You’ve probably read enough posts about the deaths of 2016, so I won’t belabor the losses — Prince, David Bowie, Merle Haggard, Ralph Stanley, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, George Michael, to name a few — that hit some of us aging music fans especially hard.
But death and loss give urgency to living, and nostalgia isn’t really our thing here at hissing lawns.
Yesterday, I listened yet again to Car Seat Headrest’s Teens of Denial (if this blog awarded an album of the year, that would probably be the winner) and thought of all the talent out there. I hear lots of people bemoan the state of popular music, but everywhere I turn, I see passionate and skilled musicians finding audiences. As my co-editor Tom might say: turn off the TV, go to a show, take a chance on something new.
For this year-end post, I’ve assembled some of my personal favorite photos from 2016, with the most recent at the top. (Look for full galleries of A.M. Rodriguez and Murder By Death early next week.) Several key members of the Savannah music community moved away in 2016, and I’d agree with others who have noted that it was a year of transition for the local scene, but I’m excited to see where things go from here.
A.M. Rodriguez with Scott Johansen at The Jinx
Murder By Death at The Grey Eagle in Asheville
New Breed Brass Band at the Lucas Theatre
Ambrose at the Lucas Theatre
Creepoid at The Jinx
The Train Wrecks at Statts Fest at Grayson Stadium
Starbenders at The Jinx
David Liebe Hart at The Jinx
Lies In Stone at The Jinx
Black Tusk at The Jinx
The Weeks at The Hummingbird at Bragg Jam in Macon
The Weeks at The Jinx
Chief Scout at The Jinx
Kewl at the Graveface Records annex at Southern Pine Company
The Casket Girls at the Graveface annex at Southern Pine Company
Slothrust at The Jinx
Richard Leo Johnson at Galerie 124
Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Trinity United Methodist Church at Savannah Stopover
PWR BTTM at Ampersand at Savannah Stopover
Honduras at Congress Street Social Club at Savannah Stopover
our own Larry Jack, with alien doll
COEDS at The Jinx for the Savannah Stopover announcement party
Breakers at the Ships of the Sean at Savannah Stopover
The Weeks at Cosmic Charlie’s in Lexington, Ky.