Vincent Harris, Author at GREENVILLE JOURNAL https://greenvillejournal.com/author/vharris/ We Inform. We Connect. We Inspire. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:30:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://greenvillejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cropped-gj-favicon-32x32.png Vincent Harris, Author at GREENVILLE JOURNAL https://greenvillejournal.com/author/vharris/ 32 32 The Local Honeys bring dark Appalachian tone to Radio Room: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/the-local-honeys-bring-dark-appalachian-tone-to-radio-room-upstate-beat/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 04:00:15 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=343852 The band is a duo of violinist Montana Hobbs and guitarist Linda Jean Stokley.

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Back in 2010, the cable network FX launched a new crime drama called “Justified.” For the next six seasons, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, played by Timothy Olyphant, stalked through the woods and hollers of eastern Kentucky, searching for criminals and moving deeper into the shadowy history of Appalachia.

The show had a fine enough soundtrack, but if the producers had known about The Local Honeys, they probably would have used their music exclusively.

The Local Honeys is a Kentucky project to the bone. The band is a duo of violinist Montana Hobbs and guitarist Linda Jean Stokley, and their sound perfectly captures the lushness and melancholy of Appalachian culture.

Their most recent release, a 2022 self-titled effort, is packed with keening harmonies, wailing fiddle, and subtle and effective backing from electric instruments.

The largely acoustic album effortlessly struck a chord with this dyed-in-the-wool Southerner, and if you catch the band’s performance at Greenville’s Radio Room Jan 22, perhaps it will for you, as well.

The Local Honeys
Photo by Roundtable Artists

The Local Honeys have the advantage of both being Southern and having studied Appalachian music in intense detail at Morehead State University; Hobbs and Stokley graduated in the early 2010s with degrees in traditional music.

“We’re deeply moved and inspired by this music, and the history that comes along with it,” says Hobbs, who plays banjo. “Somebody told us a long time ago that traditional music is dead. That’s always been something that we wrestled with because it’s not dead. It’s ever evolving. And we felt a responsibility to add our own pieces to it.”

Interestingly enough, Hobbs herself didn’t start out as a musician. She initially attended Morehead State to study veterinary medicine. But once she saw that she could get credit for a private banjo instruction class, she picked up the instrument and got hooked on old-time music thanks to the music scene surrounding her.

“I advanced pretty quickly because I had this community of people around me who were extremely encouraging and forthcoming with their knowledge,” she says. “I had incredible mentors, and there was no gatekeeping.”

That’s the spirit that Hobbs and Stokley have tried to carry forward as The Local Honeys, and their passion for that traditional Appalachian music will no doubt translate to the Radio Room audience.

“The music has to evolve,” Hobbs says. “It has to keep going. You have to share it.”

Want to go?

Who: The Local Honeys

When: Wednesday, Jan. 22

Where: Radio Room, 28 Liberty Lane, Greenville

Tickets and info: radioroomgreenville.com

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Triple-guitar show at Smiley’s features local pros, British ace: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/triple-guitar-show-at-smileys-features-local-pros-british-ace-upstate-beat/ Mon, 06 Jan 2025 17:00:10 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=343851 The Guitar Extravaganza show sounds like something that Charles Hedgepath himself might have organized, but he gives full credit to Smiley’s On The Roxx for the idea.

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Charles Hedgepath is no stranger to Upstate stages. The guitarist, songwriter and producer has been a fixture locally for decades now and has organized almost as many shows as he’s played. So in theory, he shouldn’t be too intimidated about being part of the Guitar Extravaganza event at Smiley’s On The Roxx in Greenville Jan. 10.

But in addition to a solo acoustic set from Hedgepath, this show features Upstate acoustic guitar dynamo Jacob Johnson and award-winning English guitarist Richard Smith, whose elegant and passionate finger-style acoustic playing has brought him worldwide acclaim.

“I’m very excited to be included,” Hedgepath said, before adding with a laugh, “and also very thankful to be going on first.”

The Guitar Extravaganza show sounds like something that Hedgepath himself might have organized, but he gives full credit to Smiley’s On The Roxx for the idea.

“(Owners) Heather (Frechette) and Todd (Zillmer) came up with it,” Hedgepath said. “I think it’s cool that what they’re trying to do; they’re making an effort to bring in some different events and ticketed shows in combination with a great meal experience. I like seeing that in general, and I hope that they do that more.”

Each guitarist will play an individual set. Hedgepath, whose day job is music director at the Triune Mercy Center, said he has a feeling there will be some collaborations, especially since he and Johnson have played together many times over the years.

