Local garage/psych/surf rockers Reverend Bro Diddley & The Hips opened for Athens’ indie heroes Furturebirds. Photos below.
Victory North. Dec 27, 2019.
Futurebirds w/ Reverend Bro Diddley and The Hips – Photos
Rod Hamdallah + Mary Kenyon – Photos
Atlanta’s Rod Hamdallah and local Mary Kenyon shared the stage at El-Rocko. Click on through for more photos.
Jan 9, 2020. El-Rocko Lounge.
Two Tides Metal Fest – Photos
Two Tides, five bands, one hell of a day.
Two Tides Brewing. Nov. 29th, 2019.
Click on through for more photos.
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 1/23/2020 – 1/29/2020
Thursday 1/23
Gypsy Jazz – Rancho Allegre (7-9p)
Anders Thomsen & Alex Bazemore – Jazz’d (7p)
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Warehouse (8p)
Tantric, Smile Empty Soul – Wormhole (8p, $15)
Hitman – Bay Street Blues
Jacob Evans, Jordan Esker & The 100% – El Rocko
Eric Culberson Band – Bayou Cafe
Friday 1/24
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
Evenpete – B&D Burgers (7p)
Gary Swindell Jr. – Victory North (7:30p)
Kyle Yardley – Warehouse (8p)
Stee & The Ear Candy Band – Jazz’d (9p)
Swim In The Wild, The Woofs – Barrelhouse South
Xulu Prophet, The Sum Buddy’s – El Rocko
Never Not Goth Night – Jinx
Cranford Hollow – Congress Street Social Club
JD Music Group – Wild Wing Cafe (11p)
Saturday 1/25
Draucker – Wild Wing Cafe (4p)
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Citizen Cope – Victory North (8p, $32)
Bottles & Cans – Jazz’d (9p)
Curly’s, Big Spill – Portal (9p)
Charlie Fog Band – El Rocko
Willie Jackson & The Tybee Blues Band – Jinx
Hitman – Molly MacPherson’s
87 Nights – Barrelhouse South
Voodoo Soup – Wild Wing Cafe (11p)
Sunday 1/26
Ember City- Wild Wing Cafe (5p)
Voodoo Soup – Starland Yard (5p)
Jon Lee Murphy Duo – Jazz’d (7p)
Whiskey & Wine – Prohibition (8p)
Cavs – Marilyn Mansion (8p)
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 1/27
CC Witt – Wild Wing Cafe
Overdose, Vacant Flesh, Big Spill – Sentient Bean (8p)
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 1/28
Clouds & Satellites – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)
Jason Bible – Jazz’d (7p)
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Wednesday 1/29
Stan Ray – Jazz’d (7p)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Ben Keiser Band – Boomy’s
HED PE, Magg Dylan, Higher Ground, Lilakk – Wormhole ($15)
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 1/16/20 – 1/22/20
Thursday 1/16
Charlie Fog Acoustic – Fiddler’s River Street (6p)
Whiskey & Wine – Jazz’d (7p)
Gypsy Jazz – Rancho Allegre (7-9p)
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Warehouse (8p)
Jezebel Heart Duo – Congress Street 220 (9p)
Hitman – Bay Street Blues
Eric Culberson Band – Bayou Cafe
Individually Twisted – Barrelhouse South
Slark Moan, Perpetual Care – El Rocko
Friday 1/17
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – B&D Burgers (7p)
Mandrakes – Jazz’d (9p)
Lakin Love – Peacock Lounge (9p)
Magnolia Moon, Pan, Bastardane – El Rocko
Backyard Loveseat, Al Gore Rhythms – Barrelhouse South
Mr. Wait, Knightsquatch, Forest Evil – Jinx
JD Music Group – Congress Street Social Club
Saturday 1/18
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Electric Avenue: The 80s MTV Experience – Victory North (8p)
Eric Culberson – Warehouse (8p)
Tonic Blue – Jazz’d (9p)
Brian Bazemore – Molly MacPherson’s
Joint Operation – Barrelhouse South
Boa, Parker McDonald – El Rocko
Magic Rocks – Wild Wing (11p)
Sunday 1/19
Dark Thoughts, Big Spill, Jeff 2-Names, Valley Gals – Marilyn Mansion (8p)
Bucky & Barry, Individually Twisted (6p) – Wild Wing
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 1/20
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 1/21
Cory Chambers – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
Wednesday 1/22
Ray Lundy – Jazz’d (7p)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Ben Keiser Band – Boomy’s
Southern Culture On The Skids – Jinx
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 1/10/20 – 1/15/20
Friday 1/10
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
Ember City – Rail Pub (6-10p)
The Nathan Montalvo Band, Guja and the Appetite, Josh Taft, Kayaki Howle – Sentient Bean (6p)
Evenpete – B&D Burgers (7p)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Willie Jackson Blues Band – Jazz’d (9p)
