Friday 1st
Willie Jackson & the Tybee Blues Band – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p)
Joe Nelson – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p)
Shoplifters, Tight Genes, Burning Itch – El Rocko (9p)
Aaron Zimmer (4p), The Mercers (10p) – Molly MacPherson’s
Roots of Creation, The Ellameno Beat – Barrelhouse South
Saturday 2nd Bobby Lee Rogers and Andrew Gill – River Street Bacon Fest (7p) Billy Joel vs. Elton John Tribute Show – Tybee Post Theater ($25/30) Liquid Ginger – Boomy’s Resident One, The Gumps, Sins Of Godless Men, Reconsiler, Jeff Two-Names & The Born Agains, Shroud Eater, Black Tusk, Royale Thunder – Statts PreGame and Punk Garage Sale – Jinx ($10 donation) City Hotel Album Release – ServiceBrewing (7p, $10) Grace Joyner, Painter & Poet, Brother Oliver – El-Rocko The Sound Experiment – Molly MacPherson’s NoNeed, Bencoolen – Barrelhouse South
Sunday 3rd Swingin’ Medallions – Tybee Pier (7p) Tommy Holland, Andrew Gill, Keith Rea – Sentient Bean Savannah Songwriters (7p, $5) Willie Jackson and the Tybee Blues Band – Molly McGuires (7p) Voodoo Soutp – Congress Street Social Club
Monday 4th Open Mic – Abe’s On Lincoln
Tuesday 5th Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe Open Mic – Molly MacPherson’s
The last time CUSSES played Savannah, Racheal Shaner (captain of Lulu The Giant) split the hard rock bill with a solo set, accompanied only by her double bass, playing what she calls “graveyard ambience” tunes. It was wonderfully strange, and somehow perfectly suited for the night.
Like any good rock ’n’ roller, Shaner tends to buck the status quo consistently (see Lulu’s debut album, Kingdom’s Fall, and its eclectic mix of jazz/blues-fusion Americana) and her next show is no exception. Lulu The Giant will play The Welmont, 1930 Montgomery, on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. You can buy tickets ahead of time here.
What is a Welmont? Yep, that was my first question too. The old mechanics shop on Montgomery Street has been reserved for art shows, according to Shaner, in the past. According to Art March Savannah’s website, it’s a “space focusing on modern creative cultivation.” Cool. I am in.
Lulu The Giant’s live set is going to be a mix of Shaner’s solo repertoire, similar to the CUSSES setlist, tracks from the debut album, with accompaniment from her trio of fabulous musicians, some new material from the band’s forthcoming second album, due out next spring, and some guest appearances from Savannah musicians.
In addition to the unorthodox setting, and eclectic setlist, this will be one of Lulu The Giant’s only shows in Savannah for a while as the band heads out on a European tour this fall. (Shaner is also set to play a solo set at Trinity United Methodist in November for the Georgia Songwriter Series.) This should be fun, a little weird and definitely interesting.
This is a limited capacity event, so if you’re super interested, I advise getting tickets now.
The last night of Athens Popfest was my favorite–I only saw three acts, but they were all phenomenal.
First up was Athens rapper Lingua Franca. I had seen her before, but she was really on her game at Popfest. Her fast paced lyrics were delivered with energy and emotion. She performed a set that was full of anger, with references to politics, feminism, and race relations–all timely subjects that provoked a big reaction from the crowd.
The second act I saw was noon:30, a truly spell binding trio. They opened with a gorgeous a cappella rendition of “A Change Is Going To Come” in honor of the events that occurred at Charlottesville earlier in the afternoon, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after that. Their next few songs were a little poppier, but it was their final song that really brought the house down. The singer leapt into the crowd and let loose with anger and vigor and pure noise, it was really something to witness. I didn’t know anything about them previously but will for sure be looking into them now.
