SUSANNA KENNEDY @ EL ROCKO
THURSDAY, AUG. 15 | 8 PM
Indie folk singer/songwriter Susanna Kennedy spent what we call the formative years in Costa Rica while her parents did missionary work. This typically gives one a unique perspective, which certainly comes in handy when you want to write a song or two. Fortunately for music lovers in the Hostess City, Susanna now calls Savannah home. She offers emotional melodies and lyrics informed by her unusual upbringing, and she once told an interviewer, “Typically, I just want to make people cry.” But don’t let that stop you. The songs are more soulful than somber, and tears of joy are still a thing.
ZALONGO + SMOOCHYFACE + S’VILLES @ THE WORMHOLE
SATURDAY, AUG. 17 | 9:30 PM
There isn’t enough humor in metal. From themes of the darker side of humanity to worshipping Satan to the terror of death, it can be a bit of a downer. St. Augustine’s Zalongo would like to change that up a bit. The music is heavy and hits hard, with immense power chords and crushing riffs tangling with a bit of gothic punk and a dose of humor you may not see coming. That is unless you already know they have a fun and very rocking Bandcamp collection titled, “I Get Naked to Sh*t.” They’re dropping a deuce at the Wormhole with Atlanta friends Smoochyface, more of a straightforward alternative rock band that performs with soul and passion. S’villes, Savannah’s favorite stripped-down country band that can play with absolutely anyone, joins the party.
PURPLE MADNESS — PRINCE TRIBUTE @ VICTORY NORTH
FRIDAY, AUG. 16 | 8 PM
After gaining status as a local legend while still a teenager, Warner Bros. gave Prince creative control of his first three albums at age 20. This was, and still is, practically unheard of. On his debut, “For You,” Prince earned that trust. He wrote, produced, arranged, composed, and played “all 27 instruments.” It follows that such a rare talent embodied in one person would eventually sell more than 100 million records. What’s also unusual is the breadth of styles Prince covered. The early records are raw R&B, with solid rock and funk elements. He then perfected pop, charting singles and albums relentlessly in the '80s and early '90s. After that, he did whatever he wanted, releasing 16 more albums on his New Power Generation label from 1999 to 2015. Like too many iconic rockstars, he died too young at the insidious hands of Morpheus. Perhaps the only remotely predictable rockstar thing he ever did. But if you missed him live, you missed quite a show. Thankfully, top-notch tribute acts offer the next best thing. Bobby Miller's Purple Madness thrills audiences with an extended tour of one of pop music’s all-time greats.
DUSTIN PRICE + WESTERN FUNERAL COMPANY @ EL ROCKO
SATURDAY, AUG. 17 | 8 PM
Roots rocker Dustin Price came up to Savannah from his Birmingham, Alabama, home in 2018 for a three-day trip that never ended. The Neil Young, Wilco and Alex Chilton fan settled in, met local jack-of-all-trades musician Jalen Reyes at church, and kept writing songs. Fans of those three and more in that Big Star/Replacements/Teenage Fanclub universe will take a shine to Dustin’s songs. Hard rock fans might be intrigued by his desire to recreate the chromatic walk-downs heard in “Black Diamond” by KISS. Coincidentally, music snob stiffs might want to look up chromatic walk-downs before dismissing their chops again. Anyway, Dustin puts on a loud, raucous rock show worth seeing. Savannah’s own Western Funeral Company plays a pleasing mixture of folk-flavored old-school country and atmospheric old West soundscapes you’d expect to hear over a wide-angle drone shot of Texas’ Big Bend in a spaghetti western. Real soothin’-like.
YDG @ ELAN SAVANNAH
SATURDAY, AUG. 17 | 10 PM
YDG started the year off with a reason to celebrate. Six hours before the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve at the Countdown 2023 EDM spectacular in San Bernadino, a long-desired stage element was added to his wild live show: pyro. The celebratory IG post captures the impressive flames in front of a more impressive crowd. The San Diego native is a bass and dubstep innovator with a long list of remixes for a relatively short time in the biz. A Lost Lands appearance in 2021 was a big step toward mass appeal, with long strides since. Two of the most recent are bomb tracks with American heavyweight DJs Riot 10 from El Paso (“Hyphy”) and LA’s Kayzo (“Night Terror”).
