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.

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.

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.

The title says it all. Outlaw Nation was loud. They were many other things as well. Not only were they down to earth, but what really matters, is that they were true musicians. All three members, Christian Simeon (guitar/vocals), Danny Woolen (bass/backup vocals) and J.B. “Tha Drum Killa” (drums obviously), all have tremendous resumes in the music biz. United together under the name Outlaw Nation, this reggae rock group is going places. Signed to Stoopid Records, they are currently in the throws of an extensive tour of the lower 48 with Warped Tour bound Chase Long Beach and frequently perform with reggae heavyweights, Slightly Stoopid.

Thogmartin on Vocals

Last night at the Wormhole Bar, Savannah was introduced to not only a relatively obscure genre of music, but a whole new approach to creating it.

Everything about Ohio based band Papadosio is strange and intriguing. From their name to their sounds, this group approaches music from an entirely different avenue. Self described as a jam band, they have “[...] added electronica and applied it to rock and roll.” Tony Thogmartin (guitar, keys and vox) told me that there has to be an element of honesty in music. He said that, “We write music we feel no matter what it is,” and that they, “Don’t change the style of music to cater to what the audience wants.” Papadosio is all about their own auditory journey and self discovery.

“I treat songs as an odyssey,” RJ Krohn told me during our five-minute conversation before his set with the rest of RJD2 last night. It was clear to me, and the sell out crowd of 350 people at Live Wire, that RJ is onto something. His beats, remixes, vocals and even songs accompanied by his surrounding cast all contain an element wholly unique.

RJ went on to explain, “Every song and album is different. It is impossible to categorize my genre of music as a whole.” Instead, he said the importance lies in individual tracks and its intricacies where each is an auditory exploration.

Meet our new photographer and music guru:

Originally from Taipei, Elliot Ross has traveled extensively through Southeast Asia with a camera or two at his side. His documentary work of Lao children and the working class has earned him national exposure.

After being based in Colorado for fifteen years, Ross moved to the low country to pursue a B.F.A. in Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2008. His artistic devotion changed in July of 2009 after a whirlwind of events and right-place-right-time scenarios resulted in Ross becoming the only photographer allowed all-access to a large music festival back in Denver, Colorado. Working with legendary acts such as Goldfinger and The All-American Rejects has propelled Ross towards a career in concert photography that he hopes to continue for South magazine.