Savannah Music Festival | March 22-April 7, 2012

The 2012 Savannah Music Festival (SMF) has added five more acts in nine individual productions to its 2012 festival, which begins March 22nd and runs through April 7th. Alt-country singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle shares a bill with acclaimed Seattle indie-folk-rockers The Head and the Heart, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt perform an unplugged show, Portland, Oregon's powerhouse show band Pink Martini plays their Savannah debut, and Here to Stay: the Gershwin Experience runs for three consecutive days, featuring soprano Sylvia McNair, pianist/vocalist Kevin Cole and vocalist/tap dancer Ryan VanDenBoom. Tickets to these additional productions go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 27, at 216 E. Broughton Street, 912-525-5050 and online at www.savannahmusicfestival.org.

Justin Townes Earle/The Head and the Heart
With inspirations as diverse as Townes Van Zandt (he was named in honor of his father's hero), Jimmy Reed, Kurt Cobain, The Replacements, Mance Lipscomb, Ray Charles and The Pogues, Justin Townes Earle forged his own brand of American roots music. Seattle's The Head and the Heart has spent the last 16 months touring the world with acclaimed artists such as Iron & Wine, My Morning Jacket and others, all after selling 10,000 copies of their debut album completely independently. This is an only-in-Savannah double-bill.
Thursday, March 22, 7:30 pm | Lucas Theatre for the Arts | $40, 35, 27, 22

An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt
In the last 20 years, Lyle Lovett has managed to attract a cult-like following. An intelligent and elegant performer, Lovett masterfully serves up multi-layered songs that hold audiences spellbound, watching and waiting for the arch of his brow or the shrug of a shoulder, a sign that precedes his delivery of the emotional depth-charge at the heart of each carefully crafted tune. One of America's most prolific songwriters, John Hiatt bristles with raw energy. Lover, fighter, rabble-rouser, Hiatt takes these roles on willingly in songs that agitate, educate, and ultimately liberate his listeners.
Saturday, March 24, 8:00 pm | Trustees Theater | $65, 55, 45, 35

Pink Martini
Pink Martini is a widely celebrated twelve-piece band from Portland, Oregon, performing an unforgettable fusion of Brazilian samba, '30s Cuban dance and Parisian café music. Bandleader and pianist Thomas Lauderdale describes the ensemble as "a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure ... if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we'd be that band." The band has performed with 25 orchestras around the world, selling out storied venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Hollywood Bowl with "rich, hugely approachable music, utterly cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious" (The Washington Post). Singer China Forbes will be performing in Savannah after a long stint on medical leave.
Thursday, March, 29, 8:00 pm | Lucas Theatre for the Arts | $70 (gold), 60, 50, 40, 30

Futurebirds/Acollective
The year 2011 was a big one for Futurebirds. The Athens, Georgia outfit released two well-received EPs; road-dogged the nation with bands such as Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Gary Clark, Jr., J Roddy Walston & the Business, Thomas Hardy, and grass giraffes; and rocked to rave reviews at Bonnaroo Music Festival and Austin City Limits. Acollective is an energetic seven-piece band from Tel-Aviv, Israel that has sparked a distinct freewheeling feeling to their sound - mixing up boogied-folk, electronic-jazz, psychedelia and a Middle Eastern-bluesy twang. One of Israel's most extraordinary indie successes, Acollective has been playing monthly shows to 1000+ capacity sold out venues, while also headlining some of Israel's leading music festivals. The band tours Europe regularly, and comes to SMF on the tail end of their first U.S. tour (which began at SxSW).
Thursday, March, 29, 8:30 pm | Trustees Theater | $25, 20, 15, ($10 with valid SCAD ID, in-person at the box office)

Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience
Here to Stay is a multimedia concert celebrating one of the greatest teams of collaborators in the history of American music. With a top notch touring party, including Kevin Cole, the leading Gershwin interpreter of our time, Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair, and vocalist/tap dancer Ryan VanDenBoom, this concert event provides an unprecedented insider view into the legendary duo, complete with photos from the Gershwin family archives, rare video clips, and elegant, state-of-the-art visual elements that provide a distinctive experience never before seen in a Gershwin show.
Monday, April 2, 5:00 & 7:30 pm
Tuesday, April 3 & Wednesday, April 4, 12:30 & 3:00 pm
Charles H. Morris Center | $40