Connect Savanah | February 16, 2022

CONNECT SAVANNAH

connectsavannah.com

FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2022

9 SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICERS RECOUNT SAVING WOMAN FROM FREEZING WATER

BETH LOGAN: ART’S ACCESSIBILITY AND RETROSPECTIVE INTERPRETATIONS

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‘IDA B. ’N THE LYNCHING TREE’ A STORY OF HOPE, JUSTICE, AND COMMUNITY HONORING A LEGENDARY WOMAN COMES TO LIFE AT SSU

BÉLA FLECK’S MY BLUEGRASS HEART Thursday 3/31 at 8 PM

MAVIS STAPLES Friday 4/1 at 8 PM

SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL March 24–April 9, March 24–April 9, 2022 2022

full festival schedule & tickets: savannahmusicfestival.org Box Office: 912.525.5050 THE WOOD BROTHERS Sunday 4/3 at 7 PM

BRUCE HORSNBY & THE NOISEMAKERS Saturday 3/26 at 8 PM

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA / THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS Thursday 4/7 at 7 PM

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WEEK CONNECT SAVANNAH

AT A GLANCE

WEDNESDAY 2/6

BAM! CELEBRATING BLACK ARTISTS IN MUSIC

Celebrate Black History Month with a concert spotlighting the rich musical traditions and innovation of African American​music artists. Hosted

by Broadway actor and SCAD performing arts professor Isaiah Johnson (Hamilton, The Color Purple), the concert features a cavalcade of talented performers: American Idolwinner and SCAD student Candice Glover (B.F.A. dramatic writing), SCAD performing arts alum George Lovett (Showtime at the Apollo winner, Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir), members of SCAD’s elite HoneyBees ensemble, and other special guests. The concert program highlights how Black musical artists have been the driving force behind much of American cultural history, with R&B, soul, jazz, and spokenword songs from singers like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Sam Cooke. lucastheatre.org 7 p.m.

VOLUNTEER FOR MEALS ON WHEELS

To have your event considered for inclusion, please send an email to happenings@connectsavannah.com.

Include the event name, date, time, location with address, cost, website address for additional information, and a contact number. The submission deadline is 5PM each Friday before the following Wednesday’s edition.

OPEN MIC AT MINT TO BE MOJITO BAR

Musicians & Singers Wanted!

Join host Larry Broussard (of the band LAX) for Savannah’s Best Open Mic every Wednesday. Watch LIVE ON TIKTOK! (Cajuncookin). Larry plays your favorite hits and requests between sets. Call 912-713-1009 to book your 30 minutes of stage time. No cover charge! 5-11 p.m. Mint to Be Mojito Bar & Bites, 12 W State St.

WHISKEY WEDNESDAYS

Discounted regional and international whiskey and bourbon selections every Wednesday at Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen. Come try something new on the rocks, as a smoked drink, or perhaps with natural shrubs and fresh pressed juices in one of their craft cocktails.

5500 Abercorn St. Suite #36

THURSDAY 2/17

RAVE ON! THE BUDDY HOLLY EXPERIENCE

(Also Saturday, Feb 19) In this rock and roll tour-de-force, audiences will experience all the thrills of a live Buddy Holly concert. Billy and his band breathe new life into all the Buddy Holly songs, as well as paying homage to fellow rockers Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper.

Savannah Theatre at 222 Bull St. in Historic Downtown Savannah. Tickets: 912 233-7764 between 10am and 4 pm, or savannahtheatre.com

FREE YOGA ON THE BEACH AT THE DECK

Enjoy free yoga on the beach at Tybee sponsored by The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen. Bring a large beach towel, your mat or a tapestry, a hat and sunglasses, water and a friend.

9-10 a.m. The Deck Beachbar and Kitchen, 404 Butler Ave.

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BAM! CELEBRATING BLACK ARTISTS IN MUSIC @ THE LUCAS THEATRE FOR THE ARTS | 7 PM

Celebrate Black History Month with a concert spotlighting the rich musical traditions and innovation of African American​music artists. Hosted by Broadway actor and SCAD performing arts professor Isaiah Johnson (Hamilton, The Color Purple), the concert features a cavalcade of talented performers: Candice Glover, George Lovett, members of SCAD’s elite HoneyBees ensemble, and others

FRIDAY 2/18

YESTERDAY AND TODAY THE INTERACTIVE BEATLES EXPERIENCE

8pm ONLY SHOW The amazing Billy McGuigan and band perform as themselves and leave the Beatles song choices completely to the audience. The reason for each audience member’s choice makes up the narrative of the evening, and proves that the Beatles music truly is the soundtrack to our lives. It’s the most innovative and unique show utilizing the Beatles compositions.

Savannah Theatre at 222 Bull St. in Historic Downtown Savannah. Tickets: 912 233-7764 between 10am and 4 pm, or savannahtheatre.com

LAX AT COFFEE BLUFF MARINA

The dynamic duo of Larry Broussard and Jeri Boxx are Lectric Acoustic Xperiment. LAX plays your favorite songs with a fun and fast acoustic twist. This is not your typical coffee shop slow, sedation songs. Coffee Bluff Marina, 14915 Coffee Bluff Dr. 6-8 pm This is an All ages show, pet friendly, no cover Fresh seafood BYOB

BLUEGRASS BY THE PINT WITH SWAMPTOOTH Join Service Brewing for Bluegrass by the Pint every Friday featuring live bluegrass from favorite local favorite’s, Swamptooth.6 p.m. Service Brewing Co., 574 Indian St.

SATURDAY 2/19

SAVANNAH BOOK FESTIVAL FREE FESTIVAL SATURDAY

Now in its 15th season, the Savannah Book Festival (SBF), runs from February 17-20, 2022, in Historic Savannah, GA. SBF’s Festival Saturday, on February 19, is free and open to the public. The Savannah Book Festival Inc. (SBF) is an independent, non-profit corporation committed to encouraging literacy and the love of books. SBF presents best-selling and emerging authors at a four-day Presidents’ Day weekend event featuring talks by dozens of authors. Call 912.598.4040

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

(Ongoing, Mondays-Fridays, 10:45 a.m.)Senior Citizens Inc., 3025 Bull St., There are seniors in our community who are hungry. You can make a difference by volunteering one hour a week to delivering Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors. We have routes throughout Savannah, so we can match you to an area that is convenient. Training included.

Volunteers use their own vehicle. Gas stipend is optional.

There are over 500 seniors on the waiting list to receive meals, and the number continues to grow. For more information, contact Lauren at Volunteer@ seniorcitizens-inc.org or 912236-0363

HIGHLIGHTED PICKS FROM HOSTESS CITY HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK

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WEEK

AT A GLANCE

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

FORSYTH FARMERS MARKET

ADMINISTRATIVE ERICA BASKIN PUBLISHER erica@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4378 WENDY WICKHAM BUSINESS MANAGER wendy@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4373

CONTENT CHRISTOPHER SWEAT CREATIVE | CONTENT DIRECTOR christopher @connectsavannah.com JAMIE BURTON MULTIMEDIA JOURNALIST jamie@connectsavannah.com MCKENNAH DRURY GRAPHIC DESIGNER

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

OUR VALUES Connect Savannah is a weekly arts, entertainment and news magazine, focused on Savannah and the Coastal Empire life and experience.

We strive to feature stories that impact our community and the people who live here— to educate, entertain, inform and foster conversation.

We appreciate and encourage readers to share news and information with us, and to share any criticism and questions.

We want to be your comprehensive source for what happens in our community and beyond.

We are here to serve you.

Find us on the following social media platforms or reach out to us at news@connectsavannah.com or 912-721-4378.

/connectsav

@ConnectSavannah

/connectsavannah

PROUD SPONSOR OF

Jesse Blanco, Frank Ricci, Jamie Burton, Marley Gibson, Kareem McMichael, Lauren Wolverton, Bunny Ware, Brittany Herren, Travis Jaudon

WAYNE FRANKLIN DISTRIBUTION MANAGER (912) 721-4376

GARDENING SESSION

First and Third Saturday of every month, 9:30 a.m. Charles H. Morris Center10 East Broad St., Savannah Free and open to the public. Learn how to garden and harvest vegetables and herbs to bring home. Kerry Shay, an organic farmer and owner of landscaping company Victory Gardens, provides free instruction. First and third Saturday of every month.

SUNSET PARTY SUNDAY

ON THE COVER Senior Savannah State student Tiffany Wright (left) as elder Ida B. Wells, and Vanity Daniel (right) as young Ida B. Wells. “To keep the waters troubled!” Ida B. Wells looks toward the future and her future remembers the past.

Photo by Sarah Peacock.

611 East Bay Street Savannah, Georgia 31401 Phone: (912) 231-0250 | Fax: (912) 238-2041

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PILATES CLASS

Enjoy half off bottles of wine and fire pits in the courtyard. Purchase one of our s’mores kits (marshmallows included) for the ultimate fall experience. 6-9 p.m. Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull St.

Join Elks Lodge for Bingo from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Enjoy great family fun, good food at the snack bar, and many chances to win cash. Elks Lodge, 183 Wilshire Blvd.

© 2021, Savannah Media, LLC.

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FIRE & WINE

BINGO! AT ELKS LODGE

BUCKY BRYANT STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT bucky@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4381

TYBEE ISLAND FARMERS MARKET

Weekly market featuring a variety of produce, baked goods, honey, eggs, BBQ, sauces and dressings, popsicles, dog treats and natural body products.

Artisans are also featured each week.

Located at 30 Meddin Dr., right behind the Historic Tybee Lighthouse. tybeeislandfarmersmarket.com

Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio Live performances from legendary jazz guitarist Howard Paul at Myrtle & Rose Rooftop Garden at Plant Riverside District. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 400 West River St

LOGAN HINTON DIGITAL SALES MANAGER logan@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4354

inbetween singers. Enjoy $4-$5 drink specials all night along with a late night menu and craft cocktail bar. The fun starts at 10pm every Monday! 5500 Abercorn St. Ste. 36

Celebrate the weekend during anupbeat, poolside yoga classes.

60-minute high energy yoga class with Savannah Yoga featuring a welcome cocktail, social hour, and more!

Reservations required. Kimpton Brice Hotel 601 E Bay St. bricehotel.com

LIVE JAZZ SUNDAY BRUNCH

INFORMATION: (912) 721-4378 sales@connectsavannah.com

DISTRIBUTION

YOGA + SIPS AT KIMPTON BRICE HOTEL

SUNDAY 2/20

ADVERTISING

LAUREN WOLVERTON STRATEGIC MARKETING CONSULTANT lauren@connectsavannah.com (912) 721-4380

Local and regional produce, honey, meat, dairy, pasta, baked goods, and other delights. Rain or shine.

