Check out KYLE by KYLE. (Our favorite track: “KYLE”)
KYLE’s new full-length was released by the DIY label Bomb Shelter Records.
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 3/24/16 – 3/29/16
Hey guys,
After the last few weeks of frantic schedules, I am a little glad to see that this week is a little slower in the downtown music scene. Even though the amount of shows is down a little, there are still several good choices coming up this week, there is at least one good show every night. And I guess one show per night is enough for most of you.
Thursday 24th
Jesse Smith Project (New Orleans swamp funk) – Barrelhouse South
Ambrose (Sav’h R&B), Culture Vulture (Sav’h prog rock) – Jinx ($5)
Vampires Everywhere! (Hollywood rock), Chasing Safety (NJ hardcore), SYCAMOUR (hardcore), The Apprehended (Beaufort post-hardcore) – Sulfur Studios (7p, $10)
Friday 25th
Accomplices (Sav’h lowcountry string) – Wyld Dock Bar
Dale and the Zdubs (MD rock reggae), Psychedelic Monks (FL funk rock) – Barrelhouse South
Tooth Extractor – Molly MacPherson’s
Saturday 26th
Cory Chambers Jazz Band (Sav’h jazz) – Driftaway Cafe (7p)
Dope Knife “Iconoclast” Live Album Show w/ Bak Ontha Beat – Wormhole
Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers (Americana) – Congress Street Social Club
Kodiak Brotherhood (NC alt country supergroup), Vegabonds (Nashville new south rock) – Barrelhouse South
Bunny Gang (Los Angele punk rock), The Attack (Orlando punk), Wet Brain (Baltimore surf punk) – Jinx ($10)
Hitman (Sav’h blues) – Molly MacPherson’s
Tuesday 29th
Whetherman (Columbus, OH singer-songwriter) – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p, all ages)
Savannah Stopover 2016 – photo recap from the Stopover team
We emerge from the depths of Savannah, following a blistering Savannah Stopover schedule teamed up with a raucous St. Patrick’s Day weekend. And we emerge victorious! (At least, I hope we all have. What day is it again?)
While this was festival year 6 (!!) for me, 2016 was my first serving as the festival’s Creative Services Manager — meaning my duties ranged from making sure all those pocket guides and ads looked pretty to climbing a ladder to hang banners outside Ships of the Sea (and for some reason, mopping the staircase at the Artist Lounge on Night 2). I also had the opportunity to oversee our amazing photography team, who managed to cover 80+ bands over the course of three days.
Let me briefly introduce the crew, and then I’ll get into their best shots — because these are can’t miss.
Covering this year we had Geoff L Johnson and Andrew Von Goellner; men about town who you will rarely see without a camera in their hand. Laura Pleasants of Kylesa moved to the other side of the lens this year, and regular hissing lawns contributors Petee Worrell, Sarah Weitman, and me (Caila Brown) rounded out this ragtag gang. Check out my favorite shot from each photographer, along with more after the jump!
Futurebirds – Geoff L Johnson
Muuy Biien – Laura Pleasants
Bruiser Queen – Sarah Weitman
French Horn Rebellion – Andrew Von Goellner
Capsula – Petee Worrell
Prince Rama – Caila Brown
Savannah Stopover 2016 – Tom’s Mega Photo Post
Okay, so I survived. Saw 36 bands at Savannah Stopover, drank ummmm…more than 36 beers, hung out in the VIP lounge, walked many, many miles, spent time with a ton of friends new and old, generally had a blast, and took a bunch of photos. Here they are, sorted by day, with running commentary.
Day 1, Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
We missed Breakers but arrived mid Sun Club. Sounded good, but hunger won out and we listened while we hit up the food trucks.
Sun Club
While they don’t really fall into a go to genre for me, I really like the new Ra Ra Riot. Production was really well done, and that guy can flat out sing.
Ra Ra Riot
Ahhh, here we go. I bailed mid Ra Ra Riot to make sure I caught Culture Vulture, most of my party tagged along. Minds were blown. One of the best sets of the weekend, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, several of my favorite sets of the weekend were local, not because they were locals, but because they were so freaking awesome. Also, Ampersand 2nd floor is a tough room to photograph.
