How I Live the Lowcountry: Hilton Head Island's John Cranford

John Cranford and his band Cranford Hollow may very well be one the hardest working group of guys in the business.

On a recent tour of the west, the band played some 48 shows in 27 states.

"We're pretty much on the road non-stop," Cranford said recently by phone.

In addition, the band has put out an album a year -- every year -- since its inception about four years ago.

It's most recent is "St. Telluride," recorded in the famed Studio in the Clouds world-class recording facility, in Telluride, Colo.

Cranford, who hails from Eau Claire, Wisc., moved to Hilton Head Island in 2008 and now calls Hilton Head home.

When he's not writing music, touring or playing somewhere locally, he enjoys getting out in the Lowcountry.

Here he talks about Hilton Head.

EAT: (One of my favorite places to eat ) is definitely Lucky Rooster on Hilton Head. Chef Clayton Rollison is great. He's my favorite chef in the Lowcountry. He's taking some risks in the kitchen that a lot of other restaurants aren't taking -- from Foie gras, Tartare, fried chicken skins, bone marrow.

I'm an ex chef so I appreciate what he's doing. He's really got a flare for different cuisine and techniques.

I kind of have three spots, though that I like. Pomodori with Amanda Russ. She is legitimate. The real deal. She's just really cool and I love that spot.

Also The Jazz Corner. The Jazz Corner's liver and onions are the best. Liver and onions has to be prepared right. You can't screw it up. Every time I go there I have to get it. It's amazing.

It's always fresh and crispy and super flavorful. I like to substitute regular mashed potatoes for the sweet potatoes. But yeah, it's done right and it's a tough dish to execute.

 

DRINK: The Boardroom is my spot. I’m strictly a Jameson neat guy. I don't really defer from that. Once in a while I might have a beer, but they do have a great drink there called a Steigl-RadlerGrapefruit — a mix of Stiegl-Goldbräu and fruit juice... But Jameson is number one for me.

PLAY: We go to Daufuskie (Island) quite a bit. We play over there, too, and if we can go over there for a night or two, man, we just really love it.

(We) cruise around on a golf cart, hang out and enjoy the fresh air and the nice weather. See the scenery, the Spanish moss and the live oaks.

We just really enjoy it.

LISTEN: The Big Bamboo (Cafe) is definitely one of the longest standing venues on Hilton Head. As far as the room sounding the best, it’s definitely up there because ...that room has really good sound quality. Acoustically, it’s set up really well, the sound really translates well.

Also the Rooftop Bar at Poseidon. They’ve done a fantastic job as far as their visuals, too. They are doing an awesome job with lights and video. Chris Spargur is doing a great job at bringing in national bands.

They are the place to see bigger or national bands locally. They definitely have the capacity.

SEE: I’m a sucker for Sea Pines and Harbour Town and Lawton Stables and all that. I like to go down to the (Harbour Town) Lighthouse and get a drink at Harbourside.

It’s kind of like playing tourist. It’s nice to be removed from the day to day. But the marina and the boats down there are really nice.

Cranford Hollow will play the ‘Swampfire Christmas Jam’ at 9 p.m. Dec. 26, at The Big Bamboo Cafe, at 1 North Forest Beach Drive, Hilton Head.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 1:19 AM with the headline "How I Live the Lowcountry: Hilton Head Island's John Cranford."