My night ended with Pylon Reenactment Society–my first time seeing them. They’re an interesting group, made up of members of several popular Athens bands and fronted by Vanessa Briscoe Hay, the lead singer of legendary Athens rock group Pylon. The group plays Pylon songs and performs with Pylon’s signature traffic cone on stage, but you can’t really call them a cover band when they have the same lead singer. A lot of people were attending the festival solely to see PRS–the band is very popular in Athens and doesn’t play very often. I’m not going to lie, I was completely underwhelmed when they first came on stage, but by the time their set ended, I was having a blast (along with everyone else in the audience). They’re a really fun group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously and it was obvious they loved what they were doing and had a real respect for the source material.
Pylon Reenactment Society Athens, Ga.
“Buzz” from the forthcoming ep Part Time Punks Session, now available for pre-order
After seeing a magical, rollicking rock show from Pylon Reenactment Society at Bragg Jam in Macon this summer, I kept expecting “Buzz” to explode into a wild party of its own, but this first track off Pylon Reenactment Society’s forthcoming ep becomes more restrained, almost haunting, as Vanessa Briscoe Hay’s intense vocals drop to almost a whisper at the end. The effect is really beautiful — I can’t wait to hear the whole record. – bill
. Dave Rawlings Nashville, TN Poor David’s Almanack
I’ll admit that I’m a late-comer to Dave Rawlings, though obviously not his work with a variety of other top notch Americana/Alt-Country/Rock & Roll artists; Gillian Welch, members of The Heartbreakers, Dawes, Old Crow Medicine Show, and notably co-writing with Ryan Adams. After catching The Dave Rawlings Machine at the 2016 Savannah Music Festival I was hooked. Badass picker, soulful expressions of truth, and a great storyteller are just a few of his attributes. Check out his third solo album, released this month. – Jon Waits
. Iron and Wine Durham, NC
“Call It Dreaming” from Beast Epic, out now on the mighty Sub Pop Records
This album kind of snuck up on me, to be honest. But Sam Beam’s vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation are like a comforting and out of the way spot that always feels like home to me. Does that sound cheesy? I don’t care, listening to Iron and Wine flat out makes me happy. Beast Epic is a bit more stripped down than the last couple albums, more of a throw back to the earlier albums in his discography. No complaints here. I expect heavy rotation of this one during quiet times at the house.
tom
. The Discussion Savannah, Ga. European Tour EP
Kylesa guitarist and co-front Laura Pleasants put together a new project this year, releasing the recordings just before the band’s debut show last Friday. (You can read about that show on this blog at a later date.) Originally, The Discussion shared two tracks via several European websites ahead of their extensive tour across the pond. On Sunday, they dropped three more tracks to finish out the five-track EP. One sentence visual review: Kylsea meets The Cure in the backroom of a metal bar that just finished a shoegaze show. —Joshua
. The War On Drugs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A Deeper Understanding
Savannah Stopover alums, The War On Drugs, released their fourth studio album this week. My roommate said to me recently, there are no good solos in rock music anymore. I wasn’t sure if I agreed or not, but there does seem to be a trend away from flamboyant guitar solos in rock. Anyways, this album is full of great guitar solos, perhaps some of the best I’ve heard in a while. Otherwise, this is another staple WOD album, equally full of great lyrics, melodies, and damn good songwriting. Once sentence visual review: New wavy Bruce Springsteen finds Tom Petty’s songbook and tops the tracks with Dinosaur Jr. slash Slash guitar solos. —Joshua
. Sunglow Chicago, Il. (Savannah, Ga.) Great Time of Day
Sunglow, a.k.a. Daniel Lynch, bid his native Savannah farewell this year, moving to Chicago to make moves with his love. Fortunately, we have the internet, so really we’re all just living in the same digital bubble. Savannah-founded label, Furious Hooves, released a tape and digital version of Sunglow’s third album, Great Time of Day, this week. One sentence visual review: Weirdo-indie-pop master mixer finds NIN cassette in garage, inspiring futuristic dance music and it all makes perfect, beautiful sense in a world that is increasingly nonsensical.—Joshua
Hey guys,
We’ve got a pretty good lineup of downtown music this weekend. There are lots of choices on Friday, I am still deciding where to go. The Discussion at the Wormhole is Laura Pleasant’s (Kylesa) new band, they should be fun to see. El Rocko has a jazz band, for those who are into that. The Roasting Room in Bluffton (Dangermuffin and Matt Eckstine) is another good-looking show. I’ve seen Little Stranger (Barrelhouse South) a few times recently, I like their Beck-ish sound. I also hope to find a little time to mellow out to the Grateful Dead sounds of the Charlie Fog Band at the Social Club or the Singer-Songwriter night at the Jinx. If I have a little time left, the Sound Experiment at Molly’s are a newer band that I have enjoyed every time I have seen them. Railapalooza on Saturday afternoon should be a good time. Later that evening is another night full of choices. I think I will make it a Savannah Band Night with Hitman, Train Wrecks, and Bottles & Cans. I am sure you will be able to find something you like somewhere. I hope to see you around sometime this weekend, be sure to say “hi”.
