When we were covering music in 2021, it was nearly impossible to frame a story without mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated the live music industry for two years. All the stories in 2021 were about artists timidly sticking their heads out of their homes and trying to make a living playing live again.
Hopefully this will be the last time I mention viruses in an article and we can get back to talking about music.
As we look back on 2022, we want to reflect on the positive growth the music scene has experienced. The theme for 2022 was a return to normalcy, rather than his year brooding over the impact the pandemic has had on musicians and venues.
An event that has been on the sidelines for years is back on stage. A new venue has sprung up to revitalize Savannah’s music scene and make the city more attractive to big touring artists. Fresh, young bands released incredible new music and were a constant presence in the show’s line-up.
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Savannah venue raises the bar
Let’s start with one of the biggest music stories of 2022: the opening of the Enmarket Arena. Parking is still an issue, but Enmarket Arena has been able to draw in large acts that have traditionally toured by skipping Savannah.
Artists such as The Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, Bon Jovi, Pitbull and Andrea Boccelli have performed in Savannah for the first time, allowing locals to see high-ticket events from the comfort of their own homes, less than a four-hour drive from Atlanta. I made it. Can’t wait to see Barry Manilow, Journey and Janet Jackson at Enmarket Arena in 2023.
No more driving to Atlanta:Enmarket Arena is poised to make Savannah a live music destination
Though a bit smaller, District Live is picking up steam in 2022, booking big names like Ben Folds, Iron & Wine, Joan Osbourne, Howard Jones and The Melvins. Like Victory North, District Live is a medium-sized venue that can bring in indie artists too big for the bar, as well as mainstream his artists, but doesn’t necessarily fill the arena. next year.
Another new venue that brought something different to Savannah was Graveface’s Lodge of Sorrows. The warehouse space was booked with a variety of underground metal, folk, goth, industrial, noise and rock acts, as well as Mark His Burgess of The Chameleons and oily saxophonist Tim His of Lost His Boys. We also booked his 80s legends such as Capello.
The lodge provided an exciting alternative to the usual bar venue. Graveface Records also celebrated his 20th anniversary.th Anniversary at a weekend festival at the lodge.
The revival of a popular local festival
Speaking of festivals, 2022 sees the return of several that have skipped over the past few years or organized low-key versions. After two years of streaming from the Ships of the Sea Museum, the Savannah Jazz Festival is finally back in Forsyth Park, making him one of Savannah’s biggest live events.
The Savannah Jazz Festival wasn’t the only event that went out. Savannah Stopover is back after he’s taken a year-long hiatus, but has integrated the band into his five stages at the Georgia State Railroad Museum rather than at several bars and venues around the city. did. The line-up was stacked and the setting was magical, but unfortunately, unexpected freezing and damp weather ruined the audience experience and affected those in attendance.
In 2023, Savannah Stopovers will take a gap year from the festival and will focus on smaller “Stopover Presents” shows. We look forward to a big return in 2024.
AURA Fest: All Underground Rock All Day has always had exciting metal and hardcore shows booked all year long, and it’s finally back with its main festival. Held at the Ships of the Sea Museum, his AURA Fest, headlined by Lorna Shore, Impending Doom and Rivers of Nihil, re-established itself as Savannah’s biggest metal festival.
Another unforgettable event that returned this year was Basik Lee’s Hip-Hop Night. Hip-Hop Night came to an end with the closure of The Jinx, but found a new home in Victory North, providing an even bigger stage for the burgeoning rapper to hone his craft.
more:Once a training ground for local rappers, Basik Lee brings back legendary Hip Hop Nite in new space
Savannah hip-hop is alive and well, with great releases from rappers like Port Baby, Dope Knife, Clay Hodges, Wes Lee The Wordsmith, King Bogus, The Monarch, Raskrillah, Jung Damon and many more.
New bands to see in Savannah
Many young punk and indie rock bands have emerged or started their own in Savannah this year, thanks to the tireless efforts of show bookers such as Coastal Rock Productions and Dog Days Presents. Few rock shows in Savannah weren’t supported by one or more local upstarts like Klept, BugMeat, Hott Goss, Garlands, Jus B, Smalltalk, Lobstrosity, The Maxines, Manarovs, Chipper Bones, The Tragadee .
Savannah’s music scene is more intertwined than ever, with every musician playing at least two or three projects at a time. It’s hard to tell if the Savannah scene is tiny or incredibly dense.
more:Musicians reflect on the closure of Elevated Basement, which defined the Savannah sound for 30 years
One of this year’s bittersweet stories was the closure of Kevin Rose’s Elevated Basement Studio. Nearly 30 years later, the storied recording studios (Greg Allman, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Vera Fleck) closed their doors, marking the end of an era for Savannah music. But a new home his studio has emerged to fill that gap. For example, Chris “Scary” Adams’ Hidden Audio, Andrew Sovine-Wolfe’s The Back Room and Matt Lloyd’s Deep Cuts Studio have opened to give artists new options for producing professional recordings.
The big news for 2023 is the return of the beloved Jinx. Owner Susanne Warnekros has announced that plans are underway to reopen her The Jinx with 43 new locations.rd and Whitaker Street. Whether it’s a nostalgic return to the good old days or something entirely new remains to be seen, but Jinx’s shutdown definitely left a hole in Savannah’s music scene. .
Favorite album of the year
Finally, here are some of my favorite local albums released in 2022.
Rapper Dope Knife, of Dope Sandwich fame, released his possible “masterpiece” with “The Dope One,” his most acclaimed and mainstream-leaning record to date. Play it loud in your car and rattle the trunk.
Essentially, Nancy’s fury self-titled debut, produced by Kevin Rose and Ryan Graveface, was the last album recorded at Elevated Basement Studio. The song was written while the trio were in high school and marks both the end and the beginning of a new era for them.
Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir’s ‘Slow Murder’ is a jarring, ferocious, screaming, mushy, doom-filled debut album that shows why HGTC is Savannah’s best metal band right now. It also features a guest appearance from Soul Glo vocalist Money Nicca.
Punk band Manarovs features Jeff Storey-Pitts and Petey Worell of Jeff Two Names. Their self-titled debut is full of outspoken fun punk rockers about secret agents and aliens.
Bastardane’s debut song “Is This Rage?” After touring the country with Sevendust and booking gigs at festivals like Bottlerock and Rockville, Bastardane are a band on the rise, so see them live in Savannah whenever you can.
Klept’s “Verbicide,” like Mr. Bungle and Black Midi, is genre-fluid and wildly unpredictable. Whether you like metal, indie, experimental, noise or space rock, there’s something about Klept’s raspy debut that will tug on your eardrums.
