A Decent Animal

Atmospheric rock band incorporating the dreamy, psychedelic ruminations of the likes of Pink Floyd and Radiohead with the earthy twang and melodrama of Americana. Sat., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.

A Nickel Bag of Funk

Upbeat soul, funk and R & B cover group, fronted by the sultry Leslie Gadson. Sat., 9:30 pm – Sun.,  Tantra Lounge (formerly The Monkey Bar). 

Annie Allman

Jazz, standards and blues from a multi-instrumentalist who’s part of Georgia’s fabled Allman family of musicians. Thurs. – Fri., 5 pm, Cobblestone Conch House.  

Artimus Pyledriver

Atlanta-based sludgecore band that’s toured with the likes of Mastodon, Suplecs and Dixie Witch. Sat., 10 pm, The Jinx.   

The Jeff Beasley Band

Bluesey, ‘50s-style rock & roll covers and originals. Fri., 8 pm, The Warehouse + Mon. (solo show), Murphy’s Law.

Blackeyed Katy

Rootsy regional touring band deftly mixing bluegrass, jam, blues and rock. Fri., 10 pm, Savannah Blues.

The Blend

Local trio of Samuel Adams, Brian Dingess and Lea Adams, playing Latin-influenced rock, blues and more, with plenty of nimble guitarwork. Wed., 9 pm, Bernie’s On River St. 

Bluesonics

Local, danceable, high-energy electric blues quartet led by drummer Ken Harrison. Sat., 9 pm, Jazz’d Tapas Bar.  

Bottles & Cans

Raw, unvarnished, Delta-inspired garage blues with a touch of psychedelic   angst. Fri., 9 pm, The Mansion on Forsyth Park +  Sat., 10 pm, Mercury Lounge. 

Chuck & Bucky

Acoustic guitar duo offering well-known rock, pop and country hits. Wed., 7 pm, Driftaway Café (Sandfly). 

Thomas Claxton

Intense acoustic guitarist/singer offering classic and modern rock covers and plenty of originals off his forthcoming debut CD. Wed. & Sun., 5 pm, The Warehouse + Fri. – Sat., 9 pm, Bayou Café. 

“Coastal Pet Rescue Benefit”

A free 4-band bill of ultra-underground local acts, with all suggested donations going to this worthy animal advocacy group. Artists include: off-kilter synth-based world-pop duo 9 On Bali; dour, junkie-chic acoustic guitarist/songwriter Kenneth Cowan; eclectic low-fi indie-rockers Port City Music (featuring sax, guitar, drums and bass; and the experimental and ambient electronic soundscapes of House Of Knotty Effects. Sat., 7 pm, Metro Coffee House (402 MLK, Jr. Blvd) – ALL-AGES.

Buddy Corns’ Rock Mob

Local guitarist/singer playing popular rock and blues tunes and originals.  Wed., 7 pm (solo show), Island Grill (Pt. Wentworth) + Fri. – Sat., 10:30 pm, Bayou Café.

Chuck Courtenay Band

Modern and classic country and Southern rock faves, plus a few originals. Fri. – Sat., 9 pm, Tubby’s (Thunderbolt).

Cosmic Charlie

Athens-based Grateful Dead tribute band featuring some of that fabled rock scene’s better musicians. Fri., 10 pm, Locos Deli & Pub (Downtown). 

Eric Culberson Blues Band

Internationally-known electric blues guitarist in the vein of Freddy King, Albert Collins and Buddy Guy. Tues. (hosts Open Jam Night) – Wed., 10 pm, Mercury lounge + Sun., 10 pm, Fiddler’s Crab House. 

Mary Davis & Co.

Pop, rock and soul covers from a scaled-down, acoustic lineup of Wilmington Island’s Band In The Park. Thurs., 7 pm, Baja Cantina (The Landings). 

Deep Blue 3

This area electric blues band used to be known as Mama’s Mojo. Fri., 10 pm, Mercury Lounge + Sat., 9 pm, One Hot Mama’s BBQ (Bluffton).

The David Duckworth Trio

Facile jazz combo led by one of the area’s most highly-regarded pianists. Fri., 9 pm, Jazz’d Tapas Bar. 

Dueling Pianos

Two talented keyboardists with a wide-ranging repertoire of pop, rock, soul and showtunes interact with audience members who try to stump the duo with oddball requests. It’s one part music, one part standup comedy, and one part audience participation. Tues. – Sat., Savannah Smiles. 

