Jazz Festival Press Conference
The Coastal Jazz Association announces the lineup for the 2009 Jazz Festival at Blowing Smoke BBQ.
From warrior to artist
If there’s a stereotypical image of military veterans returning home from war, it definitely does not involve driving a beat-up VW bus with bumper stickers on the back proclaiming ‘Not All Who Wander Are Lost.’ But there is the van, parked in front of the barbershop-turned-art co-op that is the nineonetwo building on 40th Street.…
What’s my religion?
Apparently believing that religious competition in the Middle East is not exciting enough already, the television station Kanal T in Istanbul, Turkey, is preparing a reality game show for September release in which 10 certified atheists try to resist conversion by a priest, a rabbi, a Muslim imam and a Buddhist monk. The exact…
Do you get my continental drift?
I’ve seen pictures of Pangaea, the giant land mass that eventually separated into the continents we know today. But why were the continents smushed together like that in the first place? What made the land higher on that one side of the earth? Were there other continents we can no longer account for? Is…
I’ll take Manhattan
The warming brown spirits we embraced during the long cold winter aren’t as palatable when the mercury flirts with double digits. Still, the clink of ice in a glass is one of those refreshing sounds that taunt our senses. There must be some way to bring together a rocks glass and our favorite whiskey, right?…
Three bites: Noodle Bowl, Blue Goose Cafe, Breakfast Club
The Noodle Bowl One of my field researchers, Mr. Nichols, dropped off a menu from this Southside newcomer a couple of weeks ago. “Very good,” he reported, “Although the curry needs to be spicier.” The kinks are still being worked out, but I had a very satisfying bowl of egg noodles with braised beef, garnished…
Summer Lovin’; Apatow’s reach exceeds his grasp
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER***1/2DIRECTED BY Marc WebbSTARS Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel It’s too soon to tell whether (500) Days of Summer will emerge as an Annie Hall or The Graduate for this generation — or at least supplant Garden State insofar as being the movie of choice for lovelorn folks trying to make some sense…
Sample this, sample that
You didn’t come to Savannah to eat pond-raised shrimp from China. At least, the Georgia Shrimpers Association, which raised the billboard bearing that declaration on East Victory, doesn’t think so. Therefore, the organization is a co-sponsor (and providing the oceanic delicacies for) this weekend’s Mid-Summer Sampler, which features an all-you-can-eat shrimp boil and tons of…
Fowl play
An officer was dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to respond to a complaint that a dog was killing ducks. Upon arrival, the officer found a pitbull eating a duck on a side of the road. There were two other dead ducks in the road. The officer followed the dog back to its residence, made contact with…
The write stuff
For most of his life, Jefferson Ross has been a songwriter. He played guitar in country star Terri Clark’s band, even toured the world with evangelist Jimmy Swaggart – but his “me time” was always spent hunched over his acoustic, writing songs. A few years ago, the native of Lincolnton, Ga. was signed to Nashville’s…
Goofing for God
Marcus D. Wiley is one (heaven) of a funny guy. Best known as the laugh-out-loud sidekick on the syndicated Yolanda Adams Morning Show, Wiley is a wildly popular standup comedian on the American black church circuit (yes, there is such a thing), youth conferences and other Christian-based events. Wiley performs Saturday at the Johnny Mercer…
Bohemian Hotel Grand Opening
A walk through the new Bohemian Hotel in downtown Savannah
Passafire on fire
With the release of the third Passafire album, Everyone on Everynight, the little Savannah reggae band that could is ready to cross over to the Big Time. Although it’s not scheduled for release (on LAW Records) until Sept. 15, Passafire’s faithful local following can get a taste of the new songs (not a bad…
What’s Next: The Bluegrass Brady Bunch
We get a lot of top-notch bluegrass acts here, that’s for sure, but on Sept. 26 one of the very best in the country is set to play at the University of South Carolina in Beaufort. It’s an unlikely Cinderella story. The band is Cherryholmes, a California mom and dad, and four of their kids.…
The County’s code of shame
The County’s code of shame Editor, As a resident of Georgia, a senior citizen and a property owner in both the City of Savannah and Chatham County, I would like to share my experiences over the past four and a half years. Little did I know when I purchased my personal residence in Chatham County,…
The Great Sandal Scandal
— Police were called to respond to a fight in progress behind a Bay Street hotel early one morning, and found a group of shouting females. One of the ladies was arguing with the first officer to respond to the scene when a second officer advised her that there was nothing to discuss and she…