Friday 25th Jon Lee’s Apparitions – Rail Pub (6p) Cranford Hollow – Tybee Post Theater (8p, $15) Travel Agency – El-Rocko Dangermuffin, Matt Eckstein – Roasting Room Little Stranger, Ember City – Barrelhouse South The Discussion, Twisty Cats, Rude Dude and the Creek Freaks – Wormhole ($6-10) Charlie Fog Band – Congress Street Social Club The Sound Experiment – Molly MacPherson’s Singer/Songwriter Night hosted by A.M. Rodriguez (Coy Campbell, Brandon Nelson McCoy, Josephine Johnson) – Jinx (10p)
Saturday 26th Railapalooza (Train Wrecks, In For A Penny, Machine Dreams, Bottles & Cans, Anders Thompson Trio, Matt Eckstein) – Rail Pub (3-11p, $10/15) Missionary Blues – Tubby’s Thunderbolt (6p) Damon and the Shitkickers – Jinx Happy Hour Charlie Fog Band – Stage on Bay (8p, $10) Spred the Dub, Roshambeaux – Barrelhouse South Bottles & Cans – Jinx Train Wrecks – Congress Street Social Club Hitman – Molly MacPherson’s
Tuesday 29th Clouds & Satellites – Foxy Loxy Cafe (7p) Ben Keiser Band – Bay Street Blues Eric Culberson Open Jam – Bayou Cafe
Wednesday 30th David Allen Coe, PeeWee Moore – Stage On Bay (8p, $25)
Friday’s edition of Athens Popfest was a little rough for me–I spent most of the day incredibly sore, as I tripped over a rock and bruised my tailbone pretty bad. I was only able to catch three bands.
The first I saw that night was Laetitia Sadler, a French four piece that was a little too transcendental for my taste. The crowd seemed to love the sleepy, trippy beats and I heard several attendees say it was the best show they had seen in some time. My favorite of their songs was “Dry Fruit” — “a song about being lost in space.”
Next up was Eureka California, an Athens staple I’ve seen a few times now. The two piece really knows how to rock it out and I adore their female drummer, though my injury left me unable to stand on my tiptoes to photograph her.
I was very disappointed I could only stay for a few songs of Superchunk–they sounded great, but I was right by the stage and the crowd got pretty rowdy. Everyone knew all the words and I heard several people say it was their seventh or eighth time seeing them, which impressed me.
Chain and the Gang Washington, D.C.
“Rome” from Experimental Music, out Sept. 29 via Radical Elite
Throwback garage rock political shit stirring from Ian Svenonius’ Chain and the Gang. “Rome wasn’t burnt in a day.” Indeed. Great stuff from the ex front man of The Make Up.
tom
. Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions U.S.A/Ireland
“Sleep” from upcoming 3 song EP, Son of a Lady, out September 15 via Pledge Music.
Hope Sandoval, formerly of Mazzy Star, is still doing her bleary, beautiful, singular and mysterious indie rock thing. It’s still pretty damn cool.
tom
. Unsane NYC
“Aberration” from Sterilize out at the end September on Southern Lord.
