more photos from the Savannah Jazz Festival

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I popped in and out of the Savannah Jazz Festival in Forsyth Park on Friday night. I missed the University of North Florida’s stellar ensemble, but I did catch most of the sets by the Robin Sherman Quartet, The Greg Lewis Trio, and Jeremy Davis & The Equinox Orchestra.

It was a beautiful night in the park, and tonight (Saturday) looks to be at least as nice — just cool enough to give a taste of fall, with clear skies above.

I was especially excited to see and hear Robin Sherman, a Savannah native who is finishing up school and studying bass at Florida State University. Robin said he might head to grad school somewhere next year but is weighing his options. The pianist for the ensemble was Brendan Polk, another Savannah Arts Academy graduate who is wrapping up his undergrad degree in Tallahassee.

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A couple of dozen more pics:

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a few photos from the Savannah Jazz Festival’s Blues Night in the park

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What a glorious day we’re having as I write this. It’s going to be a perfect Friday night for performances in Forsyth Park on the penultimate day of the Savannah Jazz Festival.

For the lineup and a few tips for enjoying the action, check out our post from earlier this week.

The early evening sprinkles and generally humid weather might have scared a few folks off last night, but the crowd was pretty good by the time Blues Night really got rolling.

The “bandshell” in Forsyth makes for a great backdrop from a distance, and the sound was pretty much perfect in clarity and volume.

But even Watermelon slim noted the “pond” and “moat” between him and the audience after he dropped a harmonica into the turned-off fountain. He seemed to want to get closer to the audience and kept walking out in front of the monitors.

I caught a little bit of Eric Culberson Band’s set, and then most of the sets by E.G. Kight and Watermelon Slim & The Workers.

One pic of each act here with more after the jump:

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More pics:

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Little Tybee, Paleface, and Triathalon play The Jinx Saturday 09/28

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This Saturday promises to be a great night for live music in Savannah. Not only is the Savannah Jazz Festival wrapping up in Forsyth Park, but the bill at The Jinx is one of the most interesting I’ve seen in a while.  The first time I saw local favorites Little Tybee, it was in a now defunct quasi legal space called the Co-Lab on East Broad. Situated in a tiny rented space just north of Gwinnett, with a tiny window unit air conditioner located high in the corner. Of course the window unit wasn’t running, the room was packed with people which made it even hotter than outside. Locals will recognize that thick heat that clings to your skin and seems unique to Savannah. It was also a BYOB situation, so my friend David and I hiked up Gwinnett to the Kroger and grabbed a couple of six packs of PBR tall boys. On returning we found other friends had an insulated bag, yet by then their ice had melted and most of us just opted to hang on to the remains of our six pack as the show started. As it turns out, Little Tybee was so good we nearly forgot about the heat and our warm beer. I’ve been a fan ever since. On first listening to them, you might be tempted to try and pigeonhole the music that just seems to flow naturally from these six musicians, but I’ve found it’s best just to sit back, forget about genres, and enjoy the set. You’ll be glad you did.

Paleface is also on the bill, and like his last time or two in Savannah he’ll be playing with Mo Samalot on drums. Schooled by the great Daniel Johnston in songwriting, discovered by Danny Fields, and first heard by me on an early Avett Brothers album, this guy is someone you don’t want to miss. I saw Paleface and Mo last at The Wormhole, and their infectious energy and great songwriting made an impact despite the mediocre crowd. In the video below, you’ll hear Scott Avett on Paleface’s show at Raido Perfecto one night – “Seeing Paleface was like seeing Neil Young and Tom Waits combined… he was barkin’, and singin’, and just throwing passion out.”

Finally, we come to locals Triathalon.

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Larry Jack’s Magical Music Tour 9/24 – 9/28

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With this first installment, hissing lawns introduces an ongoing series of posts by Larry Jack Sammons, who probably goes to more gigs than anyone in Savannah. From Larry Jack:

Hello blog-land. My name is Larry Jack Sammons. Some of you know me, and those that don’t would probably recognize “that old guy with a big smile that I see at EVERY show”, although most of you are kind enough to leave out the “old” part. After receiving dozens (well, at least one half-dozen) requests, and being threatened with a GPS tracker, I decided to place my schedule/recommendations on this blog.

Different things can affect what I put on the Music Tour. Of course, logistics come into play. Being an old man, I can’t ride my bicycle to the Southside, so it has to be a special show for me to head south of Victory. And although they sometimes have better music than downtown, Tybee is usually a no-no for me.  Also, I tend to avoid yuppie-type bars.  I am more of a dive-bar kind of guy.

Enough running my mouth, here is the schedule for this week.

Tuesday 24th (I’m planning on staying home, but here are some recommendations)

Hitman at The Warehouse (8pm)

Ricardo & Sasha at Foxy Loxy Cafe (8:30pm)

Eric Culberson Jam Night at Bayou Cafe

Wednesday 25th

Velvet Caravan at Savannah Jazz Festival (Habersham & 63rd) (6pm) – If you have never seen these guys, you have got to go to this show. It’s at 6p, there are places to eat, no excuses. If you think you don’t like gypsy-jazz, you are wrong. This is some of Savannah’s finest players, they even make me feel like dancing.

