hissing lawns

The Jinx 10th anniversary on 10/10 unites Murder By Death, American Aquarium, burlesque

by bill • October 8, 2013

There are still some $20 tickets left for Thursday’s 10th anniversary show at The Jinx, but you might not want to wait too long. Click here for the club’s contact info.

Murder By Death‘s last appearance here was at The Jinx during the 2011 Savannah Stopover — that show was hands down one of the tightest rock shows I’ve seen around these parts. Their album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, a thrilling work of art, was in regular rotation at my house for several months, and I’m guessing that The Jinx owner Susanne Guest Warnekros listens to MBD pretty much every day.

The five-piece from Bloomington, Indiana has been knocking around the country for over a decade now, and they seem to be just getting better and better.

One of my personal favorites, though a bit lower key than many of the songs they’re likely to play this week:

So I’d be paying $20 for Thursday’s show even it was just Murder By Death.

But American Aquarium will be returning to Savannah for the first time in over a year.

I first caught the Americana band from Raleigh during a hectic St. Patrick’s Day holiday a few years back and have been gushing about them ever since. Lead singer B.J. Barham’s raspy voice and intense lyrics are matched by the musicianship of the rest of the crew.

I don’t know if the American Aquarium will play “Savannah Almost Killed Me,” but it would be fitting:

And The Jinx’s 10th anniversary will also feature performances from The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue, which sold out the joint a few weeks ago.

Murder By Death at The Jinx in March 2011

American Aquarium at The Jinx in June 2012

Niche + Sauna Heat at The Jinx – photos

by bill • October 6, 2013

Excellent show by Niche on Friday night at The Jinx (where else?) for the release of their intense new album The Other Side Of The End.

Sauna Heat was an excellent choice to open — the garage rock brought a young crowd to the club.

Some photos of Niche then Sauna Heat (there was a lot of red in the lighting, so I desaturated a few):

More photos after the jump:

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Black Tusk: “still DIY” – great vid by Converse x Decibel

by bill • October 5, 2013

Check out Converse x Decibel for a little background on this profile of Black Tusk. Love it.

Click here to see a gallery of photos from Black Tusk’s most recent Savannah gig.

video of iconic bands at CBGB in the 1970s

by bill • October 5, 2013

With the impending premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 8 of the new movie CBGB at the CBGB Festival, I’ve been looking lately at some of the 1970s video from the iconic club.

I’ll be doing a fair number of posts on Savannah Unplugged about the movie (including a review) and have already posted some new and re-edited photos from last summer’s filming in Savannah (see here, here, and here).

So here on hissing lawns I just wanted to post a few of those extraordinary videos.

The Dead Boys in 1977:

There’s even video from the CBGB benefit for Johnny Blitz after he was stabbed (interviews after the first number, then John Belushi sitting in on drums, and then — no kidding — Divine ):

Talking Heads and more videos after the jump:

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Graph Rabbit with Blackrune at Dollhouse Productions tonight

by bill • October 4, 2013

If you’re still looking for something to do tonight (Friday), don’t forget about Graph Rabbit with local opener Blackrune at Dollhouse Productions.

Click here for the Facebook invitation.

Niche record release with Sauna Heat and Omingnome at The Jinx Friday

by bill • October 4, 2013

Another great gig at The Jinx tonight: Niche‘s release of The Other Side of the End, plus Sauna Heat and Omingnome.

Check out this great review of Niche’s new album by Bill DeYoung in Connect.

~~Here’s “Booze and Sin” from the new record:~~ Here’s the whole album for sampling and purchasing:

Charlie and the Foxtrots play The Sentient Bean on Thursday

by bill • October 2, 2013

Once you listen to the EP The Evergreen, I’m betting that a fair number of you now would like to hear a live set from Charlie and the Foxtrots, a six-piece band currently based in Nashville. (Note: the Bandcamp embed here has been a little glitchy, but it’s worth the wait if it doesn’t start immediately.)

I’d never heard of Charlie and the Foxtrots until a good friend recommended the band enthusiastically last week as soon as she saw they were headed to Savannah. Between that recommendation and the excellent EP released this past summer, I know where I’m hoping to be on Thursday evening.

Btw, one of the members was raised in Statesboro, Ga., and another in nearby Brooklet.

Charlie and the Foxtrots will take the stage at The Sentient Bean at 13 East Park Ave. here in Savannah on Thursday, Oct. 3. The Bean is an all-ages venue that starts the shows at 8 p.m. There’s a $5 suggested donation for this one. Beer and wine are available, along with the coffeeshop’s other drinks and tasty vegetarian menu.