Ask someone who knows what’s up to name noise rock projects and Unsane is going to be one of the first bands mentioned. At it since 1988, Unsane are still churning out the kind of cathartic, brutal, and just flat out gnarly tunes that they made their mark with. This one might leave a bruise.
tom
. The Lillingtons New Castle, WY
“Insect Nightmares” from the upcoming Stella Sapiente due out on Fat Wreck Chords
When you think of pop-punk there should always be one band that comes to the forefront of your mind: The Lillingtons. Pioneers of the pop-punk genre, the group has been innovating the genre since the mid-nineties. Catchy riffs, sci-fi and occult references, and tongue and cheek humor are all guaranteed to be found on any Lillingtons record and their latest track, “Insect Nightmares”, off of their first album in nearly a decade. – Petey
Much like fashion, music most certainly comes and goes in cycles. Although emo never truly died out, it’s certainly making a major resurgence these days. Rainer Maria was one of the leading forces of the 90s emo and indie rock scene and now, over 5 years since their last album release, they’ve come back better than ever with a new self titled release. The trio shows no signs of rust, combining the jangly, classic indie rock riffs with heartfelt, sing-songy lyrics and vocals that they’ve been known for years. – Petey
I was only able to catch a few bands on Thursday at Georgia Theatre, but they were all pretty good and the lineup was a nice variety.
Red Pony Clock was one of the more interesting acts I’ve seen in a while–they were a nine piece with a xylophone and a couple of trumpets, not something you see regularly. They were a little bit disorganized (understandable with nine people on stage!) at the start of their set, but once they got on the same page, they sounded phenomenal. It was easy to get lost in their melodies and they were very reminiscent of last year’s Popfest headliners, Love Tractor.
Palehound was kind of the opposite–a messy garage rock three piece from Boston fronted by two charismatic girls (loved the bassist!).
The next act, The Gotobeds, were in the same vein–a four piece from Pittsburgh who implored the light guys to go “buttfuckingnuts” at the last song. They seemed to be having a blast, leaping around on stage, taking swigs of Maker’s Mark, and even hopping onto the speakers at the side of the stage. My favorite quote, spoken of Georgians: “you lost the war but you’re very kind.”
The last act I caught of the night was Marshmallow Coast, formerly known as M Coast. A member of Athens darlings Elephant Six Collective, the five piece was very reminiscent of Death Cab for Cutie, with soft vocals.
Athens Popfest is always a bittersweet event –the four day festival is always fun, but it marks the end of the student-less summer and sends Athens off with a bang back into its typical chaotic state of students, traffic, and football.
Oddly, the bands start playing in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. I had to work during the day so I didn’t make it till the evening shows at 40 Watt.
First up was White Violet, a kind of trippy, synthy duo that seemed to take a little while to get into their groove. I felt like they had loosened up a lot by the later songs and sounded a lot better–I liked their livelier stuff. The vocals were very reminiscent of Elvis Costello (always a good thing in my book).
The second band on stage was Happy Abandon, a Chapel Hill-based trio. The lead singer’s hair made him look like he belonged in A Flock of Seagulls–he was adorably nervous and definitely correct when he said “talking is not [his] strong suit.” Their music sounded great and I loved their harder stuff–some of the breathier vocals on the quieter songs didn’t really seem to fit with the rocking guitar. Their first album will be released on 8/25 but they were selling it at the show.
Queens of the Stone Age Palm Desert, CA
“The Evil has Landed” from Villains, due Aug. 25.
I don’t know, I see people bitching about the Mark Ronson production of the new QOTSA album, but the lead single grew on me, and I’m currently a little obsessed with this 6 and a half minute desert/psych rock gem. Man, that last minute and a half really grabs me. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the new album.
tom
. The Effects Washington, DC
“Back and Forth”, from Eyes to the Light, out Sept 29th on Dischord Records.
