Band of Horses playing acoustic Savannah show on March 3, 2014

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Well Savannah’s Music March just got a little better. We have both Savannah Stopover and Savannah Music Festival in March, but we’re also on Band of Horses’ acoustic tour.

From the band’s Facebook page:

Georgia! Band of Horses has just added an acoustic Savannah show. The pre-sale will begin Wednesday at 10am. Please check back here tomorrow for the link and password.

March 3 Savannah, GA – Savannah College of Art and Design

Presumably, that show will be at SCAD’s Trustees Theater.

It will be the band’s 3rd Savannah appearance. BOH played the SMF in 2011 and an amazing show at The Wormhole a couple of months ago — surely one of the smallest venues they’ve played in years.

We’ll keep you posted on news about the March show. (You might want to follow us on Facebook.)

UPDATE: The band originally posted the date as March 4th, but the show is apparently on the 3rd.

UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale at the Savannah Box Office. If you’re asked for a password, here it is: ACOUSTIC

It looks like the show will sell out on Wednesday. I don’t know if Trustees Theater is holding back some tickets for SCAD students — most of whom aren’t even in town right now since the fall quarter ended before Thanksgiving.

Band of Horses at The Wormhole in October 2013

Band of Horses at The Wormhole in October 2013

A new guitar technique demonstrated by Little Tybee’s Josh Martin

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Check it out:

If you’ve never seen or heard Little Tybee, then you really ought to check out the latest album For Distant Viewing and listen for Martin’s guitar in the mix:

Here’s Martin and the rest of the band in a Savannah Stopover gig in March at Congress Street Social Club:

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Kylesa recognized on several year end lists

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Ultraviolet, Kylesa‘s great, layered, melodic release from earlier this year has found its way on to several year end lists. Perhaps most notably, they were #12 on Rolling Stone’s “20 Best Metal Albums of 2013”. As an interesting side note, 3 of the bands in the top 20 played The Jinx this year, with Kylesa (obviously), Inter Arma (#9) and Blood Ceremony (#6) all having played in 2013. Also, Windhand (#3) played late last year, and members of Mastodon (#19) played in Primate earlier this year. That’s pretty great for a tiny club in a small city.

Magnet has the Kylesa release at the top of their list. ASG (#7) also put on a great show at the Jinx this year.

Loudwire also named Ultraviolet #8 in their “10 Best Metal Albums of 2013” and Unspoken as one of their favorite metal tracks of the year.

Ultraviolet was #17 (of 50) in the Metal Descent list.

Metal Assault placed Kylesa at #38 (of 50).

Don’t forget they’ve formed the Retro Futurist record label and are offering a subscription with a bunch of exclusive goodies in the new year.

Here’s the video for the aforementioned track “Unspoken”, and a few photos (a couple more after the jump) from The Jinx show this year.

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American Aquarium at The Jinx – photos

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Yes, American Aquarium was just here a few months ago for The Jinx 10th Anniversary, and, yes, we talk about them here a good bit. You know why? Because they’re good, very, very good. Their Facebook page claims that Saturday night was the first time that they’ve sold out The Jinx while headlining. That doesn’t surprise me. I think after seeing them once, you’d jump at the chance to see them again. If you haven’t seen them, though, and you like Americana, Alt-country, Porch rock, Y’allternative, Southern rock, Indie rock, Revival rock, Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, Band of Horses, Uncle Tupelo, Lucero, or, you know, things that don’t suck, you should definitely check them out the next time they play the Jinx. It probably won’t be too terribly long (they don’t hide the fact that they love The Jinx), and that’s a good thing.

As always, here’s a couple photos up front, more after the jump.

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Consider the Source at The Wormhole – photos

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I’d never caught Consider the Source and their “sci-fi Middle Eastern fusion” before, so I was especially excited about their set at The Wormhole on Friday night here in Savannah.

Even listening to the music doesn’t really give an adequate sense of the theatricality and totality of the band’s live performance.

