May 12, 2013
New Brookland Tavern, Columbia SC
$12, all ages (buy tickets)
Doors at 7, Show at 8

Southern grown pop/rock band Cartel is making a stop in Columbia at New Brookland Tavern with support from State Champs and A Brighter Life.

Cartel rose to fame with their song “Honestly” off of their 2005 record Chroma and maintained it while participating in Dr. Pepper and Mtv’s Band in a Bubble series, the result of which was their self-titled, and arguably their best, album. The band released an EP in 2011 called In Stereo and recently released their latest studio album Collider, some of my favorites on which are “Second Chances” and “Disconnect.” This album doesn’t disappoint in the band’s consistency; they’ve stayed true to their pop/rock sound coupled with Will Pugh’s awesome vocals and lyrics. They’ve played with the likes of All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Third Eye Blind, Forever The Sickest Kids, and Simple Plan among others.

I’ve been a big fan of Cartel since hearing “Say Anything (Else)” on their MySpace page in 2005 and have been waiting on an opportunity to see them live since then. They’re a band that sticks with you and while at times their music can be a bit repetitive and a little too familiar, they remain in my mind as one of the most underrated “one hit wonders” of the past ten years. It’s going to be a good show, so bring the important ladies in your life to celebrate Mother’s Day at New Brookland Tavern with Cartel and friends.

March 23 & 24, 2013
11 AM – 7 PM
Brittlebank Park
Next to Joe Riley Baseball Field
Lockwood Dr, Charleston, SC 29403
Ticket Info.

This Saturday and Sunday Brittlebank Park in Charleston will be the site of the 2013 Spring Jam Music Fest. Brought to us by 105.5 The Bridge among other local organizations, the festival will feature two days of live music, art, and food vendors. Each day there will be six acts; on Saturday we’ll be seeing The Vagabond Union, Pierce Edens & The Dirty Work, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, The Mowgli’s, Family of the Year (ridiculously excited about this one), and Truth & Salvage Co. On Sunday Stop Light Observations will kick the day off at 11 AM, followed by The Corduroy Road, Ed Sheeran, The Dirty Guv’nahs, Sol Driven Train, and Alpharev. You can find the schedule here. You’re sure to see a nice mix of local, national, and even international artists at the festival, all while eating delicious food from local restaurants and vendors like Charleston Cookie Company, Cupcake, D’Al’s Pizza, Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ, Jack’s Cosmic Dogs, and a few others.

While I’m ecstatic to be seeing all of these bands this weekend, I’m especially looking forward to Greensboro’s Holy Ghost Tent Revival, LA’s Family of the Year, Charleston’s own Sol Driven Train, and (sigh) the beautiful English songbird Ed Sheeran. If you have time and some cash to spare, come out to Brittlebank Park this weekend for two days of unforgettable music. Be sure to make the necessary sacrifices to your respective Pagan gods to ensure the weather stays nice.

WHEN: Thursday, 3/14/2013
Doors at 6:30
WHERE: Music Farm
32 Ann St.
Charleston, SC 29403
HOW MUCH: $21 Adv./$24 Doors
Get tix.

Christian metal bands As I Lay Dying and The Devil Wears Prada have joined forces for the “Marathon Metalcore Tour,” and are stopping in Charleston with support from For Today and The Chariot. Each group released an album in the past couple of years—AILD’s Awakened dropped in September of 2012 and TDWP’s newest album, whose title has yet to be released, is set to come out later this year. Not only do they both fall under the “Christian metalcore” genre, they both derived their names (and absolutely nothing else) from popular book titles.

Any self-respecting preteen in the first decade of the millennium owned a couple of t-shirts of either As I Lay Dying or, in my case, The Devil Wears Prada. Back in my day, being a Christian was cool, and so was being a fan of thrash metal, so if someone was a fan of Christian metal, they had the reputation of a legitimate badass. I honestly don’t remember what exactly drew me to them back in the day, but I know what has motivated me to keep up with them—nostalgia. Whether you want to relive your not-so-glory days or you just have a hankering to rage and kick some faces in, Music Farm is where you’re meant to be this Thursday night.

Check out The Devil Wears Prada’s performance of “Mammoth” linked above, and As I Lay Dying doing “Through Struggle” linked here.

What did you do on Valentine’s Day? Go out to a nice dinner? See a movie with a hot date? Or did you just sit in front of your television with a few bottles of wine and the cast of Parks and Rec to keep you company? While all of these scenarios sound fantastic, I’m fairly positive none of them beat Valentine’s Day at the Music Farm. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals threw a party for a few hundred people with support from Futurebirds, and instead of giving us chocolates they gave us a Valentine’s night that the Holy City won’t forget for a while.

