MEPHISKAPHELES @ THE WORMHOLE
THUR MAY 16 | 8 PM
Like so many non-punk bands, this one started with the demise of a hardcore punk band. Late 80s NYHC outfit The Shaved Pigs split up, two members decided to form a ska band, and after multiple lineup changes early on, they did anything but settle on lead vocalist Andre “The Nubian Nightmare” Worrell. His presence solidified them, and over the next 33 years, they released six records, broke up and reformed, and toured in places bands don’t go, like El Salvador and Guatemala. Of course, it being ska from NYC, the punk spirit persists. Few ska bands last this long, and Mephiskapheles has at least 24 former members to prove their commitment to soldiering onward. The current lineup of eight members is typical for the style. If the stage isn’t crowded, it’s not ska.
MOTHER’S FINEST @ COACH’S CORNER
THU MAY 16 | 8 PM
The Atlanta band has roots that go back as far as 1970. When vocalists Joyce “Baby Jean” Kennedy and Glen “Doc” Murdock met guitarist Gary “Moses Mo” Moore and bassist Jerry “Wyzard” Seay, their varied tastes created a multi-decade musical battle between rock and roll and funk. The fight has yet to be settled, despite both sides being represented good and hard in their live sets, with a healthy dose of disruptive R&B jumping in and out of the squirmish. It’s a formula that has worked for them. They’ve toured with Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath, The Who, AC/DC and members have done studio work for Stevie Nicks and Blackfoot. Despite the inevitable ravages of time, the four core members remain, and four decades after their start, they were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Five decades later, they continue to put on a powerful show. Savannah favorites Thomas Claxton & The Myth open it with a solid rock show featuring Claxton’s strong vocals.
DOOM FLAMINGO @ VICTORY NORTH
THU MAY 16 | 8 PM
With “flamingo” in the name, you might think they’re from Miami. They are not. With the lineup, you might think they are R&B. They are not. They self-describe as “a six-headed synthwave beast with a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde element to the songwriting.” That they are, but this definition can be expanded. Guitars are almost too up-front to call this synthwave. That’s the doom part. But the music is danceable, which is their goal. Still, they take risks like performing an entire set of Queen songs, a formidable task for any band. The not-so-secret weapon is singer Kanika Moore, who pulled off the Queen set with aplomb. To say she has range is an understatement. The band can perform heavy classic rock and easily shift to dark synth meant to remind you of classic John Carpenter horror movies (most of which he scored himself). Plus, bass player Ryan Stasik is a co-founder of the progressive jam band Umphrey’s McGee of the Phish universe. Yet another style that doesn’t seem to fit until you hear the band, and it all makes sense.
THELMA AND THE SLEAZE @ EL ROCKO
SAT MAY 18 | 8 PM
With opening slots for James Brown revivalist Charles Bradley and desert rockers Eagles of Death Metal on your resume, you’re doing something right. Illinois native Lauren “LG” Gilbert arrived in Nashville at age 21 to study audio engineering. She joined all-female punkers Trampskirts, who disbanded three years later. Within a year, she and two other members formed Thelma and the Sleaze, also all-female. The two others left, and the band basically became LG’s project. The sound spans from straight punk rock to pop rock to slow burners, with solid guitar work and a clear nod to early rock and roll, very reminiscent of Detroit Cobras. They are joined by Savannah's all-female trio, Basically Nancy, with Ramones-worshipping punk rockers from outer space Manarovs supplying the testosterone.
EMO NATION @ BARRELHOUSE SOUTH
SAT MAY 18 | 8 PM
The early 2000s was a golden age of pop punk. Green Day, descendants of The Descendents and other first-wave punk, had laid the foundation. Following them on the trail came Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Bowling for Soup, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, My Chemical Romance and so many more. While some absolute masterpieces, like Harvey Danger’s “Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?” are seen as pop punk one-hit wonders (hint: “Flagpole Sitta” is maybe the seventh best song on that album), these bands introduced a whole new generation to a slightly more interesting, dangerous, and thoughtful kind of music than the hopelessly lame radio “rock” of the day. Emo Nation feels that energy, loves it, and keeps it alive by having fun playing the best songs of the era to the demographic that inhabits bars at the highest levels. Good music and smart business.