As a photographer, I like bands that take control of the stage and transform familiar spaces into something rich and strange. On that score, Gabriel Marin on fretless double-neck guitar, bassist John Ferrara, and drummer/percussionist Jeff Mann certainly did not disappoint.

A few shots (click for larger versions), plus more of Consider the Source and of opener Kota Mundi after the jump:

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American Aquarium, Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque back at The Jinx on Saturday

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I love the many moods of American Aquarium and wrote a bit about the band for my weekly column in Do at SavannahNow. On Saturday, AA is back at The Jinx for only their 2nd gig of the year in Savannah. The first was at The Jinx 10 year anniversary party with Murder By Death a couple of months ago.

For this gig, American Aquarium will also be sharing the stage with the increasingly popular Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.

If you like Americana rock, then American Aquarium is not to be missed. It’s a busy night, for sure, with the Homegrown Holiday Hoedown at the American Legion, but the music at The Jinx likely won’t even begin until the Legion is winding down.

A handful of my favorite American Aquarium tracks:

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Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 12/10/13-12/17/13

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Hey guys,

This week’s live music calendar is the best I have seen in months. If you look over the list, there is really no good reason not to catch a little music this weekend. There is good music in the daytime (BYOB Festival) and good music at suppertime (City Hotel at Moon River) on Saturday. Give yourself a present and go see some music. It is good for the soul.

Since it is so busy, I would like to especially recommend a few things. I am hoping that a lot of you can make it to Forsyth Park on Saturday for the BYOB Festival.  Of course, BYOB stands for Bring Your Own Bag, a project that is dear to Ashley Workman of Molly MacPherson’s, who probably doesn’t care if you bring your own booze, as long as it is not in a plastic bag. Ashley is encouraging patrons to bring their own bag for takeouts from restaurants, just like you (should) do at grocery stores. Be sure to stop by and talk to Ashley, this is a project that she is very passionate about and her enthusiasm is infectious. And there are plenty of good bands (Train Wrecks, Accomplices, and Charlie Fog Band).

Another special recommendation is the Consider The Source show at the Wormhole on Friday. I have seen this band several times and they are amazing, one of my favorites. Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion is how they describe their music.  Believe it or not, the description fits! Besides Consider The Source, Kota Mundi and Omingnome are playing, both of those bands are worth seeing.

This week also features Les Racquet at Molly’s, Gil Cruz’s Roast, Grand Prize Winners From Last Year at Hang Fire, Homegrown Holiday Hoedown (buy tickets early and save $5), American Aquarium at The Jinx and Motor City Josh at Bay Street Blues. I wish/hope I can catch them all. It’s gonna be a fun weekend, I really wish I had already finished my Christmas shopping.

Tuesday – 12/10
Fairlane, Crazy Bag Lady – Graveface Records (7p)

Wednesday – 12/11
Epic Cycle – Warehouse

Thursday – 12/12
Bottles & Cans, Gil Cruz Roast – Jinx
Les Racquet – Molly MacPherson’s

Friday – 12/13
City Hotel – Moon River (6-9)
Consider The Source, Kota Mundi, Omingnome – Wormhole
Grand Prize Winners From Last Year, KidSyc@Brandywine – Hang Fire
Charlie Fog Band – Molly MacPherson’s
City Hotel, Pilotwave – Jinx

Saturday – 12/14
Train Wrecks, Accomplices, Charlie Fog Band – BYOB Festival (12-4) – Forsyth Park
Train Wrecks, Accomplices, American Hologram, New Familiars – Homegrown Holiday Hoedown – American Legion (7:30)
American Aquarium – Jinx
City Hotel – Molly MacPherson’s

Sunday – 12/15
Trae & James – Jazz’d
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club

Tuesday – 12/17
Ricardo & Sasha – Foxy Loxy (8pm)
Ted Browne (of Passafire) – Congress Street Social Club
Motor City Josh – Bay Street Blues (9:30)

Macauley Culkin, pizza, and a Velvet Underground cover band

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Check out The Pizza Underground’s demo, recorded live at Macauley Culkin’s house on 11/11/13:

The demo has very short tracks:
Papa John Says
I’m Beginning to Eat the Slice
Pizza
I’m Waiting for Delivery Man
Cheese Days
Pizza Day
All the Pizza Parties
Pizza Gal
Take a Bite of the Wild Slice

Culkin, who is now 33, sings on the demo and also plays percussion and kazoo.