9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Forsyth Park. Drayton St. & East Park Ave.

Wrap up the weekend with a Sunday Funday Sunset Party on the roof.

Local DJ Doc Ock on the 1s and 2s, an amazing view, Long Drink and Herradura specials, and $3 Rosé all day.

6 - 9 p.m. Top Deck, 125 W. River Street

MONDAY 2/21

MIDTOWN MONDAYS

Savannah’s largest industry night at Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen. Enjoy Pubstar Karaoke hosted by Shane along with DJ B-RAD playing today’s hits

Skidaway Island United Methodist Church (SIUMC) offers, to church and non-church members alike, basic Mat Pilates classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:15-10:15 a.m., for only $5.00-$6.25 per class. Classes focus on improving core strength, posture, flexibility and muscle tone. Visit siumc. org/nurture 54 Diamond Causeway

TUESDAY 2/22 WHISKEY TASTING CLASSES

Taste and learn differences between six different whiskey varieties.

Reservations required. 7:30 p.m.

Congress Street Up, 220 W. Congress St. americanprohibitionmuseum.com

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

Voted one of Savannah’s best places to enjoy trivia in 2021. Enjoy video trivia hosted by Hangover Entertainment at Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen. Free to play, and starts at 7pm with prizes for top 2 teams. Full menu and craft cocktail bar.

5500 Abercorn St. Suite #36

STAFFORD’S TUESDAY COMEDY OPEN MIC

The ghost of Savannah’s legendary open mic returns. Head out to the sequel to the open mic Hannibal Buress called “whack” and “please put that phone down”. All experience levels welcome! Come out and give us your best 5 minutes, or just come and laugh at us, we like it. 8:30-11:45 p.m. Stafford’s Public House, 306 W. Upper Factor’s Walk.

TODDLER TUESDAY OATLAND ISLAND WILDLIFE CENTER

Explore th 10:00 a.m. e wonders of nature with all kinds of wild fun for your wee ones. Call 912-8983980

COMMUNITY INTRODUCTIONS

MEET MIIQUAN GREEN Photo by Nelson Laporte

PAYING IT FORWARD TO THE PLACE THAT RAISED HIM

By Marley Gibson

He believes in paying it forward. “Savannah is a place full of unlimited possibilities,” Green said. “It’s not just something to say because you really can do anything or get anywhere you want to go because of this community of people. I know this town helped make me into the person I am today.”

Green said he hopes visitors—and locals—will explore not only the downtown area, but all of the city. “There’s so much more to Savannah’s history than what’s downtown. History is literally all around this city. Take the time to walk around a neighborhood or drive down a street you may not have been down before and take in everything.”

Green’s company represents local businesses in their marketing efforts and is the same company that grew from the roots of his youth.

“As you drive around,” he suggested, “stop and read any historic markers you come across that highlight historical events, Savannahians who’ve made a name for themselves, and other facts that might not be commonly known.”

That wasn’t the case a dozen years ago for Savannah native MiQuan Green when he started his business, now called MiQuan Green Enterprises. When his contemporaries focused on less ambitious goals, not-yet teenaged MiQuan began helping clients with their needs with photography, video production, marketing, and publishing and continues to do so in the Low Country today.

“Savannah has really helped me develop as a person and a businessman through networking, making connections, and helping each other out. This city is perfect for establishing positive relationships with students, community members, political leaders, and fellow business owners,” he said.

He also suggests talking to residents and making new friends. “When you’re out and about exploring the city, learn about some of the deep historical roots that took residence around our community. Meet the history through the people… through their food… their businesses and by sharing stories.”

At age 24, the Groves High School grad credits his success to his family, as well as the city that raised him. It only takes one look at Green’s social media pages to know the importance of family, friends, and community in his life. He can often be seen throughout town, helping out members of his church, taking food to those in need, and/ or mentoring youth in the community.

Green admits he’s biased when it comes to his hometown. He loves sharing the city with anyone he meets.

“We all know about the historic aspects of Savannah, but even though I’m from here, the city just has the genuine feel of a home away from home. It’s welcoming and warm to everyone. No wonder we get visitors from all over the world and even lots of people moving here.”

When Green considers what brings people to town most of all, he said, “To enjoy the food. All the food. All the southern food and southern charm. The joy of Savannahians.”

He hopes folks will continue to live their best lives, “which means coming to see us.”

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Most twelve-year-olds are consumed by online gaming, watching TikTok videos, breaking in a new bike, or other similar activities. In other words, not adulting.

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COMMUNITY

The Ganem-Poppells, a local Savannah family, featured on ‘Family Dinner’ with Andrew Zimmern Local Ganem-Poppell family is joined by Magnolia Network host, Andrew Zimmern, as they prepare and share several traditional Lebanese family dishes for the popular show, Family Dinner.

The episode originally aired Friday, Feb. 11, on Magnolia Network on Discovery +. Family Dinner is in its second season of visiting families across the country.

Host Andrew Zimmern visits families across America to explore how the cultural, regional, and historical facets of who we are form what and how we eat. The GanemPoppell family hold on tightly to these family traditions and still gather regularly to share traditional Sunday dinner. “Being a fourth generation Lebanese-American, I think it is very important to keep our family traditions alive,” says Marianne Ganem-Poppell, owner of Savannah Master Calendar. “I want my children to know the history of our family and continue these traditions.”

The tradition of “family dinner” is slowly losing its value, but many family’s, like the Ganem-Poppell clan, hold on to it as precious as past loved ones. The Ganem family owns Johnnie Ganem’s wine and package shop at 501 Habersham Street, celebrating 80 years in June.

The Poppell family owns Poppell Brothers flooring on Windsor Rd. established Savannah business for 58 years.

The episode is available on streaming platforms.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Photos courtesy Marianne Ganem-Poppell

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Bud Light NEXT and Connect Savannah are trying to find the BEST ST. PATRICK’S DAY BAR in the Hostess City. So we’re hosting an online throwdown to decide the ultimate winner. Dive bar? Karaoke? What local watering hole gets you to wear your green and spend your green on March 17? Vote for your favorite in our online bracket.

ENTER TO WIN!

WHAT ARE WE DOING? FIND OUT EACH WEEK ON SAVANNAH’S NEWEST ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PODCAST. LOOK FOR US ON SPOTIFY AND YOUTUBE AND CONNECT SAVANNAH.COM

Savannah Police officers recount saving woman from freezing water

By Travis Jaudon

Three days following their heroic efforts, Sergeant Sharif Lockett, 29, and Officer William Fitzpatrick, 28, each said the rescue was more difficult than anything they’ve ever done as SPD

officers. Still, while bodycam footage of the rescue shows undeniably heroic actions, neither officer considers himself a hero looking back.

“A lot of people have said that (we are heroes). We did save a woman that day, but (police) do this every day,” said the Savannah born-and-raised Lockett during a February 11 press conference at police headquarters in downtown Savannah. “There are officers who achieve excellence everyday and aren’t recognized for it.”

“I’m just thankful she was okay,” said Fitzpatrick, a native of Peoria, Illinois. “It was nothing special on my behalf. It’s just what’s expected of me.”

Initially, a 911 call was made by a citizen driver who had witnessed someone dangerously leaning far over the edge of the Forest River Bridge above

shock. The cold water made it difficult for the officers or the woman to speak, let alone shout.

“Just let me die,” said the woman who can be heard groaning the phrase repeatedly in the provided video.

“No! I’m not going to let you die,” Fitzpatrick responds. “Please! Just let go and let me help you!”

She was eventually lifted up to relative safety on the dock where she was quickly treated by EMS before being taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

“Once we got to her, I wasn’t letting go of her,” said Fitzpatrick. “Whatever I had to do to get her out, whether that be laying my own life down on the line, I was willing to do that.”

Lockett and Fitzpatrick said they haven’t identified the woman and they haven’t spoken to her since saving her from a near-certain drowning death. But if she was listening (or reading) coverage from the ordeal, they did have words of encouragement for her.

“Just want her to know that there are people who care,” Lockett said. “Whether it’s her family or if it’s police and EMS. There are people who care about you and who are thankful that this had a positive outcome.”

SEE MORE ONLINE:

See bodycam rescue footage online at connectsavannah.com PHOTO: Sgt. Sharif Lockett (on left) and officer William Fitzpatrick, of the Savannah Police Department, speak with local media on Fri., Feb. 11 at the Habersham St. Police Headquarters in Savannah. Photo by TRAVIS JAUDON

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Two Savannah Police officers risked their lives by diving into freezing water and resisting a rapid river current to help save the life of a woman on February 8 in Savannah.

the Little Ogeechee River. Nearby officers, including Lockett and Fitzpatrick, were immediately notified to respond to the bridge area, But, while the citizen’s dispatch call was still ongoing, the woman was seen jumping off the bridge (around 5:20 p.m.) in an apparent suicide attempt.

“Oh my God! She just jumped!” shouts the caller to dispatch. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” While the fall did not kill her, if help didn’t come soon, the freezing river waters soon would.

Additional SPD officers, Chatham County Police officers, firefighters and EMS frantically attempted to locate the woman in the waters as residents who lived in the area (near Inwood Road and Brewster Street off Rio Road) assisted with the search. Fitzpatrick recalled spending nearly 30 minutes plodding through the marsh along the river bank, hoping to see or hear some sign of the woman.

“If she was still alive in the waters, time was certainly running out.

At that time, a resident of the neighborhood called police to relay that she had seen a person floating by her dock. The search effort moved to that area quickly, and after searching the area for some time, officers heard “gurgling” and realized that the woman was stuck underneath the floating dock some of them were standing on. The officers on the dock tried desperately to pull her up, but they were unsuccessful.

“She’s under here!” shouted one officer to others still searching the shore line.

That’s when Fitzpatrick decided to ditch his gear (and his bodycam) and jump into the water. Lockett went in soon after and the two collectively worked to pull the woman from under the dock, out of the water, and onto the dock.

This wasn’t an easy task for Fitzpatrick and Lockett. Freezing temps had put the woman into an understandable state of

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FESTIVAL SATURDAY February 19, 2022

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OVER 30 AUTHORS

COMMUNITY PETS OF THE WEEK Each week, we will highlight pets available for adoption from local rescue organizations. In February, we are featuring Save-A-Life, Inc.

