'Savannah’s Finest Folkie' Justin Vreeland is back with originals, covers of your favorites

On his latest show flyer, singer-songwriter Justin Vreeland bills himself “Savannah’s Finest Folkie.” With a clutch of original songs and cover tunes, a beat-up acoustic guitar, fleet of harmonicas and 60s-era shaggy pompadour and sideburns, it’s hard to argue with him at first glance.

“It’s just something I came up with at the spur of the moment to fill up the poster,” said Vreeland. “If someone else has been playing folk in Savannah longer than me, sorry, they probably deserve that title more than me. I’m the only one I’ve seen on the street corners slinging around a harmonica and an acoustic guitar with beat up strings, so to me that’s folkie.”

When Vreeland isn’t attending SCAD classes studying Interactive Design and Game Development, he can be found busking in Forsyth Park or on River Street.

New local bands: Lobstrosity rises from the briny deep to open for Mason Pace at Lodge of Sorrows

Catch local musicians: Savannah singer, guitar slinger and honky tonker Anders Thomsen shares 'Seven Songs'

Recent festivals: Savannah Jazz Festival is back in full force with a worldwide audience on notice

Originally from New York state, Vreeland has been playing music since he was 14 and taught himself how to play guitar, drums, and bass. Harmonica he picked up from his father. “Not a lot of people in my family play music,” said Vreeland.

“They like to say it skipped four generations then built up and slammed into me. My dad however did play harmonica. He wasn’t the blues bender type of harmonica player, but he loved doing it.”

Vreeland’s harmonica style is influenced by the rougher approach of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen.

Although he identifies as a folk and blues artist, almost all of Vreeland’s recorded output, particularly his most recent album “Death to Alt-Rock,” show a different side of him. Vreeland wrote and recorded “Death to Alt-Rock” at the beginning of the pandemic and it is closer to lo-fi garage rock than coffeeshop folk.

Stealing, destroying, and making noise: Savannah’s Klept prep their debut album

“I had just been shut in because of the pandemic,” said Vreeland. “My parents and I were building up a home studio because I had taught myself how to play guitar, bass, drums and everything. I’d been writing songs, and I watched ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ and I thought what if I make some joke songs to make that same kind of rock and roll they were playing. It’s not my typical style — it’s punkish, it’s alt.”

Vreeland’s youthful, irreverent approach to rock and roll turns out to be a good fit for him. The album features covers of many songs from the “Scott Pilgrim” soundtrack mixed with several original songs that are almost impossible to differentiate from the covers. Vreeland shows a real knack for scuzzy garage and barroom rock.

In fact, his cover of “Garbage Truck” turned up on a TikTok video that drew thousands of views. “All of the sudden 200,000 people hear my cover of a Beck song from a movie,” recalled Vreeland. “It was surreal.”

'It's wacky, zany and fun': Young composer Sushi Soucy debuts cosmic musical comedy, 'Rockabye'

On a side note, Vreeland is also an animator. Several of his creations on his YouTube page, Jmainia Animation, have gone viral, with one clip reaching half a million views on multiple platforms. Vreeland’s sense of humor is always on display in his animation, as well as his songwriting.

Up until recently, Vreeland performed regularly at Molly MacPherson’s Blues Night with the Hitman band. With that gig disappearing with Molly MacPherson’s closure, Vreeland is on the hunt for new venues to perform as a solo act.

This Friday, you can catch Vreeland at both the Sentient Bean and World of Beer in back to back gigs. While Vreeland’s recorded output is more classic rock and roll in the spirit of the Kinks, Sweet, and the Clash, for his folk sets he draws from artists like Otis Redding, Howling Wolf, Dylan, Neil Young, and probably his biggest influence, Steve Forbert, who had the hit “Romeo’s Tune” in 1979.

More local acts: Synth-based rock band Pink Peugeot stands out with Chew at Lodge of Sorrows

“I got to meet him,” said Vreeland. “He’s kind of a local guy back in New York. He was a Dylan-style folkie in the Village while meanwhile the Talking Heads and Blondie were coming out, so he was ten years too late. But the still found success.”

Like Forbert, Vreeland is doing his own unique thing and hopefully will find success, too.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA music: Justin Vreeland is Savannah's Finest Folkie