hissing lawns

Carpet Coats, Lovely Locks, and Curbdogs at Hang Fire – photos

by bill • September 6, 2015

Here’s what you need to know about the current status of Hang Fire:

August 29th was to have been Hang Fire’s last day open to the public at 37 Whitaker Street, with 11 acts originally booked for the mega-Saturday.
Hang Fire’s lease was expiring, and it had been decided months ago that it would not be renewed because of longstanding legal wrangling over sound disputes with the owner of the condo upstairs.
Co-owner Heather Flagle issued a statement on the 8/31 confirming that Hang Fire could remain in its current location until the end of 2015.
Hang Fire appears set to move in early 2016 to the same general neighborhood, but no address has been confirmed.
So Hang Fire is open at 37 Whitaker Street through the end of 2015, and there’s little doubt that the club will schedule some great acts over the next four months.

Since many thought that 8/29 was Hang Fire’s last day in its current location, and since no new location had been announced, fans of the quirky bar turned out in large numbers for the “final” day and night. I especially liked the fact that the music started early — I’ve never understood why more Savannah clubs don’t book bands for weekend happy hours.

I hoped to see local legends Superhorse cap the early set of shows on 8/29, but the place was just too crowded. I wandered back by a couple of times later, but there was a long line for the rest of the night.

But I sure enjoyed the first three bands that played on that long Saturday: Carpet Coats, Lovely Locks, and Curbdogs.

Carpet Coats’ melodic indie rock samples a variety of styles — from rockabilly to garage — and the band wrapped their set with “Yellow Submarine”. Lovely Locks hadn’t played a show in many months, and I don’t think they’ve ever sounded better to me than they did at this show. Curbdogs’ loose and spontaneous psych/garage rock seems a perfect fit for Hang Fire’s vibe.

It’s really hard to get decent photos at Hang Fire — the stage is backlit during the day and way too dark at night — but I was able to tease some ok images out. Btw, we should have a couple of more posts soon with photos from Hang Fire shows in August.

Click on through for more:

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Whores., Dropout, and The Toxic Shock at The Jinx – more photos

by bill • September 5, 2015

Tom already posted a review + great photos of last week’s excellent show at The Jinx with Whores., Dropout, and The Toxic Shock. Here are some more pics — I opted not to switch to flash for Dropout, so I couldn’t really get more than a couple decent shots of them. The others are ok though, especially since the crazy movies were playing.

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Wet Socks, Crazy Bag Lady and Breakers bring music back to Dollhouse

by bill • September 5, 2015

Dollhouse Productions proved again on Thursday night that it can be a great space for live music.

Located in an industrial part of West Savannah, Dollhouse feels remote from downtown Savannah’s entertainment district, but it’s only 1.5 miles from City Market.

A slight expansion of Dollhouse’s recording studio has actually improved the performance space since the last time I was there — the new angled wall tightens up the stage area just enough.

Crazy Bag Lady kicked things off with one of their signature blistering sets, with front man Josh Sterno doing some contortions I’d never seen. For those of us who see the band a lot, it’s easy to get complacent about how good Crazy Bag Lady is. Seeing them at Dollhouse was a great reminder of the pace, power, and presence.

Breakers was playing their second public gig, but the four members all have plenty of experience. Lead singer Samford Justice was with Ritvals in Athens, guitarist Corey Hines also performs solo and with Black Water Choir, bassist Lucas Carpenter’s projects include Saint Corsair, and drummer Carson Sanders was once with Sauna Heat.

I was really impressed with Breakers’ compelling, well-constructed songs that evoked for me memories of various new wave acts. Really good.

Wet Socks set up fast and killed it, as usual. They seemed right at home on the Dollhouse stage — better lit and bigger than Hang Fire, closer to the crowd than The Jinx — and they ripped through songs like “Library Card” with energy and precision. This was one of Wet Socks’ last gigs of 2015 — they’re now on a lengthy U.S. tour, and then lead singer/guitarist Hunter will be headed out on tour with Triathalon.

There was a solid turnout — especially considering it was a Thursday night in a space that many people still don’t know — and the sound was really strong. Dollhouse was doing both audio and video recording of the entire show, so I hope we’ll have something to post in a few weeks. I liked the lighting, even if there could have been a little more on the edges.

Thursday’s show was also the launch of the latest edition of The Clambake zine.

I took a lot of photos, and I hope we might have some more pics to post later — my friend Bill Foster, an amazing Knoxville-based photographer, took some shots too.

