savi fernandez live review and photos

Savi Fernandez Live Review w/ Evan Taylor Jones & The Strange Trip | The Social Orlando | December 18 2014

by • January 6, 2015

Just before leaving town for the holiday, I was fortunate to hear about and attend a couple of phenomenal shows in the Orlando area, which provided the perfect launch ramp into a festive vacation week.

savi fernandez live review and photos

On Thursday night, December 18, 2014, the Social had its stage set for Evan Taylor Jones, the Strange Trip, and the main event of the evening, the Savi Fernandez Band (SFB).

I arrived early enough to catch Evan Taylor Jones strumming out some sweet riffs during his solo acoustic set. As I recall, he played a lot of cover songs, but it was an impressively tasteful selection for the moment as people were casually trickling in and gathering around the bar for the first drinks of the night. Evan Taylor Jones’ renditions of covers, like “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye, were played in such a smooth, soulful style that I took a timeout from chatting and gave the music my full attention. I’ve heard many singer-songwriter types in my time, but there’s something incredible about this guy’s voice that sets him apart. I expect that a talent like his will gain recognition fairly quickly if he keeps playing these kinds of shows.

The Strange Trip followed up with a high-energy musical journey that jammed together the elements of funk, rock, and reggae, infused with some bits of jazz-inspired rhythm. The fun-loving five-piece band (normally a three-piece I hear) was quite a trip, though I can’t say it felt too strange for me as it captured a certain feel-good vibe that I often enjoy at music festivals.

The only thing that seemed perhaps a little strange about it was the feeling that I should have been watching them outdoors in an open field with a bunch of dancing free-spirited hippies. Someone brought some light-up LED balloons though so we started batting them around above our heads during the set, which really added to that awesome festival feel I love so much. It was clear that these guys had amped up the momentum of the night too, as the dance floor quickly filled with grooving heads.

I couldn’t find any clear footage of this show, but here’s a video from another fairly recent show that was also with SFB and at the Social (not including their trombonist and keyboardist though) :

The Strange Trip was an excellent lead in for the Savi Fernandez Band with their compatible styles. In case you’re not familiar, this band has been around for a little over a decade now and has become an increasingly familiar act within the Florida music festival scene over the years. Savi Fernandez himself is also well known within the local music community for standing in as a guest feature with other artists and bands and providing some smokin’ improvisational support on the guitar. Sometimes he even throws down a killer solo set with a loop pedal, which is also a real treat to experience.

Here’s an idea of what SFB has to offer (from an older show, but at the same venue):

That set at the Social was particularly kick ass though! SFB jammed out some sweet booty shakers and headbangers, including some rad originals and a couple of my favorite covers, “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix, and “Jungle Boogie” by Kool and the Gang. They even graciously returned to the stage to play an awesome, all-in encore for us when we summoned them back at the end of their set. Very cool guys and some of my favorite musicians in Florida. I would love for more people to discover their music though!

On that note, I don’t think most Floridians even know how amazing of a “local” music scene Florida has. We are lucky as fuck! Honestly, I don’t think I can say it any more lightly than that and be real about it. We live in a crazy ass state overall, and that’s a widely known fact, but we have some insanely incredible talent all around us too.

I highly encourage everyone to support more of these “local” acts because I am certain that many of them are worthy of attaining a nationwide following once the word gets out. When that happens, we will no longer think of them as “local” artists; we will be proud that they hail from our home state and that we supported them in their humble beginnings. 🙂

Savi Fernandez Live Review by Sean Dorsett.
Savi Fernandez Live Photos by Lindsay Tompkins.

Lindsay Tompkins Professional Concert Photography


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