INDIE FANS rejoice! Your first wave of Stopover bands has been announced and tix are on sale now!
Savannah Stopover 2015 is shaping up to be a haven for shimmering electro-pop, Southeastern Americana and country, and old-school, dirty guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll. While this year’s lineup, like Stopovers past, still reps Brooklyn pretty hard, there are a lot of Nashvillians headed our way as well; as Jessi Zazu of Those Darlins told us last month, all kinds of talent, from alt-country to pop to rock, is cropping up in Music City.
Early bird three-day passes for the fest, held March 5-7, are available at ticketfly.com for $65—get ‘em while they’re hot.
Generationals
This New Orleans duo makes throwback pop that shimmers and shimmies with all the dazzle of ‘50s doo-wop and soul sifted through a modern indie-pop filter. September’s Alix (Polyvinyl Records) maintains their buoyant, candy-coated sound, flush with falsetto vocals and mini-Korg flourishes.
ASTR
A breakout electronic dance duo after just one EP, ASTR is completely of the now—think radio-ready melodies in the vein of Charli XCX meets Rhianna meets Ellie Goulding. If the paths of their Neon Gold Records label mates (aforementioned “Fancy” chorus contributor Charli, Icona Pop, and Haim) are any indicators, we’ll be hearing ASTR everywhere soon enough.
San Fermin
Selected as a 2014 Breakout Artist by Brightest Young Things with a record that NPR named “one of the year’s most surprising, ambitious, evocative and moving records,” the 8-piece baroque pop band San Fermin has been earning accolades since their self-titled debut dropped in 2013. San Fermin’s Ellis Ludwig-Leone studied music composition at Yale while working with a classical composer outside of class, and it shows; he’s an expert craftsman, setting spooky-perfect pop traps with chill-inducing builds, the punchiest of melodies, and little surprises all along the way.
Matthew E. White
The Richmond, Virginia-based singer/songwriter’s debut record, Big Inner, was heralded by the New York Times as “a dramatic pop-gospel record that hits extremes of the mood spectrum.” With traces of reggae, folk, and pop, his songs boast a timeless groove and innovative twists.
MOTHXR
Hey Upper East Siders, looks like Penn Badgley is taking his talents to a new kind of stage! It’s okay guys, this is a safe space, and we can all speak openly about our guilty Gossip-Girl-binging habits, and our overall excitement that star Badgley is now fronting an indie-electro band. MOTHXR’s careful and often spare arrangements suit Badgley’s deep, brooding vocals.
OTHER newcomers on the pop spectrum include Nashvillians ELEL and Denver’s Rose Quartz.
Americana and country-leaning fans need look no further than Nashville stars Adia Victoria and Margo and the Price Tags for new Stopover finds.
And if indie-pop’s too dainty for you, not to worry. All Them Witches has toughed-out traces of Zeppelin and Sabbath; they’ve fittingly coined the sound “Psychedelta Blues.”
Brooklyn’s Dreamers make ultra-cool, throwback rock ‘n’ roll—super-catchy with some good, scuzzy guitars.
If you caught Os Mutantes at Dollhouse in 2013, you may remember killer opening band, Argentinians Capsula; they make their Stopover debut this year.
STOPOVER bands are a loyal bunch, often known to spread the good word about the fest and come back and play it again. Don’t miss Pitchblak Brass Band, arguably one of the best shows of Stopover 2014, Diarrhea Planet, whose fan base and catalog have grown significantly since their 2012 Taco Abajo show, Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires, Family & Friends, Blank Range, X-Ambassadors (formerly Ambassadors), Heavenly Beat, Beach Day, and Christopher Paul Stelling.
Label parties have become a Stopover tradition; this year, Burger Records and Lollipop Records, the most fun labels in the US, specializing in mega-good-time indie-pop, throwback garage, and punk-leaning bands, will show off Gap Dream, Wax Witches, Corners, and Cobalt Cranes.
And that’s just the start of it! There’s plenty more to announce: the final Stopover schedule, including local bands, will be revealed on January 16 (speaking of, if you’re a local band and want to send in your band’s electronic press kit, submit via Sonicbids by January 5).
