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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 15 March 2019
Savannah gearing up for profitable St. Patrick's Day weekend

By RUSS BYNUM just a two- or three-day
Associated Press weekend. It potentially
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — could grow into a four- or
Park fountains are gushing five-day weekend for some
with green-dyed water. of our visitors coming to
Beer trucks are making de- town."
liveries on a constant loop. Spring-like temperatures
And thousands of tourists in the 60s are forecast for
in gaudy green outfits will St. Patrick's Day weekend.
soon arrive for Savannah's There's also a small chance
biggest celebration of the for rain on Saturday, though
year. parade organizers don't
Georgia's oldest city is seem concerned.
gearing up for the South's "It's going to be a beautiful
largest St. Patrick's Day pa- day," Bubba Edgerly, chair-
rade this weekend. It's a man of the Savannah St.
195-year-old tradition start- Patrick's Day Parade Com-
ed by Irish immigrants to Sa- mittee, assured reporters at
vannah that has ballooned a Wednesday news confer-
into one of the region's ence. "We've been praying
most popular street parties at church."
after Mardi Gras. For many business owners
Streamers of cardboard in downtown Savannah, St.
shamrocks and green T- Marion May wears a leprechaun hat while playing his flute next to a fountain of green-dyed water Patrick's Day is typically the
shirts with bawdy slogans on the downtown riverfront of Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. most profitable time of the
were on display Wednes- Associated Press year. That's especially true
day outside bars and store- when the parade falls on
fronts along Savannah's his- county, all crevices and cago, Savannah will hold Most of the area's 16,000 a weekend, which won't
toric downtown riverfront. cracks, are going to be its parade Saturday, the hotel rooms are booked, happen again until 2024.
Street musician Marion coming here," said May, 71, day before the traditional said Joe Marinelli, president Melissa Swanson, owner of
May wore a large lepre- who on St. Patrick's Day of- March 17 holiday. of Visit Savannah, the city's The Rail Pub in downtown
chaun hat as he played his ten sets up with his bucket Nobody performs any of- tourism bureau. Savannah, said customers
flute for visitors strolling past for collecting tips in nearby ficial crowd estimate in "You partner terrific weath- are typically lined up down
a fountain filled with water Johnson Square. "If they're Savannah, but parade or- er with a Saturday parade the block when she opens
stained a verdant shade of not Irish, they're going to be ganizers in the past have and we are expecting at 8 a.m. on parade days to
green. Irish for one day. Like me." figured some of the largest large crowds," Marinelli serve breakfast with green
"People from across the Like New York and Chi- crowds exceeded 500,000. said. "And this is more than grits and bloody marys.q

Singer-songwriter Hozier stuns with sophomore album

By MARK KENNEDY "Take Me to Church" and been culled, there are
Associated Press an excellent self-titled de- many more joys to discov-
Hozier, "Wasteland, Baby!" but album that mixed con- er on the album, including
(Columbia) fessional lyrics and progres- "Be," a gospel-flecked call
For proof that Irish singer- sive politics. to stem environmental di-
songwriter Hozier has hit The new album kicks off in saster.
the big time, look no further a similar vein, with Hozier, "Wasteland, Baby!" is filled
than who he's singing with Jones and Staples pay- with dread and doom,
these days: Mavis Staples ing tribute to such activist- but also — as the cheeky
and Booker T. Jones. artists as Nina Simone, Bil- title suggests — humor and
Their soaring song — "Nina lie Holiday, James Brown, light. Hozier returns to sing
Cried Power" — is a fitting Marvin Gaye, John Lennon about the joy of music in
opening to the Grammy- and Staples herself. "It's not the sunny "To Noise Mak-
nominated artist's second the waking, it's the rising," ing (Sing)," which has ref-
full-length album, "Waste- Hozier sings. erences to Prince and The
land, Baby!" It's a stunning Then it's on to his valentine Waterboys.
14-track collection that to music itself with "Almost Hozier's lyrics include every-
proves Hozier has suffered (Sweet Music)," which clev- one from Orpheus to Fred
no sophomore slump. erly name-drops song titles Astaire and plenty of bird
It's assured, unrushed, com- from the likes of Duke Elling- imagery. Every song but
plex, soulful and passion- ton and Chet Baker. Hozier one was written exclusively
ate, with his specific Irish then segues to the bed- by him and he plays gui-
stew of R&B, rock, gospel room with the slinky "Move- tar, organ, synth and elec-
and folk. It's nourishing and ment," dripping with desire. This cover image released by Columbia Records shows "Waste- tric piano. He also supplies
substantive, a reminder Next is the fuzzy guitar-led, land, Baby!" by Hozier. bells, snaps, claps, beat-
that enduring music is pos- blissed-out gem "No Plan." Associated Press box, tambourine, shaker,
sible in 2019. By this point it's almost too and, on a few songs, he's
Hozier — born Andrew rich to take this Hozier meal. titled after a bird that im- to your sharp and glorious playfully credited as "Sex
Hozier-Byrne — emerged But suck it up, because next pales insects on thorns. "Re- thorn," Hozier sings. Weasel." After delivering on
in 2013 with his anthem is a pure songwriting mas- member me, love, when Although a few of the later, this album, Hozier can call
against religious hypocrisy terclass in "Shrike," which is I am reborn/As the shrike weaker songs might have himself whatever he likes.q