Lots more photos after the jump:

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West End Motel plays The Jinx on Friday, 9/4

by bill • September 2, 2015

West End Motel includes members of Mastodon, All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, The Rent Boys, Fiend Without a Face, and Anchor Bends, and the band’s sound is every bit as unpredictable as you’d expect — and a lot more country than you’d expect.

Check it out:
<a href="http://westendmotel.bandcamp.com/album/dont-shiver">Don't Shiver… by West End Motel</a>

West End Motel will headline The Jinx on Friday, 9/4 ($10). Click here for the event invite, here for the piece in Do Savannah, and here for the Connect Savannah coverage. James Leg and A.M. Rodriguez will open.

More music:

Here’s West End Motel’s Brent Hinds with Mastodon at Shaky Knees Festival earlier this year:

Jam Room Festival returns to Columbia, S.C. on 10/3 with Blonde Redhead + 11 more acts

by Tom Cartmel • September 2, 2015

There’s a couple things that immediately stand out about Columbia, SC’s excellent Jam Room Festival: Most noteworthy is the fact that it is FREE. Read that again…..FREE. Secondly, the organizers have excellent taste, and have landed a superb roster of acts for their October 3 music party.

Headlining is sublime alt pop icons Blonde Redhead, in what is currently their only scheduled performance east of the Mississippi. Also notable on the bill is country rock ensemble Hiss Golden Messenger, who treated Savannah audiences to an excellent performance during the most recent Savannah Stopover. Consistently stellar alt country/punk Cory Branan is another welcome addition to the day. 9 more regional and local acts fill out the schedule of what looks to be a really interesting day of music: Junior Astronomers, Patois Counselors, Grace Joyner, The Distributors, Colorblind, Reverend Matthew Mickens and the New Highway Travelers, Debbie and The Skanks, She Returns from War, and Stefanie Santana

I attended the 2014 edition of the Jam Room Festival and was more than pleased that I did. I found the vibe to be very relaxed and friendly, parking crazy easy (and also free), the lineup excellent (Superchunk and Southern Culture on the Skids were standouts), the crowds easy to navigate, and the organization of the fest efficient. Two blocks of South Carolina’s capital city are closed for the festivities, centered on the intersection of Hampton and Main. It’s an easy drive to Columbia, and with the bands finishing up around 10 p.m. you could easily be home well before you would on a typical weekend night in Savannah.

Did I mention it’s FREE?

check out the Revival Fest detailed schedule, vendor list, more info for 9/12 at the Georgia State Railroad Museum

by bill • September 1, 2015

MusicFile Productions released the Revival Fest schedule earlier today.

Let’s put it simply: September 12th promises to be one of the best days for live music in Savannah in 2015.

Revival Fest takes place on two stages, which are sponsored this year by Do Savannah and GPB Savannah, inside and outside the old railway paint shops on the western edge of the Georgia State Railroad Museum (aka, The Roundhouse). Capital A Productions will be handling sound, lighting, and staging again this year.

Revival Fest is the only festival gig that Fruit Bats is scheduled to play since the group recently reformed. Southern Culture on the Skids played a raucous and wild show to kick off the 2015 Savannah Stopover, which is also produced by MusicFile, and there’s every reason to expect another exciting set. Those Darlins has embraced a kind of alt-country that feel both intensely “alt” and solidly “country” — no mean feat. Parker Millsap might be the best folk and blues performer that you’ve never heard of.

Missionary Blues and The Grand Gestures are both excellent local choices for the lineup.

And on and on.

The Revival Fest gates open at noon with a performance by the Savannah-based Sweet Thunder Strolling Band, which, like the last two years, will be performing throughout the day between stage sets.

General admission tickets are $45. VIP tickets are $95. Click here to buy tix. (I thought the VIP ticket was a good value last year, and I bought one again this year.) From today’s press release: “Children 10 and under are free. Tickets can also be purchased on site the day of the festival, as available. A portion of proceeds benefit the Coastal Heritage Society and Tricentennial Parks which operates The Railroad Museum.”

The Revival Fest Marketplace, which is sponsored by Creative Approach, will include a variety of vendors, including Barnes XPress Mobile Kitchen, Leopold’s Ice Cream, 13 Bricks Clothing, Art Rise Savannah, WellFED Savannah, Kleo’s Handcrafted Soaps, Batey Rehab Project Inc, Duende Ecofriendly Leather, Deep Earth, and Mamie Ruth | M.Liz Studios and Boutique.