The other band members are Matt Colbourn on guitar, Phoebe Kreutz on glockenspiel, Deenah Vollmer on pizza box, and Austin Kilham on tambourine.

The Wild chosen The Blue Indian’s band of the month

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The Wild has played one gig in Savannah — they opened for The Queers almost two years ago at The Wormhole. And I’ve been a fan ever since.

I sure hope we’ll get a chance to experience more of The Wild’s DIY/folk/punk sensibility soon.

The Wild, which was formed in Atlanta, has now been chosen as The Blue Indian’s Band of the Month for December.

From TBI’s interview with singer and guitarist Witt:

It is the nature of a lot of folk musicians to ‘observe’ the world around them and then use their music to try and help themselves and their audience make sense of it. A lot of my own commentary on politics in my songwriting is really based on myself trying to work out something that I can’t quite stomach. We all play music, because we want to have some kind of positive impact on the world. Offering people a little 30 minute recess from their jobs and anxieties, so that they can sweat and dance with their friends is an extremely political thing in my book. It creates a space where people can kind of transcend the things that hold them down in their day-to-day lives and it’s kind of like saying, ‘If we can do this together, then what can’t we do?’ The society we’ve created can be really isolating, and when we see strangers interacting and dancing together and sharing ideas at our shows, it feels really good.

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Cretin Girls, Forced Entry, Sins of Godless Men, Crazy Bag Lady, and Hot Plate at Hang Fire

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For those of us whose musical interests lean a bit more towards the hardcore side of punk, Tuesday night’s lineup at Hang Fire was not to be missed. The show was packed with four local bands along with one out of town act who’re all known for putting on raucous shows.

First up was Cretin Girls out of Gainesville, FL. The three piece act delivered a somewhat fuzzed out, garage punk kind of feel that was perfect for starting the night out. While they were certainly the tamest band of the bunch, they brought their own distinct energy to the night, which definitely pleased the crowd.

Next up were local hardcore outfit Forced Entry. I’d heard a lot about this band beforehand and they certainly lived up to the hype. They offered up a more classic take on hardcore that drew distinct influences from some of the big innovators of the genre like Rollins era Black Flag as well as Minor Threat. Following Forced Entry was Sins of Godless Men. I was pretty excited to finally catch Sins of Godless Men since I hadn’t seen them in about a year (they also happened to be one of the first shows I caught down here in Savannah). While they seemed to have a much more punk and raw edge than I remembered, the rock influences still present themselves pretty heavily.

After Sins of Godless Men came Crazy Bag Lady. Crazy Bag Lady delivered a punk feel much like Forced Entry, but they gave off more of a Dead Kennedys vibe as opposed to the classic hardcore feel given off by Forced Entry. Closing out the night was Hot Plate who finished up with a unique mix of garage rock with a bit of punk and metal thrown in. Overall, I’d say that the night was a huge success for every band involved.

Check out some shots from the night below and hit the jump for the full gallery from the night.

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Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 12/4-12/9

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Hi guys,
Well, I first thought this week was gonna be a slow week.  It seems like a few shows have been added over the last day or so, now the week looks a little better.  There are lots of bands that I haven’t seen before, that always makes my week more interesting.  And I have a few shows listed at Dub’s, which is the old WG Shuckers/Conch House/probably more names on the east end of River Street, next to Chuck’s Bar.  They usually only have bands on Friday, I was glad to see they had added Saturday recently.  And, in the Christmas spirit, I also have included a church event, Vivaldi’s Gloria at Wesley Methodist Church.  This may be the first and only time you see a church listed on the Tour.

