On a recent Saturday evening, I found myself at The Jinx again for the usual happy hour set of outlaw country from Damon and the Sh!tkickers.
Damon Mailand, a master luthier at Benedetto Guitars, and his band have been a staple of the Savannah music scene for more than a decade.
As I enjoyed the music, the respite from the chilly weather and the company, I was reminded of how much talent we have in Savannah. For a metropolitan area of fewer than 400,000 people, we seem to have a large number of artists, musicians, venues and nonprofit groups that enrich our lives.
As we have noted previously here in Do, Christmas is a good time to enjoy the arts in Savannah, especially in the downtown area. Aside from the bustle of holiday shopping, the city often feels quieter and more accessible.
The crowds are different, too. Many college students and other young adults leave the city for much of the holiday season, and young folks who grew up here often return for extended stays.
The clubs will have live music as usual on the weekend before Christmas, but few acts tour at this time of year. The performers will almost all be local.
And the special events will continue through the week after Christmas.
XuluProphet, another staple of the Savannah scene, will host one of their open jam nights Dec. 26 at Barrelhouse South, 125 W. Congress St. A drum kit and some other basic equipment will be provided.
The Accomplices, one of the most loved Savannah-based bands in recent years, will perform Dec. 29 at Service Brewing, 574 Indian St. Tickets ($10) are now on sale via eventbrite.com.
The Accomplices’ fiddle player Colleen Heine and bassist Zack Smith moved to Colorado in 2017 but will be back in town for the holidays, so they will be reuniting with guitarist Matt Eckstine and drummer Stan Ray. Check out Do Savannah next week for a feature story on The Accomplices.
I suspect that will turn into a night of reunions, with many old friends seeing each other for the first time in ages.