Culture Vulture
Velvet Caravan represents Savannah at SXSW
From SXSW:
Velvet Caravan’s music is indeed strongly rooted the gypsy jazz of guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Hot Club de France. In abundance during their live shows, and in full display on their new album Acoustic in Nature, are rich veins of New Orleans jazz, Latin music, Western Swing and even Afro-Caribbean time signatures.
More than just a carbon-copy of the gypsy jazz so eloquently laid down by the early 20th Century masters, Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli, Velvet Caravan is wild, swinging and more fun than any of us really deserve.
In recent years, Velvet Caravan has become a staple of the Savannah music scene and has expanded their artistic ambitions, including a recent performance with the Savannah Philharmonic. It’s great to see Velvet Caravan representing Savannah again this year at SXSW.
If you aren’t already following the band on Twitter or Facebook, you should click on through and do so:
We made a lot of new friends #SWSX2016 last night. What a show we had pic.twitter.com/pUGLYA04TM
— VelvetCaravan.com (@VCaravan) March 18, 2016
Posted by Velvet Caravan on Friday, March 11, 2016
Velvet Willie!!!
Posted by Velvet Caravan on Thursday, March 17, 2016
Savannah Stopover 2016 in my rearview mirror – photos
For the third year in a row I shot Savannah Stopover professionally; my first year for the festival itself, and the last two for Savannah Magazine. Over these last three years I’ve had the good fortune to meet, and become friends with a handful of photographers & music-industry folk that travel down each March for a weekend of lowcountry living. While I certainly understand that the reason is the music…there’s so much more networking & fun to be had over the week leading up to the festival days/nights themselves.
Amy Condon (Sav Mag editor) said it best in a personal Facebook post which I asked permission to quote: ‘#HappyStopover, indeed! One of the glorious aspects of the work I do with Savannah Magazine is the intersection of storytelling and culture. Savannah Stopover is a rollicking three-day indie music festival that feels a lot like a progressive dinner rolling through a big neighborhood where everyone is joyful, open to new musical experiences and supportive. There’s always a bit of a #stopoverhangover afterward, and we get over it just as the Savannah Music Festival kicks off. Thanks, Kayne Lanahan and Co. for having and executing the vision to host Stopover in our city. It’s what SXSW wishes it still was–community-oriented, accessible and visionary.’
There are always challenges to shooting concert photography, as well as maintaining the mental motivation & physical stamina to keep pounding the pavement, but every year I look forward to this unique event, and I always find that I’ve learned something new by the time it’s over. The staff are great at supporting the bands & the industry folk doing their best to get as much covered as possible. It’s not possible to make it to every show, and as long-time local photographer, Geoff Johnson, said to me the first year ‘There’s always going to be another leg kick, or rock & roll pose…you’ve got to learn when is enough, and move on to the next show’. I’ve taken that bit of advice to heart, and I use it not only during this festival, but with the rest of my live-music shooting as well.
During the wandering in & out of venues, criss-crossing downtown, hollering hellos in passing to friends & colleagues, and catching up on corners in-between gigs there’s a very special camaraderie that happens. We might grumble & gripe a bit, but we also trade stories of what incredible moments of performance we’ve just seen & heard. Day 1 is full of almost giddy enthusiasm, Day 2 the energy spikes and everyone gets into the groove, and by Day 3 most folks are running a bit ragged & weary at the seams. However…just when you think you’ve reached the end of your endurance, you push past, find some time to get something to eat, perhaps catch a quick nap in your car, grab a Red Bull, check your gear for the umpteenth time, head towards the venue and catch the final show. In my case this year that was Capsula at The Jinx, who reminded me that some bands out there still have the swagger that I grew up idolizing, and are the genuine rock n’ roll article.
By clicking on this highlighted Savannah Magazine, and the one above you can view some of my photos for the magazine. Many thanks to Sav Mag for also allowing me to use my outtakes from that work to help put together this post, and to Savannah Stopover, from the top to the bottom, for one helluva’ great weekend!
Check out a few of those outtakes here, and then more after the jump.
