hissing lawns

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 7/30/15 – 8/2/15

by Larry Jack Sammons • July 29, 2015

Hey guys,
This looks like another slower week downtown, but you can still find a few good shows every night. I’m looking forward to Thursday’s show ay Hang Fire, the Carpet Coats are becoming one of my favorite new bands around town. Friday has an early evening acoustic show from TRAPT, who have almost 700,000 followers on Facebook, so they must be a big deal. Saturday, I plan to catch the Bossa Nova (!) show at the Sentient Bean before heading to the City Market area to catch a few of Savannah’s favorites bands, the Train Wrecks and Damon & The Shitkickers. And I heard that Wednesday’s show at the Jinx with Weedeater should be excellent. Have fun this weekend and be sure to say “hello” if you see me around this weekend.

Thursday 30th
Matt X (lead singer of the Accomplices) – Molly MacPherson’s
Wasted Wine (Greenville prog rock), Carpet Coats (Sav’h freak-folk lounge rock), Generation Pill (Sav’h grunge-punk) – Hang Fire
Yamadeo (Tallahassee reggae rock) – Barrelhouse South

Friday 31st
Cachabacha (NJ American folk), Norton Lucas – Sentient Bean
TRAPT (alternative rock, 7-10p), Wilder Sons (FL), Lions After Dark – Barrelhouse South
General Patton & the Heads of State (Sav’h rock) – Congress Street Social Club
Waits & Co (Sav’h Americana) – World Of Beer
Sweetgrass (formerly John Wendling band) – Barrelhouse South
Johnny Octane (Sav’h rockabilly) – Jinx
Kota Mundi (Sav’h reggae rock) – Molly MacPherson’s

Saturday 1st
Stopover in the Yard w/ Missionary Blues (Sav’h blues) – The Grey ($21, includes lunch and one drink)
Complicated Animals (indie pop w/ a touch of Bossa Nova) – Sentient Bean
All Night Drug Prowling Wolves (Atl rock), Toxic Shock (Sav’h punk), Wax Tan Body, House of Gunt – Hang Fire
Ben Lewis, Copious Jones – Barrelhouse South
Damon and the Shitkickers (Sav’h outlaw country) – Jinx
Keith & Ross (Pooler alt country emo) – Molly MacPherson’s
Train Wrecks (Sav’h Americana) – Congress Street Social Club

Sunday 2nd
Set To Sail (VA), Kennedy Curse (Sav’h emo) – The Foundery (8p)

Wednesday 5th
Weedeater (Wilmington smoke doom), Kings Destroy (Brooklyn stoner rock) – Jinx ($15)

Kylesa releases first song from album coming out on Oct. 2

by bill • July 29, 2015

Great news yesterday from Kylesa: the new album Exhausting Fire will be released on Oct. 2 on Season of Mist.

Check out “Lost and Confused”, which seems at first like it could be dipping into some sort of dream pop drone, but this is Kylesa, and the heavy stuff takes over fast:

From PopMatters: “14 years and seven albums into their career, Kylesa keep on evolving. Starting out as crust punk, morphing into more of a sludge metal sound, and finally expanding into a psychedelic heavy rock sound they can truly call their own, the Savannah, Georgia band have come into their own ever since the release of the revelatory Static Tensions album in 2009.”

PopMatters also has Kylesa’s updated tour schedule, which includes a date at The Jinx here in Savannah on October 9th. Click here to pre-order the record from Season of Mist.

Kylesa at The Jinx

Bragg Jam 2015 in Macon expands to 20+ venues, 80+ bands – photos

by bill • July 27, 2015

The non-profit Bragg Jam — which was founded in honor of Brax and Tate Bragg as a Macon community event and fundraiser for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail — has grown dramatically in recent years. The 2015 concert crawl on Saturday began at 2 p.m. and ended at 2 a.m. Over those 12 hours, over 80 bands played in 21 venues, most within walking distance in Macon’s historic, somewhat-resurgent, somewhat-dilapidated downtown.

Considering that day passes sell for as little as $20 and considering the incredible diversity in genres and venues, I can’t recommend Bragg Jam highly enough. I’m already looking forward to next year.

The sheer scale of Bragg Jam makes it impossible to see more than a fraction of the bands on the schedule. I approached the day with sort-of-a-plan, but left plenty of room for impulse decisions. Most of my friends did the same, so we had the thrill of making “new to us” discoveries as well as revisiting acts that we already loved.

The Cox Capitol Theatre reached capacity for headliner Moon Taxi — it was 1-out, 1-in for a while — but we had no trouble getting into other venues. One of the best spots for music was new to this year’s schedule: the Revival Fest stage at Fresh Produce Records hosted 9 bands for the festival, but sight lines were tricky when the place filled up for acts like Wreckless Eric and Chief Scout.

Macon embraces a Savannah-like to-go cup policy for Bragg Jam, which makes the day even more civilized and inviting.

