The Wiyos @ The Telfair & Jepson ***
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to travel back in time to the USA of the 1920s and 1930s, catching a show by this NYC-based acoustic combo goes a long, long way towards granting that wish.
They’re one of the most entertaining and mesmerizing Old-Time groups in the country today — because of their willingness to tackle all manner of pre-WWI Americana. Whether it be rural blues, “hot” jazz, early swing, Appalachian jug-band music or melodramatic Vaudevillian crooning, this theatrical, anachronistic trio finds a fun, catchy way to connect the dots between such seemingly disparate genres.
---------------------- Here's a great clip of The Wiyos from a year ago in Brooklyn, performing the classic "Danville Girl": ----------------------Vocalist Michael Farkas (who also doubles on washboard, harmonica and kazoo), fronts the combo of upright bassist Joseph DeJarnette and Parrish Ellis and Teddy Webber (who, between them, play resonator and arch-top guitars, guitjo, banjo, ukulele and steel guitar) with a demeanor that’s equal parts Buster Keaton and King Oliver.
They tour relentlessly and in the past have drawn large crowds at both The Sentient Bean Coffeehouse and American Legion Post 135. Now they’ve been hired by the Telfair Museum for a five-day residency that finds them playing free public concerts and conducting hands-on workshops for local students. Read an exclusive interview with the band here. Listen & Learn: myspace.com/thewiyos, telfair.org. Sun., 3 pm (part of the Free Family Sunday event), Telfair Academy + Tues. - Wed., noon, Jepson Center for The Arts - free to ALL-AGES.
Air Supply ***
Here's another big-name act that's long-past their commercial prime, but still able to fill large clubs and small theaters across the globe. The lineup may be different from the group that scored massive international chart success in the early '80s with soft-rock hits like "Lost In Love" (#1), "Even The Nights Are Better" (#1), "All Out of Love" (#2) "The One That You Love" (#2), "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (#2) and "Every Woman in the World" (#5). (Notice a theme here?)
---------------------- Here's a touching fan-made video for the Air Supply classic "Here I Am": ----------------------Still fronted by the songwriting duo of British guitarist/vocalist Graham Russell and Australian vocalist Russell Hitchcock, this year alone, the band has toured from Brazil to Israel and from Canada to the Philippines. Regional R&B/jazz duo Lavon Stevens & Louise Spencer scored the opening slot on this potentially packed gig at the newest showcase venue in the greater Savannah area. Tix: $28 adv./$35 door @ shorelineballroom.com. Listen & Learn: airsupplymusic.com. Fri., 8:30 pm, Shoreline Ballroom (Hilton Head).
Chronicles of The Landsquid
Back for the second local show in just a few months, this "envelope-pushing" group which appeals to the jam-band audience by blending electronica, drum & bass, break-beats, progressive trance, trip-hop and jazz fusion into an infectious, dance-oriented groove generator. They've opened for Particle, Bassnectar and The Disco Biscuits, among others. Opening for them will be frequent tour mate M.O. Theory — a hip-hop and ghettotech DJ/producer. $5 adv./$7 door. Listen & Learn: myspace.com/chroniclesofthelandsquid, myspace.com/motheory1. Fri., 9 pm, Live Wire Music Hall.
The CunningLynguists ***
This clever and eclectic Lexington, Ky. hip-hop act with a great name draws on an unusually wide range of musical styles as musical beds for their thought-provoking raps, and it's served them well (they've opened for Kanye West and Aesop Rock, produced KRS-One and written songs with Cee-Lo. Described as "Too white for BET, too black for MTV2," this trio of "a preacher's son, a Caucasian guy from rural Ga. and a convicted felon" are the real deal, and have proven their mettle over the course of seven years and four LPs.
---------------------- Here's the track "Love Ain't Fly" by The CunningLynguists: ---------------------- Opening acts on this massive bill include local Dope Sandwich-affiliated MCs Zone D and Lyrix, plus DJ Valis and the live funk band Dinko's Bones. Listen & Learn: myspace.com/cunninglynguists, myspace.com/dopesandwichmusic. Tues., 10 pm, The Jinx. cs