Hitman – Wormhole
Medicated Sunfish – Barrelhouse South
Bero Bero, 2 Slices, Dope KNife – Jinx ($5)
Midnight Revel – Congress Street Social Club
Saturday 1/11
Ben Keiser – Ghost Coast Distillery (4-6p)
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Abhorrent Deformity, Knightsquatch, Vacant Flesh, Torn Soul – Sentient Bean (7:30p)
Jon Lee & The Apparitions – Warehouse (8p)
Rehab, The Wild & Free – Victory North (9p)
Magic Rocks – Jazz’d (9p)
As of Today – Molly MacPherson’s
The Pink Stones, Georgia Dish Boys, Dustin Price – Jinx ($5)
Wood & Steel, Play The Game – Barrelhouse South
Timothy Eerie, Early Branch – El Rocko
Sunday 1/12
Wood & Steel – Starland Yard (5p)
Eric Britt – Jazz’d (7p)
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 1/13
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 1/14
Mandi Strachota – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)
Sarah Poole – Jazz’d (7p)
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
Wednesday 1/15
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Ben Keiser Band – Boomy’s
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – Year End Blog
Hey everybody,
Time for another of those year-end posts. Hopefully mine won’t be too boring. As those of you who knows me, it’s basically just a few statistics on the bands I see because I’m OCD and keep up with that crap, but some people may find them interesting too.
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m that old dude that you see at EVERY show you go to. I’m usually having a good time, feel free to come up and introduce yourself. You can even buy me a Budweiser, if you want.
So, this is the first year I’ve purposely seen as many bands as I could. For the record, I count a band if I saw one whole song from them. I wanted to see if my 58 year old self could beat my previously unbeatable record of 749 bands seen in one year (which I set in 2014 at the young age of 53). And I did it so I can say “screw you, you lazy SOB” when my 30-something year old friends whine that can’t go out because they’re tired (you guys know who I am talking to, JP, TC, and BG).
I actually got to beat the record and saw a total of 777 bands this year. Not too shabby for an old dude. And an easy number to remember. This is the breakdown:
Venues for 2019:
El Rocko – 153
Jinx – 143
Barrelhouse South – 83
The Warehouse – 37
City Market Courtyard – 32
Jazz’d – 30
Bayou Café – 25
Congress Street Social Club – 24
Rail Pub – 22
Molly MacPherson’s Pub – 18
Since beginning this blog, my most popular venue has always been The Jinx, by far. For the first time, the champion has been dethroned. I saw the most bands this year at El Rocko. That’s the first time Jinx didn’t win since 2010, so congratulations to Wes and Kyle at El Rocko for a nice job of bringing in interesting acts all year.
Bands for 2019:
Jubal Kane – 17
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – 16
Damon & The Shitkickers – 14
Train Wrecks – 12
Bottles & Cans – 12
Eric Culberson Band – 11
Individually Twisted – 11
Ben Keiser Band – 11
Jason Bible – 10
Hitman – 10
The race for the most bands seen is always pretty tight (I never check until the end of the year so I can’t influence the winner). This year, Jubal Kane was my most seen band. They play every Wednesday at Warehouse at 8pm. They play juke-box blues. You will surely enjoy Ace Anderson’s harmonica stylings and Anders Thomsen’s ferocious guitar playing.
Second band was Jon Lee’s Apparitions. You will find them playing at a variety of places around town, mostly at the Warehouse, Rail Pub, and Bayou Café. He has one of the sweetest voices in town and is a damn fine guitar player too.
My third most-seen band was Damon & The Shitkickers, a Savannah institution. They play every Saturday at 6pm at the Jinx, you can’t get more convenient than that. You won’t find a better dose of outlaw country in this town.
Fourth most seen band was a tie between two of my favorite bands, the Train Wrecks and Bottles & Cans. They are both on this list every year and are two of my all-time favorite bands. You can find either of them playing anywhere there is music in town. If you haven’t seen at least one of them yet, you are probably not reading this blog anyway. If you are reading this blog and haven’t seen them, make one (or both) of them the next band you see.
