Aburgey & Hanson
Local acoustic blues duo (guitar and harmonica) who recently reunited after decades apart and released a splendidly retro-sounding CD of original tunes and standards. Fri., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Angie Aparo
See Connect Recommends. Fri., 10 pm, Club Oz (formerly Equinox).
Arcasia Red
Local post-hardcore quintet incorporating influences from modern and classic metal, melodic rock and the cacophonous siren wail of late 80s rap. Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
Band In The Park
Smooth, female-fronted Wilmington Island cover band specializing in pop and rock hits from the 60s through the 90s. Fri. – Sat., 9:30 pm, Scandals (Tybee).
Bluesonics
Tight R & B (swampy blues-rock to Texas swing and upbeat shuffles). Fri., 12 midnight, Malones.
Boomerang
Dig Motown and the feel-good soul of the 60s and 70s? Check out this local cover act. Fri., Fusion/The Monkey Bar.
Bottles & Cans
Awhile back, this well-liked electric blues band went on hiatus, but with the return of their guitarist, theyre back in business. Thurs., Savannah Blues. he Bricks
Farewell gig from this locally-based old-school punk rock act that retained a steady following for years despite infrequent live shows. One of the better punk acts thats ever called Savannah home. Sad to see em go. Fri., The Jinx.
Circle Takes The Square
Great underground post-hardcore band from Savannah thats starting to generate major buzz in high-profile rock mags like Rolling Stone and Alternative Press. Known for their male/female tag-team vocals, they tour far and wide playing sweaty, cramped house parties as well as club shows. Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
Stephen Clair
See Connect Recommends. Sun. 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Thomas Claxton
Classic and modern-rock covers rendered on acoustic guitar. Thurs., Bernies on River St. + Mon., 10 pm, Daiquiri Depot (Pooler).
Expression Talent Showcase
Local hip-hop promoter Skeet Mitchell hosts this local showcase, with each weeks winners going on to defend their title. Sun., 9 pm, Creole Red.
Trae Gurley’s Sinatra Tribute
Local thespian putting his own live spin on Franks big band classics. Thurs., Jazzd Tapas Bar + Fri., 7 pm, Go Fish. 26enry Parsons Project
Widespread Panic tribute band from Colorado that does gangbusters bar business. Thurs., Locos Deli & Pub.
Hazel Virtue
Slick regional act that flirts with the commercial alt.rock, but has earned praise for their noticeably Southern take on mildly psychedelic, modern roots music. Sat., OConnells Irish Pub.
i am not a little bus
Instrumental math-rock trio playing aggressive and thought-provoking melodic noise that blends metal, punk, hard jazz and mood music.Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
4th Annual KIX-96 Guitar Pull
See Connect Recommends. Tues., 7:30 pm, Lucas Theatre.
Knee Deep & Drowning
Regional, screamy emo-core group (with strong ties to Savannah) thats not afraid to throw some definite pop reference points into the mix. The grandeur and scope of their more anthemic tunes is rather captivating. Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
The Letters Organize
Clanging Atlantan sucker-punch guitars push and pull (a la The MC5s Kramer and Smith) while the rhythm section digs a hole to China and two vocalists alternate righteous screams which still retain legibility, but wont disappoint fans of the ol bloodcurdle. Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
Liquid Ginger
Extremely popular local act mixing rock covers with their own commercial pop songs. Fri.- Sat., 9:30 pm, The Oyster Bar (Wilmington island).
Maniquinn
Perplexing avant-rock duo of Kristopher Kartier and Yukari Yucca, who met at recording school and moved from L.A. to Charleston to take over the world. Their style combines rhythmic poetry, trip-hop, psychedelia and Eastern sounds. They use shamisan (a 3-stringed Japanese guitar), keyboards, samplers, grooveboxes and a variety of synths and percussion instruments, and are known for bizarre stage shows. Sat., The Jinx.
Maurice & Doubleday
Versatile party band playing rock, pop and standards. Wed., 7 pm, Go Fish.
Miso
NYC power trio centered around the indiosyncratic rock songwriting of singer Noah Murphy (who had been recording solo as Miso for years). Stylistically, they cover a lot of ground, but there are similarities to later-period Rentals in the overdriven fuzz guitar, nasal vocals, and larger-then-life drumming. Sat., The Jinx.
