hissing lawns

Robert Lee Coleman at Stopover in the Yard – photos

by cailab • November 18, 2015

We’ve seen Robert Lee Coleman and the Night Owls at Bragg Jam and Revival Fest, so it was great catching them at the final Stopover in the Yard of the season — a collaboration between Savannah Stopover/MusicFile Productions and The Grey.

Beautiful day, great temperatures — it was a perfect end to a great new chapter in the Savannah music scene. Macon-based Coleman has played the blues with the likes of Percy Sledge and James Brown, and it was only fitting that Sista Rae Rae of Missionary Blues Band hopped up for a few songs.

Check out a few shots below and hit the link for the full roundup.

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Punk Mess 2015 – photos

by Tom Cartmel • November 18, 2015

So, Dad Joke Productions’ first stab at a 2 day, well, punk mess called, ummm, Punk Mess is in the books. Featuring local bands definitely on the punk end of the rock spectrum, and some super touring bands, the inaugural festival sure felt like a success to me, or at least one hell of a start.

Each night had really different crowds. Night 1, at Dollhouse Productions, skewed much younger than the following night. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch, except for a guitar that gave up the ghost during Generation Pill’s set. Tight Genes was the highlight of the night for me.

Night 2 at The Jinx drew a little bit rowdier, little bit older crowd, and for that matter, bands. Hosted by Influenza Mueller, it was a much more beer soaked (both literally and figuratively) and, uhh, blood soaked experience. It was Friday the 13th, after all. I was a bit bummed that Shoplifters cancelled (get well!) and then even more bummed that Slugga cancelled, but hell, there was still great music in spades. Manic and The Depressives played again to help fill in, which actually worked out great because I thought they sounded much better the second time around. For me personally Golden Pelicans ruled the night, but, you know, that’s just like, my opinion, man. Bonus points to whoever yelled out “Do a burnout!” during Forced Entry‘s set. That shit was hilarious.

You know what? Just check out the photos, they paint a better picture than my wordsmithery ever could.

Day 1, Dollhouse

The Lipschitz

Generation Pill

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Savannah Stopover announces first wave of 43 bands for 2016 festival

by bill • November 17, 2015

The 6th annual Savannah Stopover is on the horizon — the 3-day fest is slated for March 10 to 12, 2016 — and today MusicFile Productions announced the first wave of 43 confirmed bands.

Ra Ra Riot, Yuck, and Futurebirds top the eclectic list of confirmed bands. The second and final wave of bands, including some Savannah-based acts, will be announced in January. Organizers are planning for 80+ bands in total, so today’s announcement represents about half the expected lineup.

Most of the acts in the lineup announced today have not played the Savannah market before, and most will be “stopping over” in Savannah on their way to SXSW Music Festival and Conference in Austin.

I’m sure there will be a great deal of buzz about Ra Ra Riot from Syracuse and Yuck from London.

Headliner Futurebirds is from Athens and has played Savannah a number of times, although this will be their first Stopover appearance. Their new album Hotel Parties is excellent.

There are a number of alums from previous Stopovers among the 43 bands announced today, including Hiss Golden Messenger, Big UPS , Christopher Paul Stelling, Blank Range, French Horn Rebellion and New Madrid.

Never heard of any of these bands? As my co-editor Tom says, “Stopover is all about discovery.” Combine the low price, the proximity of the venues, and Savannah’s to-go cup rules, and you’ve got a recipe for an incredible three days. The fact that Stopover has already established a reputation for catching talent on the rise is just an added bonus.

In a press release, festival founder Kayne Lanahan said, “We’re very excited about this initial list of confirmed bands. Whether it’s established acts like Ra Ra Riot and Yuck, both of whom have new records coming out but have never played the market, or rising stars like NoBS! Brass Band from Richmond, VA or Diet Cig from New Paltz, New York, the talent is just incredible. Some of these bands like Mass Gothic and Mothers have debut albums that won’t be out until just before the festival so Savannah gets to be among the first to really help set these music 2016 trends!”