Richard Smith
Richard Smith. Photo by Jan Anderson

“I play on Tuesday nights at Smiley’s,” Hedgepath said, “and Jacob will actually sneak up onstage and play the early set with me. And when he comes out and plays with me, we just play Willie Nelson and old jazz tunes. He’s got a great catalog of those Tin Pan Alley songs, things that you don’t normally hear or get to play.”

Hedgepath sounds a bit more intimidated talking about headliner Richard Smith. Hedgepath had actually already seen a viral video Smith released on YouTube before this gig was announced, a dazzling performance of the classic Scott Joplin tune “The Entertainer” that has garnered 16 million views.

I saw the video of him but I didn’t put it together,” Hedgepath said. “And then I realized, ‘Oh, it’s that guy. So I’m really looking forward to seeing him. This is going to be great.”

Hedgepath waited a beat before repeating, “I’m glad I’m going on first.”

Want to go?

What: Guitar Extravaganza, featuring Richard Smith, Jacob Johnson and Charles Hedgepath

When: Jan. 10

Where: Smiley’s On The Roxx

Tickets and info: smileysroxx.com

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Hot as a Pepper moves from covers to originals on new album: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/hot-as-a-pepper-moves-from-covers-to-originals-on-new-album-upstate-beat/ Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:00:05 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=343850 The project was spearheaded mainly by Hot as a Pepper bassist John Hoyt and guitarist Chris “CC” Carroll.

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If you read this column regularly, you probably won’t be surprised that the subject today is “Upstate band releases new album.” But what might shock you is the name of the band that released it: Greenville’s own Hot as a Pepper.

Hot as a Pepper is one of our most popular local acts, and it’s also a fiercely dance-oriented variety band, meaning the shows typically consist of covers of Bruno Mars or Prince or Christina Aguilera rather than the band’s own material. It’s a dynamite quintet onstage — occasionally augmented by a two-piece horn section — but no one was expecting “Move It,” a 13-track album with only one cover: The Jeff Healey Band’s “Angel Eyes.”

The project was spearheaded mainly by Hot as a Pepper bassist John Hoyt and guitarist Chris “CC” Carroll.

“The album comes from a couple of places,” Carroll says. “No. 1, we’re musicians, and we like to create music as much as we like to reproduce it. The idea was, ‘Can we create an original project that mirrors what we do as a band, which is a wide variety of different styles of music. And can we do something that we can be proud of?’ And I think we did.”

Carroll has reason to be proud. The album is packed with a wide range of gems, from the dance-floor barn burner “Come Here” to the modern beach music of “Carolina Babies” and the funk-rock monster that is the title track.

The album is a mix of old and new tracks, some written specifically for the inclusion, some dating as far back as the 1970s. But regardless of the vintage, the specific mission was to make Hot as a Pepper’s original music echo their live show.

“We’re a variety dance and party band,” Hoyt says. “We get up there and we play songs that are fun. Well, we wanted to bring that to our originals as well. We didn’t want to do something that isn’t Hot as a Pepper, So the album represents what we are and what we would be playing.”

Hot As A Pepper
Photo by Pamela Hoyt

So is Hot as a Pepper making the move to its own original material over the covers that light crowds on fire?

The short answer is no. It’s also the long answer.

“Our focus is playing other people’s music and providing a party,” Carroll says. “That’s not really a showcase for ‘Look how creative I am.’ People still need a live jukebox.”

“Some people don’t want to hear Hot as a Pepper songs,” Hoyt adds with a laugh. “They want to hear the Commodores.”

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2024 rewind: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/2024-rewind-upstate-beat/ Wed, 25 Dec 2024 02:00:29 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=342824 2024 was a year of ups and downs for the local music scene, and a lot of those ups and downs were chronicled here in the “Upstate Beat” column.

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2024 was a year of ups and downs for the local music scene, and a lot of those ups and downs were chronicled here in the “Upstate Beat” column.

First and foremost, one of the most exciting events of the year seemed like it was never going to happen. After months of construction and zoning delays, the new Radio Room location at 28 Liberty Lane in Greenville, which was supposed to open in January, finally opened its doors in July. My conversation with the owners revealed both the relief and exhaustion they were feeling.

One of the bands that played on the new Radio Room stage this year was Sunhouse, one of the most promising new groups on our local scene. The band released a stunning debut album, “No One’s Home,” and played a packed release show with fans already singing along to the new songs. A band to watch, for sure.

Some big names came through town, playing at the Peace Center, The Well and, interestingly enough, Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, a venue with an ambitious plan to remake the image of the decades-old venue.

I spoke with country superstars Lonestar about their Spartanburg show, and I also logged conversations with Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon ahead of a performance at CCNB Amphitheatre in Simpsonville. I also caught up with The Marshall Tucker Band and Grand Funk Railroad, before shows here in Greenville.