Click here to see the featured beers and liquors.

On Friday, Sept. 11th, from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be a Revival Fest kickoff: Bourbon & Brass On Broughton, which will be hosted by the Savannah Downtown Business Association and Stooges Brass Band from New Orleans.

Whores., Dropout and The Toxic Shock at The Jinx – photos

by Tom Cartmel • August 31, 2015

Meanwhile, around the corner at The Jinx Saturday night, earplugs were being melted by a great lineup of ATL’s Whores. and Dropout, with local support by The Toxic Shock.

I believe it was The Toxic Shock‘s first Jinx show, and the three piece is coming along nicely, with some catchy riffs and short, energetic, punk blasts.

Dropout has played The Jinx before, but I certainly had never seen them. Dealing in pure volume and lock tight riffs, this was hardcore, metal or punk, take your pick. Vocalist Stenvik Mostrom chose to perform at floor level, which led to some great crowd interactions. Gnarly, gnarly, vocals a la Negative Approach/Laughing Hyenas’ John Brannon. Heavy duty.

Speaking of heavy duty, Whores. is leading the charge in the current noise rock resurgence. Huge, hooky, riffs, played at maximum volume by an uncompromisingly tight trio. It’s no surprise that they are gaining national attention and are about to embark on a substantial U.S. tour supporting the mighty Red Fang. If you like your music ugly and punishing (but, you know, in a good way), I highly recommend checking out both of their e.p.’s, Ruiner and Clean, they’re never far from my turntable.

Whores.

Dropout

The Toxic Shock

Click through for more photos (btw, bill might post even more pics later this week):

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Wet Socks announces extensive fall tour — from coast to coast

by bill • August 31, 2015

We love Wet Socks around here, and I’m sure several contributors to this blog will be at Dollhouse Productions on Thursday, 9/3, as the garage rock duo starts their extensive fall tour in a show with Crazy Bag Lady and Breakers. (Really good to see Dollhouse booking bands again, btw.)

Here’s Wet Socks’ tour as it currently stands. As they get to the West Coast, there are smatterings of open dates, so if you know of clubs, bands, potential fans, etc., in any of those cities, get in touch with Wet Socks via their Facebook page.

HEY PEOPLE OF THE USA!This is our tour schedule! As you can see we do still have a few missing dates (TBA's) so if you…

Posted by Wet Socks on Monday, August 31, 2015

You can purchase Wet Socks’ debut album Drips through Retro Futurist Records on vinyl, CD, and download.

<a href="http://retrofuturist.bandcamp.com/album/wet-socks-drips">Wet Socks: Drips by Wet Socks</a>

Hang Fire’s lease extended till end of 2015

by bill • August 31, 2015

There were rumors on Saturday that Hang Fire’s “last hurrah” might turn out to be premature, and, sure enough, it has been confirmed today by both Do Savannah and Connect Savannah that the club’s lease has been extended through the end of 2015.

Both publications quote a statement by co-owner Heather Flagle, who suggests that things are moving forward on securing a new downtown space that should be ready soon after Hang Fire leaves Whitaker Street.

37 Whitaker Street is still listed on LoopNet for $33.99 SF/YR, which works out to $4,000 per month for 1,412 square feet. It has turned out to be a great location for a small bar that depends heavily on local and repeat business, but that’s a lot of money for a retail shop on a relatively unpleasant street like Whitaker.

Hang Fire will now face a little challenge getting the word out that they’re still open for a while, and another challenge letting touring bands know that the club remains an option for four more months.

So: great news that Hang Fire will be open in its current location a while longer, but even better news that a new space is in the works.

this is it: Hang Fire’s “last hurrah”

by bill • August 29, 2015

Well today — August 29th — will be your last chance to enjoy the quirky, cozy confines of Hang Fire here in Savannah. The lease is expiring and is not being renewed because of longstanding complaints about noise from owners of condos upstairs. As I understand it, there has been some sort of bar at 37 Whitaker Street since the 19th century, and Hang Fire was open well before anyone tried to move in upstairs.

Wes Daniel and Heather Flagle have both expressed optimism about finding a new space — maybe even two spaces — but nothing has been announced yet.