Moonshine Still
Versatile Macon-based sextet that easily shifts from metal to soul to klezmer to gospel-influenced rock. Theyre currently considered one of the top Southern jam-bands. Sat., Locos Deli & Pub. Joe Nelson
Local artist and Old-Time music aficionado who plays traditional mountain tunes on a variety of vintage stringed instruments (banjo, uke, mandolin, fiddle). Fri., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Passafire
Fun and fresh local group combining reggae, rock and hip-hop into freewheeling groove music similar to G. Love & Special Sauce or De La Soul. Tues., Fiddlers Crab House.
The Howard Paul Quartet
Top-notch jazz combo led by a respected seven-string guitarist, regarded as one of the finest such players in our area. Fri., 9 pm, Jazzd Tapas Bar.
Pimps In Paradise
This theme party marks the 5th Anniversary of scenester Chris Cooks ribald get-togethers. Its also the first event hes thrown since quitting his day job. He hopes to support himself through partying, and if you like that notion, youll dress up like a caricature of someone involved in the sex trade and help pay his water bill. Sat., 10 pm, Velouria.
The Positions
Uptempo local quartet playing danceable party tunes and rock covers from Tracy Chapman to Johnny Cougar. Sat., Fusion/The Monkey Bar.
Puppet Slam
Hour-long politically incorrect show sponsored by the Savannah Coastal Puppetry Guild that aims to push the boundaries of traditional puppet shows. The artists will express themselves freely, without the assumed constraints of the form. Wed., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Rattus
Rare U.S. tour from these Finnish punk legends, whose 1984 debut is something of a minor masterpiece. Mon., The Jinx.
Reason of Insanity
Angry crustcore punk from Louisiana. Mon., The Jinx.
Paul Reeves
See Connect Recommends. Fri., 10 pm, Club Oz (formerly Equinox).
The Round Table
Local indie-rock act whose polished original material is surprisingly together for the relative youth of the members. Sun., 5:30 pm, Teasers Café – ALL AGES.
The 2004 Savannah Jazz Fest
Terrific annual free festival boasting a variety of nationally-known artists, many of whom have strong local connections.
Participating acts include: Eric Culberson, Ike & Val Woods, Doreen Ketchens (all on Thursdays Blues Night); The Skylite Jazz Band featuring Odean Pope, The U.S. Army Ground Forces Band, The Cindy Blackman Quartet (all on Friday); The North Florida Jazz Ensemble, The Air Force Reserve Band, Keith Javors, The Coastal Jazz Association All-Stars, Kim Thompson, Valery Ponomarev, Don Braden, Ben Riley & The Monk Legacy Septet, Kathy Kosins & The Savannah Jazz Orchestra (all on Saturday); and The CJA All-Stars, and The Skylite Jazz Band (playing Sundays Childrens Concert).
For more info, see Music Feature. Thurs. & Fri., 7 pm + Sat., 1 pm + Sun. 4 pm, Forsyth Park (rain site: Savannah State University).
The Sentient Beans 3rd Anniversary Party
See Connect Recommends. Thurs., 6 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Shrimp City Slim
Seasoned electric blues guitarist and singer from Charleston, and his band. Thurs., The Jazz Corner (Hilton Head) + Fri., 10 pm, Mercury Lounge + Sat., 9 pm, Jazzd Tapas Bar.
The Six Million Dollar Band
Well-known local party band covering classic and modern rock, and 80s pop with a hard, twin-guitar attack. Sat., 8:30 pm, City Market Courtyard.
Chris Talley
Heartfelt, roots-based folk-rock from an Athens songwriter with a growing following. Fri., OConnells Irish Pub.
The Greg Williams Band
One of the areas best-known songwriters, backed by a tight and seasoned band of locals playing blues-infused rock and tender, folky ballads with equal ease. Thurs., 9:30 pm, Malones.
The Jimmy Wolling Band
Hellgrass quartet (led by local banjo standout Wolling) combining traditional bluegrass, C & W, and modern jam-band music. Sat., 10 pm, Mercury Lounge.
This article appears in Sep 22-29, 2004.