A.W.O.L. Benefit Against Juvenile Crime
All Walks Of Life, inc., the local spoken-word organization that promotes understanding, education and tolerance in young people hosts this urban music showcase featuring some of the best and brightest talent our area has to offer. Participants include: the hip-hop collective Dope Sandwich Productions; conscious rap trio S.O.L. Essential; up-and-coming organic R & B band Street Circus Symphony; rapper Danny!; and the funky groove rock of The Savannah Soul Project. Proceeds go to help the A.W.O.L. organization reach its goals. Fri., 9 pm, SCAD Student Center (120 Montgomery St.) - ALL-AGES.
The Flight Out
One of Savannah’s most promising new indie-rock guitar bands, this group uses a keen sense of both dynamics and dissonance to add unusual timbres and emotional weight to their relatively intricate sonic constructs. Their forthcoming EP showcases a quickly evolving band that places much more emphasis on song structure and “finding their own sound” than the majority of local groups in recent memory. This low-key show is part of a new (and long overdue) effort on the part of this private art school to actually organize and provide interesting live music events (of local origin) for their student body and the public at large. Thurs., 8 pm, SCAD Student Center (120 Montgomery St.) - ALL-AGES.
Jimmy Maddox
A rare hometown appearance from this Nashville-based boogie-woogie keyboardist and songwriter, who’s a member of the recently reunited local Southern rock act The JoJa Band. It seems like whenever he travels back here to play with that group (as he’ll do the night before at the 2006 Battlefield Blues & BBQ Fest), he piggybacks a solo gig for himself at this well-liked oceanfront eatery — and this trip is no exception. Sun., 3 pm, Fannie’s On The Beach (Tybee).
Pattern Is Movement, Relay
This show —sponsored by SCADRadio.org— brings together two critically-acclaimed underground bands from Philly. Pattern Is Movement offer angular prog-rock that Pitchfork Media likened to Adrian Belew-era King Crimson, middle-period Stereolab and The Sea & Cake. Acid-pop band Relay aren’t afraid to get their drone on, and their analog synthesizer and electric guitar constructs seem to harken back to the glory days of Britain’s shoegaze movement.
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: finally, some folks at SCAD are working hard to bring interesting, critically-acclaimed artists to town, for free (or next to nothing) ALL-AGES shows! So far, turnout has been lackluster. Unless those who complain loudly about a lack of such opportunities actually show up and support these shows, it’s only a matter of time before the well dries up again. Now’s the time to put up or shut up. Seriously. Admission is $3 w/valid SCAD ID or $5 without. Proceeds benefit SCAD’s noncommercial internet radio station. Fri., 7 pm, SCAD’s Orleans Hall (201 Barnard St.) - ALL-AGES.
Fred Wesley w/The Teddy Adams Quintet
Know the name Fred Wesley? Well, if you dig jazz, hip-hop or soul music, you should, but don’t kick yourself too hard if you don’t. That’s because despite the fact that he (along with Maceo Parker, Clyde Stubblefield, Jimmy Nolen, St. Clair Pinckney, Pee Wee Ellis, John “Jabo” Starks and others) helped The Godfather of Soul himself, Mr. James Brown to create and hone what we now call the building blocks of Funk, Wesley stood in that singer’s shadow for years. After leaving James, he went on to play with (and arrange for) George Clinton, Ray Charles, Usher, Ike & Tina Turner, Randy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, Cameo and De La Soul, among others. These days he rarely tours, but this first-ever gig with his old friend —and Savannah jazz icon— trombonist Teddy Adams was enough to lure him on the road. Don’t miss this rare chance for an intimate look at one of the most influential (and most sampled) horn players in the history of modern popular music. Fri. - Sat., 9 pm, Kokopelli’s Jazz Club.
