New Music Monday – 4/3/17

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This week’s installment of New Music Monday features work from:

  • Big Walnuts Yonder
  • Pile
  • Slowdive
  • Aye Nako
  • Diet Cig
  • Poolside
  • Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

If you’d like to share the new music you’re listening to, please leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.

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Big Walnuts Yonder
U.S.A.
“Raise The Drawbidges” off of a self-titled album is out May 5 via Sargent House

Well, this is a weird one. A supergroup, of sorts, comprised of Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Nels Cline from Wilco, Greg Saunier from Deerhoof, and Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos. Apparently the concept has been percolating since 2008, but the album was cut in 3 days recently? Okay. The song is weird, too, a high energy, fuzzed up, psych freakout with Watt vocals buried fairly deep in the mix. – tom

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Pile
Boston, MA
A Hairshirt of Purpose, out now on Exploding in Sound Records.

Easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year, I’ve spun this a handful of times now, and it’s starting to grab. Generally less aggressive than the last couple Pile albums, their trademark dynamics are still there…strange song structures…kind of bizarre lyrics delivered in an unconventional way…mathy guitar and drum interplay…and somehow, eventually, the songs burrow deep into your brain if you let them. – tom
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Slowdive
U.K.
“Sugar for the Pill” from the new eponymous album due out May 5 on Dead Oceans

It’s been 22 years (yes you read that correctly) since we’ve had a single from them and I can only hope I like the rest of the new album as much as this track, which is the second single we’ve heard from the new work. – Jason

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Aye Nako
New York City, NY
“Nightcrawler” off of the upcoming Silver Haze coming out on April 7th on Don Giovanni Records

Aye Nako came onto the DIY punk scene back in the early 2010’s and have yet to show any sign of slowing down. The latest single off of their upcoming album features their signature melodic guitar riffs coupled with killer vocal harmonies. Don’t be deceived though, while the songs may come off as deceptively mellow at first, Aye Nako is a band that takes every opportunity to use their music to tackle the most intimate of topics. – Petee

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Diet Cig
New York City, NY
“Link In Bio” off of the upcoming Swear I’m Good At This due out on April 7th

Diet Cig has a way of combining vulnerability and grit that few others have mastered. “Link In Bio” is a prime example of this detailing the experiences of living in a society that expects one to act in a certain way while also adhering to a completely contradicting persona as well. Lyrics like “They say speak your mind but not too loud; You should love yourself but don’t be too proud.” drive home the core message all while being delivered by singer/guitarist Luciano’s stellar harmonies. – Petee

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Poolside
Los Angeles, CA
“Everything Goes”

Poolside’s self proclaimed mantra is “Great friends, good music, California, and mezcal”, a life approach that’s pretty easy to rally behind. The new single from the duo of Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise has made the rounds in their DJ sets, but the addition of cello in the recording studio elevates it to a whole new level. They call it “daytime disco”. I call it one of those songs you find yourself playing 5 times in a row. – Kayne
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Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Melbourne, AU
The French Press

This Melbourne trio was on our short list for Stopover 2017 but schedules and Visas got in the way… but that left me even more pumped for their sophomore effort which dropped March 10th on Sub-Pop. At six songs and just under 20 minutes, it clocks in as one of the tightest efforts of 2017. Eighties inspired indie rock wrapped up in modern day short stories. It’s sublime on every level. – Kayne

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 3/31/17 – 4/5/17

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Hey guys,

Well, another good music week ahead, with plenty of musical choices ahead.  It’s nice to see there are some early choices  weekend.  On Friday, I’m looking forward to the early show at the Rail with the Willie Jackson Blues Band.  There are several good musical choices later that evening also.  Their are several locations with early shows on Saturday, with music at the Jinx, Foxy Loxy Cafe, and Sulfur Studios.  I hope to make it down to the Jinx later that evening for some more music from Wave Slaves and Star Period Star.  It also looks like there will be a rare Wednesday night show at the Jinx on Wednesday this week.  And don’t forget about the Savannah Record Dig and Super Groovy Art Fair on Saturday at 11am, located between 40th and 41st St at DeSota St.