Capsula
Dosti Music Project
Christopher Paul Stelling
Colorado meets Savannah Stopover – our favorite shows
This year’s Savannah Stopover Music Festival was a bit different for me. In the past I’ve always let my friends who asked know what I was up to, but I generally navigated the festival on my own each night. Chances are I’d meet up with friends, and part of the fun was seeing who turned up for each show.
Well, exactly one month out from Stopover I get a message from my friend Jenny in Colorado – “I don’t know one single band playing at the Savannah Stopover. But I want to come!!” And that is how I ended up with a partner for nearly every show and my own personal tourist to guide around Savannah on her first visit to our beautiful city. Turns out it was a blast, and it sounds as if she’ll be back for more! We’ve been discussing music for over 10 years now, and although she normally sticks to the singer songwriter types, I felt she’d be adventurous enough to appreciate all that Savannah Stopover had to offer. After hours of messages back and forth that night, and lots of skipping around the Stopover playlist, I felt I’d put together a list of bands to see that we’d both be happy with. Before we get to the list, a few thoughts from Jenny:
This was my first Stopover and first time seeing any the bands in the lineup. Truth be told, I hadn’t even heard of a single one of them before seeing their names on the Stopover website. Maybe that’s because I am from a different part of the country. I was so impressed by the bands that I saw and I will be following many of them very closely and hoping they make it out to Colorado on tour. Stopover was such a whirlwind great time and can’t wait to come back next year!
Christopher Paul Stelling
Christopher Paul Stelling reminds me of my all time favorite troubadour-style singer-songwriters, which is the type of music my ears always seem to gravitate towards. I really enjoyed his set at The Jinx and could watch him finger picking until the cows came home. He seems like a very humble and down to Earth guy. – Jenny
In For a Penny – Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day – video
As we turn towards Spring, anyone who lives in Savannah knows what this week brings…a sea of green, our city’s out-of-towner invasion, and generally accepted shenanigans for a few days. One of this town’s local bands has made a name for themselves this past year as a go-to for an Irish touch. In For a Penny regularly keeps the Tybee Island crowd entertained, but the folk-punk trio also stretches their legs from time to time to cross over to the mainland. Savannah’s Saint Patrick’s Day celebration(s) is obviously a busy time of year.
In For a Penny
Larry Jack has already shared his list of ‘best bet’ shows for this upcoming weekend, and I noticed that two of In For a Penny‘s gigs are listed. However, if you’re looking for an even larger shot of their top-shelf brand check out the schedule on their website; click on highlighted text. It would appear that Sean McNally, Jeremy Riddle, and Henny ‘Da Butcha’ are performing seven times over the course of the next few days. That gives you plenty of chances to get your whiskey & beer soaked selves in front of one of Savannah’s only bands of this genre.
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 3/16 – 3/22
Hey guys,
I guess that if you are reading this, you survived last week’s Stopover (and if you didn’t survive, you are weak and useless). Once again, it was a super-great event that we are lucky to have. The only problem I have with it is that it is so close to St. Patrick’s Day. As you can see, this is going to be another music-packed weekend. I hope that everyone enjoys themselves on this holiday weekend and catches at least a few tunes, there will be plenty of chances. I think I have listed most of the music going on downtown this weekend. Have fun.
