Written by Patrick Guilford
To the left of the entrance is an improvised stage, with the pier above serving as a sort of drum station. The dimly lit bar has a chill vibe, which surprisingly compliments the noise coming from the guitar feed. Thursday, Feb. 16, San Soma, along with McLeod, played at the El-Rocko Lounge into the early morning hours. While it may have appeared to be just a regular show, these bands showed locals that the music scene is making a comeback. This recovery may be attributed to a growing shift within the mentality of the scene.
Made up of students from the Savannah College of Art and Design, San Soma is an alternative band. Originally started by Cody Samson as a solo project, as of recent it has become a full-fledged band. Samson plays guitar in addition to lending his vocals, while Liz Caputo is on bass, Bryson Schmidt on drums and Billy Brennan also plays guitar. After recently finishing an album, Desaturation, the band is now focusing on touring within Savannah. You can catch them on Thursday, March 9, at Club One during the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. San Soma’s set will start at 10 p.m.
“It’s good to see things ramp up again but this past year…we lost four or five venues…But there are new places popping up,” says Samson.
In regards to what the psychedelic band, McLeod, brings to the table, the event page states: “Came thru a couple months ago with a set full of great music nodding to Bends-era Radiohead and Pink Floyd.” Thomas Bowl plays rhythm guitar and does vocals, Timmmy Cincinnati is lead guitar, Josh Cork does bass and finally, Fred Took plays drums. They toured last spring and are currently working on an album that has been in the works for two years, proving that McLeod only wants to put the very best out for fans. Like San Soma, McLeod will also be performing for the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. Catch their set at Social Club Congress Friday Mar. 10 at 6 p.m.
Regarding the music scene revival, Cork reflects, “There seems to be a lot more ambition with the music in Savannah. People are trying to like self-produce albums or they’re trying to generally do more stuff than they used to do.”
Only time will tell if this resurgence in Savannah’s music scene will continue.
