It Takes Two Fest Vol. 2 fills Starland Yard and Two Tides Brewing with music duos
How much racket can just two people produce on stage? It Takes Two Fest at Starland Yard proves the answer to that question is “a helluva lot.”
It Takes Two is a music festival presented by Savannah-based Neurosound Booking and Two Tides Brewing Co. that highlights scrappy two-piece bands of all varieties. This is the second It Takes Two Fest this year alone, which is a testament to how many music duos Savannah boasts in its thriving music scene.
“If we can do two festivals in one year and the line up is different, Savannah's duo game has to be on point, right?” said Joseph Kapcin of Neurosound Booking.
“It is so cool to see so many genres of music and I really think this festival is going to give audiences a chance to see amazing local bands as well as the touring bands,” added Neurosound’s Melanie Chaffin. “We have bands coming to play the festival from all over the U.S., and we are so excited that there will be so many styles of music and each band is very unique. We have metal, surf rock, electronic, reggae, indie rock, punk, improv, and performance art at this festival.”
Bands will be playing alternately between two stages set up in Starland Yard and on DeSoto Avenue in front of Two Tides Brewing.
“I am really excited to see the adjacent venue idea take form” said Kapcin. “It's a tactic I have used in the past which allows more bands on the bill, because the bands are staggered and they take less time to set up and break down...I've been throwing festivals for decades now and this one is probably one the biggest I have done, so that right there will be an accomplishment in itself.”
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Savannah, regional and national touring bands to play festival
Local acts include Bero Bero, Beneath Trees, Weather Eye, Jo & Ty, Righteous Curses, Palmetto Slug, The Bushings, and Kapcin’s own Pink Peugeot (who released their latest Chris “Scary” Adams produced album, The Process of Eating Kraut, in June).
Visiting acts include Monsoon (indie rock from Athens, Georgia), Bronson Arm (sludge punk from Kalamazoo, Michigan), Teen Cobra (lo-fi rock n’ roll from Tampa, Florida), and Gentleman Pig (math rock Louisville, Kentucky).
Headliners Djunah (Chicago, Illinois) and Lung (from Cincinnati, Ohio) are two incredibly unique and powerful female-fronted acts who are about to kick off a tour together.
Djunah is Donna Diane (vocals, guitar, Moog bass synth) and Jared Karns (drums). Diane’s unrestrained, emotionally fierce vocals have drawn comparisons to PJ Harvey and Diamanda Galas, and the crushing combination of Karns’ drums and Diane’s noisy guitar crunch generate Melvins-level heaviosity.
Who needs a full band when Diane can wail on the mic, shred her guitar, and generate low end sonics by stomping her feet on Moog organ pedals, all at the same time?
“It really helps us sound larger than a typical two-piece band,” said Diane. “It’s really interesting to talk to other two-piece bands because everybody has their own way to bring in the bass or sound bigger than two people, but that Moog bass synthesizer I use is definitely huge sounding. We get a lot of surprised faces if people hear us outside the room playing and they and walk in and go, ‘What?! How can that be only two people.’ I always love blowing people’s minds that way.”
One of the takeaways from It Takes Two is how versatile a two-piece configuration can be. Being just a duo has other perks, as well.
“It’s so efficient,” said Diane. “Jared and I have both been in other bands, with obviously a lot more people. The two person band is great because there is only one person you’ve got to communicate with about logistical stuff, and hammer out musical decisions with. As a two piece band we fit all of our gear in a mini van, so that makes touring super efficient and affordable, because it’s kind of hard right now for bands to afford to tour. Being only two people definitely helps.”
Djunah recently self-released their new album, Femina Furens (which was produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge), along with a 70s Heavy Metal Magazine-inspired video for the single “Seven Winds of Sekhmet.”
“The new album has been awesome,” said Diane. “It took a long time to put out. We sat on it for almost a year before we were able to finally put it out, just because vinyl is taking so long to press. It was really a big milestone for me as a writer.
“It really felt like it was a big culmination of a lot of things. It’s been fantastic getting it out there and having people being really excited about it.”
Lung are an an exciting art-punk duo that combines drums and cello into low, sinister grunge-infused rock. Lung’s Kate Wakefield is a classically trained opera singer and cellist, and drummer Daisy Caplan formally crashed the kit for Foxy Shazam, Babe Rage, and Ayin.
The unique pairing of cello and drums came organically to Lung.
“It just kind of happened that way,” said Caplan. “We kind of play what we play, so we just went for it. I don’t know if we were expecting to get quite as much out of it as we have. It was like, ‘Let’s see what happens. Oh, this is good. Let’s keep doing it.’ Then we went though a process of experimentation on how to amplify a cello so it can be heard over drums.”
The effect of running cello through a distorted amplifier and effects pedals creates a low tone groove that gets audiences bobbing their heads rather than moshing.
“People dance to us more than you’d think,” said Caplan.
Look out for Lung’s upcoming split EP with Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends.
Family-friendly event with music, food, arts and crafts ... but use discretion
It Takes Two is a family-friendly festival with food trucks from Chazito’s, Dark Shark Tacos, The Naked Dog, and Nom Nom Poke. There will also be more than a dozen local vendors selling art, jewelry, clothing, and more.
“I plan on my own family attending and I think it will be very empowering for my daughter to see so many powerful female musicians,” said Chaffin. “There are eight bands playing the festival featuring female musicians in the lineup. As a femme musician myself I think representation is important and it is something that I wish I had experienced more of when I was just starting my music career decades ago”
“We take pride in building community in Savannah,” Chaffin added. “We have teenagers and they love to see live music. This festival is going to be very artistic and lots of the most talented creative folks in town will be performing, making art, or vending at the festival. My daughter who is now a young adult is even vending vintage clothing at this festival.”
Although it is family-friendly event, Chaffin suggests that parental discretion is advised, and ear protection because some of these bands get pretty loud.
“As parents and punk scene veterans we both understand the importance of all age events within the community,” said Kapcin. “We can't have a good community without everyone being included. The younger people in the scene also have the ability to create their own communities and future communities that are both creative and inclusive. We aim to give them a road map. We want this festival to be as accessible as possible to people of all ages and those who normally can't afford to attend a music festival. That includes the LGBTQAI community and anyone who may be searching for a community as well.”
If You Go >>
What: It Takes Two Fest
When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sept. 9
Where: Starland Yard and Two Tides Brewing Company, DeSoto Ave.
Cost: Free and all-ages
Info: instagram.com/neurosoundbookingpresents/
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: It Takes Two Fest Vol. 2 comes to Starland Yard and Two Tides Brewing