Futurebirds kicked off the night, eager to please the crowd. They’re a big band with a knack for making sweet, My Morning Jacket-esque harmony. They got the audience excited for the headliners but held their own onstage, exciting their fans and making new ones as they played. They played a great batch of tunes of the beach house folk variety, including “Johnny Utah,” and “APO.” They sound very different live than they do on their recordings, but are still amazing.

Grace Potter far surpassed the bar set by the Futurebirds as soon as she and her band The Nocturnals started playing the first notes of “The Lion, The Beast, The Beat.” As soon as she walked out from behind her piano and started strumming her signature Gibson Flying V, I’m pretty sure everyone in the room fell in love with her just a bit more. She danced around sans guitar for a few songs like “Sweet Hands” and “One Short Night.” She covered Dolly Parton’s legendary song “Jolene,” bringing grittiness into the melancholy. She and her guitarist covered “You and Tequila” by Kenny Chesney, having Scott Tournet sing in place of Chesney.

After dedicating “One Heart Missing” to all of the single people in the crowd, they began playing “The Divide,” which is arguably my favorite song off of their new record. The song itself is incredible, but seeing Grace Potter practically act out the lyrics on stage was incredible. She then brought out her steel guitar slide and started in on her old blues style two-part track “Nothing But the Water.” I felt like I had walked in during the middle of O Brother, Where Art Thou, but in a good way. The main set ended with “Medicine,” obviously getting us even more amped for the encore.

The encore started out with “Stop the Bus” from their 2007 record This Is Somewhere. She then played “Stars,” one of the most devastatingly romantic songs I have ever had the painful pleasure to hear. The night ended perfectly with a cover of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” in honor of Valentine’s Day. Futurebirds joined The Nocturnals onstage while Grace took her place at her wooden piano, and then they gave us the best Valentine’s gift anyone could ask for. They fired confetti cannons. Confetti. Cannons. Even though many of us in the audience were single on V-Day, we most certainly weren’t lonely. Grace Potter kept us company, and as is customary for the best Valentine ever, made us all feel loved.

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013
Doors at 8
WHERE: Music Farm
32 Ann Street
Charleston, SC 29403
SOLD OUT (but don’t give up hope)

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals are coming to the Holy City! This rock’n’roll five piece is stopping at the Music Farm on their Roar Tour with support from Futurebirds.

The band was formed in 2002 out of Vermont with meager beginnings as a self-producing indie-rock group. Since then they have released six studio albums, including one live LP, have toured constantly and have become one of this Charlestonian’s favorite bands. Each of their albums has a certain sound but maintains the vivacity and undeniable sex appeal that seem to radiate off of Potter and her bandmates. Whether it’s their self titled with beach rock undertones or their progressive release from last year The Lion The Beast The Beat, this group knows how to keep their fans interested. Their collaboration with Dan Auerbach, lead guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, on their most recent record gave the band a push in a different, yet awesome, direction. Their performance at last September’s Southern Ground Music and Food Festival in Charleston went light years beyond my expectations. I’ve never seen a more badass frontwoman with so much energy and passion for her music.

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals began to gain momentum in 2010/2011 with the release of the single “Paris (Ooh La La),” as well as with the song “Something That I Want,” which appeared on the television series One Tree Hill and was included in the soundtrack to Disney’s Tangled. If you aren’t convinced that Grace Potter and The Nocturnals are the band to see in Charleston this week, then you need to reevaluate your priorities. Who better to spend your Valentine’s Day Evening with than the hottest female rock vocalist out there?

Check out GPN’s incredible performance of “The Lion The Beast The Beat,” linked above.

Clarence Greenwood, more commonly known by his stage name Citizen Cope, played to a sold out audience at the Music Farm this past Saturday. His enthusiastic and energized band perfectly balanced out his calm, cool, and collected demeanor, making for a great night of reggae-alt-soul-pop tunes.

Having heard mixed reviews of his live show, I was very hesitant waiting amongst the crowd for Greenwood to take the stage, but once he made his entrance and began playing “Contact” I decided to let my bias go and enjoy it. Fortunately, Citizen Cope sounds just as good, if not better, live than he does on recordings. I assumed he would save “Let The Drummer Kick” and “Bullet And A Target” for his encore, but they were the second and third songs of his set. These two obviously got the biggest reaction from the crowd, and set the tone to what I can only describe as “groovy.” The best moments of the night occurred during “Hurricane Waters,” and “Dfw,” a track off of his newest record One Lovely Day. Out of all of the songs he played, these two were the most love-letter-esque, and every girl in the room was wishing they were receiving them.