Earworm of the week – Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub

by Jason • October 2, 2013

Thunder Clatter by Nashville’s Wild Cub is my earworm this week, and coincidentally they just signed to Mom and Pop a few days back. Have a listen and tell me what you think. Nothing deep here, just some fun music… perfect for rolling down the windows and turning up the volume on a late night ride home like tonight.

Wild Cub is playing The Masquerade in Atlanta November 9.

Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour (10/1-10/7)

by Larry Jack Sammons • October 1, 2013

Hey guys,

As I begin to write this, I wonder if anyone will look at the blog again this week? I plan to do the blog a little different this week, I will make changes on the schedule throughout the week. So, if you happen to look at this to see the night’s entertainment, be sure to check the day you are going out, as the list should be updated.

I hope that a few of y’all got out to see some kind of music last week. There were some really good shows. I really enjoyed Watermelon Slim & The Workers at the Savannah Jazz Festival — you don’t get to see someone jump into the pool with a live microphone very often. I knew I could trust Skip Jennings & Co. I will be sure to catch People’s Blues At Richmond next time through, it was an exciting, but brief, show at Congress Street Social Club. And I knew I would enjoy Paleface at the Jinx, but I didn’t think I would like Little Tybee so much.

I am not sure if I will be out earlier in the week, but I will give you some recommendations of where I would be if I could.

Tuesday 10/1

Ray Lundy at Foxy Loxy (8pm) – This will be really good blues.

Sincerely, Iris at Jazz’d – Not my favorite venue, but I think this will be the last chance to see Sincerely, Iris for a while

Sauna Heat, Wet Socks, Potential Lunatics at Hang Fire (10pm) – I saw Wet Socks twice last week, really enjoyed them, two-piece electric band

Wednesday 10/2

Epic Cycle at The Warehouse (8pm)

Apparitions at The Warehouse (8pm) – Guitar rock

Thursday 10/3

Apparitions at The Warehouse (8pm) – Guitar rock

AcousticA at Jazz’d – Blues duo (from Bottles & Cans)

Eric Culberson at Bayou Café – Electric blues

Read more →

Sauna Heat, The Potential Lunatics, Wet Socks at Hang Fire Tuesday

by bill • October 1, 2013

Another promising weeknight show at Hang Fire, the unpredictable bar at 37 Whitaker St. here in Savannah.

Sauna Heat and Wet Socks are local garage rock bands with distorted vocals and driving beats. Sauna Heat is fronted by Michael Younker, whose solo work was spotlighted here; the duo Wet Socks is made up of guitarist and singer Hunter Jayne and drummer John Zimmerman.

Sauna Heat’s new Sharkbait EP cassettes have just arrived, and Singles – 2012 was released by the London label Fuzzbook.

<a href="http://saunaheat.bandcamp.com/album/sharkbait-ep">Sharkbait EP by Sauna Heat</a>

<a href="http://wetsocks.bandcamp.com/album/soaking-wet">Soaking WET by Wet Socks</a>

And then there’s The Potential Lunatics, the alt/indie/punk brother and sister duo of Emma Simons-Araya (guitar, vocals) and Isaac Simons-Araya (drums, vocals).

I especially like the second track here, “Witch Cakes”:

Free Electronic Press Kits from ReverbNation.com

Click here for the Facebook invitation.

global spotlight: Woodkid

by bill • September 30, 2013

This is a post by Kayne Lanahan who heads up MusicFile Productions, parent company of Savannah Stopover and Revival Fest. Kayne is a longtime music blogger who will be writing here occasionally, with an emphasis on national and international acts that catch her ear. From Kayne Lanahan:

…for fans of: Beirut, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Antony & the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright

The Golden Age Is Over. Or Is It?

Yoann Lemoine is a french born music video director and graphic designer turned singer/songwriter/composer who performs under the stage name Woodkid. His debut album, The Golden Age, which was released earlier this year, is a lofty and ambitious project that has taken Europe by storm, juxtaposing uneven critical reviews with sold out concerts and obsessive fans. He has just been tapped as one of four global artists in Absolut Vodka’s new “Transform Today” worldwide ad campaign.

The Golden Age is an autobiographical album about the journey from childhood to adulthood, and the minute you hit the 1:35 mark in the first and title track, you know that you are in for a ride. As Lemoine sings, in his slightly disembodied yet calming neo-folk voice, that “the golden age is over”, you immediately get the sense that it’s not. The music begins to literally gallop out of your speakers, filled with lush horns and massive orchestration. It’s big and cinematic and empowering and hushed at the same time. It’s both ancient and modern, with scores of classical references and yet impossibly hard to pin down; making it one of the most interesting and unique albums of the year.