The Saturday afternoon bluegrass jams out at Randy Wood Guitars bring people together, musicians who may have nothing in common but their love of the acoustic high lonesome sound.
It was at one of these lowcountry jamborees that multi-instrumentalist Bobby Morris, a local legend on banjo, guitar and many others, ran into Al and Leigh Harris, themselves no strangers to the Land of Bill Monroe (Al was in the Savannah bluegrass outfit Bound and Determined, and with Leigh, his wife, he played with Focoropo).
They’re all together now, with Dobby Simmons on standup bass, as Southern Tied. The band performs Sept. 4 at First Presbyterian Church, for the Savannah Folk Music Society’s monthly First Friday concert. Singer/songwriter Garrison Doles is also on the bill.
They play swing jazz, too, and on occasion Dobby will use a bow to coax cool sounds of his bass.
And now you know. For more, see www.savannahfolk.org.
This First Friday is an especially significant one because you’ll be able to make donations to the National Brain Tumor Society.
This is being done in honor of longtime Savannah journalist Doug Wyatt, who died (too young) Feb. 9. Doug – a wonderfully wry guy and an extremely talented writer – was diagnosed just 11 days earlier with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer.
The 7:30 p.m. performance takes place at First Presbyterian Church. You can learn more at www.braintumorcommunity.org/fundraisers.
THIS & THAT
Nicholas Sparks, author of “The Last Song” (both the upcoming novel and the screenplay for the Miley Cyrus movie currently filming on Tybee Island) will appear in person Sept. 13 at Savannah's Books-A-Million (at 2 p.m., for obvious reasons). Sparks, of course, wrote “The Notebook” and “A Walk to Remember,” among others. “The Last Song” will be on bookshelves Sept. 8…
… Tickets for the national tour of the hit musical “Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano,” visiting the Savannah Civic Center Oct. 8, go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. They’re $28-$48…
… The Lucas Theatre has the Irish music-and-dance spectacular Celtic Crossroads Oct. 24, and tickets $24-$37, are on sale now …
… The Masquers, Armstrong Atlantic State University’s theater troupe, had a big hit in early summer with Neil Simon’s “Rumors.” So they’re reprising the comedy for two shows only, Aug. 21 and 22 …
… Brewskie fans, get out those calendars. The Savannah Craft Brew Fest, with more than 120 craft brews for the sampling, happens 1-7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center. There’ll be live music from the Brothers Courtnay, food and cool beer-related trinkets for sale. Tickets are $35 in advance, and will be $40 at the door. Check out www.savannahcraftbrewfest.com …
… The Marshall Tucker Band has been booked to play the first day of the 2009 Tybee Island Pirate Fest, Oct. 8 …
… On Oct. 17, the Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival, in Richmond Hill, has two great rock ‘n’ roll singers scheduled: John Waite (of the Babys and Bad English) and Lou Gramm (of the recently re-formed Foreigner). This is according to Pollstar, the official concert booking Web site (the festival’s own Web site has no information whatsoever about the 2009 event, other than the dates – Oct. 16-18…
