I Cantori

For over a dozen years, this traditional vocal group has been a favorite in the Savannah area, and they’re back again for a series of three holiday performances.

Various styles and periods of music will be performed in this year, including: Robert Young’s beautiful “Rosa Mystica”, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”, set by Alabama native Don Dicie, Robert Convery’s “Young Jesus Sweit”, and “Beata Es Virgo Maria”, written in the early 1600’s by Mikolaj Zielenski.

The program also features arrangements of traditional carols and Christmas tunes. The show’s selections will be sung in a variety of different languages. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. They may be obtained from any member of the group, at the door, or by calling 925-7866. Fri., 7:30 pm, Messiah Lutheran Church + Sat., 7:30 pm, St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church + Mon., 7:30 pm, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Kevn Kinney’s STAR

Primarily known as the hoarse-voiced leader of late’80s Southern alternative warhorses DRIVIN-N-CRYIN, Kinney has also dabbled in the neo-folkie world through solo albums abetted by R.E.M.’s Pete Buck. Now he merges the two worlds on his latest Athens-based album and band project featuring members of Kathleen Turner Overdrive, Widespread Panic and Southern Bitch – as well as established jam-band guitarist Gibb Droll. The Sun Tangled Angel Revival allows Kinney to crank it up like his heroes the Ramones and Patti Smith, while still closing down like his idol Bob Dylan. This CD release party celebrates the culmination of a few years of R & D on Kevn’s part, and the fact that at least one major label is considering picking it up may signal a welcome resurgence of interest in this idiosyncratic – if inconsistent – artist.

Fri., 10 pm, Café Loco – ALL AGES.

Low Country Bluegrass Jam

For the past few years, luthier Randy Wood’s longstanding friendships with many of country music’s most respected stars has brought in plenty of quality live entertainment to our area.

The highlight of these shows have been his annual “jam sessions,” where he matches up some of the all-time bluegrass greats and invites them to drop by for some unrehearsed showboating.

It’s a chance to get up close and personal with living legends, and watch them think on their feet as they play old faves at the top of their game.

This year, the lineup reads like a who’s who of bluegrass for the past 40 years: superstar fiddle player Vassar Clements; flatpicking guitar great Tony Rice; Scott Vestal (banjo player for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver), and others.

Demand is so great for this 100-seat room, they’ve added a second night. The price is a bit steep, but not for the stellar talent on the bill. Hey, that’s why they call these things once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, right?

Fri. – Sat., 7:30 pm, Randy Wood’s Concert Hall (Bloomingdale). Call 748-1930 for ticket info.

 

Shol’Nuff

“Man, I got beats.”

That’s the first lyric you hear on the advance sampler from this local trio, and it sets the tone for the latest effort from longtime urban producer and engineer Henry “Skeet” Mitchell.

Shol’Nuff is an intoxicating blend of rap, neo-soul and light jazz. Skeet favors the smooth R & B, while Harvey “PigPen” Watson handles the rhyming, and Tony “Pretty T” Mitchell (no relation) adds midnight sax to the mix. This disc comes on the heels of their first CD Where It All Began, which was cut before the duo had brought Pretty T into the fold.

Stylistically, A Nickel Bag covers the same basic ground, but production and performance-wise, it’s heads and tails above their debut, and easily one of the most approachable rap-related releases I’ve heard yet from local talent.

For this “listening party,” the group will perform tracks from the upcoming CD (scheduled for a February drop) .

Anyone interested in the current urban music scene going on in Savannah should consider checking this out.

Sun., 7 pm, Kenny’s Lounge.

Dynasty (Electric Duo)

This offshoot of the NYC avant-jazz scene mixes brainy, unpredictable (and sometimes atonal) bursts of noise alongside more straight-up electropunk.

Hoping to move beyond the downtown Anthony Braxton scene, they began to add in elements of synth-pop, and now sonic references to such art-pop visionaries as Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk and Bjork abound in their work.

Guitar and sax man Seth Misterka has gigged with experimental heavyweight William Parker as well as indie-rock acts like El Guapo, and in her teenage years, vocalist Jennifer DeVeau was in a U.K. all-girl Beatles tribute.

By mixing programmed drumbeats and strange keyboard textures with breathy vocals, they recall both underground Canadian rap sensation Peaches and doomed ‘70s duo The Carpenters. They’re opening for Dynamite Club, so get there early.

Thurs., The Jinx. w

This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2004.