This year I was contracted by Savannah Magazine to keep a running photo journal of Savannah Stopover V, which is why my images haven’t been posted directly to hissing lawns. You can view these images by following this link, with Dan Gilbert’s running commentary of his Stopover experience as well. While not all of the images I shot were used, there is a fair amount of coverage in my online gallery. Feel free to take a look!
Justin Collins | Jon Waits for Savannah Magazine
As I said in a preview of her Savannah Stopover show, Adia Victoria doesn’t have much of a digital footprint, but it sure seems like she has the makings of a breakout star.
After seeing her Saturday afternoon set at Wild Wing on Stopover’s final day, I’m even more convinced that we’re going to be hearing from Victoria for a long time.
The two tracks available are excellent, but in person the show was a lot more rock, a lot more energy. “Sea of Sand” was especially good live, with Victoria biting into the emotional ambivalence in the lyrics.
Adia (pronounced uh-dee-uh) Victoria is currently touring with Hurray for the Riff Raff. She gave a shoutout from the stage in Savannah to Those Darlins’ Jessi Zazu, who designed one of her t-shirts. So not only does Victoria have a great sound, she obviously is connected to some of the right people.
And Adia Victoria has a great — and apparently always changing — look. I’m looking forward to her eventual return to Savannah. A couple shots here with more after the jump:
As Tom already said in his roundup of Savannah Stopover‘s 2nd day, All Them Witches‘ “stoner/desert/psych rock grooves” entranced the late crowd at The Jinx. The stage presence at first seemed a little subdued after the energy of Capsula and Crazy Bag Lady, but the show was a perfect conclusion to a satisfying night of music.
There are shows, and there are shows.
And then there are Capsula shows.
The powerful and charismatic Argentinian trio — now based in Bilbao — opened for the legendary Os Mutantes in 2013 in a Stopover-produced show at Dollhouse Productions and very nearly stole the show. At The Jinx on day 2 of Savannah Stopover 2015, Capsula was even better — bigger, tighter, crazier.
According to the bio on the band website, the name references the capsule in David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”: “Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare.”
Capsula channels some of the best elements of 70s’ rock, but that’s just a reference point — Capsula plays with immediacy and power.
And, wow, so much fun to watch (and photograph). I’ve seen plenty of musicians come down into the crowd at The Jinx, but never seen any quite like Martin Guevara, who wedged his guitar under a conduit (see below) and later just gave the instrument to the guy in front of me for a full song. Bassist Coni Duchess has some of the best stares in the business and drummer I. Guantxe kept everything moving forward at a furious pace.
Tom was around on the side. I wormed my way right up front. We have lots of pics:
BLKKATHY was barely on my radar screen when Savannah Stopover 2015 began, but I had heard just enough so that I slipped into Club One just before the duo began on the 2nd night of the festival. (That main dance floor of Club One really is an excellent spot for shows, btw.)
I loved the silky electronica and the sexy vocals, and I’m betting that you’ll be hearing from BLKKATHY again soon. Here’s a sample of the sound and a handful of pics:
Well the 2015 Savannah Stopover has been over less than a week and the folks with the festival have announced an impressive lineup of spring shows. Click here for longer descriptions and ticket links on the Stopover website.
Here’s the list:
Not only do I love Crazy Bag Lady‘s punk rock, the camera loves them and the energy and antics that come with their shows. I took a ton of photos at the Jinx Stopover gig. Check them out (the photos and Crazy Bag Lady). They’re currently touring the Southeast, with several shows at SXSW, and a new album dropping soon on Retro Futurist Records.
Unsurprisingly, there are a lot more photos if you click through. You should click through. Really.
I heard “Happy Stopover!” more than a few times over the weekend and I think we’re on to something here. I’ve attended all 5 Stopovers, and have slowly started treating it as a holiday. A three day weekend holiday, as a matter of fact. So, after miraculously waking up Friday morning unscathed from the night before, I took in a relaxed brunch, browsed some vinyl at Graveface, and enjoyed a nap before heading into Day 2.
The music started with a couple of my favorite local acts, COEDS at Hang Fire, and then Velvet Caravan at Trinity United. Both bands deserved better crowds for the great sets they played, but it was early, and apparently not every employer recognizes the Savannah Stopover holiday yet. Then I caught a surprisingly fun performance at Congress Street Social Club from Needle Points. Philadelphia seems to be producing quality rock bands at a staggering rate currently. Due to the schedule shuffling a bit, I stumbled into a bit of the Turbo Fruits 2nd set of the weekend at some point, too. Always good.
After some VIP lounging (what a weird/funky/cool/goofy space), I planted myself at The Jinx for a night of rock on the heavier side of things. Crazy Bag Lady continues to kill every time I see them, Capsula‘s set may have been better than when they opened for Os Mutantes at The Dollhouse, and that’s saying something. I had planned to catch a bit of All Them Witches and then scoot around the corner for some Young Buffalo, but became entranced with the Witches’ stoner/desert/psych rock grooves and stayed for the entirety of the show.
It was a great day, as holidays tend to be. Happy Stopover, indeed.
I’ve already mentioned that the Friday of Savannah Stopover served up one of the most satisfying nights of music that I’ve ever experienced. Family and Friends was a key player in my Stopover experience — and surely in the experiences of dozens of others who packed the second floor space at Ampersand.
