Review: African Interplay
Demonstrating the spirit of unique collaboration that’s always been at the heart of the Savannah Music Festival, the March 25 show by Ballake Sissoko (on the kora, a tall African harp) and Vincent Segal (cello) crossed all sorts of musical boundaries. At times flowing and pastoral, at others adventurous and rhythmic to the point…
Review: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Slow-vannah was transformed into Soul-vannah for a few hours when Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings landed at the Trustees Theater for the first sold-out show of the Savannah Music Festival. The 11-member band fronted by Jones, an Augusta native and disciple of the James Brown school of funky soul, raised the bar for showmanship for…
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings sell out the first show of the 2011 Savannah Music Festival at Trustees Theater March 24. All photos by Patrick Rogers
Telfair director headed to Florida
The Telfair Museums announced this morning that Executive Director Steven High will take a job as director of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. High is expected to begin the new assignment on June 1. “What an honor it is for Steven to have been chosen to lead The Ringling…
Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Big Tree
HOLY GHOST TENT REVIVAL At 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 Wormhole Bar, 2307 Bull St. The first band that came to my mind when I heard this North Carolina six-piece was Little Feat. Maybe it was the irreverent lyrics, the swinging Mardi Gras atmosphere (banjo and trombone alert), the hot boogie-woogie piano or the free-wheeling,…
Mark your calendar: Prince in Charleston
It’s been seven years since Prince toured the country. His Royal Badness is at it again, and the Welcome 2 America package arrives at the North Charleston Coliseum next Wednesday, March 30. In a typically cryptic statement made at the tour’s start in December, Prince announced he would act as “Master of Ceremonies” for the…
Nuclear options
While questions remain about the unfolding disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi reactor facility, the result of a massive earthquake and tsunami two weeks ago, the one certainty seems to be that the world is witnessing one of the worst nuclear catastrophes in history. Around the world, officials in the United States, Germany, China, and other…
Scorsone’s secret
A couple of times a year, I taste wines that stand above the rest. It happened two weeks ago when I tasted wines from Sonoma County–based Adobe Road Winery, owned by renowned sports car racer and entrepreneur Kevin Buckler and his wife, Debra. Local Porsche aficionados might recognize Buckler’s name – he’s also founder of…
Best breakfasts in town
One inquiry I field frequently concerns where to eat breakfast downtown – outside of a hotel. The choices used to be pretty limited, but have grown substantially in the past few months. Of course, eateries like J. Christopher’s and Huey’s on the River have been staples. Others worth a look: Tubby’s on River Street has…
SMF: Michael Burks & Delta Blues
In many ways Michael Burks doesn’t fit the stereotype of a bluesman. He’s on the young side, for one, being “only” 54 — fairly underripe by blues standards. He was born in Milwaukee, for another, though he moved to Arkansas at a young age. He wasn’t “born under a bad sign.” He’s had pretty much…
Abolish EPA, NRC to really protect the public
Last week, The New York Times revealed that as long ago as 1972 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (precursor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) knew of fatal design defects in the General Electric nuclear reactors now gone critical in Japan, but instead of banning the design, they stamped it as “safe” for nearly four decades.…
Newsbriefs
City Manager contract Members of the City Council gathered last Friday afternoon to discuss terms for hiring Rochelle Small–Toney as City Manager. Fresh off their appearance in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and with festivities still ongoing along River Street, the meeting started late, as some members had difficulty finding parking spots. The mayor then…
St. Patrick’s Day Party Fouls
The large crowds in town for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities kept police busy, including a total of 190 arrests over the weekend – 154 in City Market and 36 on River Street. That total included 27 arrests for disorderly conduct, 17 arrests for public urination, 13 seatbelt violations, 9 arrests for affray and 7…
Seventeen days in Savannah
This week, as is our annual habit, we immediately turn from St. Patrick’s Day coverage to extensive coverage of the Savannah Music Festival, an event we’re proud to help sponsor. A few weeks ago we also helped sponsor the Savannah Stopover, different in some ways from the Savannah Music Festival but very much alike in…
SMF: Sharon Jones
The first show to sell out at the 2011 Savannah Music Festival was the March 24 performance by the R&B powerhouse Sharon Jones & the Dap–Kings. Which just goes to show you, some things never go out of style. Inspired by the classic soul and funk recordings of the 1960s and early ‘70s, the eight–member…
SMF: Bela Fleck
In 30–plus years of interviewing musicians, I can name a half–dozen who are always a pleasure to speak with – they’re forthcoming, funny, thoughtful and seem to truly enjoy exposition and the old back–and–forth, with some journalist they’ve never actually met on the other end of the phone. Béla Fleck may be on the top…
SMF: The Avett Brothers
For Seth Avett, this past February 13 was the high–water mark in a year filled with them. “We got a chance to talk over song parts with sort of ‘the one’ in the realm of Americana songwriting,” Avett enthuses. “There’s none higher.” The occasion was the 2011 Grammy Awards telecast, and “the one” was none…
SMF: The Flatlanders
Jimmie Dale Gilmore was raised in the dusty Texas panhandle town of Lubbock, birthplace of none other than Buddy Holly. Like Holly, he is a singer, songwriter and guitar player. But the similarities end there. Gilmore is one of a handful of Texan musicians famous for their lyrical acoustic tunes – think about Townes Van…
More Music Festival picks
Ballake Sissoko/Vincent Segal Lionel Louke Ensemble At 8 p.m. March 25, Lucas Theatre French cellist Segal, who plays in the trip hop group Bumcello, has found an experimental musical equal in Malinese kora player Sissoko. As with Bela Fleck’s banjo-led incursions into different world musics, the two seemingly disparate instruments seem to flow together quite…
Exhibits & openings this week
Art Sounds – The Creative Force Collective presents an exhibit of work inspired by music in conjunction with the opening of the Savannah Music Festival. Opening reception: March 25, 6-8pm. Music meets art event: April 3, 4-7pm. Indigo Sky Community Gallery, 915 Waters Ave., http://indigoskycommunitygallery.blogspot.com/ Colors of the Sea – A series of new abstract…
How much does a shadow weigh?
I’m aware this is a dumb question, but in a way that reassures me because I’m relieved of the task of checking to see if any of your other readers have posed it before: do shadows weigh anything at all? Of course, I know we’re talking extremely small amounts-fractions of fractions of fractions of pounds.…
