Malcolm Holcombe
Every time this North Carolina-based acoustic singer/songwriter comes to town its cause to celebrate (and turn out for the gig). Hes widely thought of by his peers (many of whom are much more famous and financially successful than he) as one of the best in their field, but any number of reasons have kept him from mainstream notoriety chief among them that he likes to do things his own damn way, thank you very much.
With an idiosyncratic nature that bleeds all over his strings and into his vocal mic, Holcombe is a true American treasure. The kind of cat people will be talking and wondering about thirty years from now. Why wait so long to celebrate his fleet-fingered mastery and the poetic turns of phrase that have made supremely talented folks like
Steve Earle, Tony Arata and
Lucinda Williams both jealous and inspired at the same time? Show up to this intimate, free show and buy a CD, or stuff as much cash in his hat as you can when it gets passed around. Most other places in the world, you gotta buy a ticket to get in to see this guy...
Sat., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Jazz Vocalist Sarah Colvin
Ever since this ritzy funeral home-cum-hotel started presenting live jazz in its upstairs lounge overlooking scenic Forsyth Park, its become much easier for locals and tourists alike to see regionally and even nationally known artists without paying a hefty cover charge (The Mansions shows are always free to all). This Florida-based singer has become one of the more well-received acts to play the room on a semi-regular basis.
Her light and airy phrasing is as enchanting as it is understated and the way her voice glides over the top of her piano-centric combo is simply sublime.
In the next few months, shell release a live album that finds her collaborating with the famed
Black Jazz keyboardist
Doug Carn, locally-raised horn prodigy
Alex Nguyen, and singer
Angela Roberts. Thurs., 8 pm, The Mansion on Forsyth Park.
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
With more than a dozen members, this R & B and rock music show band has a hard time finding places with a big enough stage for them to fit comfortably, and most of their friends and family (not to mention the public in general) is rarely invited to the swank receptions they usually play. Thats why this large seafood restaurant and bar about 30 minutes from Savannah has become a regular destination of theirs over the past few months.
The combination of an adult atmosphere, roomy stage, and off-the-beaten-path location have made it a great place for the Bullets to throw their own general admission parties. This time around, the Christmas party motif means its a higher-than-usual cover,
but that charge includes a staggeringly comprehensive dinner menu of everything from Prime Rib to smoked salmon, and a midnight breakfast as well. Dance to hits by
James Brown, Wilson Pickett and
Mitch Ryder, just be careful on that ride home.
Advance $35 tickets can be purchased online at [email protected], or by phone at (912) 884-8640 or (912) 884-2732. Sat., 7 pm (music at 9 pm), Sunbury Crab Company (Sunbury).
Kodac Harrison
This Atlanta-based troubadour has been hosting poetry slams and showcases for so long around Savannah that its easy to forget that his main vocation is that of a singing guitarist. Sure, he incorporates spoken word musings into his beatnik-inspired shows, but it was his raspy,
Tom Waits-ian drawl and intense personally reflective songs which first endeared him to local audiences.
Hes been a familiar face on our club scene for years now (first at the sorely-missed downtown dive
Jim Collins Bar and later at the now-defunct
Loggerheads out on Tybee), but this show finds him emphasizing his music over his poetry in a way that he has not for some time in the Low Country and Coastal Empire.
Fri., 8 pm, The Sentient Bean.
Angie Aparo
When this successful and respected tunesmith from just outside Athens was just starting out, he built up a strong and loyal following on this resort island. For years now, despite his relocation, and the type of attention that only writing a hit song like
Faith Hills Cry can bring, he still finds the time to come back to this small supper club on the island occasionally and play a late-night gig for both his old supporters and new converts alike.
These relatively impromptu shows are often only announced
officially a few days in advance, in order to allow word of mouth to sink in and guarantee that the locals these shows were
meant for actually get a seat and dont wind up feeling left out. This time around, the doors open at 11:30 pm, and Aparos two sets of emotion-drenched ballads and hard grooving set pieces start at midnight on the dot.
Only $5 to get in. Call (803) 842-8620 for more information. Mon., 12 midnight, The Jazz Corner (Hilton Head).