Family and Friends is a big, exuberant band, and it can be easy to lose the vocals amidst the two drums and Tuna Fortuna’s bass, but the mix was just right for the Stopover set. The band thrilled their existing fans and surely made some new ones too. This was my 4th time seeing Family and Friends since summer 2014, and the stage show is getting more and more polished without sacrificing any of the band’s signature spontaneity, immediacy, and joy.
This is a fun band to photograph, and the shots even worked well in the tight confines and intense lighting at Ampersand.
I missed PitchBlak Brass Band at the 2014 Savannah Stopover and friends’ reviews made me regret it, so I knew I had to see them this year. The big band closed out night one of the festival with a super-fun show at The Jinx. For lots more, check out Joshua Peacock’s Do review of PitchBlak and Alanna Royale.
I managed to get a few photos of PitchBlak Brass Band:
Hey guys,
Wow, what a nice couple of weeks we are having. Last week was Stopover, which is my favorite holiday of the year (Merry Stopover). This week is St. Patrick’s Day, which I know I am supposed to not like, but I really enjoy most of it. And for the last few years, the music has been really good. There is a great representation of many of the best bands in town, all in a one or two day span. You just have to not mind getting vomit on your shoes (and hope it isn’t you vomiting).
If you see a show you are really looking forward to, I would suggest you double check it it before making plans (or text me, I don’t mind). I do make mistakes on this list sometimes, and this was a very hard week to research. Look for me this week, I’ll be the guy in green.
PS – Kudos to The Jinx for publishing their schedule on Sunday before even knowing if they can be open. I was impressed with their chutzpah.
Thursday – 3/12
Dirk Quinn Band – Barrelhouse South
Eric Culberson – Boomy’s
Tijuana Hercules. Pierce Edens, Waits & Co – Hang Fire
Friday – 3/13
Sarah Lee Guthrie, Johnny Irion – Trinity Church (7:30, $15, all ages)
Jim Avett, City Hotel – Sentient Bean (8p, $10) – Father of the Avett Brothers
Quincy Mumford – Wild Wing Stage (10p)
Train Wrecks, Bottles & Cans – Jinx
Saturday – 3/14
City Hotel – Red Hare Stage (12n)
Bath Salt Zombies – Jinx (1-2:30p, 7:30-9p)
Accomplices – Bud Light Stage (1p)
Les Raquet – United Distributers Stage (2p)
Danielle Hicks – Rail Pub (3p)
Waits & Co – Bud Light Stage (3p)
Radio Birds – Red Hare Stage (4p)
Ancient Cities – United Distributers Stage (4p)
Hypnotics – United Distributers Stage (6p)
Bottles & Cans – Bud Light Stage (7p)
Jeff Two-Names & The Born Agains, The Hunky Newcomers, Basement Benders – Graveface (7p)
Ancient Cities – United Distributers Stage (8p)
Radio Birds – Bud Light Stage (9p)
Quincy Mumford – Red Hare Stage (10p)
Sunday – 3/15
Bottles & Cans – Congress Street Social Club (afternoon show)
Nightingale News – Jinx (3-5)
American Hologram – United Distributers Stage (3p)
Main Street Trio – United Distributers Stage (5p)
City Hotel – Jinx (8-10)
Bottles & Cans – Jinx (10:30)
Monday – 3/16
Waits & Co – Jinx (3-4:30p)
Steppin Stones – Wild Wing Stage (4:30p)
Georgia Kyle – Red Hare Stage (6p)
Kota Mundi – Bud Light Stage (7p)
Nightingale News – Jinx (7:30-9p)
Cranford Hollow – Bud Light Stage (9p)
Megan Jean & The KFB – Barrelhouse South (10p)
Danielle Hicks & The Eight-Ohm Resistance – Red Hare Stage (10p)
Accomplices – Jinx (9:30-11:30)
Bottles & Cans – Jinx (12mn)
Tuesday – 3/17
Accomplices – Rail Pub (1-4p)
Seven Handle Circus – Wild Wing Stage (3p)
Cranford Hollow – Wild Wing Stage (3p)
Crazy Man Crazy – Jinx (4-6p, 9:30-11p)
In For A Penny – United Distributers Stage (4p)
Train Wrecks – Bud Light Stage (5p)
American Hologram – Blowin’ Smoke (5-8p)
Bottles & Cans – Jinx (6:30-9p)
Accomplices – Bud Light Stage (7p)
Hypnotics – Red Hare Stage (8p)
Versatile, Those Cats, DJ Basik Lee – Congress Street Social Club
Wednesday – 3/18
Anxiety Junkies, Tight Genes, Prone – Graveface Records (7p)
Blackrune, Spirits & Melchizedek Children, A Drug Called Tradition – Hang Fire
Hiss Golden Messenger will play to some bigger crowds on their current tour, but it’s hard to imagine a venue with richer sound and more striking visuals than Trinity United Methodist Church, which hosted some of the top acts at this year’s Savannah Stopover.
Frontman M.C. Taylor has an easy charisma and haunting voice, and what more could one expect from the rest of the stellar band, including William Tyler on guitar? Taylor and Scott Hirsch have roots in punk and indie rock, but Hiss Golden Messenger embraces folk and Americana styles as if they had been refining this sound since they were kids.
You can find Hiss Golden Messenger’s latest release Lateness of Dancers on Merge Records.
Tom and I both took some pics.
