Author | Justin Black
Featured image is cover art for Leverage Models’ album “Cooperative Extensions” by Peter Rothmeier Ravn
Savannah Stopover (March 6-8) is a three-day music festival that takes place in Savannah, Georgia and presents traveling musicians with a place to play en route to Austin’s prestigious SXSW Music Conference. Founded by Kayne Lanahan, Savannah Stopover is in it’s fourth year and they have hosted big names such as Grimes, The War on Drugs, and HAERTS in the past. The festival merges music, visual arts, and technology in a historic setting and will host over 100 bands in multiple small to mid-size venues.
Check out a recap of Day 1 here.
Day Two at Savannah Stopover was packed full of good things. I got to revisit musicians I fell in love with on the first day as well as discover more new music. I’m most excited to share my experiences with Leverage Models, Fare the Gap, Christopher Paul Stelling, Spires, and Black Taxi.
Shows weren’t officially scheduled to begin until four o’clock, but I was able to make it over to the Artist Lounge and watch Leverage Models and Fare the Gap record their “A-Sides” for Huffington Post. Leverage Models were informal in the best possible way. Shannon, lead vocalist and creator of Leverage Models, has been dealing with some laryngitis, so he sat comfortably in an orange chair with rumpled hair and a black megaphone. He looked great. One of the guitar players had a lie down on the ground with a pillow under his head, and the two remaining members perched and stood nicely in front of the aesthetically artistically pleasing backdrop. Fare the Gap chose the adjacent bathroom as their scenery for the performance. The three-piece group exited the shower stall at the beginning of the taping, and Rebecca perched on the edge of the porcelain tub to release the absolutely beautiful voice she carries so well. As always, it was a pleasure hearing the two part harmonies that Ryan and Rebecca make. This was a nice, peaceful experience to kick off day two of the festival.
Next on my agenda was Christopher Paul Stelling. Stelling is probably the most talented person here at Savannah Stopover. He played one of the Secret Show slots at Abe’s on Lincoln yesterday afternoon. I had met him briefly at Stopover last year and was handed his album, Songs of Praise and Scorn. Honestly, that c.d. stayed in a trunk in my bedroom for a year without a moment of play, and that is really unfortunate. After seeing him perform, I’m already remedying that situation, as well as picking up a copy of his new album entitled False Cities. He played songs from this album, which released last year, at his acoustic set at Abe’s. The very first track, also the first single from the album, is called Brick X Brick. If you’re listening to Christopher Paul Stelling for the first time, definitely start here. There is something so inspiring about seeing an artist at full expression. Christopher Paul Stelling is the full expression of his craft. He is lyrically one of the greatest songwriters I’ve had the pleasure to experience in a long time. “Brick by brick, I’ll tear this city down, and with the remnants I’ll build a road.” This is a perfect example of what his music means to me. His songs are about hope, about moving forward when you’re tired and broken. He sings with inflection and you can feel the honesty in every strum of his talented fingers. Even the beat pad below his feet told a story. To add to the pleasure of his musical performance, Stelling is a genuinely charismatic guy, coming off so natural and with a confidence to just be himself, even if he is in a room full of strangers, exposing himself through his music and his story telling. He seemed as happy to be here in Savannah as we were to have him, stating, “I love this festival—it is my favorite music festival.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard a performer say that. If you weren’t fortunate enough to be a part of a Christopher Paul Stelling performance here in Savannah, perhaps you’ll find yourself in Austin for the “four headed beast festival: Stress by Stress West,” as Stelling put it.
After Stelling’s performance, I hopped on my computer to check out the band Spires. I caught their show the night before at City Coffee by happenstance, and I was eager to find out more about their up and coming shows. I found them on facebook, and was delighted to find out that they were going to be the Secret Show downstairs at the Artist Lounge. The guys rolled in wearing pretty much the same thing they had on the night before, which was fine by me, because those guys have style. If you haven’t already, check out their album, Spiral of Ascension.
Just like on Thursday night, I ended up at Club One for my final chosen act; however, the experience was entirely different from the DEGA and Future Islands show from Thursday. The crowd was small, and appeared even smaller in the large venue. There were maybe twenty of us in total, but I’m pretty sure we were having the best time of anyone in Savannah, especially during the Black Taxi set. Black Taxi led one of the best impromptu dance parties I’ve ever been to in my life. That’s saying a lot, because I’ve had a lot of incredible dance-it-out sessions. Black Taxi was all smiles and energy. They fed off the thrill of the crowd, and we fed off of them! I couldn’t even tell you what songs they played, but it sounded damn good! If you’re fortunate enough to make it to Austin for SXSW, make it a priority to be at The Blind Pig Pug on Thursday the 13th. You will not regret the Black Taxi experience.
Day two of Savannah Stopover was a solid fun time, and Day three is shaping to be the absolute best of all, as it should be! I’ll be checking out Heavenly Beats, Magic Man, and Small Black. I suggest that everyone do the same, but as always, there’s a different beat for everyone’s flavor here at Stopover, so I’m confident that no matter what shows you find yourself at, it’s going to be a great time.