 

Friday 3/31
Willie Jackson Blues – Rail Pub (7p)
The Reppertons, Jeff Two-Names & The Born Agains, Porno Arcade – Wormhole
Pollen (6p), The Stir, Movers & Shakers, Embering, Nico Franc – El-Rocko
Hooten Hallers, Boo Hag – Jinx ($7)
Passedena, Beauregard – Barrelhouse South
Reckless Abandon – Congress Street Social Club
Sonic Shockwave – Savannah’s Music City Bar & Grill

Saturday 4/1
Damon and the Shitkickers – Jinx Happy Hour
Clouds and Satellites – Foxy Loxy (7p)
Gumps, Tommy Techno – Sulfur Studios (7p)
Dave Dandero, Too Much – El-Rocko
Wave Slaves, Grace Koyner, North By North, Star Period Star – Jinx
American Hologram – Molly MacPherson’s
Groove Fetish, Sumilan – Barrelhouse South
The Reality – Congress Street Social Club
Liquid Ginger – Boomy’s

Sunday 4/2
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club

Tuesday 4/4
Miss Sissy Brown – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)

Wednesday 4/5
Hot Plate, Jerkagram, Anxiety Junkies – El-Rocko ($5)
Eric Culberson Band – Boomy’s
Ben Kaiser Band – Bay Street Blues
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe

Cracker, AJ Ghent, Bobby Rush, Old Salt Union + lots of art A-Town Get Down – photos

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In an ambitious move, A-Town Get Down Festival moved this year to a different date and venue. Previously held at the Morris Center on a generally quiet winter weekend, the daylong festival was held last Saturday and utilized some awesome open spaces at the east end of Indian Street, near the bridge and SCAD’s Alexander Hall.

I attended a Savannah Music Festival performance that afternoon — we’ll have some more info about the SMF soon — and didn’t make it to A-Town till about dusk. There were a lot of people milling about in the huge space that the festival occupied, but the event probably needed to be somewhat condensed. I love the ambition of A-Town, though, and I was impressed with all the acts that I saw — Grammy-winning blues phenom Bobby Rush, bluegrass band Old Salt Union, the powerful AJ Ghent Band, and the headliner Cracker.

I also caught the “Gesture Jam” with DJ Obi-1-Benobi and the Stardust Pixies. The mix of art, music, food trucks, and other vendors — all with the Savannah River bridge looming above — made for some striking visuals. We’ve already posted Jon Waits’ gallery of Swamp Cabbage, and here are shots of the acts that I saw, plus some shots from around the festival — click on through for the full gallery.

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New Music Monday – 3/27/17

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For this week’s New Music Monday, we have work from

  • Craig Finn
  • Golden Pelicans
  • Jason Isbell
  • PWR BTTM

Enjoy!

Craig Finn
New York, NY
“God In Chicago” (official video) from We All Want The Same Things out now on Partisan Records

Craig Finn is the best lyricist in rock. – tom

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Golden Pelicans
Orlando, FL
“Blue Medusa” from Disciples of Blood out April 21 on Goner Records

Golden Pelicans are a stellar live band and the upcoming release on Goner sounds like it captures the energy perfectly. That’s really saying something, as vocalist Erik Grincewicz and crew deal in nasty proto punk that sometimes needs to be seen to appreciate. Man, I love this band. – tom
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Jason Isbell
Nashville, TN
“Hope The High Road” off of The Nashville Sound available June 16th via Southeastern Records

If you don’t know Jason Isbell, but like Wilco, Sturgill Simpson, Drive By Truckers type tunes, do yourself a favor and hit play. If you do know Jason Isbell, you’ve already hit play. The kind of stuff that gives me hope for almost mainstream music. – tom

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PWR BTTM
New York
SXSW performance posted by NPR Music

One of my favorite acts of the 2016 Savannah Stopover continues to put create beautiful new music and find new audiences. The recording isn’t stellar here, but the rough edges contribute to emotional and inspirational depth. Check out the guest appearance from Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray For The Riff Raff. – bill

Swamp Cabbage at A-Town Get Down 2017 – photos

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This weekend brought about the return of A-Town Get Down Arts & Music Festival, and with it a full roster of top-notch music. This was my fifth year performing with Waits & Co. at the annual shindig, and per usual we had a blast. The gathering of creatives to share their talents has become a favorite of mine, and was actually my introduction to the Savannah music community.

