In a post with lots of pics in October, I had this to say about hearing this mountain for the first time: “… it was sure a memorable musical experience for me — one of those times when I know virtually nothing about a band and then, the moment they start playing, I immediately feel like Iâ€m listening to a story told by a long lost friend.”

And the rest of this text and the following pics are from a post in December:

this mountain was founded just two years ago and only released their first full-length album — future ghost — about three months ago. But this mountain seems destined for bigger things.

With an indie rock sensibility, gorgeous harmonies, and an intense combination of strings — including banjo, cello, and electric guitar — this mountain resists any easy categorization.

Lead singer Matt Martin is accompanied by Zach Chandley on electric guitar, Patrick Taylor on banjo, Andrew Gibbens on drums, Taylor Green on bass, and Cody Ledford on cello.

The band’s sheer virtuosity is evident on a track like “Desert”:

future ghost is filled with similar gems:

You can find this mountain on Facebook and on bandcamp. Click here for the Stopover page about this mountain.

this mountain plays an all ages show at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 8 on the patio at B&D Burgers on Congress Street, and then plays the upstairs room at B&D on Saturday, March 9 at 11 p.m. Click here for the full Savannah Stopover schedule.

In the days leading up to the Stopover, I’ll be posting quite a number of short previews like this. So far I’ve previewed Stop Light Observations, Mac DeMarco, Little Tybee, Eric Britt, Heyrocco, Roadkill Ghost Choir and of Montreal.

Click here for all my Savannah Stopover previews.

this mountain is amazingly fun to watch:

They’ve already recorded a Daytrotter session (airing soon) and will be returning for the Savannah Stopover in March, but the upsides are endless.

The high-energy six piece from Johnson City, Tennessee played a relatively short set in a Savannah Stopover-produced show this past Friday at ThincSavannah and then a 90-minute set on Saturday at The Jinx. (I wrote about and posted pics of a previous Savannah appearance.) With an indie rock sensibility, gorgeous harmonies, and an intense combination of strings — including banjo, cello, and electric guitar — this mountain resists any easy categorization.

Lead singer Matt Martin is accompanied by Zach Chandley on electric guitar, Patrick Taylor on banjo, Andrew Gibbens on drums, Taylor Green on bass, and Cody Ledford on cello.

The band’s sheer virtuosity is evident on a track like “Desert”:

future ghost is filled with similar gems:

You can find this mountain on Facebook and on bandcamp.

The band is also fun to watch:

Welcome to our beta version of the re-vamped MusicFile. Over the past two years, weâ€ve moved from New York City to beautiful Savannah,Ga., started a music festival called Savannah Stopover that takes place the weekend before SXSW each March (you need to come down for this!), launched a concert promotion and event business and in the process of all that, have sorely neglected our first born~~The MusicFile. All that changes now as we embark once again on our goal to bring you the best new music with no attitude and no fuss.

Itâ€s overwhelming to keep up with music today, particularly if youâ€re not into the mainstream pipeline of mediocrity. We try and make it a little easier. We donâ€t do negative reviews, we just shine a spotlight on the best undiscovered, rediscovered and under the radar tunes that get our juices flowing. We do the scouring so you can do the listening. And, once we left the microcosm of NY and settled into the deep south, we realized how much great new music is coming out of the region that just doesnâ€t get its due so weâ€re launching a new section of the site called “Down South” where weâ€ll showcase the best new talent from south of the Mason-Dixon Line and east of the Mississippi.

I was really excited a couple of months ago when Kayne Lanahan — founder and CEO of both Savannah Stopover and MusicFile Productions — told me that she and her team were revamping and relaunching The MusicFile site. As Kayne herself noted in a guest post on the Creative Coast blog in February (see In Search Of A Music Scene), music blogging has a role to play in nurturing Savannah’s scene.

Of course, The MusicFile doesn’t fill the role of hyperlocal blog that Savannah also needs, but it will be another conduit for connecting Savannah music fans to broader trends as well as to specific bands that we’d otherwise miss.

The site has just recently been relaunched, so there’s still some tweaking to be done to the beta version.

this mountain, from Johnson City, Tennessee

With sites like Pitchfork doling out plenty of negativity, I like The MusicFile’s emphasis on positive reviews and spotlights.

So maybe the presence of The MusicFile in Savannah will attract a little more attention for us from outside — from bands, booking agents, and journalists.

And maybe its presence will spur some entrepreneurial writers to launch the kind of hyperlocal music blogs we need — ones loaded with reviews, schedules, pics, and clips. I do OK with my Music category posts and my 912 Music Calendar, but those barely scratch the surface of what dedicated bloggers could do.

