Band, beer yield perfect combination

A southern band has brought together appreciation for two crafts which stem from creative minds who love what they do by bringing their sound to the eclectic crowds of southern breweries.

Kenny George, namesake, lead guitar, vocals, and songwriter for the Kenny George Band sai his four-person band is getting excited about playing live and sharing their original songs.

“[A] good thing about breweries is it’s not a bar crowd, it’s a brewery crowd,” George said. “It’s usually a little more tame; they’re usually paying more attention to the music. It’s just a different vibe.”

The Kenny George Band is bringing their alt country/rock/Americana sound to brewery venues all over the southeast, with a stop through Savannah May 1 where they’ll take the stage for a 6 p.m. show at Service Brewing Company.

Two members of the Kenny George Band, Randy Borawski, drums and harmony vocals, and George said they’d describe their band as alt-country, but not anything like mainstream country radio.

“I love Daisy Dukes; I love beer; I love meatloaf — I just don’t sing about it,” George said. “We don’t do anything like that; we do more geared towards old-school singer/songwriter-based country. The alternate version of country mixed with this alternate version of rock that we do.”

The four-person band features George and Borawski, Center Ely on steel guitar and Brooks Andrews on bass. George’s passion and pride for his songwriting is evident as he emphasizes it in his description of the band’s sound.

“It’s kind of like rock and roll and country/Americana/blues, but the most important aspect of it is solid songs and musicianship,” George said. “It’s not about us being fancy or whatever, it’s about us doing what we do best.”

The band performs across the Midwest and Southeast and is currently set to play about two dozen shows at different breweries.

“They’re really everywhere right now,” George said of the breweries. “There is a lot of good beer popping up.”

George said the brewery venues allow the band to play their favorite music to a tamer crowd than they might find at a bar scene, which lends to a greater appreciation for George’s songwriting.

[iamge-2] “They’re friendly to us adding in our originals, and that’s what we’re really trying to focus on,” Borawski said. “These breweries and some of these venues that I’m kind of being strategic in placing us in, it’s not background music.”

The show and sound is for fans of Jason Isabelle, Whiskey Town, and Tyler Childers, George said, but also for fans of familiar old southern rock.

“I think people like it when you do something for them that’s by an artist that they know but they may not know the song or remember the song as well,” George said. “So, we’re gonna do some Allman Brothers or we’re gonna do some Bob Segar, but we’re not gonna do ‘Turn The Page,’ we’re gonna do ‘Beautiful Loser,’ or something like that. Or, we’re gonna do Van Morrison, but we’re not gonna do ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ we’re gonna do ‘Into The Mystic,’ or ‘Tupelo Honey.’”

A perk George mentioned with playing breweries is that they get to sample the product of the brewers that are hosting them, although, George said he’s already familiar with Service Brewing Company’s product.

“I’m looking forward to it,” George said. “I know the brand, I’ve tried the beer. It was good stuff, and I see them everywhere.”

Service Brewing Company is a veteran-owned brewery, adorned with military memorabilia and an atmosphere appreciative of those who serve, not only their country but the community. The owners Kevin Ryan and his wife, Meredith, constantly personally thank patrons — locals and out-of-towners — for paying a visit to the brewery.

“We look forward to playing Service,” Borawski said.

The Kenny George Band will play at 6 p.m. May 1 at Service Brewing Company, 574 Indian St., Savannah. Visit kennygeorgeband.com or servicebrewing.com for information.