Anna Chandler (who was a contributor to this blog before become an editor at Connect Savannah) wrote a great piece this week:

“I think we’ve given them a place to start out,” Daniel says. “And there are so many bands now…I remember at the time we opened, there was Kylesa, Black Tusk, Superhorse…it was sparse. The Americana thing hadn’t happened. Then gradually, over the last two, three years, there are so many bands, and so many really, really good bands.”

“I remember back in the day, people would say how much the music scene in Savannah sucked,” Flagle chimes in.

“When I hear that now, I say, ‘you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” says Daniel.

Bradley Mullis wrote about today’s huge 11-act closing day in Do Savannah:

“There are so many great memories,” said Crazy Bag Lady frontman Josh Sterno, as he made a fist, pounding his chest with a flexed arm. “But my fondest is Crazy Bag Lady’s record release.”

He went on to say, “I grew as an artist, a musician and a person there. Wes and Heather gave me the platform and freedom to do whatever I wanted (as a promoter and a performer) … To me, 37 Whitaker St. will always be Hang Fire, and nothing else.”

In my City Talk column on Tuesday, I recalled my interview with Wes in 2006:

“We’re really about the locals,” Daniel said when I asked about opening in the summer when so many college students were out of town and when tourism was waning.

“The mere mention of ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ makes our stomachs turn,” he added.

So here’s the crazy lineup for today. Superhorse was the first band to played at Hang Fire’s opening, but the bar didn’t become a major music venue until around 2011 when the small stage at the front was added for the inaugural Savannah Stopover.

Hope to see a lot of you tonight. I could go on and on about good times at Hang Fire over the last nine years, but right now I’m just thinking about today.

new Baroness album “Purple” dropping on Dec. 18

by bill • August 28, 2015

Having grown out of the deep roots of heavy music in Savannah, Baroness remains very much identified with the city’s scene even though they haven’t played a gig here for several years. (I’m not really sure about the last date, but was the last Savannah show all the way back at the grand opening of Civvies in 2010? Anyone?)

Anyway, Baroness’ new album Purple will be released on Dec. 18. Here’s an embed from the band’s Facebook page that includes the stunning new video for the lush, dense, and intense “Chlorine & Wine”.

Our new album ‘Purple’ (out December 18) is done. We spent our time writing and refocusing our sound; we developed a…

Posted by Baroness on Friday, August 28, 2015

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 8/27/15 – 9/3/15

by Larry Jack Sammons • August 27, 2015

Hey guys,
This week is kinda strange. There is lots of good music, actually an above average week. The problem with this week is that Hang Fire will be closing its doors Saturday. I am expecting that they will be reopening soon, but it is still the end of the current Hang Fire. I have to say, they know how to close it down though. be sure to stop by sometime, there will be music there starting at 5pm. And some of my favorite acts are playing early (of course, some favorites later too). I would also like to point out that this will be last week to grab a Scorpion Tea. The best $5 you can spend. I am looking forward to the new location, Hang Fire.

I also wanted to mention two traveling bands that I am looking forward to this week. Funk You is a funk band from Augusta that is good to see if you feel like dancing, they are playing Friday night at Barrelhouse. Hymn For Her is a two piece husband-wife duo. They play punky-country-grungy-rocky stuff. And live in a 1961 Airstream. They will be playing at Sentient Bean on Tuesday. Go see them, you won’t regret it.

Thursday 27th
Blackfoot Gypsies (Nashville blues rock) – Molly MacPherson’s
AM Rodriguez, Lochness Mobsters, The Gun Hoes (Miami surf-garage) – Jinx ($8)
Les Racquet (Sav’h/ Brooklyn rock) – Barrelhouse South

Friday 28th
American Hologram (Sav’h Americana goth pop) – Jazz’d
Funk You (Augusta funk rock), Piano (Statesboro blues-rock) – Barrelhouse South
Magic Rocks (Sav’h classic rock) – Molly MacPherson’s
Withered (Atlanta doom metal), Order Of The Owl (Atlanta stoner-doom) – Jinx

Saturday 29th
Hang Fire Hasta La Vista – Curbdogs, Carpet Coats, Lovely Locks, Superhorse, Red Sea, Blonde Mom, Triathalon, Crazy Bag Lady, White Treasure, House of Gunt, Wax Tan Body (formerly Cheedoh Du$t)
Ben Lewis, Orange Constant, Universal Sigh – Barrelhouse South
Great Barrier Reefs – Congress Street Social Club
Hypnotics – Molly MacPherson’s
Whores, Dropout, Toxic Shock – Jinx