Those of you coming into Savannah for your first year of college — or your second, or your third — may very well be under 21, which is the legal drinking age in our fair city. This, of course, will preclude your getting into bars, which is where most of the live music is happening.
Not to worry, youngsters. For while the big, loud and heavily electric bands are indeed concentrated on stages inside those establishments where the alcohol flows, there are plenty of places to check out live music where you can simply sip an iced tea, or coffee, or water, or Nestle’s Quik if that’s your pleasure.
The Sentient Bean. There are several coffeehouses in town, you’ll discover, but this is the only one to feature live tuneage on a regular basis. Acoustic players, mostly, but watch the schedule – the Bean often books quirky out–of–towners playing original music on a wide assortment of instruments.
City Market. Just follow the horses – the west end of the open–air City Market is where they oat up and take on passengers. There are a couple of restaurants and clubs at the site, but there’s also an outdoor stage where singer/songwriters, country musicians and the occasional full band perform for the assembled.
Tybee Island Social Club. Sit outside and enjoy Tuesday blues nights with stellar guitarist Eric Culberson and an assortment of his blues-blasting friends; Sunday afternoons, Train Wrecks frontman Jason Bible tends to be on the porch playing quintessential Americana tunes, country classics, his fine originals and a lot of Dylan and Springsteen. There’s sometimes music on other nights as well.
Blowin’ Smoke. The secret weapon at this BBQ eatery is the tented outdoor stage, where on weekend nights you’ll find artists like AcousticA (Ray Lundy and Mike Walker from the blues band Bottles & Cans) and the country duo Red Clay Halo (“Georgia Kyle” Shiver and Lauren Lapointe), harmonizing on the likes of George & Tammy, Johnny & June and Conway & Loretta.
Molly McGuire’s. Finding this restaurant on Wilmington Island’s a tad tricky – it’s set back off Johnny Mercer Boulevard – but the outdoor patio is swingin’ on weekends. Many of the good ones from the Savannah/Tybee axis gig here, including Georgia Kyle and his blues/rock trio, the Train Wrecks, Red Clay Halo, Chuck Courtenay and his band and the incredible Eric Culberson Band.
North Beach Grill. On a warm weekend afternoon, there’s nothing more swell than sitting outdoors at this bistro on Tybee Island’s north end and listening to some great bands – the Train Wrecks blast away here, and the stellar R&B outfit Soap, and Bottles & Cans, and ...
Keep up with everybody here – and at all the live music venues – through Soundboard in each week’s Connect.