FARGO

AGE: 10 YEARS OLD COLORS: BLACK, DOMESTIC SHORT HAIR WEIGHT: 10 LBS

T.J. Newman

Tamara Payne

Margaret Coker

Patricia Lockwood

Will Leitch

Mashama Bailey & John O. Morisano

My name is Fargo. I’m about ten and in perfect health. I’ve lived most of my life outdoors, but never give up hope to have a forever family who will care for me and never put me outside again. A foster family took me inside and I love being an indoor kitty. They tell everyone that I’m one cool dude. I enjoy playing with toys and spending time with my people. You can be sure that I will be well-behaved in your home and make you purrfectly happy I belong to you.

SPARKLE Michael Ian Black

Mateo Askaripour

Gabriela Garcia

PLUS, JOIN US FOR OUR HEADLINING AUTHORS ON February 17, 18, & 20!

TIC KETS

$

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

ON SALE NOW

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Savannah Box Office 912.525.5050 or savannahboxoffice.com For a complete schedule of events, visit www.SavannahBookFestival.org

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TO

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Presenting Sponsors DAVE AND NANCY CINTRON THE PHILIP E. AND NANCY B. BEEKMAN FOUNDATION

Signature Media Sponsor

GERALD D. AND HELEN M. STEPHENS FOUNDATION

AGE: 2 YEARS OLD COLORS: CALICO WEIGHT: 9 LBS Sparkle is a wonderful kitty who is always ready to snuggle with you. She is a loving, great lap cat that is always interested in what you are doing. If you walk by her without acknowledging her, she will pat you. She loves playing with toys-especially ones she can chase like a laser light. She loves to jump up for a kitty wand too and does some pretty amazing acrobatics. She gets along well with other cats. She is two years old, ten pounds, is spayed, litter-box trained and current on vaccinations.

Save-A-Life, Inc. is an all-volunteer IRS 501 (c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization created to prevent overpopulation of companion animals through low-cost spaying and neutering. For more than 5 decades Save-A-Life has assumed a leadership role in advocating low-cost spaying and neutering in order to help prevent unwanted, homeless dogs and cats. Save-A-Life, Inc. is licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. We have been saving animal lives since 1967.

Compiled by Jamie Burton

FOOD & DRINK EAT IT & LIKE IT PRESENTED WEEKLY BY SAVANNAH TECHNICAL COLLEGE

NEW TRUCK IS SMASHING GREAT BURGERS EAT IT AND LIKE IT

By Jesse Blanco eatitandlikeit.com

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

If you are a connoisseur of these types of things, then you know that smash burgers have always been a thing. They didn’t necessarily have a trendy name or even a category on the food landscape, but they most certainly existed. I mean really, there have been smash burgers around ever since there have been greasy spoons, right?

For those that aren’t familiar, a quick run through the glossary. We would agree that burgers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some people prefer thicker handmade patties on an open flame. The art of that burger is, a lot of times, something to behold. If you can get a proper crust on them but keep a nice juicy center, then there are few things better in my book.

On the other end of the rainbow is the not at all thick, generally in the 4 ounce neighborhood, burger patty dropped on the highest heat griddle you can find. That patty is then smashed flat to maximize contact on said griddle. What you generally get is a burger that is equal parts crispy edges and juicy goodness.

When you find a good one, they can easily become addictive.

We have a new one on Savannah’s food scene that you should give a spin. It’s a new food truck called Smashed Savannah Burgers.

“We spent a lot of time trying to get this right” says Chris Firth, Chef and Owner of Smashed Savannah.”About 4 or 5 months, really.”

That’s a long time to invest in a single menu item, but when that menu item is going on the side of the truck, well then you had better get it right. Fortunately, Chris had been tinkering with the idea for a lot longer than that.

Chris is a Michigan guy. He wound up in Savannah via Austrailia. He’d been working there as a chef. When it was time to come back to the USA, he landed here because while he was gone, his parents had relocated to Savannah. Like so many others before him, once he

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got here, he discovered enough reasons to stay and enter the food truck game. He’s chef’d (is that a word?) at a couple of spots you are familiar with but has ultimately decided to do his own thing.

He can’t tell me how many burgers he made before he arrived at something he thought was perfect, but it was a ton. Everything from the fat content in the beef, to toppings, to the actual construction of that burger were taken into account.

“We wanted to keep it simple and let the burger speak for itself.”

Chris says, fully understanding that if you start throwing a ton of stuff on your patties, then you are kind of defeating the purpose of the smash burger.

The best smash burgers in my book are drippy affairs with melty cheese, a special sauce and maybe condiments. Pickles? Sure. Bacon and a fried egg at most. To that end, Chris has created The Farm Burger. His burger topped with a griddled smoked sausage link and that fried egg. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks amazing.

It’s not all burgers. He has a delicious chicken sandwich with a house made ranch. The loaded fries feature Kimchi, Kewpie, Tonkatsu sauce, Sriracha and Bacon. They are wonderful and a meal unto themselves. Really, it’s all good. A welcome addition to the Savannah Food Truck convoy.

In the big picture, there are a lot of ‘new burgers’ on our food scene and we are planning to make our way through them over the course of the year. In the short term, track down Smashed Savannah Burgers on Instagram or Facebook. That’s about the only way VIC’S RIVER GRILL to(INSTAGRAM) know where Chris will be parked...for now.

You will Eat It and Like It.

New food truck features loaded fries, chicken sandwiches and smashing good burgers.

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK

By Jamie Burton

jamie@connectsavannah.com

Alpine Spring ENJOY AT:

PEREGRIN

AT THE PERRY LANE HOTEL

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

THURSDAY-SUNDAY @9PM

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MADE WITH: GIN, MOUNT RIGI LIQUEUR, ST. GERMAIN ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR, LEMON JUICE We’re going to start with two fresh-cut strawberries, then muddle them up. For the base, we’re going to be using Gin. This is going to be an equal parts cocktail so everything is going to be three quarters of an ounce. We’re going to use Mount Rigi which is going to be a Swiss Cordial that’s based off of Kirsch which is a cherry liqueur. Then some St. Germain which is going to be a French Elderflower. We’re going to finish off with some fresh lemon juice for your acid kick. A little bit of ice and shake it up.

It will be served up in a Nick and Nora glass. Equal parts you just need some fresh lemon juice and strawberries.

MEET THE MIXOLOGIST:

Nik Kosovucki

I’ve been back in Savannah for four years this May. I was stationed here from 2008 to 2012 so it’s my second time living in Savannah.

My favorite cocktail to make varies on what is going on. Generally, if I’m making cocktails, I want to talk to the people and pull what flavor profile they’re looking for and guide them down that rabbit hole of finding a cocktail that’s geared towards what they’re looking for versus my preference. What I like to drink can

change depending on what I’m doing, or what the temperature is. I like everything from wine, to a Truly, to a lot of spirits.

During my free time lately, I’ve been doing a lot of housework, relaxation, studying for a few different wine certifications and a scotch certification. Beyond that, I do a lot of traveling. I’m going to Ireland in April. A few of my favorites I’ve traveled to would be Kraków, Poland and Budapest. They’re very unique places.

You can find Nik bartending at The Wayward (another bar at the Perry Lane Hotel.)

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY HOSTS

‘IDA B. N’ THE LYNCHING TREE’

An important story of hope, justice, and community honoring a legendary woman

By Marley Gibson

about inequality affecting African Americans.

“It’s an origin story, as I said, from her birth to her time in Memphis and the lynching of the three men,” the director said. “Her friend and his compatriots were lynched for owning a black grocery store. That’s what was really the catalyst to go on this crusade for justice, as she put it. She traveled all across the United States documenting and reporting on lynchings and making them known. She went to Europe to speak, as well. All her life, she worked to get anti-lynching legislation and justice for the victims.”

“It’s essential that we share her life experiences,” he stressed. “There was an interesting incident when she was a teacher in her early 20s. We know—be-

cause it’s documented—that she was riding the train to get to the country school where she was teaching. She purchased a first-class ticket for the ladies’ car, but she was told she couldn’t sit with the other ladies because she was black.”

“Sometimes, they allowed African American ladies to ride, and sometimes they didn’t. This time, there was an influential, uppity woman who complained and insisted Ida not be allowed to sit in the seat she’d paid for. Ida refuses to leave and was thrown off the train.”

Poole snickered retelling the history.

“She apparently bit a conductor when she got thrown off the train. She was very feisty… but she wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

The story didn’t end there.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Black history is American history, to be shared and experienced by all.

This is the message the Savannah State University’s(SSU) theatre group, Players by the Sea, in collaboration with The Collective Face Theatre Ensemble, hopes audiences will take away from their theatrical performance of “Ida B. n’ the Lynching Tree,” showing Feb. 16-20 at the Kennedy Fine Arts Center on SSU’s campus.

David I. L. Poole, SSU’s senior lecturer in theatre and director of the performance said, “When attendees leave this production, we want them to walk away knowing who Ida B. was, what her life entailed, and how it pertains to today.”

This story centers on the life of Pulitzer Prize winner (posthumously in 2020), Ida B. Wells, a suffragette, journalist, and founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who was a champion for injustice with a lifelong crusade against lynching and inequities.

As the director and designer of the show, Poole brings his years of experience in theatre, design, and directing, to showcase and significant story of our history.

“This production came about because we’re always looking for pieces for our students to participate in and explore during the Black Heritage Festival,” Poole said.

“Every year, the Players by The Sea student theatre organization and the theatre department combine to do a production for the festival. The playwright, Carolyn Nur Wistrand, is a good friend of mine, and she did this play at Dillard University in New Orleans—an Historic Black College and University (HBCU). I helped her with the dramaturgical work on it and then said, ‘Why don’t we do it here at Savannah State and we can make a

big thing out of it?’”

Poole and his students went to work.

The large cast and crew of close to 30 knew it was a big undertaking and a huge production.

“Not everyone is familiar with Ida B. and her contributions. But then, all of a sudden, Ida B. Wells started coming up everywhere,” Poole stated.

“She won the Pulitzer posthumously in 2020 and a commemorative Barbie is out this year honoring her.. Poole knew he was hitting on something not only topical, but necessary.

“It was time for us to do it,” he said. “I had the student body to do it.”