Wednesday 16th
Beauregard & The Down Right (1p), Steppin Stones (6-9), High Divers (9p), Groove Town Assault (12mn) – Barrelhouse South
Thursday 17th
Brock Butler (12nn), The Norm (3p), Groove Town Assault (6p), The Mustard (9p), The Orange Constant (12mn) – Barrelhouse South
Versatile (2p), Those Cats (7p) – Congress Street Social Club
Bottles & Cans (2-3:30, 8-9:30), Damon & The Shitkickers (4-5:30, 10-11:30), Train Wrecks (6-7:30, 12-1:30am) – Jinx
Georgia Kyle (11a), Hitman (1p), Danielle Hicks (3p), David McPherson (5p), In For A Penny (6:30p), Bastard Sons (8:30p) – River Street
Friday 18th
The Nadis Warriors (2p), Moose Kick (4:30), Marvelous Funkshun (7p), Herd Of Watts (9:30p), SPORE (12mn) – Barrelhouse South
Peewee Moore (4-6), Wave Slaves (6:30-8:30), Crazy Man Crazy (9-11p), Everymen (11:30) – Jinx
Listen 2 Three (7p), Liquid Dynamite (10p) – Congress Street Social Club
Georgia Kyle (1p), David McPherson (5p), Lyn Avenue (6:30), Eric Culberson Band (8:30p), Hypnotics (10:30p) – River Street
Saturday 19th
Maradeen (2p), Sumilan (3:30p), Groove Town Assault (5:15p), Dead 27’s (7:30p), CBDB (9:30p), Dank (12mn) – Barrelhouse South
Bottles & Cans (3p), Kota Mundi (7p) – Congress Street Social Club
Those Cats – Molly MacPherson’s
Peewee Moore (2p), Damon & The Shitkickers (4p), Bottles & Cans (7p), Peewee Moore (9:30) – Jinx
In For A Penny (11a), Georgia Kyle (1p), American Hologram (3p), David McPherson (5p), Eric Culberson Band (6:30), Hypnotics (8:30p), Hitman (10:30p) – River Street
Sunday 20th
Jason Bible, Ray Lundy, Georgia Kyle Trio – Tybee Post Theater (8p, $15)
Monday 21st
Plurals, Jeff Two-Names & The Born Agains – Wormhole
Craig Tanner and Mr. Williams Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 22nd
Eric Culberson Open Mic – Bayou Cafe
Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues
Family and Friends at Savannah Stopover 2016 – photos
Has it really been less than two years ago that we first saw Athens-based Family and Friends play a fairly small stage at Bragg Jam in Macon? Even at that show, it was obvious that the high-energy indie folk band was headed for bigger things.
A big crowd turned out for their Friday evening Savannah Stopover show at Trinity United Methodist Church, and the mood was as upbeat and jubilant as it usually is when Family and Friends take the stage. The band is spending a lot of time right now creating new songs — and I can’t wait to hear what they come up with.
Another fun band to shoot — lots more photos after the jump. We’ll be posting several more individual band galleries from Savannah Stopover.
From Savannah to Austin: 12 bands coming in hot to SXSW
The Savannah Stopover Music Festival began in 2011 after founder Kayne-not-Kanye Lanahan realized that dozens of bands were routing down I-95 each March before hanging a right on I-10 and heading to Austin for SXSW.
hissing lawns has been around since fall of 2013, and, for the last couple of Stopovers, we’ve posted hundreds of photos and written all kinds of commentary about the festival. For this post, four of us — Tom Cartmel, Sarah Weitman, Petee Worrell, and me — have teamed up to share our top picks of Savannah Stopover bands that will be playing in Austin during SXSW.
Obviously, all lists are arbitrary — we could have added a ton more here — but these bands really made an impression on us and we can say confidently that music fans in Austin ought to check them out. A few are proverbial “buzz bands” (I can’t believe I just used that expression) and a few are more established. Some appear on various “SXSW must-see” lists, but others don’t. So, here they are, in more or less alphabetical order, with one of each band’s previously posted videos and a couple of shots from their Savannah shows.
All Dogs
Why you should see them at SXSW: All Dogs lures you in with lovely melodies and Maryn Jones’ lilting, unassuming stage presence; they’re a band you’d invite to crash at your place after the show (but not in a creepy way). All Dogs might get you with the sweet, but you’ll stick around for the salt in the lyrics. – bill
Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Savannah Stopover – photos
I’ve seen a couple hundred Savannah Stopover shows over the last six years, but I haven’t seen anything quite like the scene at Rainbow Kitten Surprise on Friday night at Trinity. I’ll admit that the Boone, NC-based band was barely on my radar screen, so I wasn’t prepared for the throng of young people who knew every lyric and who paid rapt attention to the charismatic lead singer Sam Melo as if he were the miracle-working preacher at a tent revival.
The band’s lyrics are intense, romantic, even gothic, and the live energy is electric. If you’re new to RKS like I am, here’s a track to get the feel:
Fun band to photograph. Lots more after the jump.