And one of our biggest moments of the year came at the end, when I spoke with John Legend about his Christmas show in the main concert hall at the Peace Center.

And there was so much more in 2024.

The Righteous Brothers
Photo provided by The Brokaw Company

Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers graced the pages of the Greenville Journal to talk about the legendary group’s retirement tour. Local acoustic guitar wizard Jacob Johnson recorded a fresh new take on The Allman Brothers Band’s classic instrumental “Jessica” that featured Willie Nelson’s harmonica player, Mickey Raphael.

And while we did lose The Velo Fellow this year — one of 2024’s biggest “down” moments — we also got a new intimate venue at Pecknel Music on Pleasantburg Drive called The Cool Room, a small spot that’s perfect for acoustic and small-band shows.

I got to spotlight the Upstate’s only combination guitar shop and beauty salon. And as a nice example of local music scene synergy, I spoke with Greenville’s Cash Machine band about a live album the band recorded onstage during Fall for Greenville.

The coming year will no doubt present challenges, triumphs and more great music. I’m looking forward to another year of covering it.

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Upstate Beat: Three new singles by Upstate artists https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/upstate-beat-three-new-singles-by-upstate-sc-artists/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 01:00:00 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324352 Here’s a breakdown of three new singles by artists in our own backyard.

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As the year winds down, Upstate artists are still going strong, putting out singles that display the talent and variety of our local music scene. Here’s a breakdown of three new singles by artists in our own backyard.

Karen Clardy, ‘Keep My Cool’

Karen Clardy’s remarkable new single floats by in such a dreamy haze, buoyed by Clardy’s powerful voice and gentle acoustic guitar, that it’s easy to miss the sinister tone of the lyrics.

On initial listen, “Keep My Cool” reads like someone who’s feeling cautious about getting into a new relationship, and the darker meaning of lines like “Sometimes they ask you to stay/ Sometimes they hurt you” might get lost.

But “Keep My Cool” isn’t about rushing into a new relationship.

“It’s about the apprehension of staying in a relationship that was abusive and toxic,” Clardy says, “because you’re not going to be able to keep your cool in a situation like that.”

And sadly, this story is indeed autobiographical.

“It’s about a relationship that I stayed in for too long,” she says. “I felt it was important as a woman to speak firmly and loudly about situations that we shouldn’t stay in.”

Sherwood’s Florist, ‘Setting Sun’

The new song “Setting Sun” by Sherwood’s Florist is a fascinating mix of indie rock guitars and funky beats that club DJs would love. The catchy, pure-pop chorus is just icing on the cake.

“I think the drums and the bass were very inspired by Motown and James Brown,” says Joe Lansburg, who is the one-man-band behind Sherwood’s Florist.

The single, a calling card for the project’s next album, was recorded at Lansburg’s home studio, which he says had its advantages.

“You can be more experimental,” he says. “You can explore at your own pace.”

Gláss, ‘(gate)’

The theme behind “Local Man Dies,” the new album by Gláss, is maximalism. Frontman, guitarist and songwriter Aaron Burke wanted to pack as much information into the album as possible. Which is perhaps why the band’s new single, “(gate)” is about 20 minutes long.

The piece moves through an intro of overlayed voices and found sounds into an acoustic section that mixes blues and Middle Eastern acoustic influences, through a jittery, Velvet Underground-style rock section that builds to an anthemic climax before fading back into dread-laced drones at the end. It’s a remarkable piece with multiple meanings.

“A gate is a bunch of things,” Burke says. It’s the gate in an electrical circuit. It’s the gates of Heaven. It’s a gate at an airport. It’s a baby gate to prevent a baby from climbing up or down stairs.”

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Jacob Johnson back for annual Christmas Eve Eve Show at the Radio Room: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/jacob-johnson-back-for-annual-christmas-eve-eve-show-at-the-radio-room-upstate-beat/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:57:34 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=343908 Seeing Johnson play an acoustic guitar is a bit like seeing an Formula One driver on a road course.

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Every year, a couple of days before Santa hops on his sleigh, Upstate singer-guitarist Jacob Johnson steps onstage for a solo acoustic show at a Greenville venue.

Seeing Johnson play an acoustic guitar is a bit like seeing an Formula One driver on a road course. He’s an absolute master of the instrument. He is skilled beyond belief, and he’s just as good at lightning-fast solos as he is at weaving beautiful melodies.

And with his annual “Christmas Eve Eve” show, he uses that talent, not to mention a warm and friendly vocal style, to play some classic Christmas tunes, from centuries-old carols to Vince Guaraldi’s work for the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” TV special to holiday songs he wrote himself. It’s become a tradition for Johnson, who’s been doing the show for the last four years.

