.

As previously announced, Stopover IV is also featuring three showcases of Savannah-based record labels.

With so much going on, those $75 3-day passes are looking like a better deal all the time, but I’d recommend the upgrade to the VIP ticket.

Confirmed Lineup — the headliners first with lots more after the jump
*new since 11/21 lineup announcement

Wye Oak*
Small Black
Future Islands*
J. Roddy Walston & The Business*
Oberhofer*
Kylesa*
Speedy Ortiz
Those Darlins
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Wild Child*
The Weeks
Miniature Tigers
Public Service Broadcasting
Caitlin Rose
Bear Hands
Weekend
Magic Man
Esben & The Witch*
Ex Hex
Matrimony
St. Paul & The Broken Bones

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