hissing lawns

Thomas Wynn & The Believers at Stopover In The Yard at The Grey – photos

by bill • July 11, 2015

About a year ago, we posted photos of Thomas Wynn & The Believers playing at The Jinx. Today, they performed the second installment of Stopover In The Yard — the new series of shows produced by Savannah Stopover in the large outdoor space at The Grey.

It was a hot day, even by Savannah standards, but there was an excellent crowd who turned out for $21 each — that bargain price includes one drink, a big plate of food off the grill, and a couple hours of music.

Orlando-based Thomas Wynn & The Believers have a big, soul-infused rock sound — they seemed a perfect match for today’s upbeat audience. (Was everyone in a better mood than usual, or just giddy from the heat?) There weren’t any official photographers for the event, so I was happy to help when organizer Kayne Lanahan asked if I would get a few crowd shots in addition to my predictable shots of the band.

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Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, Crazy Bag Lady at Southern Pine Company – even more photos

by Peterson Worrell • July 10, 2015

There’s not much more to say about last week’s show featuring Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, and Crazy Bag Lady that hasn’t been said between Tom’s post and bill’s post so I won’t go too much into it. I will say that this was my second time seeing Fucked Up, and they lived up to every expectation I had. Plus, Damien Abraham may be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever gotten to speak to from a touring act. Enough of my talking though, check out a few shots below and hit the jump for the full set!

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Donavon Frankenreiter at Rooftop Bar at Poseidon – photos + review

by Tom Cartmel • July 10, 2015

I arrived at Hilton Head’s Rooftop Bar at Poseidon just as the sun set over Broad Creek. The beautiful location alone will draw tourists to the new-ish mid-Island club/music venue, but they’ve started to book some pretty interesting acts as well, to strengthen the pull. West Coast surfer/singer Donavon Frankenreiter is the first artist I was able to catch, and I came away impressed with both the venue and the music.

Frankenreiter is often associated with Jack Johnson, as they are friends, have performed and recorded together, and Donavon’s debut record was on Johnson’s Brushfire Records label. It’s also the easiest way to describe Frankenreiter’s sound: similar to Johnson’s, a summer campfire surrounded by surfers with an acoustic guitar or two kind of vibe mixed with a more filled out West Coast mellow electric rock. Make sense? No? Well, then Youtube it.

Though the songs seem breezy and simple at first listen, the three piece was employing some impressive tricks to fill in the tracks live. The rarely seen double neck bass/lead guitar combo was in full effect, with the bass line often played and then looped to back up the impressive solos played on the other half of the instrument. Frankenreiter also controlled a Leslie cabinet with foot pedals to add some “organ” to the mix. Pretty interesting stuff to me.

As for the venue, the outdoor seating overlooks a beautiful, classic, lowcountry creek and a new and tasteful (c’mon, what did you expect, it’s Hilton Head) community park. Inside it definitely had a “club” feel until Frankenreiter took the spacious, elevated, well lit(!!!!), well situated stage and began crafting his laid back tunes. Sound was pretty good, although there was some pretty constant loud crowd noise from the bar area. That tends not to bother me at all, so if I noticed it others may have found it really distracting. Generally, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to catch another show there. Edwin McCain, maybe?

As usual, click through for a full gallery.

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The 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra at Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, Ga. – photos

by JWaits • July 9, 2015

I should start this post off with a full disclaimer that Roger Ruzow, bandleader for The 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, and I have a friendship going back something along the lines of twenty-plus years to when he was a bass player in Boone, N.C. That being said, I’ve always respected his musicianship aside from our friendship, and his projects have never been dull. As I don’t recall the full history of how the 4th AKO came into being, I’ll make sure that in this post there are plenty of links for the public to find their music & info.

I recently saw a Facebook event invite from the band to a performance in Atlanta at Smith’s Olde Bar and thought that it would be a good catalyst to hit the highway and breathe some different air for a few days. Smith’s has been hosting performances for over twenty years and anyone familiar with Atlanta’s music scene has probably taken in a few shows either in the ‘paid event’ upstairs Music Room, or the ‘free show’ Atlanta Room downstairs. On a Wednesday night I wasn’t sure what to expect in attendance, but what the crowd might have lacked in size it certainly made up for in enthusiasm. Having seen the band blow the roof off of Hang Fire Bar in the past, I’ve seen what these cats are able to do when they have the opportunity and the audience is jumping.

I had a chance to chat briefly with Roger after the gig and ask him when he thought Savannah might get another 4th Ward AKO visit. His response in short was ‘set the date, let’s put an eclectic show together, and I’ll rally the guys’. That’s exactly the stuff that some of us older musicians are made of, and it’s great to hear friends keeping the faith in live music and still wanting to give it everything they’ve got.

Here are a couple of photos and a link…more after the jump.

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Little Tybee, Triathalon, and Curbdogs – photos

by bill • July 9, 2015

Little Tybee played two packed shows around Savannah this week. It’s not often that we see full venues early in the week, especially in midsummer, but Tybee Island Social Club on Monday and Hang Fire on Tuesday were both jamming.