“I’m usually on the road with the show for a few dates,” Johnson says. “I typically do a little run around the Southeast to places like North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia for a few dates. And those all culminate with a big Greenville show.”

This year, the Dec. 23 performance is at the new, bigger Radio Room venue on Liberty Lane, which will be a first for Johnson.

Johnson has honed his show over the last few years, learning from his audience’s reactions, and adding special touches to differentiate it from his regular performances. In fact, this year, Johnson will sing a duet with his wife.

“I’m very aware of my pacing with these shows,” he says. “The songs I tend to gravitate toward are more sentimental. They’re a little more emotive. But if there’s too much of that, it can really slow things down. So I’ve gotten a lot better at pacing the show and making sure the energy doesn’t get too low.”

The Christmas Eve Eve Show is typically one of Johnson’s biggest of the year, which still surprises him, given how things started.

“We kind of threw it together at the last minute the first year,” he says, “but it got a really good response, and it’s gotten a little bigger every year.”

Ultimately, Johnson says, he thinks the show works simply because he genuinely has a feel for the music.

“There are all these artists who either have to come out of their style to do Christmas music, or they try to take Christmas music and put it into their style,” he says.  But I think for me, the arrangements that I do and the songs that I pick are all very organic to my style.”

Want to go?

What: Jacob Johnson’s Christmas Eve Eve Show

When: Monday, Dec. 23

Where: Radio Room

Tickets and info: radioroomgreenville.com

 

 

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2025 brimming with great concerts: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/2025-brimming-with-great-concerts-upstate-beat/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:00:56 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324350 Here is a list of five Upstate concerts to look forward to in the first half of 2025 by Vincent Harris.

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With the year winding down and holiday-themed shows packing the December concert calendar, I thought I would take a look ahead to 2025 and check out some of the artists coming to venues all over the Upstate, such as the Radio Room, the Peace Center, The Well and more.

Space doesn’t permit listing all the great shows coming to town, so I’ve narrowed it down to a list of five Upstate concerts to look forward to in the first half of 2025.

Blue Dogs, Gunter Theatre, Jan. 25: They say the only things you can count on in life are death and taxes, but in South Carolina, you can throw the Blue Dogs annual handful of fantastic shows on this list. Led by singer-guitarist Bobby Houck and bassist Hank Futch since 1986, the band still plays its cheerful brand of acoustic-electric rock ’n’ roll, which we might call “Americana” today. Perhaps a better term is simply “great music.”

Marty Friedman, Radio Room, Feb. 13: For many years, ace guitarist Marty Friedman was Dave Mustaine’s right-hand man in Megadeth, spinning out impossible-sounding solos and thrashing riffs. But he’s always had a concurrent solo career no matter what his day job was, and he’s in town to shred in support of his new album, “Drama.”

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, April 12: It’s a pretty long journey from the epic “Will the Circle be Unbroken,” a triple-LP set with country and bluegrass masters joining the group, to top country radio hits like “Modern Day Romance,” but these guys did it with ease. Don’t miss this stop on the “All the Good Times” tour, because it’s the band’s farewell trek.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Peace Center, April 13: What is there that’s left to say about Jason Isbell? We know he’s one of the great songwriters of our time, we know that his band the 400 Unit rocks hard and sweet, and we know that his latest album, “Weathervanes,” is yet another incisive look into the heart of a turbulent country. We also know this show will probably sell out, so don’t wait to get tickets.

The R&B Invitation Tour, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, May 9: This show is a must-see for fans of smooth and silky modern R&B. Three platinum-selling artists — Joe, Musiq Soulchild and Eric Benet — dive into their catalogs of slow-jam classics for a night that will take you back to a more sophisticated time in pop music, when the love-man vocalist reigned supreme.

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John Legend brings Christmas cheer to the Peace Center: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/john-legend-brings-christmas-cheer-to-the-peace-center-upstate-beat/ Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:00:54 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324349 Apparently, John Legend, the passionate, soulful vocalist with platinum albums and Grammy awards galore, doesn’t like having down time.

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Apparently, John Legend, the passionate, soulful vocalist with platinum albums and Grammy awards galore, doesn’t like having down time. This time of year, he’d typically be one of the judges on NBC’s hit TV show “The Voice,” but he’s not on the panel this year — though he says he will be back next year.

But instead of kicking his feet up during his “year off,” Legend released his first-ever album of children’s songs, “My Favorite Dream,” and put together a holiday tour based around his popular 2018 Christmas album, “A Legendary Christmas.” The tour arrives at the Peace Center Dec. 16.

“I thought it would be cool to finally be able to tour the Christmas album again,” Legend says, “because I enjoyed it so much the last time. I was really excited to come back out and celebrate the holidays with people.”