The dramatic and musical performance is an origin story of Ida B. Wells. “It doesn’t go into her later life when she was a suffragette, or when she lived in Chicago, raised her children, or was a founding NAACP member… it doesn’t go into that,” Poole explained. “It stops when she has her exodus from Memphis. Then, it comes back around and it revolves around her life as a person in a retrospective.”

The performance, lasting almost two hours, will touch upon several interesting events and stories in her life. Poole said the performance promises not to bore or be stodgy.

“If I can describe it in one word,” Poole said, “it’s fresh.”

“It has a sort of Hamilton-esque feel to it,” he said. “It is history told through a modern lens and through modern forms of music. During the play, we get interruptions and stream of consciousness throughout. There are rap songs that aren’t period-accurate at all. It breaks down that fourth wall, getting the audience involved.”

Despite being born into slavery in 1862, Ida B. Wells became a pioneering journalist and outspoken activist for civil rights and women’s suffrage.

She co-owned and edited a Memphis newspaper where she courageously wrote

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Continuing, Poole said, “Ida B. got thrown off the train and she decided to sue the railroad, which was unheard of at the time. When it went to trial in the local Memphis court, she won a ruling of $500, which in the late 1800s was a lot of money.”

Unfortunately, a later Tennessee court ruling would overturn her compensation, but the story remains valuable because after being released from her teaching position, Ida B. Wells moved on to become a journalist.

“She was fired for writing about the atrocities in the school system. She let it be known how black students in the country schools weren’t getting as much in terms of education, books, or lessons as the white students and she put it in the paper.

She decided to be a journalist full time and worked in Memphis writing local stories.

She started reporting about lynchings when her friend, Tommy Moss, was killed in this manner. It launched her crusade for justice.”

When asked why Savannah State’s theatre group chose this particular play, Poole said he felt it is very important, especially now.

“If we don’t learn our history, we are bound to repeat it,” he said.

“We learn from Ida’s experiences and her quest that there needs to be justice for

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all. There needs to be fairness and compassion for all. This piece shows that. We need to know her crusade and continue her fight,” the director stressed.

“In the play, Ida talks as she wades into the water to sing about the need, ‘to keep the waters troubled.’ By the end, the whole cast rejoices in singing how they’re not going to let the waters go untroubled.

These people won’t be forgotten. That’s the message of the play.”

“It’s the perfect play to do at an HBCU with these students, faculty, community, everyone who has bound together. They’ve all done an amazing job preparing for this,” Poole said.

Surprisingly, this was a new story for some students.

“Ida B. Wells is a figure that came into play for a while and then went away,” Poole said. No one really knew who she was for a long time. All of a sudden, she percolated again because of the modern-day lynchings going on throughout the country. We still have a lot to learn from Ida B. Wells. Her writings about lynchings are some of the most important pieces of literature on the matter,” said Poole.

“As a director, I always sit with the cast to do the first read-through and I pose the question: ‘Why this play now?. This opened up an important discussion and

dialogue on what it means to be black in America in 2022… and moving forward.

The students read the darker sides of the play and they got it. They understood how important it was and that this was the time to tell this story.”

Poole explained the play is structured into four pageants – theatrical framing devices. “A pageant has its history in the turn of the century Victorian carnival type of idea,” Poole explained. “Each pageant is a section of her life. However, the way the play write has written it—it’s kind of ingenious—is it’s all a retrospective.”

SSU senior, Tiffany Wright, starts the play as the elderly Ida. “Tiffany encapsulates this beautiful woman toward the end of her life. Ida B. is being interviewed by reporters—the whole ensemble is a part of it. In interviewing her, we see her younger self revealed through Vanity Daniel, a local community player who embodies the younger Ida B.” Working with material such as this is understandably emotional for the players.

“The emotions are there, but we’re not invested yet,” Poole shared. “We’re working on learning the lines, blocking the play and such, but we’re getting into it and now learning how it’s the time to start digging into those gems of emotion.”

Poole is certain of one thing.

“There will be tears. I know there will be. There will be tears of sadness, but also joy… which is so important. Especially now when we’ve been in a pandemic for two years. This idea of community, sisterhood, brotherhood, doing something together for good of us all…well, it’s something we have to get back to,” he stressed.

Having a live audience for performances will be a different experience for some of the actors.

“We have a lot of the freshmen in the show and they just haven’t been around people in two years,” Poole said with a laugh. “Everything has been different for them. Graduation, school, chatting with friends, proms, dates, etc. – they either didn’t happen or were conducted online.

So, coming back to the environment of a university campus where we’re face to face, communicating with each other…it’s wild to think these young kids haven’t had that.”

As a teacher of theatre, Poole knows this might be a challenge moving forward.

“How do we navigate this sort of world we’re dealing with now while teaching these willing students the principles of live theatre? What does that even mean as compared to just doing a live stream over the internet without a reaction? Well, it means they’ll see reactions, hear laughter, sense the surrounding. It’ll be interesting to have them in front of a real audience. It will be magical,” he assures.

Poole’s plan all along with this production was community and sharing.

“My whole thing with theatre is to make

it an event. It’s not just someone saying they’re going to a play and then going home. I like this whole atmospheric of what are we doing, what can we add, how can we weave elements into one thing to make it another.”

The interesting event twist Poole came up with was a close tie-in with Ida B.’s Memphis by turning the concession area into an homage to the People’s Grocery Store.

“I contacted several black-owned businesses and asked how they could be part of the celebration. We bought goods from these black-owned businesses to sell at our concession stand, in essence making our own People’s Grocery Store,” Poole said. “So, it celebrates black culture to the fullest and it supports the local community. We have hair products, canned goods, baked items, and many more items. We’re working to get more people involved.”

In addition to the tribute to the People’s Grocery Store, local food trucks will also be on hand for the evenings of Wednesday and Friday.

Poole noted, however, that the Wednesday night performance in conjunction with the Black Heritage Festival is already sold out.

“I was talking to Carolyn [the playwright], and she said, ‘This play, for some reason, has some kind of magic power to it. It’s almost as if Ida B. is blessing this play.’” Poole seems to agree. “It was written in 2000, very much ahead of its time, and produced only four times. So, we are thrilled to be able to present it here.”

“I’ve been in Savannah for a long time and I’ve done a lot of shows, but this one is magical and will bring people together.

It will get folks out of the woodwork and out of the house. It’s the chance to cheer together for an underdog and to keep the waters troubled.”

It’s more than just a job and a mere performance, Poole stressed. “We are teaching these students more than the basics of theatre…of their movement, actions, and dialogue. We’re teaching them community and life lessons.”

“Ida B. was a pioneer in her day. This production is a partnership with Collective Face Theatre Ensemble and that partnership has laid a bridge for the idea of unity, community, students, faculty, staff, everyone working together to make this a special event. This woman’s legacy and history have to be shared.”

“We hope it inspires everyone with the message of hope, justice, and history. We need it.”

The production is choreographed by SSU alumna Mikeshia McPhaul with sound development by Mary Edwards, a sound designer and composer from Savannah and New York City.

For more information or to reserve your tickets, visit savannahstate.edu Clara Faith was a contributor to this story.

CULTURE MIND AND METHODS OF AN ARTIST:

White Whale Craft Ales hosts artist Najeed

By Kareem McMichael

White Whale Craft Ales has hosted various different forms of art and artist over the years. Right now, Najeed has a show up there. There will be a closing reception for his exhibit “Crownz & Freeform” on Fri., Feb. 18 at 6 pm.

Najeed considers himself a self-taught artist because he had no formal training but learned the craft over the years. Despite not creating any art from 1998 to 2018, Najeed has not missed a beat since having his first exhibition at White Whale Craft Ales in 2019.

“In my mind, I never stopped creating.

I’m not trying to play catch up, but I feel I have 20 years of stuff I need to get out on this new art journey,” said Najeed.

Now he returns with his second art show “Crownz & Freeform” which is on display now. His work is bold and the texture of the material makes some of his work appears as if it pops off the canvas. Najeed usually works with acrylic but he also has some ink

work, and graphite work.

“Acrylic is really easy to work with outside of the drying time if you do a lot of blending, but if not, if you like to move right to the next step, acrylic is one of the best choices, and it’s flexible, it breathes. I think it’s a good medium, so that’s where I am right now,” he said.

He also likes using the tool the pallete knife for many of his creations. Najeed learned about this tool from his father who was a carpenter. He and his brothers learned the trade from their father.

“Using the pallete knife felt natural and has made my work more refined,” said Najeed. “I literally like what the pallete knife feels like through the paint. When it meets resistance on the canvas, I’ll change direction. Basically, I let the canvas paint itself.”

The owners of White Whale Craft Ales Jason and Jocelyn Piccolo are into the arts and are proud to showcase various artist in their shop and encourage local foot traffic.

They want this place to be a hangout spot for the community.

“We welcome our pal NaJeed back to the Whale. He’s local and his bold style is bright and emotive. His last show nearly sold out on the opening night if I recall correctly.

Also, he’s a stellar human, so drop in and meet our friend,” White Whale Craft Ales said in a post on their Facebook page.

“I love their spot. Jason and Jocelyn are amazing. They are art professionals in the city and Jason has mentioned to me he

CinemaSavannah brings Oscar nominated shorts to Savannah

By Kareem McMichael

and one horrified medical examiner.

“Not only is it truly independent but it is also highly accomplished. It’s funny and tragic, suspenseful and chilled, tightly written and delivered. It handles this outrageous story shifting from one genre to another, balancing its tones and modes perfectly, surprising us with twists all the way to its brilliant ending,” Warchol said.

Screening of that film will be at the Gingerbread House next to Foxy Loxy Café on Thurs., Feb. 17 at 7 pm.

The nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were announced on February 8 with “Power of the Dog” leading the pack as the feature film with the most nominations this year. Some of the Oscar nominated shorts are being presented by CinemaSavannah as a part of the national theatrical opening of this year’s Oscar Shorts.

This popular annual event features Oscar-nominated short films in all three categories: documentary, live action, and animation.

The program was originally scheduled for early March but now audiences here will get to experience some of these films a month earlier.

“When I was offered to show it during the national opening on February 25, I simply couldn’t refuse. I think 25 years of my relationship with Magnolia Pictures which coordinates the release with Shorts TV had a lot to do with it,” said Warchol.

CinemaSavannah has decided to focus on the documentary shorts category. “That category looks the strongest this year. At least four out of five nominees are very compelling,” Warchol said.

Warchol described the animation program as “often disturbing and relatively weak.” He was also not impressed with the live action programs this year either. Savannah can see the Oscar nominated shorts on Fri., Feb. 25.