The 2016 Savannah Stopover will also feature perhaps the best venues that the festival has ever assembled. The confirmed locations so far are Ships Of The Sea North Garden, Trinity United Methodist Church, Club One, The Jinx, and Congress Street Social Club. More venues will be confirmed when the detailed schedule is announced early next year.

Early-bird tickets for the festival go on sale at 11 a.m. on 11/17 and include 3-day advance passes at $65 (regular priced 3-day Passes will increase to $79) and VIP Passes at $125. Click here for tickets. The festival website has band bios, videos, and such.

If the embed below doesn’t work, click here for Savannah Stopover 2016 Spotify playlist.

Confirmed Bands:

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FEST 14 Day 3 – photos

by Tom Cartmel • November 15, 2015

Dear Diary: FEST Day 3. The situation has grown dire. Feet hurt. Ear ringing constantly. Everything is sore. I’m not sure if I can drink any more PBR. Nah, just kidding (Well, not really kidding about the feet and ears.). Basically, more of the same for Day 3, and that’s a good thing.

We took our time getting downtown and caught Crusades and Radon at Cowboys. Some mid-day Sunday crowd surfing. Impressive.

Back at Lot 10, PUP sure generated a lot of energy, both themselves and the crowd, for a daytime set on the big stage. GIANT singalongs. Seems like it’s time for a new album, no?

We then set up camp at The Atlantic, where Ex Breathers ran through a good bit of their excellent new album Past Tense. Really, really digging Ex Breathers.

I didn’t have anything pressing on the schedule so we stuck around for La Armada, and, boy, am I glad we did. Ripping Dominican (via Chicago) hardcore that the crowd ate up and spit back at them. Hell yeah.

We had seats so we stayed at The Atlantic (Seriously, seating was at a premium all freaking weekend) and saw Coma Club and one of my favorite surprises of the weekend, Night Witch. Great, great, great. I wouldn’t hesitate to see them again.

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new Triathalon album now available (vinyl, tape, CD, digital)

by bill • November 14, 2015

Triathalon‘s new album Nothing Bothers Me is now available via Broken Circles. Check it out:

Click here for info on Triathalon’s Savannah record release show at Hang Fire with Crazy Bag Lady, Jeff Zagers, and Culture Vulture.

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 11/12/15 – 11/17/15

by Larry Jack Sammons • November 12, 2015

Hey guys,
This is another big music week downtown. There are several different shows to choose from every single night this weekend. Thursday has big shows at the Dollhouse and Jinx. Friday has an exciting show at the Lucas Theater, followed by a plethora of choices around town. Saturday doesn’t have quite as many choices, but you can catch a rare show from Soap at Barrelhouse or a “goodbye for now” show from the Cusses at the Jinx. It should be good weather this weekend nad no real reason not to try to catch a show or two somewhere around town.

Thursday 11/12
Tight Genes, Manic and The Depressives, Generation Pill, Anxiety Junkies, Toxic Shock, Lipscitz – Dollhouse Studios (8p, $7)
Call Me Bronco (KY Americana-punk), The Gumps (Sav’h punk) – Jinx ($7)
Eric Culberson Band (Sav’h blues) – Bayou Cafe
Jason Bible (Train Wrecks frontman) – Molly MacPherson’s
Steppin Stones (Charleston rock), Piano. (Stateboro rock) – Barrelhouse South