The set list for “A John Legend Christmas” tour features classics like “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but it also contains original songs from “A Legendary Christmas,” all played by a tight four-piece band with backing vocalists, as opposed to the full-on production that holiday shows can often be.

“I think the band is the perfect size,” Legend says, “because it’ll have a bit of intimacy. I like all my shows to have an intimate feel, and I felt like in order to bring these songs to life, I needed the rhythm section and the ladies to come sing with me. This is the right balance.”

Legend plans on adding some songs from the “My Favorite Dream” album, which was recently nominated for two Grammy awards.

“So much of the wonder of the holiday season is about what we want to do for our kids and the kind of experience we want to give them,” he says. “And I felt like a couple of songs from “My Favorite Dream” would work really well for this tour.”

As if he weren’t busy enough, Legend has also released a remixed and expanded version of his 2004 debut album, the double-platinum “Get Lifted.”

He says that the process of listening to his first album again made him think about the advice he gives young artists on “The Voice.

“As a coach on ‘The Voice’ or just in meeting younger artists in my travels, one of the things I always talk about is being a great collaborator,” he says. “That means being open to other people in the room so that the best ideas win.”

Want to go?

What: “A John Legend Christmas” with Adam Blackstone

When: Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Peace Center

Tickets and info: peacecenter.org

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Southern Culture on the Skids returns to Greenville: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/southern-culture-on-the-skids-returns-to-greenville-upstate-beat/ Thu, 21 Nov 2024 01:00:52 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324348 Most of the songs by Southern Culture on the Skids, one of the finest rock bands ever to come out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, start out with the almighty riff.

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Most of the songs by Southern Culture on the Skids, one of the finest rock bands ever to come out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, start out with the almighty riff. You’ll hear a lot of those chopped-and-channeled, surf rock-meets-rockabilly punk riffs at the band’s show at the Radio Room Dec. 6.

That’s because singer-songwriter Rick Miller, who has led Southern Culture (or SCOTS, as it is affectionately known) since the band formed in 1983, is one hell of a guitar player. He can go from Dick Dale surf-guitar licks, to punk attitude, to sleazy roadhouse blues in a hot second. His red-hot Danelectro guitar has spun out indelible riffs for songs like “Mojo Box,” “King of the Mountain,” and the immortal “Camel Walk,” perhaps the band’s best-known song.

Miller’s secret to being a top-notch guitar slinger? The AM radio of his youth in Henderson, North Carolina.

“AM radio stations were playing all kinds of music,” Miller says. “They’d play soul music, they’d play rock ’n’ roll. That’s where I heard ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T. & The MGs, and that’s really what got me. It was their guitarist, Steve Cropper; I just loved that sound.”

Typically, the songs that Miller’s riffs adorn are hilarious sendups of redneck culture — most notably the tune “Dirt Track Date” about an evening at the demolition derby — delivered with the piston-pumping rhythms of drummer Dave Hartman and bassist Mary Huff. Huff also occasionally takes a lead vocal on gorgeous dive-bar ballads like “Just How Lonely” or sassy kiss-offs like “Hittin’ on Nothing.”

Southern Culture on the Skids
Photo provided by Night Train PR

The formula has paid dividends for SCOTS for more than 40 years. Miller says he can’t imagine making this tight-but-loose, smart-but-dumb, Southern-fried rock without Huff and Hartman, who have been with the band since 1987.

“We love making music,” Miller says. “That’s the No. 1 thing. And we all get along. But we also make our own decisions. We have our own record label. We have our own studio. We treat it like a small business.”

SCOTS hasn’t been to Greenville in a while. The band used to frequent Gottrocks and The Handlebar, but those venues are no more. But Miller says the band is thrilled to finally be coming back to a town that has loved it for decades.

“We’ve been playing the Greenville-Spartanburg area since the late ’80s,” he says. “And we’ve always had a great fanbase in the Upstate. And it’s going to be exciting playing a place we’ve never played before.”

Want to go?

Who: Southern Culture on the Skids

When: Friday, Dec. 6

Where: Radio Room, 28 Liberty Lane, Greenville

Tickets and info: radioroomgreenville.com

 

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Canadian Brass brings holiday cheer to the Peace Center: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/canadian-brass-brings-holiday-cheer-to-the-peace-center-upstate-beat/ Sun, 17 Nov 2024 14:00:50 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324347 The brass quintet, which formed in 1970 in Toronto, has released nearly 15 Christmas-themed albums and typically tours with a festive and fun holiday show.

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Canadian Brass might not be as loud or as lavish as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but it’s clear its members enjoy Christmastime just as much.

