We are only a few days away from one of my favorite music festivals! Savannah Stopover 2022 is a festival which presents traveling musicians with a welcoming place to play en route to Austin’s prestigious SXSW Music Conference. This year, there will be five stages set up at The Georgia State Railway Museum. The festival is all about music discovery, and now it will be easier to pop in and experience it all! Now is the time to prepare for the onslaught of incredible music packed into a two day event. With over forty bands, Stopover is a satisfying musical meal of varying tastes and genres. There is music for everyone. I have already posted my Friday night favorites HERE, and these are my must sees for Saturday! I break it down specifically based on my favorites, but if you want the general vibe of each band check this out, Genre Guide, because they totally nailed it!
Hotel Fiction
Hotel Fiction is an Athens based band with the ability to create and perform multiple genres, but the duo leans into sentimental keyboard based songs with lilting vocals. Best friends, Jade Long and Jessica Thompson began by recording their first song, “Astronaut Kids” in 2019, and with its success they released their first album last summer. They are new on the scene, but I am stoked to see how they perform on tour.
Hotel Fiction-Astronaut Kids
Crumbsnatchers
I will probably have to split my time for this 5 pm block of musicians. I am so intrigued with the backstory of the Crumbsnatchers out of Nashville, I will have to check them out too. Apparently Samuel “Getts” Gueterman, lead for the band, was detained at 16 in a juvenile detention center in Griffin, Georgia and endured some really horrible conditions. There he and some other boys sang in a touring church choir. Crumbsnatchers’ name came from the condescending title the staff members gave the young boys when they sang. Years later, the name stuck when he met up with guitar player Philip Mosteller, bassist Sam Burchfield, and drummer Ryan Bledsoe. Despite the tragic loss of Ryan, they continued playing with the addition of the new drummer, Ethan Mausolf. With clever lyrics and uplifting, jam-worthy music, they will be on my must see list.
Crumbsnatchers-One Call
Weakened Friends
“Portland, Maine indie rock trio Weakened Friends dive into the honest truth of being a working musician on their new LP, Quitter, reflecting on lost friendships and self-worth swallowed up by burnout. Songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Sonia Sturino is supported by Annie Hoffman (bass/vocals) and Adam Hand (drums), filling out a mature and emotive sound.”-Giovanni Records
Despite their anguish and frustration, they are anything but quitters. With each guitar jangle, drum pound, and vocal roars, they create an amazing force of energy that will connect with anyone who has been in the music industry for years and needs a bit of release.
Weakened Friends-Quitter
Peel Dream Magazine
Peel Dream Magazine evokes a hazy dreamlike quality through the atmospheric vocals and never-ending soft guitar distortion. New York based multi instrumentalist Joe Stevens and his band are artistic explorers with a knack for finding a catchiness among the soft dreamlike mists of their ethereal mixtures. This band will be a welcome chill vibe of creativity.
Peel Dream Magazine-Pill
Quinn Christopherson
Tiny Desk 2019 contest winner, Quinn Christopherson, won with his song, “Erase Me”, exploring his experience coming out as a transgender man. With only a handful of songs, he has made a mark in music based on his raw, visceral style. He stands alongside a long list of successful Tiny Desk winners that have become stars almost overnight. Quinn is a singer songwriter with emotional depth and provides a much needed voice of empowerment for all.
Quinn Christopherson-Erase Me
Boyish
The duo Boyish is composed of India Shore and Claire Altendahl. They met at Berklee College of Music and began collaborating and creating music together as The Blue. After they graduated they made some changes and renamed themselves Boyish. Getting over 4 million streams for their album Garden Spider, impressive praise for their EP, We’re All Gonna Die and here is my contribution, they recently released new music and announced another album, My Friend Mica, out in May. They continue to grow and write honest music that makes us all feel a little something.
