Ticker: News Bits from Charleston’s Music Scene
Four Lady Songwriters Hit the Library Stage
The Main Branch of Charleston County Library will present a showcase of local talent on Sat. April 27 with “Rhythm is My Business: Performances by Local Female Musicians.” Charleston-based songwriters Stefanie Bannister, Dorothea Hudson, Jordan Igoe (of Happy Story Hour), and Lily Slay (of the Royal Tinfoil) will swap sets on the cozy stage on the Main Library Auditorium (68 Calhoun Street) between 3-5 p.m. Admission is free.
Check out ccpl.org for more info. Click below for a ukulele-driven tune and message from Bannister.
Tickets Go On Sale for Steely Dan, Idol Kids
The North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center team announced a couple of big concerts this week. There’s already a buzz among old-school local musicians about rock/fusion/pop act Steely Dan’s North American tour. Donald Fagen (keys, vocals), Walter Becker (guitar), and their crew are solid for a show at the PAC on Sun. Sept. 15. They’re calling it “The Mood Swings: 8 Miles to Pancake Day Tour.” Advance tickets are available for $94 and $74.
Steely Dan, 2013 (photo by Danny Clinch)
At the Coliseum, another summertime American Idol Live! showcase is set for Aug. 5. The 40-city tour will feature most of the TV show’s Season 12’s top finalists, including Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch Jr, Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison, Lazaro Arbos, and Paul Jolley. No word yet on whether Charleston-based Idol survivor Elise Testone plans to crash the party. Advance tickets for the concert go on sale at 10 a.m. on Fri. May 3 at the Coliseum;s ticket office, all Ticketmaster outlets (including select Publix stores), by phone at (800) 745-3000, and online at ticketmaster.com.
Check out northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com, steelydan.com, and americanidol.com for more info.
Eric Bass and Shinedown Return to S.C.
Veteran alt-rockers Shinedown — a multi-platinum selling quartet featuring Charleston-based bass player/guitarist Eric Bass (pictured above) — will headline an outdoor concert in Columbia at Jillian’s Outdoors (800 Gervais St.) at 5 p.m. on Fri. April 26 as part of the mid-state station Rock 93.5 FM’s Springout 2013 event. Tickets available for $22.
Based in Florida, Shinedown rarely plays near Charleston, although the band has stayed quite busy over the last year touring in support of a critically acclaimed studio album titled Amaryllis. Bass is best known among musicians in the Lowcountry for his work with the band Deepfield and his stellar studio production skills. For years, he’s run the independent recording facility Ocean Industries on James Island with partners/engineers Jeff Leonard and Eric Rickert.
Visit shinedown.com and warq.com for more.
Blue Monday (provided)
Party at the Point Returns to Mt. Pleasant
The annual Party at the Point series kicks off this weekend at the Charleston Harbor Resort on Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant. The weekly outdoor concerts take place on the edge of the harbor in the tiki bar setting. Local and visiting acts perform on the stage between 6-9:30 p.m
Charlotte-based pop-rock band Blue Monday will play two sets of ’80s and ’90s favorites on Friday, April 26 during the kick-off show. Admission is $5. A full cash bar will be on hand. The events are presented by Ear for Music, the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, the Bridge 105.5, 98 Rock, and the local media service company Modern Connection.
Next weekend on May 3, local Americana/groove-rock bands Dangermuffin and Old You will share the stage. On May 10, reggae/funk ensemble Long Miles plays as part of the College of Charleston’s Graduation Party.
The Party at the Point series runs through June 28. Visit CharlestonPartyAtThePoint.com for more.
Eddie Bush and Company play the Southern Flame Fest
Country/roots-rock singer/guitarist Eddie Bush and his band the Mayhem will headline the all-day Southern Flame Food and Music Festival at the Ponds in Summerville on Sat. April 27.
Presented by the Summerville Miracle League, the event features a barbecue competition and a roster of local bands in a family-friendly setting between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Additional acts include acoustic singer/guitarist Hugh Price, bluegrass/folk band Common Ground, songsmith Alan Bibey, and country/bluegrass player Dee Dee Cumbee.