All shows start at 7 p.m. Box office opens at 6. Tix are $10, cash preferred. No advance tickets. Masks are required inside the building and the theater.

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CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

CinemaSavannah is closing out February with a presentation of the movie “The Death of Dick Long” on Thurs., Feb. 17 at 7 pm and some of the 2022 Oscar nominated shorts on Fri., Feb. 25 at 7 pm.

The pandemic originally halted the start of CinemaSavannah 2022 season but as cases are lowering some and venues are opening back up more the attendance for these screenings have been increasing.

“The turnout is improving with each screening as people get more comfortable watching films in person with others,” said Tomasz Warchol, director of CinemaSavannah. “Those who have come to our first two post-pandemic screenings were very grateful to be together with other viewers in the audience. They all missed the communal nature of experiencing cinema.”

Audiences will get to experience “The Death of Dick Long.” This is a 2019 black comedy-drama film directed and produced by Daniel Scheinert and written by Billy Chew. The film stars Michael Abbott Jr., Virginia Newcomb, Andre Hyland, Sarah Baker, Jess Weixler, Roy Wood Jr., and Sunita Mani.

“The film has been out since 2019 but has never been shown theatrically. When I watched it online, I knew instantly I had to share it with our CinemaSavannah crowd. It’s a small film that has all the ingredients to become a cult film,” said Wachol.

The plot takes place in small-town Alabama, where Zeke and Earl scramble to cover up the unlikely and illegal events that led to their friend’s death while trying to dodge their families, the cops

could see a difference between my work in 2019 and now. He said it’s like I am going through an evolution,” said Najeed.

Najeed creates pieces based on how he feels or interactions he has had instead of planning a piece. The one piece he does have that was planned in a direct relation to something was a piece he titled “Welcome to America” that he created after the killing of George Floyd.

Even the way his show is displayed in White Whale Craft Ales was done by Najeed. He credits what he learned from doing carpentry with his father to be able to see his vision and mount his own paintings on the wall. The exhibit is up until the closing reception on Feb. 18.

Find out more at najeedart.com White Whale Craft Ales is located on Bull St., just south of Forsyth Park.

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Rebecca Braziel connects art to nature

By Brittany Herren

THE FRED AND DINAH GRETSCH SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Collection of Piano Gems

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General Admission: $12 (Discounts Available) Georgia Southern Faculty, Staff and Students- Free GeorgiaSouthern.edu/armstrongtickets 912-344-2801 | Mon.–Fri., 12–3 p.m.

rivulets of color meandering over layers of seemingly spontaneous texture. So captivatRebecca Braziel watched as the remains ing, in fact, that the Savannah College of Art of a forest in Nahunta, Ga. smoldered in the and Design decided to wrap buses in Savanaftermath of a 2012 wildfire that inched very nah and Atlanta with one of her works from close to her grandmother’s house. She took paper accumulation titled, “In the Pines.” in the sounds, smells and sights of a tragedy The SCAD buses are just a snippet of Braso fresh that it literally melted off the soles ziel’s success as an artist who has exhibited of her boots. It was in this moment that she her work both nationally and internationalfound her voice as an artist. ly. Braziel graduated from SCAD with a B.F.A. “It pushed me to look beyond myself and in 2008. After moving to Houston in 2013, care about the larger issues at hand such as she completed a six-month residency at the the importance of community, conservaHouston Center for Contemporary Craft, tion and each of us trying our best to be a acted as member of Box13 Artspace, received positive contribution to the world at large,” the Houston Individual Artist Grant, and explained Braziel. exhibited at venues such as Lawndale Art That is the role of contemporary art, to Center, Galveston Art Center, Gray Contemmirror contemporary culture and society porary Gallery, and the Museum of Fine Arts and that is precisely what multidisciplinary Houston. artist Braziel does In addition to her with her work. Repractice, Rebecca has fusing to restrict extensive knowledge herself to just one or of art education two mediums, she through her previous instead chooses a position as Teaching constant combining Artist for the Muof fibers, painting, seum of Fine Arts sculpture, found Houston as well as objects and according leading workshops to her, whatever else and camps at the is a means to realHouston Center for izing an idea. These Contemporary Craft. ideas in Braziel’s In 2020 Rebecca work often challenge returned to Satraditional boundarvannah with her ies and give voice to husband and four the larger issues at children and since hand in a world with her return, has acted an ever-changing as an Alumni Mentor landscape both physfor the SCAD Fibers ically and culturally.

Department and an She uses a dynamic ON:VIEW Artist in combination of maResidence at Sulfur terials, methods and Studios downtown.

In the Pines, photographed by Daniela Galindo. concepts to create an “It is great to be experience intended back and see that to strengthen the southern hospitality is alive and well,” said human connection to nature.

Braziel of her return to Savannah. “The art “My work is created in response to an community here is filled with charming, experience,” said Braziel talented people who are quick to share opThese sort of experiences, such as her visportunity and connect.” it to another large-scale wildfire that wiped Braziel still maintains strong relationout a majority of the state park in Bastrop, ships with the art community in Houston TX, began to inform a series of work called through the Houston Center for Contempopaper accumulation that allowed her to cope rary Craft and Lawndale Arts Center having with the feelings of powerlessness that surjust sent a painting to be featured in Lawnrounded national and global issues through dale’s 2022 Lending Library Program. a means of deeply cathartic, repetitive “As far as what’s next, I am currently processes. For Braziel, the texture created working on a number of commissioned through these repetitive processes present pieces and committing more time to rein this series, and among other bodies of search,” said Braziel. “Right now, I am Braziel’s work, draws the viewer to discover learning about paper making processes, abstracted depictions of nature intended lichen, and the impacts of plastic use.” to reignite their connection to it. With the You can follow along on her journey by vispaper accumulation series in particular, the iting her website at rebeccabraziel.com or her viewer can’t help but be captivated by the Instagram @RebeccaBraziel.

CONNECT SAVANNAH

ART PATROL JOHN WYATT AT GALLERY ESPRESSO

John Wyatt, a self taught artist from Savannah experienced a life changing moment upon a terrible car crash involving a fire truck in 2017 during hurricane Irma and suffered untreated head injuries at the time. Along with the unfortunate event, he became homeless for a period of 19 months. During such time he attempted a number of jobs including a pet delivery service operating out of overdue rental cars causing more confusion amongst his relationship with such companies. Once he was able to obtain a proper residence, the blank walls were just too stark. The therapeutic drawings he was working on turned into paintings. The paintings are titled according to those that were supportive and inspirational during his recovery. Goodwill and Starlandia were a blessing for John, giving him the extra income needed to complete his vision.

Gallery Espresso 234 Bull St. On display through Feb 28. Reception Feb. 25. galleryespresso.com

AMBER HIGGINS’S “HEART AND SOUL” TRUNK SHOW

BEFORE MIDNIGHT: BONAVENTURE AND THE BIRD GIRL

Telfair Museums presents Sylvia Shaw Judson’s iconic sculpture Bird Girl within the context of the history and art of Bonaventure Cemetery. Made famous by Jack Leigh‘s photograph for the cover of John Berendt’s bestselling novel of Savannah, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Judson’s sculpture was removed from the cemetery to Telfair Museums where it has been enjoyed by visitors for decades... more on telfair.org $5-20 telfair. org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

To submit an ART PATROL listing, please email us at happenings@connectsavannah.com

BRUCE DAVIDSON: FACE TO FACE

Curated from Telfair Museums’ collection of 348 photographs by Bruce Davidson, this retrospective presents an overarching yet intimate look at his expansive career.

Davidson’s belief that artists should “pay their dues” when granted the access to photograph someone’s life is evident through his lifetime of work. Organized chronologically and serially, the exhibition traces his lifelong methodology of recording moments of change through his keen eye developed through time and attention and a true desire for understanding. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. (912) 790-8800. info@telfair. org. telfair.org/exhibitions/bruce-davidsonface-to-face/. telfair.org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

CHUL-HYUN AHN: BEYOND

Telfair Museums’ 2022 PULSE Art + Technology Festival features a solo exhibition by Baltimore-based artist Chul-Hyun Ahn (Korean, b. 1971) whose light boxes made from LEDs, one-way mirrors, and sculptural materials create the suggestion of infinite space, whether the illusion of a railroad track curving into the darkness or geometric abstractions in vibrant color. Ahn’s precise and mesmerizing works also reflect the influence of Zen Buddhism and providing otherworldly experiences that connect to the spiritual as well as the language and history of abstraction. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. 912-790-8800. info@telfair.org. telfair.org

CONTEMPORARY SPOTLIGHT: NEW ACQUISITIONS FROM THE BRANDYWINE WORKSHOP “Fresh, human, and personal”— this is how Allan Edmunds, founder of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives, has described the prints produced at the Philadelphia-based arts organization. A non-profit celebrating diversity, experimentation, and accessibility since 1972, Brandywine has become an internationally recognized printmaking center whose residencies have fostered the creative talents of notable artists, such as Sam Gilliam, Romare Bearden, and Faith Ringgold, among many others. ‘Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop’ is an opportunity to celebrate Telfair Museums’ recently acquired lithographs by Black artmakers, a decisive moment in the institution’s long history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. 912-790-8800. info@ telfair.org. telfair.org/exhibitions/contemporary-spotlight-new-acquisitions-from-the-brandywine-workshop/. telfair.org/jepson/. Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 West York St.

BETH LOGAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS Sulfur Studios, the force-to-be-reckoned-with project of ARTS Southeast, has stepped up its Residency game by offering free accommodations to participating artists in its new 5th Dimension Apartment. The first ON::View Artist-in-Residence to live there is British artist Jon Field who is currently working on his project at the Residency Studio located at 2301 Bull Street. YOU are invited to bring an image or object that represents your hope for the future (Thurs.-Sun., noon to 5 p.m.), and it will be incorporated into Field’s ever-evolving architectural/visual installation entitled “The Desiring Machine.”

Field will give an artist talk on February 26 at 2:00 p.m. and his closing reception will be part of First Fridays in Starland, March 4 from 5 to 9:00 p.m. (By the by – Sulfur has a Call-for-Entry for the July-November 2022 ON::View Artist Residencies. Applications are due by April 15 and can be found at sulfurstudios.org) Stephanie Forbes, the talented young gallerist who owns RO3 Gallery at 915 Montgomery Street is collaborating with the Humane Society for Greater Savannah to present “Lonely Hearts,” an exhibition of her photographs and paintings of over ten dogs who been in the shelter for over 30 days. The dogs will be available for adoption during the reception on Friday, February 25 between 6 and 9 p.m., and any new parents can keep their dog’s portrait at no charge.