The next bands were all bunched up, all being seen eleven times this year. Eric Culberson Band, Ben Keiser Band, and Individually Twisted can be seen playing at most venues in town, from the Barrelhouse South to the Warehouse. They are all guitar-based bands and you will be amazed at their ability. Culberson plays electric blues, Keiser plays blues and rock, and Individually Twisted plays rock covers.
Wrapping up my top ten most-seen is Jason Bible and Hitman. Jason Bible is frontman for the Train Wrecks and I would recommend trying to catch him as a solo artist, as well as the band. His solo shows downtown are usually at the Warehouse, Jazz’ed, or Foxy Loxy Cafe. Hitman is another well-loved Savannah institution that plays regularly at the Warehouse, Bayou Café, and Molly MacPherson’s Pub. He plays electric guitar blues and you will not be disappointed when you see him play. Looking over my list, I notice that I do tend to list bands that have been playing around this area for quite a while. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking we do not have a bevy of newer bands playing downtown, most just don’t make my list due to the fact there is more opportunity to see these older bands, as they play more frequently. There are a multitude of good bands around town that are just out of my top ten. All of these bands were seen by me more than five times each this year: Jezebel Heart (duo & band), Draucker, Ember City, Rev Bro Diddley (solo & bands), Forest Evil, Dustin Price, Basically Nancy, Anders Thomsen Trio, City Hotel, Danielle Hicks, JD Music Group, Valley Gals, The Mercers, Bero Bero, and Clouds & Satellites. I am sure many of those bands are less familiar to you and I would recommend trying to catch almost any of them this year if you get a chance. I am betting all of them will show up on my blog multiple times this year. And probably a couple in next years Year-End List.
Happy New Year’s everyone !!!
I hope to see you many times this year.
Murder By Death kicks off 20th anniversary tour at The Jinx – photos
It was a night of loyalties.
Early in Murder By Death‘s killer set on Friday night, Adam Turla said that the band wanted to kick off their 20th anniversary shows at a comfortable venue that the band loves.
So what better choice than The Jinx here in Savannah? Turla said that Murder By Death got their first alt weekly mention in 2003 (by our friend Jim Reed) when they played the Velvet Elvis, which was transformed into The Jinx just a few months later by Suzanne Warnekros, who made the bar a home for metal and Americana, established a hip hop night that is still going strong 15 years later, hired some of the best bartenders in town, and has loved Murder By Death for ages.
Murder By Death played at The Jinx for the inaugural Savannah Stopover in 2011, at the club’s 10th anniversary party in 2013, and for gigs in 2014 and 2016.
Murder By Death had been on my radar screen before that 2011 Stopover show, but I had never appreciated their power until I saw them live. I’ve been hooked ever since — and have been lucky to see them for all those Savannah gigs plus shows in Asheville, Columbia, and Louisville (twice). So I’ve seen MBD nine times, but I bet more than half the attendees at The Jinx had seen them more than that — the band’s dedicated following is willing to follow the band to literal or metaphorical dark corners all over the map. I really need to get to one of the Stanley Hotel shows and one of the Tennessee cave shows (I did see them at a Kentucky cavern).
Turla apologized a few times for playing old songs that the band had barely rehearsed, but there was no need for any of that. The evocative songs, stellar musicianship, perfect pacing — the band seemed to be firing on all jets even though they were playing their first show in months. The fan-curated sets that they will be playing will be filled with deep cuts.
I haven’t been shooting many shows lately, and I only brought my Fuji x100t on Friday. I was a lazy photographer — I staked out such a great spot to enjoy the show that I didn’t move until just before the encore over an hour later.
Click on through for a few more shots — and buy your tickets now for Murder By Death’s upcoming dates.
