chuckography: Meanwhile, down in Savannah....

Monday, November 06, 2017

Meanwhile, down in Savannah....

Had a brief - but pleasant - visit a week ago down south in lovely Savannah.

A 9-person musical group that we had seen in Toronto back in 2004 was bringing its hot Swing Jazz sound to town.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was performing at a fairly new performance site a little bit away from downtown.

The Stage On Bay resembled a warehouse from the outside but was set up pretty good inside for an evening of music.

Folding chairs down front, a cleared dance area behind the seats, a full bar and even a VIP balcony area.

The bar had TWO Irish whiskies: Jameson and Bushmill. Nice.

We support live music, loved the band's contemporary swing revival sound and wanted to lend a hand to the new venue.

The place is still a little rough around the edges but we hope it grows as a needed new entertainment outlet for Savannah.

They might want to re-think the rather high $10 parking fee.

The band's founder and lead singer Scottie Morris informed us the Southern California-based group has been around for 37 years ...with the same, original 9 musicians.

I remembered there was a 5-piece horn section and they did not disappoint!

A stand-out was Glen "The Kid" Marhevka on trumpet.

Joshua Levy, composer, and pianist shared one side of the stage with bassist Dirk Shumaker.

The drummer was Kurt Sodergren.

Their new album "Louie, Louis, Louie" is a tribute to Armstrong, Jordan, and Prima.

We heard some cuts from the new release as well as some Cab Callaway classics like "Minnie the Moocher."

Leader Scottie Morris kept a fast pace on guitar, banjo - and even cowbell - as he directed his long-time band through an energetic evening.

Before the show, we had checked out two of the three craft beer breweries.

We learned that the burdensome Georgia beer brewing dictates imposed in the past, recently had been eased and now a fourth brewery was in the works.

Our experience in Atlanta with craft breweries earlier this year ago had been tasty but a bit confusing. There was a strong emphasis on giving a tour and limiting how much beer could be consumed in a taproom.

I feel that Georgia has seen the light and there will be more breweries there in the near future.

At Southbound Brewery, the first one we sampled, I enjoyed its Southern Delight Praline Amber, obviously with pecans in the mix.

Southbound even had its own Brew Cat on premise. Did not get the guardian's name.

Dire warnings about it being a "savage beast" were discounted as it purring-ly roamed its turf all around inside.

Then, it ambled out to the patio for a snooze among its new beer-drinking friends.

I didn't try to pet it but I am told its fur was as soft as a cuddly bunny rabbit.

I guess using actual rabbits would be a challenge, even more so than herding cats.

When we sipped beers at Coastal Empire Brewing, one distinctive draft pull caught my eye.

It denoted a part of Savannah's recent past with "the book"...Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.

Nice touch.

Hmmm, odd that none of the Atlanta breweries we had visited had come up with even a slight nod to the classic Gone With The Wind.

Maybe a Scarlett (O'Hara)?

Or (I Don't) Give A Damn.

Just plain GWTW would make some visitor ask what that meant... and then perhaps try a pint.

I leave all of these on the table for ANY brewing Company in the state of Georgia.

Hmmm, trying to think of some good names for brews in Charleston not offered yet...maybe: Rainbow Rye beer?

The Battery Bock. Morris Lighthouse Lager.

How 'bout Gose Creek?

Summerville Saison? Sangaree Stout?

Between breweries in Savannah, we were referred to Treylor Park on Bay Street for a meal.

It offered a slightly different decor and menu.

The ambiance was road warrior and mobile transit residence.

I settled on the Chicken Biscuit and collard greens so I would fit right in.

Saw a lady sort of "hiding" a small dog in her lap which made me consider some hush puppies too.

Here are a few more photos of the "day tripper" we had. My buddy had to be at work at 8 am the next day so we drove down, sipped and sampled and listened to some great swing jazz and then headed back to Charleston.

The road was pretty empty around two in the morning.

(Click on the photos - and links - for more details.)

Thanks for riding along.