HIGH SCHOOL CONGRESSIONAL

The BFSDoArt will host the annual Congressional Art Competition for high school students in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District. Located in the Armstrong Fine Arts Hall gallery.

Admission: Free Feb. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m..

912-344-2801. armstrongboxoffice@ georgiasouthern.edu. cah.georgiasouthern.edu/armstrong-box-office/tickets/.

Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University, 11935 Abercorn St.

ANTHROPOLOGY & LEGACY OF SLAVERY

To celebrate World Anthropology Day, February 17, 2022, this “Evening of Anthropology” will feature talks on the relationship between enslaved people and the construction of the Confederate POW site at Camp Lawton, the potential for community archaeology to connect the past to the present. GSU’s Anthropology Dept. at the Jepson Center for the Arts.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

The Mansion on Forsyth Park’s Grand Bohemian Gallery will feature the work of Toronto-based glass artist and self-taught bead maker Amber Higgins. The “Heart and Soul” trunk show will showcase Amber Higgins’s beautiful handmade jewelry, which she has been creating for over two decades. A returning artist to the Grand Bohemian Gallery, Amber Higgins’s one-of-a-kind jewelry features imported Italian glass and sterling silver fabrications, making these wearable works of art the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. The trunk show and “Heart and Soul” exhibit are free and open to the public. Free 912-721-5007.

Carmen.Aguirre@kesslercollection.com. kesslercollection.com/mansion/experiences/art-gallery/. Grand Bohemian Gallery, The Mansion on Forsyth Park, 700 Drayton Street.

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CULTURE Savannah’s Independent Bookstore since 1975 offering a selection of fiction, nonfiction, regional, and children’s books

WHAT ARE WE READING? PRESENTED AND CURATED WEEKLY BY E. SHAVER, BOOKSELLER THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY

BY NATALIE JENNER Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable. 150 years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England’s finest novelists. Now it’s home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy. These people—a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others—could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

BLACK BUCK

BY MATEO ASKARIPOUR There’s nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.

An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother’s home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC’s hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.

Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America’s workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

BY BRENDAN SLOCUMB

18

Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can’t afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise.

326 Bull Street

Behind the Desoto Historic Downtown Savannah 912.234.7257

eshaverbooks.com

Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back.

But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them.

With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting, will Ray ever see his beloved violin again?

BOOKS

SAVANNAH BOOK FESTIVAL

Will Leitch writes yet another must-read with ‘How Lucky’ mystery

By Travis Jaudon

WILL LEITCH

Photo by Dylan Blue Photograhy

own personal experience to inhabit a character very different from himself.”

This wasn’t a concept lost on Leitch when he first began developing Daniel. He was basing his Daniel character off of his son’s best friend, a boy who was actually living with SMA. “That’s where my journalism background kicked in,” Leitch said of the reporting required to learn as best he could about the thoughts and actions of someone with SMA. “People will ask me how I could possibly know what is going on inside someone else’s head, especially someone with SMA.

The answer is of course, I don’t know. But I talk to people and I ask them. I study and I research and again, I learn by talking to those people who are closest to it.”

Critic Carl Hiaasen gave a perfect description for what kind of rare talent Leitch brings with him to the page and, on Feb. 19, with him to Savannah. He, like his book does, checks all the boxes.

“Not many writers can shift gears from hilarious to heart-rending to harrowing, all on the same page,” Hiaasen wrote.

“Will Leitch does it again and again.”

Free Festival Saturday: Feb. 19 Festival Saturday at the annual Savannah Book Festival is free and open to the public on Sat., Feb. 19 from 9AM-5:30PM, Festival Saturday features dozens of authors in person at different locations in Historic Downtown Savannah. Several authors will also be presenting virtually to a live audience at the Jepson-Neises Auditorium, including Laura Dave, David Guterson, Alice Waters, and Hala Alyan.

Other authors are appearing in person on Festival Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall, First Baptist Church Sanctuary, and The Savannah Theatre.

For more information, please visit savannahbookfestival.org as the schedule is subject to change.

NOTE: SBF authors will sign books purchased at the festival and accompanied by an SBF author signing card (provided at the time of purchase) following their presentations. Festival Saturday authors will sign books in the Author Signing Tent in Telfair Square directly following their presentation. Authors are unable to sign books purchased elsewhere.

More information is at savannahbookfestival.org

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Routinely hired by many of the country’s most read publications and websites, Will Leitch is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and a contributing writer for GQ, The New York Times, The Washington Post and MLB.com, among others.

His prowess behind a keyboard was first evident when he burst onto the sports media scene in 2005 as the founding editor and star blogger at Deadspin. The writing in Leitch’s blogs then was simply too good to ignore. By the time he was done at Deadspin in 2008, Leitch had become the undisputed “blogfather” for his trailblazing approach to, as he mockingly puts it, “basically just typing words into a little box and clicking publish.”

“I’m proud of it,” Leitch said when asked if he ever gets tired of answering questions about Deadspin nearly 15 years after he left the site. “I’m proud of everything that we were able to do there, and I would hope my writing has gotten better since then, but I’m still trying to do those same things now at other places.

“I always joke that the further down my obituary I can push Deadspin, the better.

Because that is kind of the whole goal, isn’t it?”

It had been 11 years since the release of his last book, but his mystery novel “How Lucky” was worth the wait and it is plenty good enough (see rave reviews by Stephen King, among others) to knock Deadspin’s space in the Leitch obit down a little further.

Published in May 2021, “How Lucky” is one of five finalists nominated for the “Best Novel” at the 75th Annual Edgar Awards, hosted by Mystery Writers of America as the most prestigious award that a mystery writer could hope to receive.

Leitch will be in Savannah on Saturday, February 19th speaking as a featured author for this year’s Savannah Book Festival. Fans wanting to attend Leitch’s session can do so at 9 a.m. at 120 Bull Street in downtown Savannah (Lutheran Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall).

“How Lucky” is categorized by publishers within the thriller/mystery genres.

Leitch discourages trying to place the book

into any categories.

“I don’t think of it in that kind of a box as a thriller or as a mystery,” Leitch said in a February 7 phone interview with CONNECT Savannah.

There is at least one way to categorize it without qualms from Leitch – it’s his first fiction novel, and that alone makes it a distinctly unknown territory for the 46-year-old husband and father of two. “(The book) doesn’t hit all of those traditional ‘beats’ of a classic mystery or thriller,” he said. “I just wanted to follow Daniel around and let that kind of drive the story.”

Daniel is the novel’s protaginist and narrator. The latter title is significant because this narrator is unique in that he can’t speak. A neuromuscular disorder, Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has confined the 26-year-old to a wheelchair and prevented him from being able to talk without the use of a Hawking-like device.

“My life is nothing but small moments, and so is yours,” says Daniel during his introduction to the reader on the book’s first page. Just like Leitch, Daniel is an Illinois native living in the college town of Athens, Georgia. And, just like Leitch seems to do in his writing about sometimes sensitive topics, Daniel “really does see the best in people.”

“One of the things that I love about Daniel is that he knows there is suffering in the world,” Leitch said. “He knows there are bad people in the world and everything like that. And so, he isn’t like dancing around with balloons and sunshine … but he takes time to notice little things that people go out of their way to do to help each other.

“His optimism is hard-earned, but I think also, it’s very correct.”

But the question gets asked of him often, and he understands why.

How could the self-described “40-something-year-old white male living without SMA,” accurately give a voice to a character who is notably living with SMA and without a voice?

“It’s a tricky exercise,” Hamilton Cain of The Washington Post wrote when pondering this very question while reviewing the novel. “when a writer steps outside his

19

CULTURE

ART’S ACCESSIBILITY AND RETROSPECTIVE INTERPRETATIONS

JIM BAILEY

By Beth Logan

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

ART COLUMNIST

20

As readers may know, in my past life I served as marketing director for Hospice Savannah where a very minor, but very satisfying, part of my job was running the art gallery situated in the Hospice House inpatient unit.

In addition to brightening the environment for patients, families, and staff, the gallery served as a means for the public to overcome their fear or misconceptions about visiting a hospice and provided a small revenue stream.

One of my favorite aspects was seeing people fall in love with original art, buy it for the very first time, and hopefully, make a start on their own collections.

I was thinking about this recently, and about how some readers of this column may be intimidated by the art world in general, and by visiting galleries in particular.

I realized that subconsciously, part of my motivation in writing this column is to try to dispel those feelings of intimidation by introducing artists as ‘regular’ people, with interesting lives, who just want you to look at and enjoy their work without, necessarily, any pressure to buy.

Savannah abounds in non-gallery spaces which regularly display art, and certainly for those intimidated by entering a gallery, these businesses offer accessible and non-threatening venues in which to view work. One of these spaces is the busy Sentient Bean coffee shop, situated beside Brighter Day on the south side of Forsyth Park.

On a recent Sunday morning, I visit woodworker Jim Bailey at the Bean to discuss his current show on display beneath the shop’s soaring wood ceilings. (Interestingly, this row of buildings, completed in 1914, originally served as stables for the Chatham Artillery, still a horse-drawn calvary at that time.

It was designed by Hyman Wallace Witcover, the Savannah architect of a plethora of over fifty fraternal, government, education and residential buildings including the Scottish Rite Temple on Madison Square, Savannah’s City Hall, Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Bull, and the Savannah Public Library, also on Bull.)

Bailey recently relocated to Savannah from the wintry climes of Baltimore where he studied fine art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. While he still paints and draws, it was the woodworking that he first

Bailey and his artwork.

Images provided by the artist.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

learned in art school that has always interested him.

He has made a living as a cabinet maker for the past 30 years, always drawn to visually interesting wood grain patterns and intriguing remnants of wood left over from commercial jobs.

Particularly, he likes splitting a piece of wood in half and, “when you open it, it creates something interesting, kind of like a Rorschach,” referring, of course, to the famed inkblot psychological test, originally designed to help in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, “You can see different things in the grain. It could be a fish, or a gorilla, or whatever.”

Arriving in September, Bailey quickly attained work at Gulfstream but found the exacting, production-line veneer work too repetitive and non-creative for his liking.

He now works for American Craftsman Renovation, a small residential general contractor. In the past, he created his art pieces by staying late at whatever shop he was employed with, but now, in the Savannah midtown home he shares with his girlfriend, he has been able to convert the garage into a woodworking studio and is actively acquiring the tools he needs to be self-sufficient.