Friday 11/13
Velvet Caravan (Sav’h gypsy-jazz), Packway Handle Band (Athens Americana) – Lucas Theater ($20, 7:30)
Joe Cat (Athens singer-songwriter) – Sentient Bean
Fat Cheek Kat (NC funk), Spiritual Rez (Boston reggae) – Barrelhouse South
Hypnotics (Sav’h 60’s garage rock) – Molly MacPherson’s
Crazy Man Crazy (Sav’h rockabilly), Tied And Tasseled Cabaret – Wormhole ($15)
Sam Burchfield Trio (Atlanta modern folk-soul) – Congress Street Social Club
Shoplifters (Sav’h punk w/ members of GAM & Superhorse), Golden Pelicans (Orlando punk), Slugga, Mold, Crazy Bag Lady (Sav’h punk), Forced Entry (Sav’h punk) – Jinx (9p sharp, $10)

Saturday 11/14
Robert Lee Coleman (Macon blues legend) – The Grey (12n, $21 includes food and (1) drink)
BBXF (Sav’h hard rock) – Molly MacPherson’s
CBDB (AL joyfunk), Soap (Sav’h funk soul) – Barrelhouse South
Cusses (Sav’h hard rock), Culture Vulture (Sav’h instrumental progressive rock) – Jinx

Monday 11/16
Jason Bible (Train Wrecks frontman) – Warehouse

Tuesday 11/17
Greg Williams Band Open Mic – Bayou Cafe
Rosies (Sav’h acoustic rock) – Jazz’d
Ben Keiser Band (Sav’h blues rock) – Bay St Blues

CUSSES will be playing “last show for a minute” on Saturday at The Jinx

by bill • November 11, 2015

I wish I could remember precisely when I saw CUSSES for the first time, but it had to have been in 2010, when Angel, Bryan, and Brian exploded onto the local scene with kinetic live shows. I guess the first time I photographed them was in spring 2012 at their DIY venue No Control.

CUSSES will be performing Saturday night at The Jinx, which will be the trio’s “last show for a minute,” as they say on their Facebook page. For the backstory, check out the candid interview in Do Savannah by Adriana Iris Boatwright and Anna Chandler’s interview and appreciation in Connect Savannah.

There are plenty of reasons to love CUSSES beyond their thrilling live shows and take-no-prisoners rock and roll. I think I’m most appreciative of all the things that the band has done to promote the scene and nurture young bands. No Control came along at a time when we didn’t have the extensive house show network that we have today, and Angel was also a key player in the first Savannah Stopover, Graveface Fest in 2012, and many other gigs. CUSSES consistently brought talented young bands onto bills with them — acts like Triathalon (on tour right now) and Heyrocco (the Charleston-based band that seems to be touring all the time now).

So, given the circumstances, Saturday night should have an even sharper edge than most CUSSES’ shows. A few shots here, including a handful from that No Control show in 2012, plus others since then by Tom, Petee, and me.

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The FEST 14 Day 2 – photos

by Tom Cartmel • November 11, 2015

Well, first things first, I spent the day looking like this….

….which made a normal (read as weird, fun, meandering, hazy, and drunken) day of FESTing just that much odder, hilarious, and well….FESTier.

And what is FESTier than slightly too early acoustic sets at Loosey’s drinking early afternoon liquor out of pineapples?

Unfortunately Joey Cape cancelled his acoustic set (I love Joey Cape acoustic way more than anyone should) to save what voice he had left for a later Lagwagon set. Fair enough, but….bummer. On the non bummer side of things, The Menzingers played a great, loose set of acoustic punk rock, but not before complimenting our costumes while we were standing in line beside a mountain of pineapple boxes and pineapple cuttings. Apparently we looked “outstanding”. Hah. Also, some poor bastard stood in line in front of us for close to an hour only to find out that they weren’t selling day tickets to the venue. Sorry, Bro, that sucks.

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Generation Pill takes some risks with first full-length “Out-pāShənt”

by bill • November 8, 2015

He sings like an angel
She moves like a God
He paints pretty pictures
I feel like a fraud

That’s the beginning of “Soggy Biscuit”, which is just one of the excellent tracks on Out-pāShənt, the first full-length record by Savannah-based Generation Pill (James Lee, Jesse Lee, and Josh Taft). The album was released late last month by Bomb Shelter Records with a show at Hang Fire, but I haven’t been able to catch Generation Pill, who have developed their sound primarily at DIY venues that we really can’t report on here.