In other news, Savannah Stopover will be making a big announcement on Tuesday, November 27th. They will also be hosting a reception at ThincSavannah on November 30th. Click here for more.

Most of the cyclists only heard a couple songs of this mountain’s fine set, but it was sure a memorable musical experience for me — one of those times when I know virtually nothing about a band and then, the moment they start playing, I immediately feel like I’m listening to a story told by a long lost friend.

The six members (Matt Martin, Zach Chandley, Patrick Taylor, Andrew Gibbens, Taylor Green, and Cody Ledford) then schlepped their gear over to The Jinx, where they played a long, rousing show for a big Labor Day weekend crowd.

I’m thrilled to hear that this mountain is headed back to The Jinx on December 1st, and I just hope they have the same kind of crowd that they had last time.

Click here to find this mountain on Facebook.

Click here for this mountain’s Bandcamp page.

And here you can sample their album future ghost:

And here are some shots I took last time around.

Since so many of these look similar at this size, I’d suggest clicking for larger versions and then scrolling through with the directional arrows on your keyboard. I just love how the band members seem physically connected in some of these.

The first few are in Telfair Square, and then we move to The Jinx:

Here’s a brand new video of “Heavy” — nothing flashy, just a great song.

Below the video, I’ll append the gallery of photos I shot at The Jinx.

Most of the cyclists only heard a couple songs of this mountain’s fine set, but it was sure a memorable musical experience for me — one of those times when I know virtually nothing about a band and then, the moment they start playing, I immediately feel like I’m listening to a story told by a long lost friend.

The six members (Matt Martin, Zach Chandley, Patrick Taylor, Andrew Gibbens, Taylor Green, and Cody Ledford) then schlepped their gear over to The Jinx, where they played a long, rousing show for a big Labor Day weekend crowd. The set could have been a little tighter, but there were some mic issues, a broken string, some extra required tuning — the occasional pauses didn’t take away any of the crowd’s enthusiasm.

this mountain, which has only been playing together since 2010, describes its sound as “folk-rock”, but I don’t know if that’s the best label.

I’ve taken a lot of photos at The Jinx, and as usual I didn’t really have adequate lighting conditions to get consistently good shots of all the band members. Sorry! But three members of the six-piece band were lined up just about perfectly for composition — and their interactions made for some great visuals.

Click here to find this mountain on Facebook.

Click here for this mountain’s Bandcamp page.

And here you can sample that album, future ghost:

I’m certainly hoping to catch this mountain again soon.

Since so many of these look similar at this size, I’d suggest clicking for larger versions and then scrolling through with the directional arrows on your keyboard. I just love how the band members seem physically connected in some of these.

The first few are in Telfair Square, and then we move to The Jinx:

While the cyclists were making their way back to Telfair Square, this mountain — a great bluegrass influenced rock band from Johnson City — played in Telfair Square. By the time the ride was completed and folks were filling up the VIP tables, chatting about the ride, enjoying New Belgium beer, and generally enjoying the pleasant but humid evening, the band Ponderosa was on stage.

The Atlanta-based Ponderosa has recently released a critically praised new album Pool Party and have a sound that took on special resonance under the live oaks of Telfair Square, with the Telfair Academy, Trinity UMC, and the Jepson Center — buzzing with some sort of special event — in the background.

The music was programmed by Savannah Stopover, which — as one would expect — made great booking choices. Capital A Productions did a great job with sound and staging.

So I don’t really have any photos of the ride itself, but here’s a taste of the rest of the event.

this mountain played a latenight set at The Jinx. I took so many photos that I’m saving those for their own post.

Click here for an album of photos by Geoff L. Johnson on the Savannah Stopover Facebook page.

Enjoy:

We have been busy helping our friends at the Savannanh Bike Campaign with their 4th Annual Midnight Garden Ride . On September 1, after the festive nighttime bike ride, we will be co-hosting their “Good & Evil Party” with some spectacular live music acts. We have the pleasure of announcing our very own Stopover 2012 alum, Ponderosa, performing with folk-rockers this mountain. [. . .]

In a musical landscape rife with fleeting fads and overnight electro-pop sensations, it doesnâ€t exactly make sense to start a band steeped in the sounds of artists like the Faces, Leon Russell, and Joe Cocker. Yet, here stands Ponderosa, an upstart with a veteran sound. On its New West Records debut, Moonlight Revival, the Atlanta-based act crafted music thatâ€s genuine, soulful, and psychedelic. Lead vocalist and songwriter Kalen Nash suggests one more adjective: timeless.

Here’s Ponderosa with “Black Hill Smoke”:

And Johnson City’s this mountain:

$10 @ door, $25 VIP tickets. Tables can also be reserved.

Click here for more on the various Midnight Garden Ride events and for tickets.