In addition to the two-dimensional pieces on display at the Bean, Bailey makes custom furniture, three-dimensional art wall cabinets that open to display little drawers, and intriguing sculptures (he shows me an image of a tabletop-sized piece comprised of four-inch wood cubes).

The father of four children in Baltimore, with the youngest two set to graduate college shortly, Bailey hopes his move to the south will afford more opportunities to make his art. He certainly wasted no time in connecting with Alexis Javier (“A.J.”) Perez, one of the founding partners of Sulfur Studios. In addition to the busy galleries at 2301 Bull St., Sulfur is responsible for hanging art in several non-gallery spaces and A.J. offered him the New Year show at the Sentient Bean.

In his appropriately named “Interpretive Woodworking” show, Bailey is displaying work from as early as 2000.

“It’s a bit of a retrospective,” he says. In addition to the Rorschach Test-like pieces, he has two exquisitely mitered checkerboard pieces and some small, whimsical creations featuring found objects that he calls “just quirky and fun.”

Bailey utilizes poplar, cherry, mahogany, and walnut, and most pieces have frames that are an integral part of the whole, often made from the same piece of wood that he used for the inside artwork.

So, grab a cup of coffee and check out this newcomer’s creations, or, better yet, meet and welcome Bailey to the Savannah art scene at his reception on Friday, Feb. 25 at 6:00 p.m.

Jim Bailey’s “Interpretive Woodworking” hangs at the Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave., through March 15 and can be viewed during the coffee shop’s regular hours of 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily, with a reception on Friday, February 26 at 6 p.m. Find Bailey’s pieces under the Exhibitions & Events tab at sulfurstudios.org or reach him at jamesfbailey64@gmail.com

21

STYLE | WHAT ARE WE WEARING? Georgia Southern Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music presents

Faculty

Concert

Feb. 22, 2022 7:30 P.M.

Fine Arts Auditorium Armstrong Campus

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

General Admission: $6 For tickets, visit: GeorgiaSouthern.edu/ArmstrongTickets or call 912-344-2801 weekdays from Noon–3 p.m.

22

By Lauren Wolverton

lauren@connectsavannah.com

That weird in-between winter and spring weather has arrived in Savannah. It’s 45 degrees in the morning and 75 degrees by lunchtime. So, it’s time to start putting a little more thought into our outfit choices so we’re not shivering and sweating all day.

Try pairing a lightweight, long sleeve sweater like this purple one with a skirt. The sweater will give you some warmth, while the skirt keeps you cool.

Pair it with some white cowboy boots for a trendy, weekend-ready look. When it warms up outside, trade in the sweater for a satin tank like this zebra print one.

A good pair of white jeans is a great thing to have in your closet to transition from winter to spring. Forget the old rules… white jeans are in year round. Pair it with a cropped cardigan like this when it’s cool out, and switch to an Instagram-worthy mini dress when it warms up.

Purple sweater, purple skirt, zebra print blouse, white cowboy boots, white jeans, pink cardigan and pink dress available at Edgewater Drive (319 W. Broughton St.).

MUSIC & CLUBS

MARCH 11-12, 2022

Soccer Mommy. of Montreal.

American Aquarium.

Photo provided by the artist.

ANDY JOHNSON ENJOYS BRINGING THE SOUTHERN SOUL By: Angie Miller

Surfbort. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers.

Daniel Donato. Tre’ Burt. Danielle Ponder.

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

Kristine Leschper (fka Mothers). Tall Tall Trees.

Boyish. Anjimile. Gustaf. Buffalo Nichols.

Quinn Christopherson. Ceramic Animal.

Christopher Paul Stelling. Sam Burchfield.

Pylon Reenactment Society.

Weakened Friends. Nordista Freeze.

Boulevards. Pony Bradshaw.

Glove. Hotel Fiction. Lo Talker.

Peel Dream Magazine. Silver Synthetic.

Locate S,1. Crumbsnatchers.

AND FEATURING SAVANNAH’S OWN:

Anna Kellam. Basically Nancy.

Bastardane. Calico MD. Chipper Bones. Donna Savage.

Little Gracie. Lyn Avenue.

Reverend Bro Diddley and the Hips.

Superhorse.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Born and raised in middle Georgia where Southern rock roots run deep, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Andy Johnson brings an eclectic bluesy sound with a soulful Southern twist.

Like many Southern artists, Johnson says his musical interest began while attending church throughout his youth.

“I didn’t grow up in a musical family but we went to church when I was young and my church had a live band,” Johnson said. “By the time I reached high school I started singing in the choir but realized I was more interested in what the band was doing.”

Before launching his career as a solo artist, Johnson fronted and toured extensively in the southeast with his band “Royal Johnson” for four years and they released two albums and two EPs before breaking up in 2019.

“The co-founder of the band passed away,” Johnson said. “I tried to keep it going for a little while but shortly after that I ended it. Then Covid hit so it hindered putting another band together. So, I kinda just stayed home and wrote these acoustic songs and spent a good part of a year recording them.”

In April of 2021, Johnson released his first solo album titled “Help Yourself.”

“I don’t have a method to my songwriting, I just go with it,” he noted. “Sometimes the music will come first, sometimes the words come first, sometimes it’s just an idea that marinates for a long time before the song comes out. I’ve written several songs about books I’ve read, different experiences in the outdoors…I try to draw inspiration from a lot of places.”

Johnson says he also doesn’t classify his music as any one particular genre.

“I listen to all kinds of music. I really love late 60s and early 70s rock. The Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band are huge influences for me. But I also love more traditional country as well and I’m a huge fan of 90s alternative rock. I think once in a while you can hear all of those things in my music and when I sit down to write I don’t try to write any particular type of song so it ends up being a blend.”

Johnson added that he has a few other projects up his sleeve.

“I’ve actually recently recorded a couple of songs that are going to be on an upcoming compilation album,” he said. “I can’t really say much more, but it’s going to be a compilation with me and some of my friends. I’ve recorded my part so I’m just waiting for them to finish it up on their end. We should be making some announcements pretty soon.”

In addition to touring as a solo act, Johnson also plays guitar and sings for the middle Georgia Allman Brothers Tribute group “The Restless Natives.”

“This month is the 50th anniversary of their ‘Eat a Peach’ album so we’re doing a couple of shows in Macon before I hit the road and do my solo stuff. Then, I’ll be playing in Brunswick and Bluffton before coming to Savannah!”

Johnson will perform at Jazz’d Tapas Bar on Sat., Feb 19 at 7:30 p.m. For more information visit jazzdtapasbar.com or check out the artist at andyjohnsongeorgiamusic.com

We Were Promised Jetpacks. SASAMI. The Bones of J.R. Jones. Sam Evian.

23

Savannah’s Oldest

URBAN FARM & PET

SUPPLY STORE

Specializing in ORGANICS

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

ALL TYPES OF FEED & SEED

24

HAY • FENCING • TRAPS • PEST CONTROL • POTTERY & STATUARY • PROPANE REFILL & EXCHANGE • LAWN & GARDEN • SEASONAL VEGETABLE PLANTS • PET & FARM SUPPLIES • MORE! Located downtown at

307 Carolan St Just west of Bay St. Viaduct

912.233.9862 FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1938

THE STAGE PAGE

By Frank Ricci

WINTER CABARET

U R @ BILLY’S PLACE AT MCDONOUGH’S GET YO N Vocalists Trae Gurley (pictured) O TS TICKE and Roger Moss team up ! acclaimed pianist/music T Ewith I R B T N E V E

director Kim Steiner for an exciting evening of jazz standards, contemporary hits, country favorites and American classics.

THUR, FEB 17 | 7 PM & 9 PM

TO THE GENIUS OF MICHAEL JACKSON

Music in the Soundgarden FRI JULY 30

THE ULTIMATE AEROSMITH TRIBUTE

SATJULY FEB 26TH SAT 31 STRANGELOVE-THE DEPECHE MODE EXPERIENCE

FRI AUG 6

SAT MARCH 5TH SONIC TEMPLE

A TRIBUTE TO THE ROLLING STONES

8 SECOND RIDE @ BARRELHOUSE SOUTH

UPCOMING SHOWS

Five country boys from somewhere near Macon put a high energy spin on modern country and popular hits. If you’re not careful, they’ll even drop a three-part harmony on that ass. For curious groupies, don’t fret. The name is a reference to rodeo thangs.

FRI, FEB 18 | 9 PM

AUG. 7 Grand Paradise - A Tribute to STYX FRI MARCH 11TH

MARDI GRAS SATURDAY WITH JEREMY DAVIS AN EVENING WITHAUG 13 FA-Q & THE FABULOUS EQUINOX ORCHESTRA THOMAS CLAXTON

AUG 14 Interstellar Echoes - A Tribute to Pink Floyd AUG 20 The Bitteroots AUG 27 The Petty Hearts - The National Tom Petty Tribute Show AUG 28 The Stratton James Trio SEPT 3 Tribute -A Celebration of the Allman Bros. Band SEPT 4 Slippery When Wet - A Tribute to Bon Jovi All Get your 20 show SEPT 11 Jupiter Coyote Access Soundgarden

LIMITED SUPPLY

WILL BLAYLOCK @ THE WORMHOLE

Upon realizing he was good at talking shit and didn’t want to get hit playing football, Will Blaylock gave stand-up comedy a try. His humor is rooted in the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, The Simpsons and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

SAT, FEB 19 | 8 PM

Pass ASAP!

Only 50 passes available BREAKFAST IS BACK! Better Hurry!!

7-10:30 • TUESDAY - FRIDAY 8-11:30Tickets • SATURDAY available on Eventbrite!

Savannah is fortunate to have several stalwart musicians call this city home, and local blues guitar king Eric Culberson is one of them. He’s been playing bars here since he was a teenager.

See him effortlessly work sixstring magic and be relieved he never left town.

SAT, FEB 19 | 10 PM

3016 E. VICTORY DR. 912.352.2933 COACHS.NET

DOWNLOAD OUR APP!

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

ERIC CULBERSON @ CONGRESS STREET SOCIAL CLUB

25

CONNECT SAVANNAH MUSIC

SOUNDBOARD

16-22

FEB/

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE THIS WEEK WEDNESDAY 2/16 LIVE MUSIC

Cohen’s Retreat Midtown Pickers, 6 p.m.

Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay, 6 p.m.

