RODNEY JORDAN QUINTET @ GOOD TIMES JAZZ BAR
FRI & SAT, JUL 21 & 22 | 8 PM
The versatile jazz bassist made his way up the status ladder with a methodical determination. He started playing in church and high school, studied at Jackson State U, and went on to teach music (and other subjects) in DeKalb County near Atlanta. While there, he also taught at Georgia State and became an in-demand bass man, working with a slew of talented musicians drawn to his skills. Jordan is currently an associate professor of jazz studies at the School of Music at FSU in Tallahassee. All those academic credentials are matched by his other claim to fame, membership in the Marcus Roberts Trio, beginning in 2009, with drummer Jason Marsalis. Their first gig at Wigmore Hall in London was a revelation, and nothing but praise has come since. He effortlessly runs up and down the neck and can beautifully haunt you with the bow. Jordan’s five-piece is his own showcase, combining what can be learned in theory with what he experienced performing. His band adds a melodic, blues-based sound, along with syncopated improv. Another revelation.
LOVESONG – THE CURE TRIBUTE @ VICTORY NORTH
FRI JUL 21 | 8 PM
Like Talking Heads and The B-52s, exactly no one saw much — if any — commercial potential when The Cure presented their bizarre sonic experiments to the world in the late ‘70s. Like most avant-garde musical projects, it probably wasn’t going anywhere. But, like David Byrne in TH and criminally-underrated guitar innovator Ricky Wilson of the B-52s, a songwriter with an unusual amount of talent and determination can bust stereotypes and make weirdo artists globally beloved — and rich. Four albums in, 1982’s heavy goth Pornography was acclaimed, but still not close to mass appeal. Another five years later, 1987s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me blew all preconceived notions to smithereens. Robert Smith and company dropped a 2-record set with more pop hooks, late new wave classics, and Top 10 sales than everything they had done before it, with no accusations of selling out. Tastes caught up to them. More hits followed and the strange dudes from West Sussex were international stars, selling 30 million records and earning entry into Jann Wenner’s “Rock and Roll” tourist attraction in Cleveland. It’s been 15 years since they released anything, and not much touring. That’s where Lovesong comes in. With a stage presence of the band’s heyday, replete with the famous fern-style hairdo and smeared lipstick, you’ll feel like 1992 all over again, with the soundtrack you want.
RHYAN SINCLAIR @ THE WORMHOLE
FRI JUL 21 | 9:30 PM
Sinclair wrote and co-produced her debut album Barnstormer when she was 17. The 2018 release does not sound like something a 17-year-old could do, displaying emotional depth and honest, heartbreaking lyrics that display a maturity decades beyond her reality. Her vocals shift from vulnerable to assertive to disaffected storyteller, with echoes of Emmylou Harris, and a Lexington, KY, twang that nods to classic country. She counts Chris Isaak, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys and Jason Isbell as influences, and the young and rising star would likely make them all proud of her accomplishments. A year ago, she released her follow up LP, Letters to Aliens, which proved the debut was no fluke. The same musicianship, songwriting and Sinclair’s emerging star power fuels 12 more songs you’ll want to hear again, with a few more pop-oriented tunes that turn down the twang. Curiously, she has also released a Christmas EP, Marshmallow World, and at the end of last year a Christmas single. Whether those songs make the live set list, and whether they are appropriate in July Southern heat are debatable. Sinclair’s talent and body of work are not.
FOREVER JANIS + ALL FIRED UP @ COACH’S CORNER
SAT JUL 22 | 7 PM
Janis Joplin came and went way too soon, and Pat Benetar (hard to believe for some of us) is now 70. Both came of age when women in rock were less common, and both made their mark in a big way. Joplin, the awkward girl from Texas, fled to San Francisco. She met legendary guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, recorded some songs, and got into hard drugs before returning to the Lone Star State to clean up. But her voice was too irresistible, so Big Brother and the Holding Company invited her to join, and she was back to the Bay Area. Fame and legend followed briefly, cut short by a tragic heroin OD at age 27. She never got over feeling out of place, even when doing what she did better than most people ever could. Benetar, on the other hand, was more stable and confident. The Long Island native released a single in the early ‘70s, sang in hotel lounges for years with lesser talents, and worked it until finding her hard rock look and sound. Her August 1979 debut In the Heat of the Night peaked late at No. 12, and MTV was there to push her to further heights and status as a leading pioneer of women who rock hard. It’s not so uncommon these days, but for an experience of something new, decades later, these two tribute acts pack a ton of hits you know and love with people who love to keep it alive.
CLARK JONES @ THE WORMHOLE
SAT JUL 22 | 8 PM
The writer and comic keeps busy with a plethora of projects, including stand-up appearances on BET, HBO and the 2 Dope Queens podcast. He was also a recurring character on NFL pregame shows on FOX, and he used to host Comedy at the Knitting Factory, where everything is weird. To top it off, his first album hit top spots in streaming upon release. But to really get what he’s about, you must see the stand up. Confident and friendly, he knows how to get the audience’s attention, keep them guessing, and make them laugh. Two bits explain: he lists his top five lyricists as Biggie, Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, and Steven Sondheim. Why? Because of the shocking and hidden gangsta shit in Sweeney Todd. The full explanation is a scream. Even stronger, if you didn’t know your soulmate might be dead, Jones will take you on a journey that starts with the Sweeney Todd bit, moves into sliding scale therapy cost, and turns on dating apps for the close. It’s that kind of clever, hilarious material that keeps fans coming back.
This article appears in Connect Savannah | July 2023.
