Awendaw Green and Suncoast go to church
The Circular Congregational Church is the elegant new home for a downtown concert series. Awendaw Green and Suncoast Promotions have partnered to present an elegant “listening room” experience at the historic church located at 150 Meeting Street. Billed as the Circular Church Sound Series, the monthly showcases will “bring the spirited tunes of local, regional, successful, and up-and-coming acts in Americana music to the urban landscape,” according to the presenters.
Longtime promoters and event organizers Eddie White (of Awendaw Green) and Dan Henderson (of Suncoast Promotions) kicked things off on August 31 when they presented Nashville-based singer/songwriter Bonnie Bishop with local songsmith Tyler Mechem, the frontman of local Americana/rock band Crowfield.
“It was a great crowd for the first event in the series,” Henderson says. “We had some newcomers that had never been to our events that were intrigued by the location in a church. A seasoned music supporter, Charlie Moore, told me that they really loved the venue. Bonnie told me the room sounded great. I was just a great evening.”
“It went very well,” White adds. “Everyone felt lucky to be there. It was a really great room. Tyler particularly enjoyed the moment, and Bonnie played the piano and lit up the room.”
A busy real estate man by day, Henderson enjoys attending concerts and music festivals whenever he can. With Suncoast, he has organized a number of concerts and recitals in the Charleston area over the years. A couple of years ago, he presented an intimate singer/songwriter series in Mt. Pleasant at the Listening Room at Shem Creek Music Center, which was situated in a rented room on Hibben Street off of Coleman Boulevard.
“The listening room shows we did a few years ago were an experiment that worked,” Henderson says. “But the room was really too small to be able to pay the artist what they deserved. The landlord did not renew the lease for the adjacent music store and that caused us to have to stop the series. The Listening Room at Shem Creek was a gutted office space we turned into a music venue. The church is a far superior venue with history and a great location.”
The next event in the Circular Church Sound Series will feature sets from two more Nashville songwriters — gospel-tinged Americana artist Mike Farris (pictured above) with support from former Charlestonian Sadler Vaden (of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’). Farris initially gained notoriety in the early ’90s as the frontman of Nashville-based alternative rock band Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies, but his solo career has earned critical acclaim as well. Vaden spent years fronting Charleston rock trio Leslie before moving to the Music City last fall.
“A true listening room experience is being up close and personal with the songwriter/artist and hearing the stories behind the songs that is what it is all about,” Henderson says.
On the horizon, the Circular Church Sound Series has a tentative bill of Shelby Lynne and Angel Snow for late October (things should be solid within a few weeks).
Visit awendawgreen.com and suncoastpromotions.com for more information.
About the Author
Ballard Lesemann is a musician and writer. Born and raised in Charleston, S.C., he spent years playing in bands and working for Flagpole Magazine in the bustling music town of Athens, Ga. He returned to his hometown and served more than seven years as the Charleston City Paper's music editor. He's better at drumming than he is at playing guitar.
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