Thursday, August 27, 2009

Weekend events

Hi All --

Once again, there's lots to do this weekend. On Friday night August 28th, starting 6:30 at the Circular Congregational Church, Bonnie Bishop and Randall Bramblett will perform; see http://www.awendawgreen.com/ for more details. Also on Friday night, there's a jam and going away party for Tanya the bartender at Dough Re Mi, starting 8pm. Musicians: bring your instruments! As a special treat, Sarah Cole and her Mojo Men, the winners at the latest Lowcountry Blues Challenge battle of the bands, will be on hand for some rocking blues. And also on Friday night, Soul Captive is scheduled to play at the Kickin' Chicken in Mt P, 10pm -- see their full schedule on myspace.

On Saturday night August 29th, Tommy Thunderfoot will play at Hometeam/Sullivans Island, and they want lots of friends to show up and party with them. And Cole Train will be playing at Mojo's Club and Cigar Bar in Summerville that night as well, also a party. Bowens Island and Smoky Weiner host a "Saturday Night Fish Fry" with the Hungry Monks from 8-11pm. Awendaw Green hosts a fundraiser with Frank Carlier and the All-Star Band, 7:30-11:30pm. The Whisperjets will open for Sol Driven Train at the Pour House, 9pm - 1 am. I guess it's good to have options, but I wish I could see all these shows!

On Sunday at 4 pm, Jeff Norwood plays at the Morgan Creek Grill on the Isle of Palms. And at 6pm, the Windjammer on Isle of Palms will have a cd release party for the new Charleston Sound compilation cd which features Skye Paige and Mac Leaphart,among other local artists. Come see Skye and a bunch of other people show off their music -- and it's free, so you'll have money left to spend on your very own copy of this exciting new cd!

And don't forget the Lowcountry Blues Club jam, every Tuesday night starting 8ish, at Dough Re Mi!

Lmw, August 27, 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Tonight (Sat Aug 22): Battle of the Bands

Remember, tonight (Saturday, Aug 22) is the Lowcountry Blues Challenge Battle of the Bands at A Dough Re Mi in Mt. Pleasant, 7-11pm, with 3 bands playing: Memphis Rich, TWS & Friends, and Sarah Cole. Only $5. Don't miss it!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

What's coming up

Hi Music Fans --

Coming up tonight (Weds Aug19) is the Mad River Grill Blues Happy Hour from 4-7pm downtown with Shrimp City Slim (no cover). Starting 7:30ish at Awendaw Green is the Barn Jam (no cover), and there is a special guest tonight called PastorPastor Blues Band -- and they are worth seeing if you can get out there. They play a mix of blues and all kinds of music, really like no one you've seen before. And starting 8:30ish is Smoky's Jam at Bowen's Island, $3.

On Thursday is the Trident United Way Battle of the Bands at the Music Farm downtown, starting 5:30pm, $10 donation to the United Way (so it's for a good cause!). And there's the Blues and BBQ Harbor Cruise with Shrimp City Slim, 6:30-9:30, $39.50. And Soul Captive (with Dan Wright) is at the Vendue Rooftop downtown, 6ish.

On Friday Soul Captive is at the Kickin' Chicken/West Ashley, 10pm.

Saturday is the fourth Battle of the Bands installment of the First Annual Lowcountry Blues Challenge. Last week we had lots of fun at Southern Comfort Bar and Grill in Summerville with Circa 56, The Fabulous Porch Dogs, and Highway 17 Blues Band. Scoring was tight, with the Porch Dogs coming out ahead this time, so they'll go on to compete in the Finale event on Sept. 19th at Rendezvous in N. Charleston.

This Saturday the battle will be at A Dough Re Mi in Mt. Pleasant, 7-11pm, $5, and teens are welcome to attend. We may even have a teen band competing, but that's still up in the air at the moment. We've got Memphis Rich competing, and TWS and Friends, and a slot TBA -- but we're sure to have fun no matter what!

Also on Saturday night there's Soul Captive at Necter on James Island, 10pm, and Skye Paige is involved in a show at the Village Tavern in Mt. Pleasant, 9:30.

So have fun, and be safe, wherever you choose to go. . .

Lmw, August 19, 2009

Thursday, August 13, 2009

details, details

Just a reminder that this Saturday night, August 15th, the Lowcountry Blues Challenge will be held from 7 - 11 pm at Southern Comfort Bar and Grill in Summerville, 1761 N. Main Street -- come if you can! The bands scheduled to play are The Highway 17 Blues Band, Circa 56, and The Fabulous Porch Dogs all for only $5! But just so you know, admission is unfortunately only for those who are ages 18 and up, per the management. . .

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Your Week in Music

Hi Music Fans --

We had a great jam last night at A Dough Re Mi -- be sure to come next Tuesday night, 8ish, if you can! Tonight you've got the usual Weds night choices: Mad River Grill downtown with Shrimp City Slim for Blues Happy Hour 4-7pm (also held on Mondays, no cover either day), the Bowens Island jam with Smoky Weiner, and the Awendaw Green barn jam (also no cover).

This Friday night you can head to Kiawah's Lagerhead Grill to see Shrimp City Slim, 6pm. Then there's Henry's Attic at A Dough Re Mi, 9:30ish -- they play a mix of interesting covers, including some New Orleans style music with washboard and accordion. Or if you're up for a road trip, head to the Statesboro (GA) Blues Fest to see Tommy Thunderfoot and the Accelerators play.