Here’s a gallery of about 30 photos by Tom and me that gives a taste of the variety of bands and venues. We’ll have a lot more photos soon either in posts here on the blog or in album on the hissing lawns Facebook page (likes appreciated!). By the way, even though lots of Savannahians made the trek to Macon this year, there weren’t any Savannah bands in the impressive 2015 lineup. Lots more photos after the jump:

Cale Tyson at Gallery West:

Chief Scout at Fresh Produce Records:

Robert Lee Coleman & the Night Owls at Grant’s Lounge:

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Niche record release + Bask at The Jinx – photos

by bill • July 26, 2015

Niche threw a release party for their new record Heading East on the Retro Futurist label on Friday night at The Jinx. The new material is trippier and more psychedelic than the band’s last album, and takes other risks made possible by Niche’s expanded lineup (Justin Dick and Kris Maedke-Russell on guitar, Mike Redmond on bass, Lee Vallier on drums, and Corey Barhorst on organ).

Vinyl for Heading East will be available in November.

Asheville-based Bask opened with a heavy, high-energy set that sprawled across various rock genres. Highly recommended.

The lights at The Jinx were pretty dim on Friday night — it felt right for the music but made it harder to get a few pics. More after the jump:

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see the new video “Time of Grace” from Basik Lee’s upcoming record “Crazy Shit”

by bill • July 26, 2015

I love the way Savannah is used as a backdrop in this new video for “Time of Grace” from Savannah’s Basik Lee, whose new album Crazy Shit will be released on August 11 on the Dope Sandwich Records & Tapes.

Crazy Shit will be released on August 11th on CD and digital download. Basik Lee will be headlining a Dope Sandwich label showcase August 3rd at Hang Fire. Dope Sandwich has been especially busy over the last year or so, releasing strong work from the likes of Miggs Son Daddy, Dope KNife, Bassdrum Bloodlust, and Cult Cyph.

Diarrhea Planet (aka Guitar Center) at Forecastle Festival 2015 – photos

by bill • July 24, 2015

I’ve posted a lot about last weekend’s Forecastle Festival in Louisville, but this is the last separate gallery I’m editing. The rest of the photos will soon be in an album on the hissing lawns Facebook page.

Diarrhea Planet‘s performance at The Jinx was one of the highlights of Savannah Stopover 2015 (click here for our pics), and the Sunday afternoon Forecastle show on the WFPK stage proved that the band is just as thrilling outside under blazing sunlight as they are after midnight in a crowded bar. Well, almost.

Luckily, all of us here in Savannah will have another chance to experience the four-guitar (the band made the “Guitar Center” joke as they opened their Forecastle set) Diarrhea Planet spectacle. The Nashville-based band will be back at The Jinx on Sept. 17.

With such driving music, with so much happening on stage, and with such expressive faces, Diarrhea Planet is absurdly fun and easy to photograph. Click on through for more.

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Noah Gunderson at Forecastle Festival – photos

by bill • July 24, 2015

Noah Gunderson is based in Seattle and obviously has a big following somewhere. He’s got over 50,000 likes on Facebook, but not a single one of those people is among my 3,400+ friends, a group that includes plenty of musicians, promoters, and music journalists (largely based in the Southeast).

Gunderson and company played a compelling set early on Sunday afternoon at Forecastle Festival in Louisville last weekend. I loved the unironic emotion of the music and the way the folkier sounds quickly descended into something heavy, even dark. You get all of that on this recent video:

I’m looking forward to checking out Noah Gunderson’s new album, which is due out on 8/21. Gunderson is one of the few musicians that I photographed last weekend who can actually rock the dark sunglasses, but the pics would have been even better if he had taken them off. More after the jump.

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Niche releases “Heading East” on Friday night at The Jinx

by bill • July 24, 2015

If you live anywhere near Savannah and love rock and roll, you should think about getting yourself to The Jinx tonight (Friday, 7/24) for Niche‘s release of Heading East on the Retro Futurist label.

Check out the event details. $10 cover gets you a CD. Bask will open.

From Bradley Mullis in Do Savannah:

The group coins their sound as “’70s-influenced rock with Southern and psychedelic tendencies.” Instead of copying traditional rock ‘n’ roll elements, Niche puts them all together for their interpretation of rock, delivering groovy riffs at a steady pace with weary but upbeat melodies.

From Anna Chandler’s interview with Justin Dick in Connect Savannah:

Niche’s Retro Futurist debut, Heading East, is a tidal epic, sending listeners roaming across expanses of hot, hard-beaten earth and soaring them skyward in airy, psychedelic swirls. Sprawling out of the dynamic dueling guitars of Dick and Niche’s newest member Kris Maedke-Russell, their huge, ‘70s-steeped sound is awakened by Corey Barhorst’s organ, Mike Redmond’s full-throttle bass, and the incredible chops of drummer Lee Vallier.

So, you should go. Here are a few shots of a previous Niche show at The Jinx.

The Revivalists at Forecastle Festival 2015 – photos

by bill • July 23, 2015

I had heard enough of The Revivalists from New Orleans to know that I wanted to see the 7-piece soul/rock band at Forecastle Festival last weekend, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer energy of the afternoon set.