From the TISC stage, lead singer Brock Scott noted that the band had never played Tybee Island, which is kind of amazing given Little Tybee’s name and deep regional roots. Brock also talked about how the local geography and culture have influenced the band’s sound, but I wasn’t taking notes and won’t try to recreate the quote.

I got to Tybee Island Social Club early and ate at the bar — it’s one of the best places for a reasonably priced meal in the Savannah area — and watched as the place filled with young and old fans of the band. Great night.

Predictably, it was a younger, rowdier crowd on Tuesday at Hang Fire. I left before Little Tybee’s post-midnight set, but it was great to hear the garage-y energy of Curbdogs for the first time and to hear the increasingly polished Triathalon again. Rachael Perisho joined Triathalon on keys, which filled out the sound in really satisfying ways, and Adam Intrator sure knows how to work a crowd.

I assume we’ll have more info soon about the release date for Triathalon’s second album.

Neither venue is particularly good for photography, but I took some shots at both shows. There are more of Little Tybee after the jump along with Triathalon and Curbdogs.

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NPR streaming Jason Isbell’s new album “Something More Than Free”

by bill • July 9, 2015

OK, it’s just a first listen, as NPR says, but this new Jason Isbell album Something More Than Free is excellent — a stirring followup to Southeastern.

From NPR’s writeup:
Isbell’s formula hasn’t been modified much since his triumphant, Americana Award-winning album Southeastern from 2013. Then again, he’s never been about reinventing a wheel that isn’t broken. Rustic twang, shuffling rhythm, piano, fiddles and lap steel swim in a sepia haze; Isbell’s voice is as supple, hushed, piercing and aching as it’s ever been, wielded with the depth and force of a raging confessional.

The new record won’t be officially released until July 27, but you can preorder anytime. Here’s the stream at NPR — not sure how long this embed will work, btw.

Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, Crazy Bag Lady at Southern Pine Co. – more photos

by bill • July 9, 2015

Tom already posted a review of last week’s MusicFile Productions all-ages show with Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, and Crazy Bag Lady at Southern Pine Co., so I won’t waste much of your time here. It was my first time seeing the intensely creative Canadian band Fucked Up, and I was left wanting more — in part because of the relatively early ending to the night and in part because the band has such an extensive catalog. I was really impressed with the tribal-ly trance dance music of DOOMSQUAD, and Savannah-based Crazy Bag Lady is always on their game, even in the bright light of day.

Here’s one of each band; more after the jump:

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

by Larry Jack Sammons • July 8, 2015

Hey guys,
There are not as many choices this week as on previous weeks, but there are still plenty of quality shows to choose from. There are a few shows that I would really like to point out, like the BJ Barham/Everymen show tonight (Wednesday) at the Jinx. BJ Barham is the frontman for American Aquarium, and if you have never seen Everymen, be prepared for anything. Saturday should be busy, with Thomas Wynn & the Believers at the Grey in the afternoon and the return of the CUSSES to Hang Fire that evening. And Creepoid is playing an album release at Hang Fire on Monday.

Wednesday 7/8
Everymen, BJ Barham – Jinx ($10)

Thursday 7/9
Miggs & KNife, Dinosaur Burps, Jimmy Crow Blue, EveQ, Teddy Knows Best – Wormhole ($3)
Eric Britt – Molly MacPherson’s

Friday 7/10
Bottles & Cans – Mansion On Forsyth (8p)
Outlaw Ritual, Skunk Ruckus – Jinx ($6)
Southern Belles – Congress Street Social Club

Saturday 7/11
Thomas Wynn & The Believers – The Grey (12-3p, $21 includes a drink and food)
Accomplices – Congress Street Social Club
CUSSES (12:10), Bronzed Chorus (11:15), Crazy Bag Lady (10:30), Fiasco (9:45), Generational Pill (9p)- Hang Fire (9p, note the early start time)
Gen Patton and the Heads of State – Molly MacPherson’s
New York Disco Villains, Pussy Launcher – Jinx ($7)

Sunday 7/12
Between Symmetries, Miquel Moure – Foundery Coffee Pub (all ages, 8:30-10:00p)

Monday 7/13
Creepoid Album Release, Crazy Bag Lady – Hang Fire

Thursday 7/16
Bradford Lee Folk & The Bluegrass Playboys – Sentient Bean

Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, Crazy Bag Lady at Southern Pine Company of Georgia – photos + review

by Tom Cartmel • July 8, 2015

First and foremost: screw you “curfew”. While I loved Southern Pine Company‘s huge, unique, outdoor venue that hosted the Fucked Up, DOOMSQUAD, and Crazy Bag Lady show last Wednesday evening, and totally understand respecting neighbors and noise ordinances in order to (hopefully) be able to do more events like this, the reality is that another 20 minutes of music would have been great. That minor bitch aside, the all ages show ran without a hitch, as tends to be the case with MusicFile Productions events.