McDonough’s Blues with Eric Culberson, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

The Lucas Theatre for the Arts BAM! Celebrating Black Artists in Music

TRIVIA & GAMES

El-Rocko Lounge Trivia with Jules and Chris Grimmett, 9-11:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Trivia Night with Jess Shaw, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Bingo, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Savannah Comedy Underground, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY 2/17 LIVE MUSIC

Billy’s Place at McDonough’s A Winter Cabaret at Billy’s Place with Trae Gurley & Roger Moss, 7-8:15 & 9-10:30 p.m.

Cohen’s Retreat Munchies & Music, 5-9 p.m.

Fine Arts Auditorium, Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University Piano in the Arts, 7:30-10 p.m.

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

TRIVIA & GAMES

26

Bar Food Trivia Night, 8 p.m.

McDonough’s Family Feud, 7 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 8 p.m.

COMEDY

Totally Awesome Bar Open Mic Comedy, 8:30 p.m.

DJ

Club 51 Degrees DJ B-Rad, 9 p.m.

Top Deck Sunset Deck Party, 6 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Service Brewing Company Service Brewing Run Club, 6:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Neighborhood Pub & Music Venue The Legendary Shack Shakers with Pine Hill Haints, 9-midnight

FRIDAY 2/18 LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina LAX, 6 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Miss Paradise, 10 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Service Brewing Company Bluegrass By The Pint with Swamptooth, 6 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

PS Tavern Beer Pong Tournament, 10 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bay Street Blues Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Karaoke Night, 9 p.m.

The Hive Repertory Theatre LLC Adult Night Out - Karaoke!, 8 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

FRI/

18

PIANO IN THE ARTS SERIES @ GSU FINE ARTS | 10 PM

Piano in the Arts is an exciting concert series at the Armstrong Campus.

This series is dedicated to showcasing the versatility of the piano through a series of unique concerts that incorporate many genres of music.

DJ

Club 51 Degrees DJ Fer, DJ Emalo, DJ Lil G, DJ BRad, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club One Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

SATURDAY 2/19 LIVE MUSIC

Coffee Bluff Marina Gary Strickland, 6 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Eric Culberson, 10 p.m.

Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant JodyJazz Trio, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Blueberry Hill Pool Tournament, 2 p.m.

KARAOKE

Bar Food Karaoke Night, 10 p.m.

Bay Street Blues Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Totally Awesome Bar Karaoke, 10 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS

Club One Drag Show, 10:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

SUNDAY 2/20 LIVE MUSIC

Collins Quarter at Forsyth Ember City, 2 p.m.

Congress Street Social Club Voodoo Soup, 10 p.m.

Myrtle & Rose, Rooftop Garden Plant Riverside Live Jazz Sunday Brunch Featuring the Howard Paul Jazz Trio, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

Sting Ray’s Robert Willis, 6 p.m.

Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt) Bucky and Barry, 1 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Moon River Brewing Co. Trivia, 6 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

McDonough’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

MONDAY 2/21 LIVE MUSIC

Nickie’s 1971 Ray Tomasino, 7 p.m.

The Wormhole Open Mic/Jam, 6-10 & 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Club One Super Gay Bingo, 5:30 p.m.

Starland Yard Music Bingo, 7-9 p.m.

KARAOKE

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

BAR & CLUB EVENTS Fia Rua Irish Pub Family Movie Night, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY 2/22 LIVE MUSIC

Fine Arts Auditorium, Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University Chamber Concert, 7:30-10 p.m.

McDonough’s Open Mic/Jam, 9 p.m.

Nickie’s 1971 Roy Swindell, 7 p.m.

TRIVIA & GAMES

Basil’s Pizza and Deli Trivia, 7 p.m.

Fia Rua Irish Pub Trivia, 7 p.m.

McDonough’s Trivia Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Oak 36 Bar + Kitchen Trivia Tuesday, 9 p.m.

Savannah Taphouse Trivia, 7 p.m.

Starland Yard Trivia with Chris Grimmett, 6:30 p.m.; Trivia Night With Chris Grimmett, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Wormhole Trivia, 9:30 p.m.

KARAOKE

Blueberry Hill Karaoke, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.

Club One Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Wet Willie’s Karaoke, 9 p.m.

COMEDY

Stafford’s Public House Stafford’s Tuesday Comedy Open Mic, 8:30-11:45 p.m.

SOUNDBOARD IS A FREE SERVICE - TO BE INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND YOUR LIVE MUSIC INFORMATION WEEKLY TO SOUNDBOARD@CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM. DEADLINE IS NOON MONDAY, TO APPEAR IN WEDNESDAY’S EDITION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR CUT LISTINGS DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.

THE BAND PAGE

By Frank Ricci

FLOSSTRADAMUS @ ELAN SAVANNAH

Chicago native Flosstradamus, aka Curt Cameruci, is a trap originator with a penchant for hip-hop. Currently based in Los Angeles, he’s collaborated with Major Lazer, Matt & Kim, and Post Malone, and is successfully pushing a lifestyle brand. In a young genre, this young man is a near-legend.

FRI, FEB 18 | 9 PM

Your favorite punk reggae band from Annapolis started more than 10 years ago playing house parties and small gigs. They built it into a career, doing it their way, and sticking to the formula that worked for them at backyard shows. Bonus points for the Buc-ee’s t-shirt.

TUES, FEB 22 | 8 PM

Trimmins’ success as a military trumpeter and band leader, as well as a wall of degrees including a PhD in music, guarantee a solid night of jazz. He’s played Atlanta Montreux Jazz Festival, BET on Jazz, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

FRI, FEB 18 & SAT, FEB 19 | 8 PM

JUNIPER IV @ THE WORMHOLE

Veteran hard rockers from Jacksonville deliver a refined sound with big vocals and exemplary musicianship. Swerving from rock and roll riffs to semi-proggy jams, the band’s skill and experience is evident.

FRI, FEB 19 | 9:30 PM

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

BUMPIN UGLIES @ DISTRICT LIVE

KEN TRIMMINS QUARTET @ GOOD TIMES JAZZ BAR

27

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD “Fenders”--failing to see the significance here.

by Matt Jones

Make your vehicle a rolling billboard viewed by over 30,000 people a day! Don’t let those views go to waste.

noticed!

©2022 Matt Jones

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ACROSS 1. Air marshal’s org.

4. Hilarity, on the Interwebs 8. West ___ (Long Island locale) 13. “Believe” singer 14. Opera showstopper 15. See 22-Across 16. Flag position in remembrance 18. Go inside 19. Holiday visitor, maybe 20. “Along with all the rest” abbr.

22. With 15-Across, “A Change Is Gonna Come” singer 23. Robbie who was Cousin Oliver on “The Brady Bunch” 26. “Famous Potatoes” state 28. Meat and mushroom dish originally made with a mustard and sour cream sauce 33. Notable time division 34. Appear 35. Column style simpler than ionic 37. Bits of work 39. Prepares, as kiwifruit 42. Prefix before “plasmosis” 43. Ancient artifact 45. First-timer, slangily 47. Yes, in France 48. German-born NBA player who appeared multiple times on “Parks & Recreation” 52. “You ___ not pass!”

53. Gang leader?

54. Mo. for most of Sagittarius 56. Promotional bit 58. Skewered dish 62. Knock for ___ 64. 1986 Fabulous Thunderbirds song (or the album it was on) 67. Neutral brownish color 68. Singer Fitzgerald 69. Low quartet?

70. Adjust to fit 71. Archetype for one of “The Odd Couple” 72. Miss Piggy, for one DOWN 1. “Easier said ___ done” 2. Put on the marketplace 3. Pound sound 4. Back muscle, in the gym 5. “Kia ___” (Maori greeting) 6. Subject of many toasts 7. Rubenesque 8. Country with fjords 9. “Sanford and ___” 10. What uncramped areas have 11. Furniture store with meatballs 12. Salon do 13. Sox home, on scoreboards 17. Reuben ingredient 21. Org. recommending regular checkups 24. Instruction part 25. Word after family or phone 27. Owl sound 28. Pub pour 29. Miscalculated 30. Earner of 21 merit badges

31. “Good ___” (Gaiman/ Pratchett novel) 32. Repair 36. Salon do 38. “Revenge of the ___” (“Star Wars” subtitle) 40. Key’s partner 41. “Last Night in ___” (2021 film) 44. Sound-activated infomercial gadget 46. Out of money 49. Joint with a 90-degree bend 50. Grade school orchestra section 51. Justice Kagan and forward Delle Donne, for two 54. Numbers to be crunched 55. Airline with Hebrew letters in the logo 57. Beach bird 59. Osso ___ (Italian dish) 60. Not too many 61. Some partners, for short 63. Unlock, in poetry 65. “Low” rapper ___ Rida 66. Beatles adjective

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

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PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS

Photos by Bunny Ware

View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

CORCORAN AUSTIN HILL REALTY RECEPTION AT THE CHATHAM CLUB The Corcoran Group recently announced its continued expansion by welcoming its newest affiliate and entrance into the state of Georgia with the launch of Corcoran Austin Hill Realty, owned and led by Austin Hill and Stephanie Wilson-Evans, based in Savannah.

Hosting a reception at the Chatham Club on Thurs., Feb. 10, Austin and Stephanie welcomed agents, customers and supporters.

Ridley Stallings, Holley Powell, Stephanie Wilson-Evans

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Mike & Michele Thompson

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Tart Johnson, Tiffany Alewine, Brent Sappe

Victoria Jones, Julia Taylor

Pam Miller, G Lind Taylor

Melissa Rowan, Austin Hill

Andrew Cosey, Christie Wallace- Bergen

PHOTOS FROM LOCAL EVENTS

Photos by Bunny Ware

View more photos online at connectsavannah.com/connected

KeyShawn Housey, Eeshani Malkar, Chiquetta Thompson, Daryl Cossey

Ben, Ella and Jill Cheeks

Richard Sanders, Lee Robbins, Dennis Keene

Skye Musson, Trish Murphy

Aaron Whitely, Vernon Donovan

The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire hosted their 5th Annual Velvet Gala at Soho South Cafe, Thurs., Feb. 10, celebrating over 35 years of providing conflict prevention and resolution, The Mediation Center recognized the community members and volunteers who helped serve over 6300 members in 2021.

KeyShawn Housey

Lindretta Grindle Kramer, Bernadette Ball-Oliver

CONNECT SAVANNAH | FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

THE MEDIATION CENTER OF THE COASTAL EMPIRE 5TH ANNUAL VELVET GALA

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