Eat Mo’ Music

Instrumental soul-jazz quintet which enjoys a growing following. Fri., 9:30 pm, Luna Lounge @ Il Pasticcio + Sat., 7 pm, North Beach Grill (Tybee).

Gonzalez

Critically-acclaimed S.C. stoner-rock band. Loud and hard. Sat., 10 pm, The Jinx.  

Trae Gurley’s “Swoonatra”

Local singer and actor paying sincere tribute to Frank Sinatra’s Golden Age with a reverent retrospective  that finds him adding his own particular brand of swing to Ol’ Blue Eyes’ classic tunes. Thurs., 7 pm, Jazz’d Tapas Bar.

High Velocity

Southern and classic rock and modern country cover tunes. Fri. – Sat., 9 pm,The Red Leg Saloon – formerly The Silver Dollar Café (Hwy 204).  

I Am Sound

Impressively tight and highly developed local melodic and psychedelic metal band with a wider range of sonic influences than most of their ilk (shoegazing, early SST, Built To Spill). Fri., 10 pm, The Jinx + Sat., 10 pm, Guitar Bar (348 MLK, Jr. Blvd). 

Jeanne Flight

Intriguing local indie-rock band that aspires to the type of metallic genre-bending typified by The Mars Volta. To that end, they utilize synthesizers along with guitars, as well as unexpected tempo and meter changes. Fri., 10 pm, The Jinx. 

Keith & Ross

Acoustic guitar duo known for country-tinged vocal harmonies and popular tunes. Thurs., 9 pm, Fiddler’s Crab House.

Kix 96 Guitar Pull

This annual benefit show for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital finds country music’s big names and rising stars sitting in the round and informally swapping songs and licks on acoustic guitars. It’s a rare chance to get up close and personal with some of the better writers in the field today, and help some folks in need at the same time. This year’s artists include: Sammy Kershaw (!), Buddy Jewel, Josh Gracin, Eric Church, and Megan Mullins. $30 tickets at the SCAD Box Office, or call 525-5050. Tues., 7 pm, Lucas Theatre.

Lando

Refreshing new Savannah art-pop band heavily influenced by the lush and hypnotic vibe of groups like Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. Fans of emotional and slightly theatrical vocal delivery may find much to like about this guitar/bass/piano/drums combo. If fidelity is important to you, I’d make Friday’s show, as the poor acoustics at Saturday’s venue render live rock music practically unlistenable. Fri., 10 pm, The Jinx + Sat., 11 pm, The Caledonian.  

Pocket Change

High-energy funk/R & B covers. Fri., 10 pm, Molly Macpherson’s Scottish Pub. 

Paul Reeves

Young locally-raised songwriter who’s celebrating the release of a new indie CD of Christian-tinged acoustic pop. Thurs., 7 pm, Tubby’s (Thunderbolt).

The Rogues

Well-known local party band playing oldies and shag music. Sat., 9 pm, Dolphin Reef Lounge (Tybee).

“Georgia Kyle” Shiver

Multifaceted singing acoustic guitarist who’s steeped in the blues and folk idioms, and whose original material incorporates both. Wed., 9 pm, Fiddler’s Crab House + Sat., 7 pm, AJ’s Dockside (Tybee) + Sun., 10 pm, Café Loco (Tybee). 

Silver Lining

Local jazz trio of guitarist Jackson Evans, his bassist wife Maggie and drummer Mark Cordray. Thurs., 8 pm, The Mansion on Forsyth Park + Sat., 8:30 pm, Tantra Lounge (formerly The Monkey Bar). 

Greg Snyder

Local vocalist and musician who plays a wide variety of popular cover tunes (standards, pop and rock) to sequenced backing. Wed., 7 pm, Jazz’d Tapas Bar. 

Ricky Standard

Laid-back pop, rock and beach music covers. Sat., 7 pm, Stingray’s (Tybee). 

The Train Wrecks

Crowd-pleasing quartet mixing bluegrass rhythms with rockabilly fervor on originals and Americana covers. Thurs., 10 pm, Mercury Lounge + Sat., 10 pm, Finnegan’s Wake + Sun., 6 pm, Dewey’s Dockside (Tybee). 

Greg Williams

Enchanting local songwriter and guitarist whose nuanced voice and poetic turns of phrase have won him comparisons to John Hiatt and Tom Petty. Fri. – Sat., 10 pm, Jen’s & Friends. 

Robert Willis

Popular covers sung and played on acoustic guitar by a versatile vocalist. Fri. – Sat., 7 pm, Dewey’s Dockside (Tybee).  

This article appears in Sep 13-20, 2006.