MILKSHAKE MAYFIELD QUINTET @ GOODTIMES JAZZ BAR
FRI-SAT, FEB 16-17 | 8 PM
You don’t earn a cool nickname like that unless you’re really good. Mayfield is good enough to have played with contemporary jazz giants like Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, and soul legends Bobby Byrd & the JBs and The S.O.S. Band. He’s exceptionally versatile, emphasizing traditional and smooth jazz with the occasional flex to bebop, funk and his jazz interpretation of gospel. He’s played in venues as vaunted as Carnegie Hall and as hallowed as the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in a 2011 MLK tribute ceremony. Catching him at the coolest supper club on Broughton Street is an easy win.
SMILE EMPTY SOUL @ THE WORMHOLE
THUR FRI 15 | 10 PM
Smile Empty Soul formed in 1998 and worked the grind for five years before getting signed. As the 90s alternative rock scene spilled over to the 2000s, they were among the last bands of the era to gain commercial success when their self-titled 2003 debut went gold. More than two decades, seven albums, and eight EPs later, the band continues to drop catchy, big guitar rock and tour regularly. Supporting is New England’s Sygnal to Noise, melodic rockers with glam influences from KISS to David Bowie. Also joining are Wilmington, NC, nu-metal act Heathen Sun, not to be confused with Mentors bassist Dr. Heathen Scum. He wears a black executioner’s hood; they wear ski masks. Don’t get it twisted.
SUBDOCTA @ ELAN SAVANNAH
FRI FEB 16 | 10 PM
The mastermind behind West Coast Wobble, Subdocta emerged from the Soundcloud class by finding his niche in EDM, sticking to it, and creating his own original sound. WCW is his bespoke blend of dubstep and hybrid, mixing humor, drum & bass and old-school minimalist dubstep tones. It’s caught on and become a thing. He’s now a regular at the more prominent EDM festivals and created collaborations with Jaenga, Buku, and Xotix. The Friday night Savannah stop is right in the middle of a 27-date tour featuring two unique sets. You may never see these words again: BOGO at Elan!
CONNOR KELLY & THE TIMEWARP @ BARRELHOUSE SOUTH
SAT FEB 17 | 7 PM
Plenty of current bands, including many good ones, try blending modern indie pop with 70s hit-radio rock. It’s not easy finding the sweet spot overlap on singles from (roughly) The Byrds, Beach Boys, The Eagles, REM, substantive yacht rock and a slew of one-hit-wonders that made songs everyone knows decades later. The modern version is mellow, with some jangle in the guitar and a vocalist who can carry a note. In whatever specific version of the formula he’s working with, Connor Kelly is getting excellent results. Similar in style to upper-tier indie pop artists Gold Park, The Minks and Little Bird, the Frampton locks and pining, soulful pipes set CK apart. The mood was set with 2018’s fantastic “Informal Conversations,” and it continues with the recent single “Lines in Your Face.”
CULT OF BASTARDS + THE 33’s + RESIDENT ALIENS @ EL ROCKO
SAT FEB 17 | 8 PM
It will be loud, it will be good, but it won’t be pretty. It’s a complete Charleston hardcore punk rock takeover of El Rocko with three bands that will not remind you of Bon Jovi, BTS or Rihanna. In addition to “hardcore punk rock,” the Cult adds “…maniac nest scientist rock band that thunders,” and only a fool would argue. The NYHC vibes are strong, with the single “Agenda 21” reminiscent of a blistering late-80s Murphy’s Law burner. The 33’s have a more metallic/Exploited/UK sound with bursts of anthemic punk and thrash. Resident Aliens was formed by members of funcore gods Shem Creeps, presumably to keep the eternal funcore flame alive in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire. Again, only a fool would argue.