Over those last five years I’ve become friends with quite a few of the regular faces, both onstage & behind the scenes. One of those friendships is with Walter Parks of Swamp Cabbage. When performing together these three veterans of the stage throw down sound like nobody’s business. To paraphrase Walter’s tongue-in-cheek statement from under the bridge ‘it’s in our contract that we play LOUD’, and they delivered on both that & the down-home dirty sound that they’re known for. Humor and rock & roll at maximum volume are something they do well, pulling from both their own originals, to ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ by The Who, and finishing out their set with a masterful cover of The Allman Brothers. Joining them for a few rousing, brass-blasting tunes was the horn section from Snarky Puppy. I’d love to hear what all of those cats could do together in the studio. A-Town is generally speaking a festival of mixing things up, one-off collaborations, and not only seasoned musicians doing their thing, but also sharing the stage, and their experience with up & comers.

Congratulations to both the A-Town family & also Erin Wessling of W Projects for pulling off a helluva’ day of music & art in Savannah!

Here are a few highlight shots, with more after the jump….

Swamp Cabbage

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Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 3/23/17 – 3/29/17

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Hey guys,

I think I have listed most of the stuff that I could find this week, and it looks like it could be another good music week.  A highlight of the week should be the A-Town Get Down Festival on Saturday, headlined by Cracker.  Another highlight will be the Jinx show on Tuesday. It looks like the have at least three headliners at that show, Rev. Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson, and Goddamn Gallows (maybe Birdcloud too?).  I didn’t list the Savannah Music Festival shows, it was a little overwhelming.  It looks like there will be good weather, there definitely will be good music, go have some fun.

Thursday 3/23
Tahah, No Loves – El-Rocko
Selector Dub Narcotic, Daniel Brady Lynch – Graveface (7p, $5)
Orange Constant Album Release Party – Barrelhouse South

Friday 3/24
Cory Chambers – Driftaway Cafe (7p)
Velvet Caravan – Wyld Dock Bar (7p)
Star Period Star, Philip Polk Palmer, Pussy Launcher – Wormhole
Those Lavender Whales, Clouds & Satellites, Dear Blanca – El-Rocko
Pato Banton and the Now Generation, Scholars Word – Barrelhouse South
Chew – Congress Street Social Club

Saturday 3/25
A-Town Get Down Festival – Indian Street (12:30p)
Damon and the Shitkickers – Jinx Happy Hour
Charlie Fog Band Presents Grateful Dead – Tybee Post Theater ($15/13)
Nathan Stanley (grandson of Dr. Ralph Stanley) – Mars Theater (7p, $20)
Backup Planet, Jive Mother Mary – Barrelhouse South
The Rumjacks, In For A Penny, The Muckers – Jinx
Bella’s Bartok – Congress Street Social Club

Sunday 3/26
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club

Monday 3/2 7
Craig Tanner Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln

Tuesday 3/28
Rev Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson, Goddamn Gallows, Birdcloud – Jinx ($30)

Wednesday 3/29
The Lipschitz, Pallas – El-Rocko

New Music Monday – 3/20/17

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This week’s New Music Monday features work from 5 stellar acts:

Downtown Boys
Juliana Hatfield
Mastodon
Hurray For The Riff Raff
Fit For An Autopsy

Enjoy!

Downtown Boys
Providence, RI
“Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas)” from upcoming Sub Pop release

An urgent yet catchy punk blast sung in Spanish from one of the more important punk projects currently in existence. Not to be missed live. Powerful, engaging stuff. – tom

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Juliana Hatfield
Boston, MA
“Wonder Why” from Pussycat out 4/28 via American Laundromat Records

Would I have guessed in 1992 that Juliana Hatfield would still be putting out killer, relevant indie rock in 2017? Who knows, I had some goofy music opinions then (still do) and thought we’d have flying cars by now. Songs started pouring out of Juliana after the 2016 elections and Pussycat is the result. I’m digging this song. – tom

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Mastodon
ATL, GA
“Show Yourself” from Emperor of Sand available March 31 on Warner Bros.