Boyish-Congratulations
Buffalo Nichols
A rising blues star, Buffalo Nichols revives the genre with his unique lyrical stories and slide guitar. Today, a traditional blues player has a difficult time finding a young audience, but his talent is worth a young listening ear. Blues is the heart of most rock and roll, and Nichols is unapologetic about reinvigorating its important roots. I am a new fan, for sure.
Buffalo Nichols-Lost & Lonesome
Been Stellar
Been Stellar has cranked out a lot of music on Bandcamp. The NYC indie rock band are Laila Wayans on drums, Nico Brunstein on bass, Skyler St. Marx and Nando Dale on guitars, and Sam Slocum, on vocals and organ. Their latest release, “The Optimist” is a mellow tune of shimmery guitar strums that eventually build with addition of the band, and then it returns to its sweet soft glory. It is a great listen, along with the four tracks on their last EP, Nihilist.
Been Stellar-Optimist
Tré Burt
Tré Burt jumped out at me, because he claimed John Prine his hero. I am a huge John Prine fan and so I had to check out Tré Burt’s music. He pulls off similar observant poetic skills, but clearly masters his own style with his Dylan-like gutteral vocals.
Tré Burt-Sweet Misery
Gustaf
A five-piece post punk band out of Brooklyn, Gustaf, has a danceable artsy vibe. There is something fun about the simplicity of the lyrics and the shout backs. Somewhat chaotic and frenetic, the head bopping possibilities are endless. I think back and fondly remember the band, Shopping, a few Stopover’s ago, and this band has a similar exciting vibe. Can’t wait to see them live!
Gustaf-Best Behavior
Kristine Leschper
Kristine Leschper is originally from Athens, GA where she formed the highly successful band, Mothers. Change and growth have moved her to Philadelphia. Here she unapologetically expanded her sound with purpose and deep motivation. Reaching new directions in her songwriting, she emphasizes meaning and depth surrounding womanhood, the human condition, social economic systems, power, and making meaning out of our existence. Sonically her music is as comprehensive as her ideas and thoughts, varying an assortment of instruments and atmospheric sounds, while threading it all together with her incredible vocals, and choral buildouts. Can’t miss this one.
Kristine Leschper-Ribbon
We Were Promised Jetpacks
All the way from Edinburgh Scotland, We Were Promised Jetpacks is a much anticipated band to rock to as they head out on their first North American tour in quite awhile. Savannah Stopover is at the front end, and we will be the first to see them support their latest release, Enjoy The View. The album was written over lockdown, but despite what could’ve been a deeply sad album there are well thought out guitar riffs and exploding indie-rock refrains. Formed in 2003, WWPJ have become a “fully-fledged rock band – louder, wilder, avidly literate, fiercely melodic, powerfully restrained.” They will prove to be lively and raucous with their many sing-a-long hits and expansive sound.
“The new single signifies a change in musical direction for the band, with “Fat Chance” an ode to overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds. ” How relatable is that?
We Were Promised Jetpacks-Fat Chance
Soccer Mommy
Even though I am a huge fan of Tall Tall Trees (highly recommend this one too), I simply can’t miss Soccer Mommy. I had tickets to her sold out show in Atlanta after her album Color Theory released, and because of the pandemic… it was cancelled/postponed. Soccer Mommy is Sophia Allison from Nashville and I have almost every song from each of her albums playing on repeat. The music she creates captures the fear and melancholy of life in such a way that it is entertaining and deeply relatable. Her songwriting is so fierce and emotional, that you might get the sense she is simply sharing her diary entries. The last album, Color Theory was divided into three color themes, blue-representing sadness and depression, yellow-symbolizing physical and emotional illness, and gray-representing darkness, emptiness, and loss. But don’t let the depth of the themes bum you out. The music is catchy and bright despite the serious emotional content. It takes such courage and maturity to tackle this content with such softness and beauty. I am all in!
Soccer Mommy-circle the drain
I hope I’ll see you there! XO
❤
Rain in the forecast won’t stop my joy of this fun festival!