I’ll be honest, I have a weak spot for late era Dischord mathy/emo/post rock. Off kilter rhythms, angular guitars and clear, articulate vocals from a band featuring a dude from that one band that released that one record I liked 25 years ago? Yeah, I’m in. Dischord is pretty discerning about what they release anymore, and I flat out trust them at this point.
tom
. Big Hush Washington, D.C. Spirit/Wholes
After years of EPs and singles, D.C.’s Big Hush has released their debut album, Spirit/Wholes on Robotic Empire Records. In the vein of Creepoid, Spirit/Wholes is a lush, occasionally heavy, shoegaze album with pop and punk sensibilities sprinkled throughout. Following the reunion of shoegaze titans Slowdive, and the release of a new album, it’s probably safe to say this genre, which peaked in the ‘90s, is getting a reboot of late. You won’t hear any complaints from me. — Joshua
. The National Cincinnati, Ohio
“Carin at the Liquor Store”
The National released the third single from the forthcoming, seventh LP, Sleep Well Beast. The National does some its best songwriting in ballad form. This new single is no exception, hitting with the same emotional satisfaction of older tunes like, “Pink Rabbits,” “I Need My Girl,” and “England.” Matt Berninger’s melancholy baritone helms a sugary piano-based score (reminiscent of his other band El VY), completed by subtle strings, and a watery guitar solo at the end. A lot of The National’s music can be a downer if you’re flying high on life, but behind intimate and introspective lyrics, and exceptional musicianship, there is nigh another band that can speak to you in the darkest moments of life like this band does. Well, in my experience, anyways. — Joshua
. SHEHEHE Athens, GA Endless Summer out now on Laser Brains Records
Technically, summer’s almost over, but if SHEHEHE has their way, the party won’t be ending anytime soon. Endless Summer is packed to the gills with catchy riffs and is a total blast from start to finish. A bit retro-rock, a bit modern day punk, Endless Summer is a scorcher through and through. It’s just like a summer kegger packed into CD form and can you really go wrong with a party like that? – Petey
. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Muscle Shoals
“If We Were Vampires” from The Nashville Sound, out now
OK, maybe a little corny, but this animated video for a lovely song from Isbell’s rocking new album tackles themes of aging, love, loss, and mortality. It’s a testament to Isbell’s sheer talent that he can do so much with so little. – bill
Service Brewing Company celebrated its 3rd anniversary last month with a party that pretty much lasted all day. Guests could sample Service’s current selection of beers, including SBC 3, a strong, rich Wheatwine that I found addictive.
Congrats to our good friends at Service on their hard-earned success over the last three years. Many of us will be headed down to Service again for the big Indian Street Block Party on 9/1.
A little late getting this week’s post up because of travel schedules, but Tom has four great selections for New Music Monday. Enjoy!
Bully Nashville, TN
“Feel The Same” from Losing, out October 20 on Sub Pop
I really dug Bully’s 2015 debut album, Feels Like. The new single might push Alicia Bognanno’s vocals a bit more in front of the guitars than the Feels Like mix, but I can’t imagine I won’t love the new stuff if this is where it’s headed. Bully would sound right at home on a classic alternative station, and I mean that in the best way possible.
tom .
Neil Young Los Angeles, CA
“Hitchhiker” from album of the same name, due Sept. 8 via Reprise Records
An unreleased, acoustic, prime era Neil Young full album recorded in 1976 with David Briggs???? Yes, Please, and Thank You.
tom
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Plaque Marks Philadelphia, PA
“Plaque Marks” single out now on Bandcamp
Do you miss Fight Amp? Do you catch Creepoid every time they come through town? Do you wish The Powder Room would play Savannah more often? Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions, this is right up your alley (and it’s a dirty, nasty alley, at that). Featuring members of all of those bands, plus Ecstatic Vision, Plaque Marks is just as gnarly and noisy as you would expect. Good stuff if you like it aggressive.
tom .
The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die Connecticut, USA
“Dillon and Her Son” from Always Foreign, out September 29 on Epitaph Records
It might actually take you longer to read the band name than to listen to this song, a compact, upbeat, synth driven sort of thing. I dig it.
tom