This is as mainstream as I’ve heard metal juggernaut Mastodon get, but c’mon, you want to see the Grim Reaper get flipped off and get lucky in the back of a hearse, right? Right? – tom

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Hurray For The Riff Raff
New Orleans, LA
The Navigator

This might be my favorite Hurray For The Riff Raff record. The Bronx born, New Orleans-based folk rocker Alynda Lee Segarra is back with her ninth studio effort. Savannah got treated to a few shows in 2014 when she was touring on “Small Town Heroes.” Her show at the Jinx is still one of my favorite concerts in this city. “The Navigator” is noticeably more rock than the folky “Small Town Heroes,” and spans from upbeat Stevie Wonder type tunes to slower ballads. It’s a melting pot of awesomeness from start to finish. Nerd Note: The mix and production value on this album is really fantastic. Segarra’s vocals throughout exist in this wonderful plain just above the instrumentation, which is far more expansive at times and I dare say more interesting than on her previous albums. — Joshua

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Fit For An Autopsy
Jersey City, New Jersey
The Great Collapse

When I heard the first single off this album, I was stoked. Fortunately, the rest of the deathcore band’s fourth studio album didn’t disappoint. I really appreciate how daring this band can be when it comes to vocals. They are never afraid to explore straight singing in new and interesting ways, which is often frowned upon in the genre as a whole. With legendary producer and lead guitarist Will Putney writing their music, I suppose it’s pretty easy to venture in whatever direction they please. This album’s first single, “Heads Will Hang,” is still may favorite track though. “Black Mammoth” is a close, close second. Thanks to the demon gods of Metal March for this blessing. — Joshua

Savannah Stopover 2017 Review + Photo Gallery

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Good grief. Every year, Stopover gets bigger and bigger while I manage to get older and older. I just can’t party like I used to it seems. Which is a shame because this year’s Stopover was party central. This year’s Stopover seemed to especially hit its stride as the festival is getting a better and better handle on using diverse venues like Ships of the Sea and Trinity United Methodist Church along with old staples like The Jinx and Wild Wing Cafe.

Things kicked off on Thursday night with a bang. After a couple of interviews with *repeat repeat and Pronoun (both of which will be coming out a little later this week), I hit the ground running with drink in hand. Starting the night off with the excellent trio of acts at Ships of the Sea was the perfect way to settle into the festival. Garden Giant, The Dig, and Kishi Bashi all put on stellar sets and made for a pretty high benchmark.

Garden Giant

Garden Giant

The Dig

The Dig

Kishi Bashi

The next hour was a bit of a whirlwind that had me catching some awesome local acts like Taze Daze and Isaac Smith along with touring acts like Chain of Flowers and *repeat repeat. The set that really lured me in though was pronoun for sure. The Brooklyn by way of Boston artist really draws on a ton of alt rock/early emo influences to a phenomenal effect. Plus, any band that covers Third Eye Blind is due for some major props in my book. I closed out the night by catching Daddy Issues (who I’ve been trying to catch live for at least 3 years) and JEFF The Brotherhood at The Jinx. Definitely a killer way to close out the night.

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Tom’s Savannah Stopover 2017 – photos

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Well, I made it through another festival, even though I Stopoverdid it opening night. I think I’ll do this random factoid style…

Enjoyed 31 bands over the 3 nights.

Staying in a loft over Hang Fire feels a little wrong for a music festival, but worked out great, minus the dumpster pickup in the alley at 7 in the morning.

Saw a dress with plastic boobs all over it, and was super relieved that I hadn’t worn mine that night.

There are a lot of people in the Savannah music scene that I really, really enjoy seeing.

Although I have my favorites, the venues are really tuned in now.

I take pictures at least as well drunk as I do sober. I don’t know how I feel about that.

Julien Baker at Trinity was stunning.

JEFF the Brotherhood, DTCV, Chain of Flowers and Weaves all brought the rock that my soul requires.

That hot dog cart on Congress Street isn’t bad.

Self serve shot machines are.

Chain of Flowers

Weaves

JEFF the Brotherhood

Daddy Issues

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Josephine’s Excellent (First Ever!) Stopover Adventure

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I caught roughly 17 bands, and a cold, but these are the ones that persist on my iTunes and SoundCloud – these acts cut through time and current cold medications.

It all began brightly at 8:30 am Thursday morning. Georgia Public Broadcasting featured a live remote of On Second Thought downtown at The Grey. Savannah’s own Lulu the Giant performed as house band.

