The HalfAth Music Event, which includes some of the best musicians in Athens, will bring 18 bands to three Savannah venues on Friday and Saturday.
The ambitious two-day festival represents a major step in the return of live music programming and touring acts to area stages.
I am most excited about the late-night performance by T. Hardy Morris on Friday at Over Yonder at Moodright’s, 2424 Abercorn St. Morris, an alum of both the Savannah Music Festival and Savannah Stopover, is a thrilling live musician who has spent his career pushing boundaries.
He recently released the compelling song “The Digital Age of Rome,” which is the title track for the new album officially being released on the same day as the Savannah show.
Morris is scheduled to play at 11:50 p.m., with Caleb Darnell opening at 11 p.m.
Tickets ($20) are still available at press time, but the show seems likely to sell out in advance.
HalfAth also features impressive lineups on Friday in the North Garden of the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, 41 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., and on Saturday at El-Rocko Lounge, 117 Whitaker St.
The Friday shows at Ships of the Sea include Semicircle at 3:30 p.m., Avery Leigh’s Night Palace at 4:20 p.m., Cult of Riggonia at 5:25 p.m., Neighbor Lady at 6:30 p.m., and Vision Video at 7:25 p.m.
The Friday lineup will be capped at 8:30 p.m. by the famed Elf Power, which has been a key player in the Athens scene for more than 25 years, and at 9:35 p.m. by New Madrid, which just released a highly praised self-titled album.
The Saturday lineup at El-Rocko features high-energy acts – including punk, rock and hip hop – from 4 p.m. until deep into the night.
As I write this column, the Saturday lineup includes Shehehe, Heffner, BennyHondaSuperShifter, Caulfield, Grand Vapids, Deep State, Linqua Franqa, Dope KNife and Jock Gang.
With The Jinx closing last summer, El-Rocko, which was originally designed as more of a cocktail bar than live music venue, seems poised to become the most vital downtown venue for indie rock touring bands.
I have attended live performances by about half the bands booked for HalfAth, and I would love to experience all of them again. Beyond just the sheer rush of seeing so many acts in such a short time, the festival will give attendees a sense of the continuing vitality of Athens’ legendary music culture.
Tickets for Friday are $20 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets for June 26 are $10 in advance and $13 at the door.
Bill Dawers writes the City Talk column for the Savannah Morning News. He can be reached via citytalksavannah@gmail.com and @billdawers on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 18 Athens bands invade 3 Savannah venues for two-day HalfAth Music Event festival
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