I am planning an early night, but if you make it back downtown, I would recommend

Hitman at Bay Street Blues

Jon Lee’s Apparitions at The Warehouse (8pm)

Thursday 26th

Savannah Jazz Festival at Forsyth Park (Blues Night) – My favorite night of the Festival. Eric Culberson (7p), EG Knight (8:15), and Watermelon Slim & The Workers (9:30). I don’t know the later acts, but I trust the festival’s and Skip Jennings’ choices.

After the Jazz Festival, I’ll be heading downtown for either (possibly both):

Georgia Kyle at The Warehouse (8p – 11:30) – You really want to see him play his cigar box guitar

Craig Tanner & Friends at Molly MacPherson’s (10pm)- Guitarist-songwriter and very nice guy

The tour schedule continues after the jump.

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Murder By Death + American Aquarium playing The Jinx 10th anniversary on 10/10

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I had my fingers crossed for this one. Murder By Death‘s Facebook post earlier today of upcoming tour dates:

SEP 24 Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music Hall
SEP 25 Carbondale, IL @ Hanger 9
SEP 26 Champaign, IL Pygmalion Music Festival @ Canopy Club
SEP 27 Cincinnati, OH Midpoint Music Fest @ The Taft Theater
SEP 28 Ames, IA Maximum Rock & Roll Fest @ DGs Tap House
SEP 29 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
OCT 5 St Petersburg, FL Don’t Stop Fest @ State Theater
OCT 10 Savannah, GA 10th Anniversary Party @ The Jinx

Murder By Death lead singer Adam Turla was in Savannah recently on personal business and hung out some at The Jinx. And I was assuming that owner Susanne Guest Warnekros, a huge MBD fan, had something big planned for her club’s 10th anniversary on October 10th.

And Murder By Death it is.

And American Aquarium will be on the bill too.

The Jinx announced the show officially last night:

According to the Facebook invitation, The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue (which sold out the club last Friday) will perform before the bands. Tickets will be $20.

Murder By Death’s show at The Jinx during the inaugural Savannah Stopover was one of Savannah’s music highlights of 2011, and American Aquarium has had a few Savannah shows that are the stuff of legend (or, if not legend, at least heavy drinking).

Look for updates here as more news becomes available. (You might also want to “like” hissing lawns on Facebook.)

One photo of Murder By Death at their last gig at The Jinx:

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Stream Blind Boys of Alabama’s amazing new album produced by Justin Vernon

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It’s Monday evening. You’re at home. You haven’t listened to the Blind Boys of Alabama in weeks, or months, or years.

And you didn’t even know that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver had produced their upcoming album I’ll Find a Way.

I’m not sure how many hours this embed will keep working, but the album was premiered today by the WSJ Speakeasy blog. There are a variety of collaborators appearing on the album, including Patty Griffin. The 3rd track is a great cover of Field Report‘s “I’m Not Waiting Anymore”. (Last week I raved about Field Report and posted some pics of their Revival Fest gig.)

So sit back and enjoy:

If that embed of the whole album turns into a pumpkin at midnight, you can at least listen to one track:

And you can pre-order the album on Amazon. It will be released officially on 10/1.

2013 Savannah Jazz Festival features strong lineup, honors Ben Tucker

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The 32nd annual Savannah Jazz Festival begins on Sunday, Sept. 22 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 28.

The joyous celebration of jazz (with some blues too) will be tempered to some degree this year by remembrances and honors for Ben Tucker, the legendary Savannah bassist and all around good guy who died tragically in June.

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Ben was 82, but he could have easily passed for a decade younger – maybe even two. He had a lot of life and art and music and love still ahead of him.

His funeral turned into a huge News Orleans-style second line celebration. I posted many photographs of the procession on Savannah Unplugged.

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A few tips about enjoying the Savannah Jazz Festival:

  • Don’t forget about the opening night jam session, which is typically one of the highlights of the week even though not all that many people turn out.
  • Blues night is often the most fun time of the three nights in the park, with the smallest crowd.
  • For those gigs in Forsyth, you can almost always sit closer than you think you can. Bring chairs or blankets, food and drink (with plastic cups).

I don’t know quite how well the early week events will work under the tent in the parking lot at Habersham Village, but it’s an interesting choice adjacent to a number of restaurants.

Click here for DoSavannah’s coverage. Click here for a revealing piece about Tom Scott in Connect Savannah. Scott’s incredible resume includes work with Joni Mitchell. Click here for more information about the various acts in the latest Coastal Jazz Association newsletter.

The full schedule is after the jump.

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Truth & Salvage Co.’s new video for “Appalachian Hilltop”

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Truth & Salvage Co. performed a beautiful, high-energy set to close out last weekend’s Revival Fest (some photos here), and today Paste has premiered the new video for “Appalachian Hilltop” off the band’s new album Pick Me Up.

