Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke once said, “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy’s main strength,” which we’ve all heard paraphrased as “no plan survives contact with the enemy.” I only mention that quote because I can tell you from experience that it’s quite easy for your ears to perk up as you walk by a venue, and before you know it you’ve walked inside for a listen and missed the band you were originally on your way to hear. Point is, while it’s great to have a plan, don’t be afraid to follow your ears and deviate from that plan now and then. With that in mind, here are three bands for day one of Savannah Stopover V that I’m determined to see. I’ll be writing posts for days two and three as well, so feel free to check with me on Sunday and I’ll let you know how many of these I actually made it to.
Southern Culture on the Skids – 8:00 Thursday at the Morris Center: How could I not include them? Don’t even try to pigeonhole this band into a genre — like many great bands they’ve formed their own singular sound. If you’re not familiar and searching for a label, think Americana and rockabilly mixed with a little funk and R&B. Local surf rockers The Wave Slaves open at 6:00 with Nashville’s Turbo Fruits going on at 7:00. For more on Turbo Fruits, have a look at Bill’s preview from yesterday.
SCOTS – Soul City at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC 2204
Nightingale News – 9:30 Thursday at Congress Street Social Club: While this is a relatively new local project from Savannah musician Coy Campbell, their recent show with the full band including Markus Kuhlmann, Stu Harmening, and Rachel Shaner blew the crowd at The Jinx away a couple of weeks ago. Don’t miss this one, you’ll thank me later. The only hint I’ll give you is to be ready for a much larger sound than what you hear below.
PitchBlak Brass Band – 12:00 at The Jinx: This 10 piece band out of Brooklyn played to a packed house at The Jinx during Savannah Stopover in 2014, and I’m willing to bet many of those same fans will be back to hear them again this year. The members bring a wide variety of musical backgrounds in to the mix, so don’t come expecting to hear your typical brass band.
That’s it for today, check back tomorrow for three Friday picks.