The brass quintet, which formed in 1970 in Toronto, has released nearly 15 Christmas-themed albums and typically tours with a festive and fun holiday show. This time out, that show is simply called “Canadian Brass Holiday,” and the ensemble brings it to the Peace Center on Dec. 2.

Canadian Brass trumpeter Joe Burgstaller has been with the group for more than 20 years, so he’s been a part of plenty of Christmas-themed shows. He says the group has created a unique formula for its holiday shows.

“The interesting thing about Canadian Brass is that we’ve created a repertoire all our own,” Burgstaller says. “It didn’t exist for a brass band before.”

The “Canadian Brass Holiday” show begins with a dive into the classical music canon, a portion of the show called “Masterworks.” Burgstaller says to expect works by Mozart — notably the overture to “The Magic Flute” — as well as Vivaldi and Bach.

After that portion of the show, the familiar holiday pop tunes begin, including performances of “Jingle Bell Rock” and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” There’s even a section of classic Vince Guaraldi tunes from the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

“Then we go to a piece from everyone’s favorite Christmas movie, ‘Die Hard,’” Burgstaller adds with a laugh, though he quickly says he’s thrilled with the program that Canadian Brass has created.

“For this particular program we took a lot of care,” he says. “We do that for all our programs, but this particular one took quite a while to figure out, because we have such a bounty through 54 years of music that’s been written or arranged for us.”

Even if you’re not a holiday music fan, you might want to see the “Canadian Brass Holiday” show for the jokes alone. A typical Canadian Brass performance contains almost as many one-liners as songs, and they even perform the occasional skit between tunes.

“I think the humor came out of the original group,” Burgstaller says. “What we’re trying to do is bring the piece to life, and sometimes that’s through anecdotes about the composer or about how they got the piece. You’re basically bringing the audience into the creative process.”

Want to go?

What: Canadian Brass Holiday

When: Monday, Dec. 2

Where: Peace Center, Greenville

Tickets and info: $35-$65, peacecenter.org

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Greenville rockers Sunhouse debut strong first album at Radio Room: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/greenville-rockers-sunhouse-debut-strong-first-album-at-radio-room-upstate-beat/ Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:00:47 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324346 “Tiny Computers” is a jittery, caffeinated take on the chaos of the social media age that resembles the best New Wave artists of the early ’80s.

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Sunhouse, an Upstate quartet that has been together since only 2022, has made one of the best local releases of the year. Surprisingly, it’s the band’s first album.

That album, “No One’s Home,” is so melodically beguiling throughout that you might miss how adventurous the band’s arrangements are, and how wide a stylistic net it casts.

“Tiny Computers” is a jittery, caffeinated take on the chaos of the social media age that resembles the best New Wave artists of the early ’80s. “Things We Meant” is a gritty song that starts with a sparse rhythm and barbed-wire guitars and then builds to a full-on hard rock crescendo. And the closing track, “Curtain Call” is a stretched-out jam that never sags, thanks to the tight rhythms of bassist Evan Tate and drummer Brandon Sewell.

Sunhouse will play an album release show at the Radio Room in Greenville Nov. 22 to celebrate “No One’s Home” finally coming out after a lot of hard work.

The album took more than a year to record, and singer-guitarist Sawyer Rice describes the process as “a labor of love.”

TOWN Tracks: Sunhouse

“It was definitely a long process,” Rice said. “It was recorded at Brett Ensley Studios, and their recording engineer, Mike Horner, helped us arrange the songs and made us tighter as a band. We were very focused on the details and getting things right.”

It’s difficult to imagine the band needing to be tighter. Sunhouse’s sound has arrived fully formed, with Rice’s guitars filling wide-open spaces while Tate’s and Sewell’s rhythms bob and weave around the beat. Rice’s lyrics are just as strong, delivered in a weathered, emotional voice.

“The lyrics are definitely me wrestling with questions about being alive,” he said. “I feel like a lot of our songs revolve around a bigger idea, no matter how its presented.”

When we spoke, the band was still making a few tiny adjustments to the mix of “No One’s Home,” but Rice said he is looking forward to debuting the completed album and the band’s new four-piece lineup — featuring guitarist Andres Sanchez — at the Radio Room.

He’s also a little relieved that it is finally done.

“We have a lot of pride,” he said. “It’s an achievement to be able to say that we made this album. I’m really excited about seeing everybody at the Radio Room and being a part of this celebration of how far we’ve come.”

Want to go?