Lulu the Giant
photos Josephine Johnson

They played a few cuts from their latest release Kingdoms Fall as well as a new unrecorded tune. GPB videoed while a contingent of smart phones and tablets provided live feeds to the interwebs. It was an early, yet animated, morning of heart-felt performances and conversation, the best gateway to a weekend of inspired live music.

Thursday night marked the official opening of Stopover and it did not disappoint. Full disclosure: I’d never heard of Kishi Bashi before I saw his name on the lineup, nor did I preview his music before going to Ships of the Sea.

Kishi Bashi & Tall Tall Trees

What a magnificent surprise. Kishi Bashi is a lot of what I love about modern rock — a little Andrew Bird, some Sufjan Stevens, Temper Trap, too. A multi-instrumentalist, an especially fierce violinist, he and the band deliver well-arranged, melodically tight songs. The artist Tall Tall Trees also plays banjo and percussion in the ensemble, and all of it combined, wrapped itself around the core of my happy place until my arms and legs were moving in great elation. I could have danced and photographed these guys all night. Definitely a festival highlight.

Then on to Wild Wing to catch Kane Strang from New Zealand. Straightforward, guitar-driven, indie pop-rock, and perhaps the youngest lineup of players on the roster. Ben, the drummer, was the only one old enough to legally drive a rental car in the U.S. After Stopover they were headed to SXSW and then on to the West Coast for a series of tour dates. Oh Ben, what a lot of miles ahead…

Kane Strang Band

What I like most about Kane Strang is his and the band’s sense of level-headedness and authenticity in who they are, refreshingly straight from the (well-rehearsed) garage, without an ounce of pretense. Seriously, check out his Facebook fan page – Kane wore the same sweater (before taking it off), jeans, and boots the night of the show. After their set, when he put the sweater back on, I got a photo of them with a friend of Ben’s dad who drove all the way from Atlanta just to support them. There’s a level of authenticity about Kane and bandmates that really draws you in and also comes through in the emerging craftsmanship of his songs. For sure, keep an open ear for Kane Strang.

Dirty Dishes

Saturday night brought me to The Jinx to catch Dirty Dishes, which also delivered. Again, solid wall-of-sound indie rock. Check out the interview I did with guitarist, Jenny Tuite, the tone-deva-pedal-monster behind it all. Dirty Dishes are also headed to SXSW and an act to keep an ear on.

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some Stopover odds and ends, including Lulu the Giant on GPB

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I’ve already shared quick recaps + photos of my Savannah Stopover experience for day 1, day 2, and day 3, I have also posted several big galleries to the hissing lawns Facebook page. You can find those albums are here, here, and here.

I’ve got another post or two in the works, and over the next couple days we’ll be publishing Stopover reviews and galleries from several of our contributors.

But I wanted to pull a few disparate pieces together into this post.

First, big shout out to photographer Stephanie Augello, who returned to her former home to cover Savannah Stopover for Brooklyn Vegan, one of the top music blogs out there. Check out her wonderful 126-photo gallery, which includes some wonderful shots of attendees. (I look like hell, but I love her pic of Ezra Furman with me paying rapt attention in the background.)

Also, a bit shout out to Celeste Headlee and the team at GPB’s On Second Thought for making the trek down I-16 for Stopover. Celeste and company set up at The Grey on MLK. Check out her interview with Christopher Paul Stelling and give a listen to the live performance plus interview with Savannah-based Lulu the Giant (really, what a voice):

You can find more Stopover coverage from OST in the program archives.

Also, regular hissing lawns contributor Jon Waits has a gallery of Stopover photos at Savannah Magazine.

Also, I wrote a little about Stopover’s deepening relationship with the city in my Tuesday City Talk column Savannah Stopover capitalizes on history, diversity, proximity in the Savannah Morning News.

We’ll post some more links and such as we become aware of interesting links.

photos from day 3 of Savannah Stopover

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Savannah Stopover wrapped up on Saturday with powerful performances, including Lewis Del Mar at Ships of the Sea and Julien Baker at Trinity United Methodist Church.

This is just a quick photo gallery of the acts I saw on day 3, and we’ll have extended galleries and lots of commentary posted over the next few days.

For many of us who love live music in Savannah, this has to be the most exhilarating 3 days of the year.

Kelsey Waldon at The Grey:

Lyn Avenue at Congress Street Social Club:

Saw Black at The Jinx:

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