Father’s Day on a ‘Field of Dreams’
OK, so I’m a sentimental fool. I’ve been around the block a few times, and like most heterosexual men I’ve had the uncomfortable experience of sitting through some dreary chick-flick like Beaches or Stepmom while the lady on my arm blubbered into her Kleenex. My Achilles’ heel is Field of Dreams. Directed by Phil…
The Chairman of River Street
On the west end of River Street, tourists in T-shirts and sunglasses shuffle along, snapping pictures of each other with the river as a backdrop. Huge freighters with foreign names glide under the majestic Talmadge Bridge, and on the air is a cacophony of sounds: Laughter, car horns, restaurant noise, the loud blasts of the…
What’s Next: David Copperfield
He shoots … he scores! I’ve seen David Copperfield onstage several times, and never once did he miss the basket. Never sliced off an ear while “walking though” a giant spinning fan. Never pulled a muskrat out of the proverbial hat, when we were all expecting a rabbit. The thing about Copperfield, whose January…
The tasty ten
When it comes to defining Savannah cuisine, well, is there one singularly suitable definition? The very historical foundation of this city was built on various ethnic groups, who would not have abandoned their comfort foods – but adapted those dishes to fit the ingredients they found. Seafood, of course, and shellfish play an important role,…
48 Hour Film Project: Savannah wins big-time
Savannah’s first year of hosting the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) was something of a personal victory for Tyler M. Reid, the Savannah producer for the two-day short film competition. Last fall, Reid approached the national organizers of 48HFP and volunteered to produce the Savannah contest. Reid competed in the Louisville event in…
Lights … camera … hurry up!
In late June, brothers Eric and Nate Nauert asked me to join their team, Perpombellar Productions, for Savannah’s first 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), a two-day film competition that’s held in dozens of cities across the U.S. I felt like I’d been asked to the prom by the most popular boy in the…
Prescribing value
Most homeowners in Chatham County will finally receive their annual property assessments, which were approved this past Friday, after delays caused by changes in state legislation passed in April and May. Homeowners in 44 neighborhoods will have to wait another week for their assessments, which won’t be approved until after the Board of Assessors meeting…
Noteworthy: Descender
DESCENDER “We like to just say we play loud/heavy/aggressive music that really doesn’t fit neatly into any one specific genre,” says Descender guitarist Eric Palmerlee, who creates a sonic tidal wave with his co-axeman, Angelo Pournaras. “Think Fugazi, Snapcase and Slayer in a pit fighting it out to the death.” Based in New York…
Notes from the bluegrass underground
It was in 1981 that New Grass Revival, the most “out there” bluegrass band in America (“out there” meaning a far cry from traditional porch-picking acoustic bluegrass) added a young banjo virtuoso named Bela Fleck to its lineup. Fleck, and his unconventional take on the instrument – why, you can play just about anything…
The whim of steel
We have a very interesting story by Patrick Rodgers this week on property taxes in Chatham County. None too soon, either – the current round of assessments should be in your mailboxes soon, if they haven’t come already. While currently your home property tax assessments are capped for three years – due to action by…
Three bites: Moon River, Lighthouse Pizza, Miyabi
Moon River Brewing Co. My craving for an excellent burger once a week continues. I fled my meeting on Bay Street and headed for the nearest juicy burger — which just so happened to go great with a hand-crafted beer! The Moon Burger is big and cooked to order — I chose mine with lettuce,…
Fun with Fume Blanc
When soft drink giant Coca-Cola sold its wine business in 1983 two things happened. Competing California wine makers breathed a sigh of relief that the big budget onslaught of the Coke marketing machine had ground to a halt — and the properties passed to new owners who made far better wines than Coke’s leading…
Fighting ‘fish fraud’ on the menu
When you order red snapper in a restaurant, how do you know you’re eating red snapper? You don’t. In fact, about three-quarters of all “red snappers” sold in the United States are mislabeled – it’s probably the most mislabeled fish in the country. And mislabeling fish, any fish, is bad for two reasons -…
Reviews: The Hurt Locker, The Ugly Truth
ext-no indent THE HURT LOCKER *** Who knew that director Kathryn Bigelow was anything other than a Hollywood hack? Sure, sure, she’s had her supporters, but practically all of her past projects have favored cold style over warm substance. The justly forgotten Blue Steel was one of the worst films of the 1990s, Point…
