This is the eighth (and maybe the last) in occasional posts previewing acts slated for the Savannah Stopover festival March 9-12, 2011. Check out previous posts about Astronautalis; Little Tybee; Class Actress; The Drenched Earth Tour; Murder By Death, Fake Problems, and Buried Beds; Sims; and Sanders Bohlke.
I’m primarily interested in the Savannah Stopover so that I can see out-of-town acts that I wouldn’t normally see. So I’m going to skip some of the shows that involve local acts (sorry to all!), but I’m in a different position than most music lovers around town. I’ve been well-acquainted with General Oglethorpe and the Panhandlers for a long time — I even wrote the first review of their album Whistle the Dirges. I heard Dare Dukes + the Blackstock Collection recently at The Wormhole; I haven’t seen one of Cusses’ intense live shows in a while, but have seen them three or four times since their founding; I catch Niche whenever it’s convenient; I saw Little Tybee (lead singer Brock Scott is a native Savannahian) when I was in Athens recently; I routinely check out KidSyc@Brandywine (and will see them during the Stopover since they’re opening for Das Racist); one of the best times I’ve had in Savannah for live music was at a Sunglasses show months ago at Hang Fire.
Still, there are some holes in my experience. I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t seen Dead Yet? yet, so I might try to squeeze that show in at 5 p.m. Saturday March 12th.
With local acts featured in daytime shows on Friday and Saturday at both LiveWire and Hang Fire, plus various other sets in the evenings, the Stopover is probably presenting the broadest selection of local music that we’ve ever seen over one weekend in Savannah. (Obviously, there are some major names missing: Bottles ‘n Cans, The Train Wrecks, Black Tusk.)
It’s easy to be critical of the local participation: Wasn’t this supposed to be all about bands traveling through? But there are over 40 bands that are indeed “stopping over,” and there’s no practical way (or political way, or nice way, or economical way) that the Stopover could have ignored so much local talent interested in participating. In fact, the festival might turn out to be a great chance for local acts to come together as never before in the greater cause of promoting live music in the city.
So locals who have not heard Dare, General O, or any of the rest have an especially exciting array of choices ahead. (See here for the full Stopover schedule.)
1 comment for “Savannah Stopover preview #8: the local talent”