Sometime later tonight, I’m almost certain to be in a quandary about which band to listen to in which venue at the second Savannah Stopover. I’m thinking that I’ll catch Hooded Fang at 11 at Congress Street Social Club and then make my way to The Jinx for Turbo Fruits, but there are other tempting options.
And the choices multiply on Friday and Saturday night (and day). Plus almost all the Stopover venues are within a short walk or — in my case — bike ride.
There wasn’t any confusion about what to do on the opening night on Wednesday, since the festival launched with a single party at the Jepson and in Telfair Square. Again this year, instead of trying to get a press pass, I bought a VIP pass. I do things like that more often than I probably should, but I like to support causes I believe in, and I like to be free of the burdens of a member of the press.
The Wednesday night opening was great, despite the fact that the Aussie band Pond apparently had visa problems and had to cancel, and that DIVE’s transportation broke down. They’ll be playing tonight at Dosha.
The party at the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center was hosted by South Magazine, with great food in the VIP section from FORM. The evening was also timed to mesh with the Telfair’s William Jay Society monthly meeting, which added to the great diversity of the crowd. The competition band posters looked great, spirits were high, and the two bands outside — Dinosaur Feathers and Oberhofer — were excellent. A third band would have almost been too much anyway.
Over at The Jinx later on, Each Other — a stellar trio from Montreal (but all originally from Halifax) — got the night rolling, and then Oberhofer played another set.

Brad Oberhofer of the band Oberhofer performs under the live oaks in Telfair Square on the opening night of the 2012 Savannah Stopover
I’ll have more to say about Oberhofer, Each Other, and Dinosaur Feathers in an upcoming post, and I’ll be posting a lot more pictures too.
If you still haven’t tuned into the Savannah Stopover, I’d suggest reading some of the coverage and checking out the website. There’s an incredible diversity of acts performing over the next few days, including a promising Mazarine Records label showcase at the Ships of the Sea Museum garden from noon to 5 on Saturday. Click here for my column about that. Please note one error there: I called Suny Lyons a woman, when he is in fact a he.
Even if you aren’t typically into the club scene, there are lots of options for great shows at the Jepson, the Telfair Academy, Blowin’ Smoke, and the Ships of the Sea.
Click here for a post by my friend and fellow blogger Brooke Atwood who has posted some great night one pictures and commentary.
More later.