What: Sunhouse album release show, with Deaf Andrews, Homemade Haircuts and Good Deal

When: Friday, Nov. 22

Where: Radio Room, 28 Liberty Lane, Greenville

Tickets and info: radioroomgreenville.com

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Lonestar brings classic country hits to Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/lonestar-brings-classic-country-hits-to-spartanburg-memorial-auditorium-upstate-beat/ Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:30:46 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324345 Band keyboardist Dean Sams said he has definitely noticed a resurgence in Lonestar’s concert crowds lately.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the resurgence of the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, and how country artists who sold millions of albums in the 1990s — artists like Dwight Yoakam, Clint Black and Travis Tritt — were packing the house.

Well, it turns out that our area isn’t an outlier. Country music from the 1990s is making a serious comeback.

Just ask the members of Lonestar. Starting in 1995, the band spent about a decade at the top of the charts, scoring five gold and three platinum albums and sending songs like “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me,” “Amazed” and “Smile” to the top of the country charts.

Lonestar plays at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Nov. 8. Band keyboardist Dean Sams said he has definitely noticed a resurgence in Lonestar’s concert crowds lately.

“It’s been interesting over the last couple of years,” Sams said. “The crowds seem to be getting bigger, and the fan base has become very vast. I think people are longing for some of that late ’90s, early 2000s music.”

Lonestar lead guitarist Michael Britt said the reappraisal of the traditionalist 1990s country music doesn’t surprise him at all.

Lonestar
Photo by Michael Gomez

“I think anytime you have a really fertile era where a lot of good music comes out, that’s going to affect a lot of people, even years later,” Britt said. “There are still people that are huge fans of ’70s rock music, for example. I think it was just a really fertile time for country music, and a lot of great songs came out.”

Speaking of a lot of great songs, when it comes to planning their live show, Lonestar has an enviable problem: The band has scored so many hits — more than 30 — that it can’t fit them all into one show. Plus, the band is previewing its new EP, “Iconic, Vol. 1,” which covers rock songs by female performers.

“It is a great problem to have,” said the band’s drummer, Randy “Keech” Rainwater. “We have a lot of No. 1 songs that we’re trying to fit into a show and a new project. And some of the hits we had, those are undeniable; you have to put those in the show. We just try to keep the crowd entertained, and hope that at the end of the night they walk away with smiles on their faces.”

Singer-guitarist Drew Womack rounds out the group.

Want to go?

Who: Lonestar

When: Friday, Nov. 8

Where: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

Tickets and info: crowdpleaser.com

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Country singer plays Fall for Greenville after riding out Helene flooding: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/country-singer-conor-clemmons-plays-fall-for-greenville-after-riding-out-helene-flooding-upstate-beat/ Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:00:43 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324344 When Greenville wisely decided to move the annual Fall for Greenville festival from early October to Nov. 8-10, there was at least one musician scheduled to perform who fully supported the idea.

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When Greenville wisely decided to move the annual Fall for Greenville festival from early October to Nov. 8-10, there was at least one musician scheduled to perform who fully supported the idea.

Country singer-songwriter Conor Clemmons, who was able to rearrange his schedule to perform at Fall for Greenville on the new dates, was actually caught in the middle of Hurricane Helene and saw its destructive capability firsthand.

“There’s actually a national story that’s running on Fox News that features me,” Clemmons said. “We got caught on I-40 and had to sleep overnight on the interstate because we had flooding all around us and we couldn’t get anywhere.”

The experience taught Clemmons an important lesson that he promises to carry with him to his Greenville performance.

“What I do for a living is fun. And it’s also a moment for people to let loose and relax,” he said. “So being able to come back to Greenville means you’re bringing joy and happiness and a moment of ease to a community of people who genuinely need it, not just people looking to have a good time.”

It’s interesting that Clemmons talks about learning a lesson from his Helene experience, because his new single, “Growin’ to Do,” is a honky-tonk raveup all about learning lessons as you grow older, punctuated by the chorus, where Clemmons sings “This great big world will be right here waiting on you/ While you’ve still got growing to do.”

Clemmons said he looked to his grandfather for inspiration while writing “Growin’ to Do.”

“My grandfather just turned 95 years old this past July,” Clemmons said, “and I just reminisced about stories that he would tell me. My grandfather is still doing new things and growing and experiencing and it never ends. And so I wanted to make it an anthem for all of us to remember to take a second and live in the moment and know that there are still more days to come.”

“Growin’ to Do” features prominently in Clemmons Fall for Greenville setlist, but beyond that, he’s remaining tight-lipped about the show.

“This show is like nothing I’ve done before,” he said. “It’s so energetic from start to finish, and everything has been intentionally placed. There’s some really special moments that I cannot wait to reveal. I’m very excited about it, and I can’t wait for Fall for Greenville and to put this show into the world.”

Visit fallforgreenville.net for Conor Clemmons’s showtime and stage location.