With songs ranging from less than two minutes to more than eight minutes, Out-pāShənt takes artistic risks and explores some dark psychological territory, but the overall emotional impact is buoyed by the biting powerful vocals, folk-punkish acoustic guitar, and unexpectedly rich instrumentation.

So the opening verses of a song like “Reform Dance” might seem at first like nothing more than angsty grunge —

I don’t know what this is, I don’t know what I’m doing
I don’t know who this is
I don’t know who I’m screwing over
I am no apprentice, got no scholarly living;
I’m not learning much, I’m not learning much no more

— but give it a listen below. Bet you didn’t expect that sound.

If you want to know more about the genesis of the record, check out this long interview with Lee and Taft by Anna Chandler in Connect Savannah. But the album is so strong and evocative that it stands up just fine on its own.

Generation Pill will be performing at the all-ages Sulfur Studios on 11/9 as one of the openers for Creepoid (one of our favorite bands with Savannah ties). Click here for the event invite. The show was originally scheduled for The Bomb Shelter, but the space is no longer hosting shows.

The Bomb Shelter may no longer exist as a performance space, but Out-pāShənt suggests there’s a future for the Bomb Shelter label.

check out the moody, dark video for “Lost and Confused” from Kylesa’s new album

by bill • November 6, 2015

Well let’s get right to it:

Kylesa has gotten great reviews for their recent album Exhausting Fire — we certainly love it here — and the band is now on an extensive tour. That dark, moody, Skip Terpstra-directed video for “Lost and Confused” lays a narrative line over one of the album’s best songs. The video premiered earlier this week, fittingly, at Bloody Disgusting.

If you’re from Savannah, you’ll recognize some of the performers and locations (including Sweet Melissa’s).

A couple of shots from the recent release show at The Jinx (lots more here):

Between Symmetries releases debut record with Saturday show at Hang Fire

by bill • November 5, 2015

On Saturday night, the young Savannah band Between Symmetries will be at Hang Fire for their record release show. COEDS and Kyle are also on the bill.

The 7-track EP Movetur premiered a couple of weeks ago at CMJ, and Between Symmetries has been featured by the Night Shift with Ryan at 106.1 here in Savannah, and frontman Adam Jenkins has been interviewed by I’m Music Magazine.

I haven’t had a chance to check out Between Symmetries yet, but I really dig some of the heavier and moodier passages on Movetur, which you can stream right here:

Jinx-O-Ween 2015 – Photos

by Peterson Worrell • November 5, 2015

Let’s be completely honest, Halloween has to be the third, maybe second most popular holiday in Savannah, right? Right behind St. Paddy’s Day (obviously) and maybe tied or just sneaking past the Fourth of July.

But among Savannah musicians, the weekend of Halloween takes on another meaning entirely. It’s the time of year where local bands and independent musicians come together and take on the amazingness that is cover band night at The Jinx. And that doesn’t just mean sounding the part (although every band hits their mark for sure). It also means that every band, more or less, looks the part as well. I mean, it is Halloween after all.

There’s a ton that could be said the first evening of Jinx-O-Ween: it’s raucous, it’s loud, it’s hilarious at times (gotta love Jeff Two Names dressing up as the different sides of Bass Player III); but one thing is for sure. It’s always a blast. This year was no different with a line up featuring:

GG Reta and The Scumbags covering GG Allin
Screaming Beaver covering Screeching Weasel
The Boyz covering Thin Lizzy
The Stone Cold Crazies covering Queen
Deadly Harry covering Blondie
Alice in Pain covering Alice in Chains
Fistful of Steel covering Rage Against The Machine
Harty Pard covering Andrew W.K.

Check out a few shots below and hit the link for the full set as always! And a big thanks to photo contributor Caila Brown for grabbing shots of the bands this year!

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