I grew up living in Marietta and going to shows in and around Atlanta, so an overly active music scene is something I grew to be very familiar with. From 2011 to 2013, however, I attended Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah’s Southside where I got to know a different kind of music scene altogether. Although it remains Georgia’s third largest metropolitan area, Savannah isn’t an obvious stop for most touring bands; as such, there isn’t the luxury of daily or sometimes even weekly shows to go to like I had growing up. On top of that, with the city being such a big bar and party destination, all ages venues are few and far between. But somehow, with all of that working against them, local music lovers in Savannah have found a way to make it bloom.
Although I returned to Atlanta in 2013, last year I made the decision to move back to the city that stole my heart in my college years, and it’s been fun to see how the city has changed and to discover where the music scene is now. Josh Sterno has been playing in punk bands since before I met him in 2012, and has quietly emerged as one of the Savannah underground’s most active figures. In 2015, he started booking shows under the moniker Dad Joke, bringing different punk acts to the city like Protomartyr, Downtown Boys, and Urochromes, as well as Atlanta staples like Predator, Slugga, and Drool. Officially, Dad Joke had its final show in May of 2017, but Sterno continues to set up shows from time to time at venues like the community art space Sulfur Studios.
One of the scene’s most important institutions, Graveface Records have their headquarters and storefront located in the city’s Starland district. Since its inception in 2000, Graveface has released music by the likes of the Appleseed Cast, Serengeti, Xiu Xiu, Jason Molina, Mount Eerie, and much more, and has been critical in helping to fend off Savannah’s reputation as just another sleepy Southern town. In just the few months since I’ve been back, they’ve hosted two free outdoors shows with bands like label owner Ryan Graveface’s shoegaze project Dreamend and Graveface’s own Kid Dakota out of Minneapolis.
In regards to the city’s venues, the Jinx (formerly known as the Velvet Elvis) is a punk bar mainstay that hosts weekly shows from rising local acts to touring bands like Triathalon, Crowbar, Jucifer, and, most recently, hardcore legends the Cro-Mags. Quolab is DIY queer venue that focuses on inclusion and representation through booking diverse, intersectional acts. Unfortunately, I haven’t made it to a show at Quolab yet, but I’ve heard a lot of positive talk about it around town. Finally, when I first lived here, I caught a ton of good shows frequenting a bar called Hang Fire, which sadly closed its doors a few years back. Luckily, owner Wes Daniel has opened a new bar just down the street from the Hang Fire location called El-Rocko Lounge that has kept the same fiery fun spirit that his previous establishment embodied. The scene in Savannah seems to look a little different these days, but change isn’t always a bad thing.
When it comes to bands in Savannah, there really are so many great acts we could dive into. So at the risk of this first scene report becoming information overload, I’m going to stick to two bands that have captured my attention and have been making major waves as of late.
Vatican
Vatican
Vatican is a five-piece metallic hardcore band that has pushed through minimal support to become a driving force throughout the metalcore scene within the U.S. One of the few Savannah bands in the last few years to tour extensively outside of the southeast and garner national attention in the way of features in Alternative Press and Metal Injection, the group has managed to broker a recording deal with Canadian label Sorrow Carrier Records, and has toured with national acts like Breaking Wheel, Absolute Suffering, and Down In It, not to mention an upcoming full U.S. tour later this summer with Heavens Die. When asked if they had any plans of slowing down, vocalist Jonathan Whittle assured me: “No, not even the slightest bit. We plan on pushing harder than what we’re used to. Especially now, after finding our groove in things and narrowing down our specific style and sound of our own.” Watching this band grow over the last few years into the absolute beast that they are today has been a treat, and I’m anxious to see where they go from here.
Rude Dude and the Creek Freaks
Rude Dude and the Creek Freaks are a newer psych rock band that popped up in the Savannah music scene about a year and a half ago. Some of the tracks on Acid Bath, the group’s 10-song debut from last summer, are reminiscent of Raw Power era the Stooges in that they have a sense of visceral energy you can’t easily deny. I’ve been lucky to see them twice since I moved back here, and both times I was blown away by their live show. Their set at El-Rocko for Savannah Stopover, an annual music festival that takes place across several bars in the downtown area, was big and loud and in your face. With friend of the band, Cole Helman, projecting visuals while they ripped through a mix of old and new songs, their set stuck out among the many seasoned touring bands I saw over the weekend. Drummer Anthony Bayness informed me that they recently finished recording their self-titled full length at the Glow Recording Studio in Athens, and they plan on becoming touring machines this summer once the record drops. Whether watching the band live or listening to Acid Bath, it’s easy to see why the group’s name gets around so much in Savannah: the five members write and play their songs with a sense of determination that only leaves myself, and the sea of show goers within the city, wanting more.
Tim Sterritt is the guitarist and vocalist of Atlanta rockers King of Summer and a recent second-time transplant to Savannah, Ga.