Attendees may bring lawn chairs (no coolers or pets allowed). Food and berverages will be available for purchase. All Proceeds benefit the Summerville Miracle League.
See southernflamefestival.org for more.
Shovels and Rope and the Lumineers at Austin City Limits (photos by Scott Newton)
Shovels and Rope Get Festive on Tour
Some attentive fans of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent’s hustlin’ Shovels and Rope had a chance to catch a sneak preview of the duo’s recent performance on the Austin City Limits stage last week when the PBS series streamed footage from their performance on April 16. Shovels and Rope shared the stage with Denver-based quintet the Lumineers. Both bands enjoyed a bit of play on the “Austin City Limits TV” YouTube channel. Look for the episode on PBS later this spring.
Hearst and Trent performed this week (April 20) in the hot California desert heat during the annual Coachella Festival in Indio, Cal. They head back to the Southeast this week for shows at the Friday Cheers Festival in Richmond, Va., on May 3 and at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta on May 5. They’ll fly to the U.K. in early May for concerts in Ireland, England and Scotland, and they’ll return for concerts at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Ala. on May 19; at the Strawberry Music Festival in Groveland, Cal., on May 24; at the Sasquatch Festival in George, Wash., on May 26; and at the Wakarusa Music Festival in Ozark, Ark., on June 1.
Visit shovelsandrope.com for more.
The Charleston Beer Garden Announces Band Lineup
Last spring, the inaugural Charleston Beer Garden festival offered a mix of independent local music and craft beers at Brittlebank Park (off of Lockwood Blvd.). The beers were served on one side of the park to attendees who waited in long lines. The bands performed way over on the other side of the park, out of sight and nearly out of earshot from the beer lines. The festival returns for a second year at the park on Sat. May 18 with another full day of music, food, lagers, and ales. Hopefully, the organizers have fine-tuned the set-up.
Presented by Craft Beer Exchange at Sunoco, the second annual Charleston Beer Garden will feature more than 30 styles of beer from Holy City Brewing, Palmetto Brewing Co., Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, and other local and national mircros (some more macro than micro).. Beer-related events, seminars, and sessions will be scheduled as well.
The live music lineup will include Nashville-based rock band A Thousand Horses (featuring former Leslie drummer Jonathan Carman), local Americana quintet the Royal Tinfoil, funk band Wadata, and indie songwriters Jordan Igoe and Will Hastings.
Advance tickets are available for $25 online at charlestonbeergarden.com and etix.com. Visit facebook.com/charlestonbeergarden for more.
Live Bait (back in the day): Bruce Patrick, Keith Bradshaw, Ben Polk, David Dunning, Scott Price, and Chris Barrineau
Live Bait Comes Back to Life in May
Live Bait, an old-school Charleston roots-rock band, has a special reunion show in the works at the Windjammer. The guitar-based combo formed in 1996 with Bruce Patrick on vocals, Ben Polk on bass, Scott Price on drums, and David Dunning and Chris Barrineau on guitars.
The band developed a melodic, strummy style. The late 96 Wave liked the band and regularly included tracks from their self-produced albums in rotation. Between ’96 and 2002, pedal steel player Jay Jackson, guitarist/drummer Keith Bradshaw, bass guitarist John Krucke, and others joined in as well. The band changed its name to 210 Deluxe shortly before calling it a day 11 years ago.
Patrick, Polk, Dunning, Barrineau — all of whom have remained active with cover bands and original projects over the years [ed. note: I know; I’ve drummed with many of them at local bars and elsewhere!] — will welcome an array of special guests to the stage when they perform on Fri. May 17 at the Windjammer. Members of bar band Spunjwurthi, Columbia-based acoustic players Kemp Ridley, and Chris Holly will open the show. Admission is $7.
Check out the band’s Facebook page and visit the-windjammer.com for more.
Top photo of Shinedown provided.
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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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