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 12/26/2019 – 1/1/2020
Thursday 12/26
Gypsy Jazz – Rancho Allegre (7-9p)
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Warehouse (8p)
Hitman – Bay Street Blues
Eric Culberson Band – Bayou Cafe
Monkey Man (Rolling Stones Tribute Band) – El Rocko
Friday 12/27
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Keller Williams – Southbound Brewery (8p, $20)
Futurebirds, Rev Bro Diddley & The Hips – Victory North (9p, $16)
Moss City Groove – Jazz’d (9p)
The Sum Buddys – El Rocko
The Al Gore Rhythms – Barrelhouse South
Murder By Death – Jinx
Saturday 12/28
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Bottles & Cans – Jazz’d (9p)
James Lee Smith – Molly MacPherson’s
Hedonistas – El Rocko
Ember City – Barrelhouse South
Knightsquatch, Forest Evil, DerPot – Jinx
Sunday 12/29
Laikin Love Band – Wild Wing Cafe
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 12/30
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 12/31
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
Funk You – Victory North (9p)
Neutral Snap – Barrelhouse South
The Love Cats – Wormhole
Individually Twisted – Wild Wing Cafe
Whiskey and Wine – Prohibition (10:30p)
Wednesday 1/1
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Ben Keiser Band – Boomy’s
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 12/20/2019 – 12/24/2019
Friday 12/20
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Rail Pub (7p)
Depressor, Young Ghosts, Manhack, Bragi – Sentient Bean (7:30p)
Ben Keiser Band – Jazz’d (9p)
Blue Cactus – Wormhole
Jezebel Heart, Sins of Godless Men, Dustin Price – El Rocko
Listen 2 Three – Congress Street Social Club
Saturday 12/21
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Train Wrecks – Jazz’d (9p)
Get the Led Out w/ Otis – Barrelhouse South
evenpete – Molly MacPherson’s
Andrew Sovine’s Rhythm Method – El Rocko
Bottles & Cans – Jinx
Bonnie Blue – Congress Street Social Club
Sunday 12/22
Jason Bible – Jazz’d (7p)
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 12/23
Jason Bible – Warehouse (8p)
Vacant Flesh, Splint, Soundaltar – El Rocko
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 12/24
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
The new/old sound of the South: Jake Quillin
I had the pleasure of catching the soulful young songwriter Jake Quillin, who hails from Johnson City, Tennessee, but made the move to Dallas, Texas recently. Our introduction was made through a mutual friend that has been a regular face throughout the years at Savannah Stopover.
The blues are always a tricky subject, as so many types of performers play their own variations of the genre, and Jake is no different in that it’s not a strict adaptation of the form. I must admit that often I find myself skeptical whenever that label is attached to a player, but in this case, within just a couple of songs I heard pulls from the “sing-song to solo notes”, and certainly the gut-wrenching “feel” of down & out storylines. Toss in a dash of Jimi Hendrix, and 60s soul and that would be a solid description of the majority of sound coming from the stage that evening at Truck Yard Dallas.
Having left his band behind in the southern tri-state area to look for greener pastures, Jake has been on the move out here in Texas, and seems to be gathering steam as a solo singer-songwriter on the Dallas scene. As many gigs as I’ve seen advertised thus far I expect to hear of him performing much more after the winter months when just like in the low country, more outdoor spaces open back up for live music. Check out the links above, give him a follow on social media, and enjoy these images from a chilly, sunset performance in my ‘hood of Lower Greenville, Dallas, Texas….
Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour – 12/12/2019 – 12/18/2019
Thursday 12/12
Gypsy Jazz – Rancho Allegre (7-9p)
Georgia Kyle – River House
Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Warehouse (8p)
Hitman – Bay Street Blues
Eric Culberson Band – Bayou Cafe
Jezebel Heart Duo – 220 Congress Up
Brandon Nelson McCoy, Jason Bible – Jinx
Friday 12/13
City Hotel – Service Brewing (5:30)
At Sundown, Matt Eckstine – Warehouse
Ike Stubblefield Organ Trio – Good Times Jazz Bar (8p)
Colter Wall – Victory North (8p)
Voodoo Soup – Jazz’d (9p)
Roadhouse – Barrelhouse South
Sarah Poole – Molly MacPherson’s
Anna Stine, Donna Savage, Payne Bridges – El Rocko
LaRon Ellis – Congress Street Social Club
Saturday 12/14
Anders Thomsen Trio, Perpetual Care, Ember City, Anchor Detail – Rail Pub Rockin’ For Vets (5p)
Train Wrecks, Chameleon Brotherhood, Aaron Zimmer & Jay Rudd – American Legion Holiday Hoedown (6:30p)
Damon & The Shitkickers – Jinx (6-8p)
Anna Stine – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Jeffrey Bützer & T.T. Mahony – El Rocko (8p)
Magic Rocks – Jazz’d (9p)
Charlie Fog Band – Barrelhouse South
The 9th Street Stompers – Wormhole
Brian Bazemore – Molly MacPherson’s
The Ordinary Boys – Jinx
The Reality – Congress Street Social Club
Sunday 12/15
Ford Natirboff – Jazz’d (7p)
Voodoo Soup – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 12/16
Jeff Two Names – Wormhole
Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 12/17
Georgia Kyle Shiver – Jazz’d (7p)
City Hotel Solo Sessions – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7-10)
Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
Wednesday 12/18
Tab Benoit – Victory North (7p)
Eric Britt – Jazz’d (7p)
Jubal Kane – Warehouse (8p)
Ben Keiser Band – Boomy’s