It was a bit unsettling to see Crazy Bag Lady in the daylight, but once I got over that strangeness, it was a typical CBL show, which is to say pretty great. The band was tight, as always, we got to hear 3 new songs, and frontman Josh Sterno found something to climb, in this case a building. The Retro Futurist outfit impresses every time.

The three members of DOOMSQUAD did double duty over the course of the night, playing a set of dense, electronic, experimental dance and then joining Fucked Up to fill out the parts on the Chinese Zodiac based song “Year of the Rat” and several other tunes from the band’s extensive discography. The band reminded me of a moodier, psychedelic tinged Battles minus live percussion at times.

It was interesting seeing Fucked Up with hundreds of people, as opposed to the thousands I’ve seen them with before. Singer Damian Abraham stayed on the stage for the majority of their set instead of wading into a crowd of fans eager to scream his lyrics back at him, a rarity to be sure. The band was musically taut, even with as many as five guitars fighting for space at times. It’s amazing that nine people fit on stage, much less all contribute to an experimental punk song without it coming unraveled. From memory we heard “Year of the Rat”, “Queen of Hearts”, “The Other Shoe”, “I Hate Summer”, and “David Comes to Life” and several others, drawn mostly from the most recent 3 or 4 albums (I can’t believe I didn’t grab a setlist!!). Abraham joked about the challenges of having children and being in a band named Fucked Up while playing up the fact that they were playing an all ages show. The frontman also graciously stuck around to talk to fans long after the set ended. Did I mention I was bummed the set ended so abruptly? I was.

I got a few pics, click through for more, and we’ll have another gallery or two up in the near future.

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Afropunk announces strong lineup for first Atlanta festival

by bill • July 7, 2015

Afropunk has annual festivals in NYC and Paris, and earlier today announced the lineup for the inaugural Afropunk Fest in Atlanta, which will be held Oct. 3rd and 4th in Central Park (same venue as the recent Shaky Knees).

I don’t know a good number of the acts here, but this looks like an impressive lineup:

AFROPUNK Announces Inaugural Atlanta Festival – ATL Lineup To Include D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Flying Lotus,…

Posted by AFROPUNK on Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Tickets for the 2-day event start at just $79 and go on sale on July 8th. The Afropunk After Dark events have yet to be announced.

setting sail for Forecastle again in 2015 + a photo gallery from 2014

by bill • July 7, 2015

Louisville is cool. And hot. (And it’s generally pronounced Loo-a-vul by locals.)

I grew up in central Kentucky and have always had family in Louisville, but I don’t know quite when the city made the pivot to develop into what it is today. The founding of the acclaimed Actors Theatre of Louisville 50 years ago surely played a role in changing the national image of the sprawling city along the Ohio River, but I guess I’ll leave the speculation to those who know the city better than I do.

In 2014, I attended, photographed, and wrote about Louisville’s Forecastle Festival, which was founded in 2002 by JK McKnight, and I even got a Savannah Morning News column out of the long weekend. From modest beginnings, the festival is now a full three days with four stages in Louisville’s impressive Waterfront Park. I’m thrilled to be heading back to Forecastle again this year. (Maybe I’ll even find the energy and time to walk across the pedestrian bridge to Indiana.)

This year’s Forecastle Festival is headlined by Sam Smith, My Morning Jacket, and Widespread Panic. MMJ should be especially exciting in this hometown show, but I’ll admit that I’m mainly looking forward to a variety of acts slightly farther down the bill — Modest Mouse, Portugal, The Man, Gaslight Anthem, Tweedy, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and on and on.

And a special shoutout to the excellent independent radio station WFPK for the quality of the acts on their Port Stage (one of the best places for spectators in 2014), including Parker Millsap, San Fermin, Speedy Ortiz, The Barr Brothers, Diarrhea Planet, Field Report, and King Tuff. Are you kidding me?

Forecastle isn’t just about the music on the riverfront — there will be the Bourbon Lodge, late night shows, food trucks, an impressive array of printmakers, and plenty of information about the ecology-focused Forecastle Foundation.

Here are some photos that I took last year:

The Port Stage – 3rd largest of the 4 stages

Beck

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listen to Christopher Paul Stelling’s Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music

by bill • July 6, 2015

Christopher Paul Stelling has performed at every year of Savannah Stopover I think, and he’s also in the lineup for Revival Fest 2015, so it goes without saying that the intense and talented singer-songwriter has a big following around these parts.

Stelling’s critically praised Labor Against Waste is now available on Anti Records.

Today, NPR Music released his Tiny Desk Concert (we had embedded the YouTube version in this post, but it has been pulled for some reason, but the link in this sentence takes you to the video at NPR).

Bob Boilen writes in part: “I didn’t expect him to nearly implode behind my desk, as the fierceness of his heartfelt songs was set against deft fingerpicking on his beat-to-hell ’64 Gibson gut-string classical guitar.”

A few photos of Christopher by Jon Waits and me, all previously published here:

Christopher Paul Stelling at Abe’s, Savannah Stopover 2013