Looking ahead to Juneteenth
Celebrating Savannah's African American history - the Gullah culture in particular - as well as the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Telfair Museum of Art's annual Juneteenth Festival will take place June 15-20.
Naomi Tutu, the daughter of South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, will speak at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19 at Second African Baptist Church, 123 Houston St. Born in South Africa during Apartheid, she is an internationally-renowned speaker and consultant on gender, race, and human relations.
The northeastern section of the historic district is home to the Andrew C. Marshall Walking Tour, at 9:30 a.m. June 15, 17 and 19. Beginning at the Owens-Thomas House, the tour explores the city's history from an African American perspective.
June 20 is "Family Day" at the Owens-Thomas House, with a concert by the McIntosh County Shouters, a "Jumping the Broom" ceremony, storytelling, artist demonstrations, art-making activities for young people, tours of the historic house and more.
All Juneteenth events are free; registration is required (790-8880) for the Andrew C. Marshall Walking Tour. To learn more, see Telfair.org.
Think Athenian
More than 175 bands and artists will converge in downtown Athens June 25-28, for two continuously-occupied stages' worth of musical coolness. What could it be but Athfest 2009, the 13th annual celebration of the university city's unique contribution to Georgia's legacy of tuneage.
The big-name schedule looks like this: Patterson Hood & the Screwtopians are the June 22 headliners; the band features Hood, John Neff and Brad Morgan of Drive-By Truckers, plus members of Centro-Matic and Sugar. The weekend-closer (on the 23rd) is the Randall Bramblett Band, preceded onstage by the first Dreams So Real performance in 10 years.
Also set to play: The Black Lips, Bloodkin, Dead Confederate, Nappy Roots, Turtle Folk and Wormsloew (from Savannah, y'all!), and loads of Athens acts.
There's also a beer garden, film screenings and all the usual ingredients for a fab college-town weekend. See www.athfest.com.
Musical notes
... Our friends up at the Shoreline Ballroom on Hilton Head Island continue to add impressive shows to the schedule. On June 6, they've got the funny folkies of Four Bitchin' Babes. Sally Fingerett and her pals are like "Sex and the City" with harmony vocals and acoustic guitars. Their tongue-in-cheek show in called "Hormonal Imbalance." On June 21, Get the Led Out (a Led Zeppelin tribute band, duh) takes the Shoreline stage ....
...While we're on the subject of tribute acts: Eclipse (they do Pink Floyd) will be back at the Live Wire Music Hall July 19...
... John Anderson, the Florida-born country crooner whose hits include "Swingin'" and "Seminole Wind," will play the Silver Creek Saloon in Swainsboro June 6...
... Mandolin master Tony Williamson returns to the pickin' parlor at Randy Wood Guitars, Bloomingdale, on June 13 ...