Saturday night is of course the third battle in the Lowcountry Blues Challenge. Last week's show was a very good one, with Jojo Wall getting the crowd to sing along, Steve & the Stilettos keeping the energy level high with some great sax by Lisa, and Dan Wright's excellent guitar playing to end the night. All of these bands gave us some great music. Scoring was very close, with Dan coming out on top and heading to the finale on September 19th -- put this event in your calendar! This week's show will be in Summerville at Southern Comfort Bar and Grill, and will feature The Highway 17 Blues Band with Jack Downey, Circa 56, and The Fabulous Porch Dogs - come out and see for yourself how much fun you can have, for only a $5 cover.

Soul Captive (with Dan Wright) also plays on Saturday night, at Bambu in Mt Pleasant, 9pm. They have a new myspace page, so check it out -- they've got lots of dates coming up, all over town.

On Sunday, Drink Small plays at the Circular Church downtown at 7pm, $10. If you've never seen Drink Small, you should. Check him out at www.drinksmallblues.com. And Soul Captive plays at Rita's Grill on Folly Beach, 7pm.

In other news, Guitar Center in N. Charleston will soon be having their King of the Blues Guitar contest, and needs qualified judges. If you have a good knowledge of the guitar and of the blues, you could talk to Ryan Nelson about volunteering as a judge to help them out. Call him at 843-452-6804.

And if you're looking for guitar lessons, Wyatt Garey can help you out. He's only 17, but is a phenomenal guitar player. Now a senior at Wando, he's been playing professionally since the age of twelve, and was picked by the Sarasota blues fest as one of the top up-and-coming young players in the nation. Contact him at wyattgarey@hotmail.com, or through his dad Ranny at 843-371-1602.

If you want harmonica lessons, be sure to contact Jojo -- jojowall@jojowall.com. He grew up with parents who love the blues, so it's in his blood. . .

So there's lots of choices for great music here. But you can also check the City Paper, the Post & Courier, and your favorite websites, too. We're lucky to live in a city with so much going on!!

Lmw, August 12, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Battle of the Bands, and more

Hello Music Fans --

Last night we had a great night of jamming at Dough Re Mi, and a big crowd to cheer the musicians on -- lots of fun! This Weds night features your usual choices, the Mad River Blues Happy Hour from 4-7pm with Shrimp City Slim, the Awendaw Green barn jam, and Smoky's Bowens Island Jam. Thursday night is Tim Shaw's jam in Summerville at Time Well Spent, and for something extra special, there's a Blues and BBQ cruise as well (tix $39.50, 722-1112), 6:30-9:30, with Shrimp City Slim and friends.

Shrimp's a busy guy -- he'll be at Kiawah's Freshfields Village on Friday evening, too. And the Dough has Wares Jamming and the Healing Friday night, 10 pm.

Then there's an awesome two-day festival at Awendaw Green on Saturday and Sunday: the Youth Gives Back Fest, with 30 bands (!) -- a mix of youth bands and some of Charleston's premiere bands as well. Some of my favorites include the Wyatt Garey Band, Bodies Full of Magic, the Explorers Club, the Whisperjets, Trouble in Transit, and Leslie. See the whole list of bands at www.awendawgreen.com -- tix are only $20 for the weekend, and it's a benefit for Camp Happy Days, so it's a great cause, too!

Saturday night you may have to leave the festival a little bit early, to get over to Rendezvous for the second round of the Lowcountry Blues Challenge Battle of the Bands, 7832 Rivers Avenue, in the old K&W Cafeteria building. We'll have Jojo Wall, Steve & the Stilettos, and Dan Wright -- good stuff! Admission is only $5, and it's from 7-11pm.

And as if that weren't enough, Skye Paige tells us that she'll be playing with an awesome line-up at the Music Farm Saturday night: the Defilers, the Sandinistas, and more, only $5.

Sunday continues with the Youth Gives Back Fest at Awendaw Green, then it's time to collapse in bed and sleep till your Monday morning alarm goes off. . .

Lmw, Aug 5, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Lowcountry Blues Challenge / Winner

The first battle of the bands of the First Annual Lowcountry Blues Challenge was this past Saturday at Halligans in West Ashley. Four bands played, and a good time was had by all. The first set was played by On the Hunt, and they had a lot of fans there to cheer them on. Tommy Thunderfoot and the Accelerators played second, and played a set of great blues songs. Wyatt Garey Band played third (with Smoky's drummer filling in), and they were in the groove, sounding great! And Smoky Weiner and the Hot Links finished out the night in their own original style, mixing humor and blues, and getting some of the crowd up to dance. We want to thank all the bands for putting on such a great night of entertainment! The management at Halligans was quite impressed, and is interested in having more blues club bands there in the future, which is a good thing.

After the event, the judges' scores were multiplied per the IBC's scoring rules, and averaged together, and we came up with a winner for Round One. And that winner is (drumroll please) --
Tommy Thunderfoot and the Accelerators!! They put on a tight set, with several excellent original blues songs, and came out on top. So we send our congratulations to Tommy and his band, and look forward to seeing them play again at the finale event on September 19th.

The next battle is this coming Saturday night, 7-11pm, at Rendezvous, 7832 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston. The Dan Wright Trio will play, as will Jojo Wall, Steve and the Stilettos, and perhaps one more band as well. We still need some volunteers (email lowcountrybluesclub@gmail.com) -- If you volunteer you get in free, and you will receive several tickets to the finale event free of charge as well. Otherwise, the entry fee for Round Two is $5, and you'll get lots of great music for this one low price! Hope to see you there!