This video for “Keep Going” off the brand new album Men Amongst Mountains captures the band’s rich sound, but the live show is about 100 times wilder. I’m looking forward to checking out the new record soon.

More photos after the jump:

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Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds at Forecastle 2015 – photos

by bill • July 23, 2015

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds is a big soul and funk band from Brooklyn, but as I watched them on the WFPK Port Stage last week at Forecastle Festival in Louisville, I assumed they were based in the deep South. Big sound, great energy — another band that I hope to see here in Savannah one day. Here’s their Audiotree session filmed the week before Forecastle:

Hit the jump for lots more pics:

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Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 7/23/15 – 7/28/15

by Larry Jack Sammons • July 23, 2015

Hey guys,
This looks like another busy week around town. here are several good shows on most nights. Thursday has an early show from two fine bands, COEDS & Carpet Coats at Civvies Grand Opening. Friday brings several good shows stretching from River Street to the Wormhole. You can catch many of Savannah best bands in one night. I also plan to make it by the Barrelhouse to catch the 9-piece funk band playing that night. I expect that my favorite day of this week will be Saturday, at Macon’s Bragg Jam. It is basically a Savannah Stopover-type event in downtown Macon. I consider it my Christmas present in July. There is a bus that will carry a contingent of Savannah music fans to the Festival. I heard there are a few tickets ($55?) left. If you are interested, you can find info on Facebook or give me a holler. As far as I am it concerned, it is a great deal. And the weekend doesn’t have to end on Sunday, there are some shows on Monday and Tuesday for those that didn’t get enough music on the weekend.

Thursday 23rd
COEDS (Sav’h rawk), Carpet Coats (Sav’h freak-folk) – Civies Grand Opening, 14 W. Broughton (6-10p)
Matt X (Sav’h rock from Accomplices frontman) – Molly MacPherson’s
Eric Culberson Band (Sav’h blues) – Bayou Cafe
Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue w/ Toxic Shock (Sav’h punk) & The Savannah Sweet Tease – Jinx
Piano (Statesboro blues rock), Little Bird – Barrelhouse South

Friday 24th
Hypnotics (6-9p), Accomplices (9:30-12mn) – Rail Pub
Niche CD Release (Sav’h rock), Bask (Ashville rock) – Jinx ($10, free CD)
American Hologram (Sav’h Americana) – Jazz’d
City Hotel (Sav’h bluegrass) – Molly MacPherson’s
Five of the Eyes (Portland prog-metal), Star Period Star (Sav’h progressive) – Wormhole
Whitley Deputy & the B-Town Project (soul, R&B) – Wild Wing Cafe
The Mustard, Holy Miss Moley (FL 9-piece funk/R&B/rock) – Barrelhouse South
Futurebirds – Service Brewery Anniversary ($45, includes beer & food)

Saturday 25th
Bragg Jam – Macon, GA
Craig Waters & The Flood (Athens rock) – Congress Street Social Club
Groovetown Assault (Hilton Head rock-funk) – Wild Wing Cafe
Rottenblush, BigBigXtraFace – Wormhole
Velvet Caravan (Sav’h gypsy-jazz) – Jazz’d
Rachael Shaner, Marvelous Funkshun (NC funk, blues, soul) – Barrelhouse South
The Savannah Sweet Tease Revue present SPF15 w/ Shehehe – Jinx

Monday 27th
Downtown Boys (Providence,RI punk), COEDS (Sav’h rawk), Trophy Wives (Sav’h punk girls), Forced Entry (Sav’h punk), Toxic Shock (Sav’h punk) – Sulfur Studios ($6, 8p)

Tuesday 28th
Ben Keiser Band (Sav’h blues-rock) – Bay St Blues
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Isaac Smith Band (Sav’h rock) – Jazz’d
Clouds and Satellites (Sav’h Americana) – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)

check out this arrangement of “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” from the Savannah Music Festival’s Stringband Spectacular

by bill • July 22, 2015

Every year regular attendees rave about the Savannah Music Festival‘s Stringband Spectacular — it’s a culmination of the festival’s Acoustic Music Seminar — but the show still hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. The problems might be that the performers are all really young and aren’t big names (yet), that the show happens on the busy final weekend of the festival, and that educational initiatives like the AMS can sound, well, boring.

But there is nothing dull about the AMS’ official description: “Sixteen of the world’s most talented young string players, all under the age of 22, travel to Savannah for a week of hands-on instruction in playing, songwriting, and ensemble work during this groundbreaking mentorship program, led by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Mike Marshall.”

So here’s Josh Turner — who runs an incredibly popular YouTube channel and seems to be able to play any kind of music that he wants — leading other AMS attendees in Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” on the Lucas Theatre stage.

The entire performance is like this — with individual students leading ensemble performances with other amazingly talented students. It moves at a really quick pace too, since all the AMS musicians stay on stage throughout the show.

While he was in town, Turner also filmed this original composition “Mona” by banjo player Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose:

If you’re an SMF supporter or just love great acoustic music, you might want to check out the 2016 Stringband Spectacular, if you’re anywhere near Savannah.