Enjoy:

Friday at Hang Fire: Ross Fish CD release party, plus Wet Socks, Fare the Gap, Carnivores, and Turf War

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Thank heavens that Hang Fire on Whitaker Street started hosting bands again a few months back.

There’s really no place that has quite the same party atmosphere — the diverse crowd, the dancing, the stage barely above audience level, the quirky vibe all the way around.

On Friday, 9/20, Ross Fish will release his CD Young & Naive in a free show that includes four other acts: the garage rock duo Wet Socks, the indie electronica of Fare the Gap, Atlanta’s Carnivores, and Turf War, also based in Atlanta.

Ross Fish:

The Carnivores’ new video “Loom” from their album Second Impulse coming out in October:

Turf War (this is a great track):

Wet Socks:

Fare the Gap:

The party kicks off at 9:30 Friday. If you happen to be in Charleston on Thursday, 9/19, Turf War and the Carnivores are playing the Royal American.

One final Revival Fest post – lots of photos

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I wrote some nice things about Revival Fest in Do this week, and I’ve already posted galleries to this blog with photos of the Cedric Burnside Project, Field Report, Whiskey Shivers, and Matrimony.

So this post has some photos of the latenight jam session at The Jinx (including members of the Cedric Burnside Project, Whiskey Shivers, The Train Wrecks, Wild Child, and Sweet Thunder Strolling Band/The Ghost Town Crooners), plus other acts that performed on Revival Fest’s stages: Poppa Moon & The Stargazers (members of this mountain with Amythyst Kiah), The Accomplices, The Train Wrecks, Bradford Lee Folk & The Bluegrass Playboys, Cranford & Sons, Sturgill Simpson, Wild Child, and Truth & Salvage Co. There are also some random shots from around the festival grounds.

And here’s a video of the latenight jam featuring Cedric Burnside and Joe Deuce (Whiskey Shivers) that Brooke Atwood posted with some photos to her great blog My Style Bass:

There are lots of photos after the jump, arranged mostly chronologicaly. You can identify acts from the photo urls.

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Sins of Godless Men, Big Awesome, Jeff Two-Names and the Born Agains at The Jinx

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A few years back, Rachel Raab (Raabstract) opened Studio 210, renting out studio space to artists, musicians, and makers & shakers looking to create, gather, and exhibit. Now defunct–the bulk of the Victory Drive space has since become the “new” Bicycle Link–the Barnard-side old Atlas Upholstery building now houses a collective of Studio 210 alums.

Big Awesome inside New Noise Studios.

Big Awesome inside New Noise Studios.

Marked only by some vinyl letters slapped on a beaten white metal door and the occasional stickered van or trailer in the parking lot, New Noise Studios has been home to bands Sins of Godless Men (formerly Howler), Whaleboat, Crazy Bag Lady, The Wave Slaves, General Oglethorpe & the Panhandlers (tootin’ my own horn—toot, toot), Jeff Two-Names & the Born Agains, and various other incarnations of local indie, rock, hardcore, and experimental. Though it began as and predominantly remains a practice space, New Noise offers music lessons and has nearly completed an in-house recording studio.

Big Awesome, formerly of Bluffton, are a fresh addition to the New Noise roster. The relocated three-piece’s 2012 release “Birdfeeder” had the internet glowing with praise for their buoyantly hooky & pop-laden power punk–think shades of Braid, Savannah Stopover 2011 favorite Fake Problems & Minus the Bear:

Iconic Gainesville, FL punk festival The Fest has added them to the lineup for the third year in a row.

They play the Jinx on Thursday, September 19 with New Noise fixtures Sins of Godless Men (Rettig & Stuard run the space) and Jeff Two-Names & the Born Agains.

Jeff Two-Names and the Born Agains promise “straight forward punk” influenced by the classics.

Donald Moats joined Sins of Godless Men mid-summer; with the bond he and Stuard formed as Whaleboat’s rhythm section, the shows an unabashed, full-throttle treat. As Moats beats the living daylights out of his drums, Rettig’s howls splinter over tight, thick guitar licks, and Stuard thrashes about the stage, wielding his bass like a dull ax as he leaps off drums and wails along with Rettig. Thursday marks the release of their “Four Eyes” EP; here’s a teaser:

Sins of Godless Men, Big Awesome, Jeff Two Names and the Born Agains will be at The Jinx Thursday, September 19.

Nashville country band makes tour stop in Tybee

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The Nashville-based country band Friends of Lola hasn’t even been together a full year – but that’s not stopping them from wrapping up the summer season with a southern-region tour. They’ll be stopping by Tybee Island Social Club to play two shows this Friday and Saturday.

With almost 1,500 ‘likes’ on their Facebook page, it’s obvious that young musicians revamping country music is a pretty good idea – and Friends of Lola is definitely doing it right.  Complete with a fiddle, keys, a steel guitar, and backup vocals for crucial country harmonies, the band laid down five new tracks in the studio last week.  The drive out to Tybee this weekend would be a good way to celebrate the end of summer by jammin’ to some fresh southern tunes.  The band plays both nights at 8 PM.

Here’s a couple of songs by Friends of Lola: