With jam bands rampant throughout the country, I could understand the apprehension towards listening to yet another one. However, The New Deal has an edge. This group of three guys out of Toronto, Canada has a unique distinction. Jamie Shields, Darren Shearer and Dan Kurtz were all front men of their own respective bands until they collectively decided to leave their own groups and create something entirely different, hence their name. None of them had a background in house or electronica, but according to Darren, “We wanted to leave everything behind and focus on playing new music.”

Thursday night was a night of celebration in Charleston, and not without cause. Halfway through their set at the Music Farm, Dublin born singer/songwriter and front man Dave King announced that they got wind of a peace talks in Ireland. King, with a Guinness in hand, ordered the crowd to put their “dancin’ shoes on” and celebrate the historic news.

“Loud, Fast and Traditional!” is how Dennis Casey, guitarist for Flogging Molly, described his band to me. The first two adjectives were to be expected for a band with a reputation for rowdy shows and a name like “Flogging Molly.” However, “traditional,” caught me off guard. As the night progressed, I began to see what Casey was talking about. Although they have the stage presence of typical world-class rock stars, their respect for their Irish roots and musicians before them was clear. Many of the instruments Flogging Molly uses can be traced back to traditional Irish music including the accordion, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, mandolin and banjo.

Willie Nelson is synonymous with everything that is American. The worn acoustic guitar, the bandanna, the boots, the Texan roots all bleed red, white and blue. His music is nothing but iconic. This is why despite the unusually chilly weather last Thursday night in Jacksonville, nineteen hundred people flocked to the Florida Theatre.

His own son, Lukas Nelson, along with his band, The Promise of the Real opened for Willie. At first, I have to admit that I was skeptical.

I thought that Lukas would be nothing more than a product of his father’s success. I was quickly proven wrong. Lukas’s powerful, distinctly unique voice and the screaming guitar pierced the air.  Even more amazing was his ability to play the guitar with his teeth to close his set.

Although now living in New York City, Kristina Train says she remains a southern girl at heart. As a performer at the Savannah Music Festival, she’s now returning to her old stomping grounds- which includes a few local dive bars (one of our personal favorites)- to prove she is still a Savannah sweetheart.

Take a look at these photos and an extended interview with her that didn’t make the magazine:

SM: Are your family and friends here excited to have you return to your hometown to perform in one of the city’s biggest festivals?

KT: My closest friends are my friends who I grew up with in Savannah…they’re really excited.

SM: What does it feel to have your first album under your belt?

KT: Like Mt. Kilimanjaro has been removed from my shoulders. It’s such a relief and it’s so exciting. I’m so proud of this album. It’s everything I wanted it to be. I just sat back and realized that the main goal in my life, which was to write music songs, put them on an album and to release it on a major record label has come true. And so to have reached this huge goal I’ve dreamed of all my life, it just blows me away.

Despite a long night of miscues including car troubles and torrential rain, I made it just as Yonder Mountain String Band was taking stage last Friday night. As I was approaching the Music Farm in downtown Charleston, I felt the buzz of excitement and anticipation from a block away. People, dripping wet, desperately asked me if I had tickets to spare. The show had been sold out for two days, but that clearly wasn’t going to dissuade them. Being from Colorado, I was familiar with the Boulder County based group, but I had no idea that they would be so well embraced in the South.

I pushed my way through the doors and was taken back by how packed the venue was. It was comparable to a Tokyo subway during rush hour. There were over 1300 concertgoers packed into the Music Farm’s modestly proportioned music hall. One of the many unique qualities of this band that I noticed throughout the night was the wide range of people they attract. There was everything from rowdy college kids to grandparents square dancing in the back.

Classics are, well, classic for a reason.  They address timeless, universal themes that people in any time, at any place, can relate to.  And what, I ask you, can be more relatable than being young, stupid, and in love?

All Walks of Life’s theater group, Act Up! is proving that some things never change with their hip-hop interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  “I’m excited about Romeo and Juliet because Shakespeare’s play is so universal that it can be adapted into any cultural setting or historical period,” says Lakesha Green, the show’s director. “Love is a universal theme and it will help introduce some of these kids to Shakespeare in a way that is much more accessible for them.”

Magazine Avenue

One of Savannah’s newer bands, Magazine Avenue, has quietly established a following in this town known for it’s musical heritage. Although Mag Ave, for short, is a product of SCAD along with perhaps hundreds of other bands, there is something different about these guys that is garnering them attention among the young. They bring to the stage a variety of sounds. Not only do they put their own spin on classics such as “Jolene,” they create tunes that when heard live stir something within. Their energy and candor makes you wanna laugh, sing and dance right along with them.

1. Eco-friendly framing- Using a line of moldings made from reclaimed lumber, as well as a collection of mouldings and mats that uses wood from well-managed sustainable forests, Maldoror’s Frameshop creates a custom design that complements any style of art all while being environmentally responsible. The eco-friendly mouldings include: a traditional collection of ornate and gilded moldings; a line of painted salvaged woods, for casual, rustic decor; and an exclusive line of warm, rich, salvaged hardwoods that are customized to accentuate specific pieces of art. Customers can pair any of these frames with fillets, decorative mats and custom glazing (including restoration hand-blown glass) that create a one-of-a-kind design.

2. Frameless Framing- Plexi face mounting is a crisp, sleek, contemporary way to display photos. Art lovers may not recognize it by name, but its been used for signs and graphics for years and has recently gained popularity in the world of fine art photography.

Savannah is certainly an eclectic town, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the diverse, thriving music scene that calls the city home. From bluegrass to hip hop, there is something for every music taste to be found here, and South wants you to experience it all. Specially marked copies of this month’s The South magazine contains our first ever Sounds of the South compilation CD, a limited-edition disc featuring 13 of the most notable and popular bands who call (or have called) Savannah home.

The collection starts with “Spilt Milk,” a track from Savannah-raised Kristina Train, a singer/songwriter/violinist with a gorgeous, soulful voice. Train, now residing in New York, signed with the prestigious Blue Note Records label almost eight years ago. Luckily for us, she has finally released her debut album, Spilt Milk, which the Boston Herald has called “timeless music, recorded beautifully and sung perfectly.” She will be returning to her hometown for the 2010 Savannah Music Festival.

A good female bartender has a special skill set they don’t teach you in bartending school: Guts, gusto and a good sense of humor. Get to know the bold ladies behind some of Savannah’s busiest bars.

Jade Kersey

Club 309 West, 309 West River Street
Bartending Since: 2004

Why Bartending: When her mother opened Club 309 West seven years ago, Kersey was forbidden from working the rather risqué watering hole. The SCAD fashion student soon convinced her mother otherwise and joined the close-knit staff. “It’s really like a big family at 309,” she explains.