I’d like to take care of some housecleaning stuff.  For those that don’t know, the shows I have listed are the ones that I either plan to go to (most) or the shows I would go to if I was out.  Anyone can feel free to add more shows in the comments, as mine is not an all-encompassing list.  If you want to go out on a certain night or time and don’t see anything, ask me about it and I will probably have at least one recommendation.  There is always Friday and Saturday Happy Hour music at the Jinx that is well-worth seeing (Tony Beasley and Damon & The Shitkickers, respectively), they just don’t make my list a lot of times because I haven’t been able to get out that early lately.

And Mondays always have good music with Brett Trammell and Ben Keiser at Warehouse early, followed by open mics at Abe’s On Lincoln with Craig Tanner and Mr. Williams and Bay Street Blues with Brian Bazemor).  Eric Culberson has a regular Tuesday night open jam at Bayou Café.  You never know who you will see at these open mics, although I must admit they are sometimes hit and miss.  Hitman plays a regular gig on Wednesdays at Bay Street Blues.  There is music somewhere in Savannah almost every night, that is one of the reasons it is such a great city.

And I would encourage anyone to recheck the list as the weekend approaches, I do try to keep it updated throughout the week.  And lots of venues don’t post about acts until very late in the week.  I encourage you to “like” hissing lawns on Facebook.  I also encourage you to “share” my posts, my thinking is that maybe a couple more people will show up to the shows, and that has to be a good thing.  And, lastly, if you like the music, try to throw a little bit in the bucket, the musicians really appreciate it.  If you are wondering, the starving musician is not just a myth, they really are broke.

Wednesday 12/4
Eric Britt and Britt Scott – The Mansion (7:30-10:30)
Brock Butler – Congress Street Social Club – music from the ex-frontman of Perpetual Groove

Thursday 12/5
Eric From Philly – Molly MacPherson’s – singer songwriter covering a variety of genres
Jason Bible – Rocks On The Roof – solo show from the frontman of the Train Wrecks in one of my less favorite venues

Friday 12/6 – A fun night for me, I hope to make it to most of these venues for a bit
Bottles & Cans – Jazz’d – One of the best bands in town, and I am trying hard to like the venue just because they play there so much
Gullah Rootz (8p) – Dub’s Pub
Easter Island – Jinx – post-rock dream pop from Athens
Listen 2 Three – Congress Street Social Club – local guitar pop-rock
Kodiak Brotherhood – Molly MacPherson’s

Saturday 12/7
Gen. Patton & The Heads Of State (8p) – Dub’s Pub
Train Wrecks – Congress Street Social Club
Kodiak Brotherhood – Molly MacPherson’s

Sunday 12/8
Vivaldi’s Gloria (5p) – Wesley Monumental Methodist Church (Abercorn and Gordon), with full choir, strings, and organ; and I can walk there

Monday 12/9
Wet Brain, Crazy Bag Lady, Grimey – Hang Fire

Charleston’s Spoleto USA Festival 2014: Laurie Anderson, Lucinda Williams, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Shovels & Rope, more

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If you’re anywhere within an easy day’s drive of Charleston, S.C., I highly recommend planning now to attend a show or two at Spoleto in late May and/or early June of 2014.

Here’s the digital brochure — click to go full screen:

If the embed isn’t working, click here.

I’ve been a Laurie Anderson fan for 30+ years (before I was born!), so I’ll go see her work again at Spoleto for sure. I already have tickets for Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn at the Savannah Music Festival in March, so no need to drive 100 miles for that show.

I’ve never seen Lucinda Williams live, so that show is almost certainly worth the trip. Beyond her stunning songs and understated phrasings, Williams is the daughter of poet Miller Williams and as a child actually met Flannery O’Connor.

There are some other excellent musicians in the lineup, including the festival finale with Charleston-based Shovels & Rope at Middleton Place:

Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent mash honky tonk twang, folksy lyricism, and punk grit together for an identity that recently won them the Americana Music Honors & Award’s Emerging Artist of the Year in 2013.