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Leela James brings 20 years of soul hits to Peace Center: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/leela-james-brings-20-years-of-soul-hits-to-peace-center-upstate-beat/ Thu, 17 Oct 2024 01:00:41 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324343 Over a 20-plus-year career that includes work with the Black Eyed Peas and Wyclef Jean, the California soul singer has attacked her material with pure passion.

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Leela James does not phone it in. She does not hold back. Over a 20-plus-year career that includes work with the Black Eyed Peas and Wyclef Jean, the California soul singer has attacked her material with pure passion.

Take her single “Thought U Knew,” the title track of her new album, for example. It’s a piece of audio ear-candy, a laid-back groove that hearkens back to the G-Funk era of the early 1990s. A low-key approach would have been acceptable, but not for James, who powerfully vocalizes around the melody, improvising like a jazz singer.

It’s an incredible skill, especially when one has to recreate it night after night on tour. That tour brings her to the Peace Center in Greenville on Nov. 6, and to start our conversation I asked James how she prepares herself each night for her vocal performance, both physically and mentally.

“I drink a lot of warm liquid, and I do some vocal warm-ups, of course,” James said. “That helps. And then to get into the head space, I go to a quiet space and meditate for a while. I need about 20 minutes or so where I can be left alone and shut down and put my head into performance mode.”

That “performance mode” shines on the “Thought U Knew” album, which radiates with an organic warmth that was missing in its predecessor, the darker and more electronic “See Me,” released in 2021. James, who writes and produces or co-produces virtually all her music, said the album’s mood simply reflected hers.

Leela James
Photo by Donnel King

“‘See Me’ was recorded during the pandemic,” she says, “so that’s reflective of what was happening in my life and the energy that I was feeling at that time. ‘Thought U Knew’ is definitely more upbeat and revitalized: I’m still here, and I thought you knew.”

And as James performs soulful hits like “Say That,” “Fall for You,” “Don’t Want You Back” and “Complicated” at the Peace Center, she’ll be looking out on a multigenerational audience that definitely knows she’s still here.

“What I find most interesting is now I’ll have a mother who’s there with her daughter,” James says, “and the mother will tell me, ‘The first time I saw you was 20 years ago, when I just had my baby!’ It’s just wonderful to see a grandmother, a mother and a daughter together at your concert.”

Want to go?

Who: Leela James

When: Nov. 6

Where: Peace Center

Tickets and info: peacecenter.org

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Motown legends Four Tops, The Temptations bring classics to Spartanburg: Upstate Beat https://greenvillejournal.com/arts-culture/motown-legends-four-tops-the-temptations-bring-classics-to-spartanburg-upstate-beat/ Thu, 10 Oct 2024 02:00:39 +0000 https://greenvillejournal.com/?p=324342 The Tops and The Temptations perform at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Oct. 17.

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A few years back, I shared office space with a co-worker who is much younger than me. We both liked to listen to music out loud while working, and so we had to find some common musical ground.

Our tastes were completely different except for one thing: classic Motown: The Temptations, the Four Tops, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, all the iconic artists of that ’60s era.

We immediately launched our collaboration with The Temptations’ classic “My Girl.”

I was thinking about that story as I reached out to Lawrence Payton Jr., the bass-baritone singer for the Four Tops. The Tops and The Temptations perform at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Oct. 17, and I began our conversation by telling him the tale and asking if there was a universality in classic Motown.

Payton, the son of original Tops tenor vocalist Lawrence Sr., immediately said yes.

“You hit it dead on the head,” Payton said. “It’s very universal. There’s just something about that Motown music. You have to remember, when they were making that music, there was a lot going on in the country. We were being integrated in a way that we hadn’t previously. There was the Vietnam War, there were movements for equal rights. This music was set to that era, and it brought us all together.”

Payton originally played drums for the Four Tops, backing his father and the other three men who remained the Four Tops for decades. The group’s lineup remained the same until the elder Payton died in 1997. The group’s final original member, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, passed away earlier this year.

“I’m really still mourning,” Payton said. “But Duke spent nearly 70 years onstage doing what he loved.”

Payton himself had no initial intention of joining the Tops as a vocalist, but the first time they sang together, he knew it was meant to be.

“We just started singing automatically, man,” he said. “It was like going back in history. They started smiling. Levi (Stubbs, the group’s fiery lead vocalist) was very excited. They said, ‘This is like your father’s here.’”

As for their tourmates, Payton said that as much as they love and admire the Temps, there’s also some friendly competition going on, so Upstate Motown fans are in for a treat.

“We want to blow them off the stage and they want to blow us off the stage,” he laughed. “It’s friendly, but there’s definitely a competition.”

Want to go?

Who: The Temptations and the Four Tops

When: Thursday, Oct. 17

Where: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

Tickets and info: crowdpleaser.com

 

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