Photos and Column by Brode Voigt
Aug. 3, 2026 – Watch your breath, cuz the oxygen’s gettin’ thicker.
There’s always something in the air here, and I mean literally. Every music festival I’ve attended here is always fighting to coexist alongside whatever freak weather the summer climate decides to throw our way. Would you have it any other way? As my beaten Dog Days ’25 shirt reminds, it’s not too hard to “Find Peace in the Heat,” and Off Record Productions’ Emily Creaven seems to think the same.
A current SCAD senior with a keen interest in live music, Creaven was the driving force behind Friday’s Roundhouse Music Festival at Savannah’s own Georgia State Railroad Museum.
More often than not I see SCAD students who seemingly refuse to embrace the city they live in, but while talking to Emily I was touched by how much work she put in to create a platform for the local scene. When transplant students actually participate in and cultivate community interaction, it does wonders for everyone involved. Roundhouse was a wonderful example. With a volunteer staff that was healthily split between locals and students, and a venue that embraces the historical aspect our city loves to scream about, this was a perfect storm.
So, the weather wanted to match.
Standing at my window, about to leave, I watched as God pissed down the glass and puddled the streets with humidity. Whatever. My bike was flat anyway, so through one draining, rainy walk I arrived wet and sweaty, ready to shoot.
Thankfully, the worst of the rain had passed before any of the acts were set to start, but when mixed with a dollop of 95-degree heat and a pinch of boxcar seasoning, we were all boiled in a delightful 912 stew.
That didn’t stop the turnout, however, and from 5-10 p.m., roughly 600 Savannah locals dripped in to flood the walls of the museum. Train to train, packed like sardines about to leave on a transcontinental trip (however you may define that). If the abundance of Billy Strings shirts is any indication, the wook side of town is starting to build up their confidence.
The lineup supported that theory. Atticus Roness is the first power-pop glam rocker to challenge the age-old stereotype of long-haired men with guitars (though it seems his 2022 look was deep in the thralls of it). Still, he and his band even it out with a healthy influence from everyone’s either favorite or least favorite (there is no in-between) English boy band.
They weren’t the only ones with Beatlemania either. Festival headliner Hallpass (hailing from Athens, Georgia) cleared my head with an outstanding rendition of “Come Together” that left my shoes shined and my sweaty forehead shinier. I couldn’t help but feel like I was back in my megachurch days (what a trip), but that just goes to show you the power of gospel music and a packed, sweaty room.
That being said, my few major gripes with the festival come from the arrangement of the acts.
With a venue like the railroad museum, one of the event’s draws is the environment itself, so tell me: Would you rather see a solo acoustic act in a large space between two trains or the smaller blacksmith shop? As the festival began, Lily Vengco and Atticus Roness were scheduled at the same time, which forced attendees to choose between the two acts.
The intimacy of Vengco’s solo guitar was welcome (and honestly necessary) at an event like this, but giving a solo act the larger stage at the forefront of the event when there was a well-oiled rock unit blaring from 50 feet away in the blacksmith shop felt like a mismatch.
Then again, I’ve never run a festival, so what do I know?
SLIDE SHOW
Another worthwhile mention was event DJ DCOS, who played in the yard next to the blacksmith shop from 5-8 p.m., overlapping sets with both Roness’ and Fauvley’s (Savannah local dark dream folk-pop rock for people who love to have a good time running from themselves). I wish that DCOS had been given a space that wasn’t so close to the other performers to better highlight his talent.
But this was a first, and an incredibly successful one at that. I’ll watch my tongue as long as people keep improving. The turnaround for the event itself is more than impressive enough to overlook any placement issues as well. Creaven was able to flip a solo show with Hallpass into a seven-act festival with 12 vendors and three sponsors in just under six weeks.
That means that every second I spent sitting on my ass, Emily was out there hustling to guarantee an event the city wouldn’t forget. I certainly won’t, and I know that her efforts have gotten the attention of other organizers within Savannah as well.
So let me make my expectations clear for Roundhouse 2.0. I want a nice, well-curated and well-catered space where I can be danced, dipped and kissed, all while enjoying the finest music Savannah has to offer.
But if that doesn’t work out, I’d still have a great weekend at an event with half the energy and love of this year.
Something tells me Off Record doesn’t downgrade, so I think whatever’s next, we’re in for a treat.
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More by Brode Voigt
- Sweat, sound and a 912 stew at the Roundhouse Music Festival
Photos and Column by Brode Voigt Aug. 3, 2026 – Watch your breath, cuz the oxygen’s gettin’ thicker. There’s always something in the air here, and I mean literally. Every music festival I’ve attended here is always fighting to coexist alongside whatever freak weather the summer climate decides to throw our way. Would you have… Read more: Sweat, sound and a 912 stew at the Roundhouse Music Festival
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