All the way from BP-beleaguered New Orleans comes one of the most charmingly retro - and intriguingly bizarre - acts to hit the Jinx stage in .... well, in weeks.
Quintron is a Hammond B3 organist and electronica artist whose keyboards are disguised behind the "grill" of a vintage car, complete with working headlights (and a Louisiana license plate). His music is both passive and aggressive, as the other "member" of his "band" is a big, noisy rhythm machine/synthesizer he invented himself, the Drum Buddy (he sold one to Wilco's Nels Cline, he says, and to experimental-music maven Laurie Anderson).
Miss P is his wife, and she not only plays percussion and adds her voice to the ambience and melodies, she performs onstage with home-made day-glo puppets, which she brings to life under black lights.
These two are famous as eccentric pillars of New Orleans' alternative music community.
Said Kicked Out magazine: "The Quintron/Miss Pussycat experience is one of barely controlled electronic chaos, ‘Swamp-Tech' dance beats, small explosions, incredible clothes and entertaining puppet stories."
And if that weren't enough of a recommendation: "This act somehow has equal relevance in sleazy nightclubs, pizza restaurants and university lecture halls."
Yeah buddy! Listen & learn: www.quintronandmisspussycat.com.
11 p.m. Saturday, June 5 at the Jinx, 127 W. Congress St.
FIRST FRIDAY FOR FOLK MUSIC
Along with singer, songwriter, storyteller and painter Joni Bishop, this month's Savannah Folk Music Society concert features Ontario thrush Tia McGraff, whose emotionally-charged singing voice brought this from Canadian guitar legend Randy Bachman: "Tia McGraff is a fantastic singer with her own vocal personality which reminds me of an early Linda Ronstadt. She is a very intuitive songwriter who knows what a song needs to make it tick. A joy to work with. It's just a matter of time till that magic moment when everyone agrees it's Tia's time." Listen & learn: www.myspace.com/tiamcgraff, www.jonibishop.com.
At 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 4 at First Presbyterian Church, 520 E. Washington Ave. $2 donation.
THE LITTLE ROY & LIZZIE SHOW
The last time this outstanding bluegrass bunch was at Randy Wood's place, in August, they were joined onstage by the banjo master himself, Earl Scruggs. I have no idea if Earl'll be here this go-round, but I can tell you that Roy Lewis is a great 5-string banjo player too, and while his high-pitched, Jerry Clower-esque humor might be a little too Cracker Barrel for some folks, his and the band's interplay with guitar, fiddle and mandolinist extraordinaire Lizzy Long makes for one high-octane acoustic evening. A little history: Roy, who is Lizzie's foster father, was a member of the Lewis Family, "America's First Family of Bluegrass Gospel Music." High-stepping, indeed. Listen & learn: www.lttleroyandlizzie.com.
At 8 p.m. Friday, June 4 at Randy Wood Guitars, 1304 E. Highway 80, Bloomingdale. $25.
SONGWRITERS CIRCLE
Joni Bishop must like the Savannah area - this is her second local appearance in as many days (see First Friday for Folk Music). The singer, songwriter, musician and visual artist - whose Steal Away Home album includes negro spirituals, gospel tunes and hymns, plus spoken word - plays this first-ever event inside the bare-bones Tybee Post Theater. The evening is a fundraiser for the building's restoration fund (here's hoping Tybee, one day, will have a swanky performance space of its own), and the bill also includes singer and finger-picking guitarist Darryl Wise, a Savannah native who relocated to northeast Florida more than 30 years ago, but just can't seem to stay away. Which, of course, gives him additional common ground with Joni Bishop. Michael Amburgey (of the Islands Christian Gospel Band) and Bobby Hanson will open. Bring your own chairs. Listen & learn: www.jonibishop.com, www.darrylwise.com.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, June 5 at the Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horn St., Tybee Island. $15. Call (912) 323-7727.