As soon as his encore began, it became clear as to why Greenwood chose to play his two most popular songs so early in the set. The connection he had with his fans came across most vividly during his final songs, which consisted mostly of a solo Citizen Cope playing acoustically, eventually being rejoined by the band onstage. Standing at the back of the venue, I had a decent look at how the audience reacted to his heartfelt, stripped down versions of songs like “D’Artagnan’s Theme,” and “Salvation.” While a lot of people were crowding around the bar calling out for more drinks, a majority of them were still crowded around the stage, swaying from side to side and singing along with their hands in the air.

Greenwood communicates with his fans in such a way that reaches beyond witty quips and impromptu banter demanding that they dance or saying how fantastic the city is. The diehard fans in the crowd hung on every chord strummed and note hit, picking up on the subtle fervor and gratitude flowing underneath the surface of his performance. While I’m not the most dedicated Citizen Cope fan, I most definitely understand why so many people are so dedicated to his music.

WHEN: 8 PM Saturday, February 9, 2013
WHERE: Music Farm
32 Ann St.
Charleston, SC 29403
HOW MUCH: $25 advanced and at the door

Southern born and bred singer-songwriter Clarence Greenwood, more commonly known by his stage moniker Citizen Cope, is stopping in the Holy City on his current winter tour.

Greenwood’s eclectic blues/pop/folk sound developed from a beginning as a DJ for the group Basehead in Washington, DC. Since being signed to Capitol Records in 1997 he has released six albums and his music has been featured in various television shows and movies. His song “Let the Drummer Kick” off of his self-titled album is probably my favorite angsty montage anthem of all time, having been featured in movies such as Accepted and Coach Carter. He tours seemingly nonstop, and continues to tour in support of his most recent album One Lovely Day. His dedication to play down the roads less toured by has contributed greatly to the size and diversity of his fan base.

I’ve heard mixed reviews of his live show, the hardcore fans saying he puts on the best live shows ever, and those that only somewhat like him being indifferent. Either way, he’s worth seeing, if only to hear him play “Let the Drummer Kick” and have an “Ah ha!” moment realizing he’s the one that wrote the song.

Check him out performing “Bullet and a Target” at the Austin City Limits Festival in 2010, linked above.

Photo from Magnet Magazine

WHEN: Friday, February 1st 2013 @ 8 PM
WHERE: Tin Roof West Ashley
1117 Magnolia Rd
Charleston, SC 29407
HOW MUCH: $10 adv/$13 doors
*This show is 21+

Singer-songwriter Matt Pond of the band Matt Pond PA is preparing to tour in support of his upcoming album The Lives Inside The Lines Of Your Hand, his first official release as a solo artist. His first stop is at West Ashley’s own Tin Roof on February first with support from one of Charleston’s finest, Company.

Pond formed his band in Philadelphia in 1998 and has since recorded eight EPs and eight LPs. Their early music has been compared to the likes of The Cure and since then Pond has expanded his sound to include everything from cello to synth, and have appropriately been identified as “chamber pop.” The Lives Inside The Lines Of Your Hand, dropping on February 5^th, is the product of collaboration with producer Chris Hansen, who worked with Pond on his album The Dark Leaves and the score of the independent film Lebanon, PA. Striking out on his own and signing to a new label is sure to prove worthwhile, since the first single off of the album “Love To Get Used To,”  recently released to download for free on Rolling Stone’s website, has fans buzzing with anticipation. It’s surprisingly true to the musical essence he’s maintained over the past decade and a half, but also has a refreshing quality to it that can only be attributed to his newfound solidarity.

Pond’s music has been featured on the hit television series The O.C. and Chuck, and he has played shows with the likes of Keane, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, and Guster. Come out to the Tin Roof in West Ashley on Friday to witness the magic firsthand.

Check out Matt Pond performing “Brooklyn Stars,” linked above. You can also stream The Lives Inside The Lines In Your Hand” for free at Paste Magazine.

Photo by: Sara Bee Photography
Editing by: Mitch Wetherington

01 Hit It

Dixiana, the follow up to Southwood’s first self-titled EP,holds the essence of modern southern rock while maintaining undertones of blues and folk. They dig even deeper into their roots, past, and hope for the future to produce meaningful lyrics over captivating instrumentals. Their soul comes across even more clearly in the new tracks than in the older ones, the band having become more comfortable in their element and confident in their identity.

Southwood’s versatility is one of the most impressive characteristics that, as a band, they embody. From the upbeat, party track “Hit It” to the somber nostalgia of “Rambler’s Son,” the EP takes us through many emotional highs and lows. It starts with a jig and ends with a slow dance, relating stories of love, sadness, life, and reflection in the span of six songs. “Twice” is romantic, keeping a steady rhythm of blush-inducing sweetness and silky-smooth vocals. The guys let their inner rebels shine with the revenge track “Gunnin’,” full of angsty guitar licks and cymbal crashes, each note coated with frustration and determination. Taking an interesting turn, “This Life” brings hope to life by reminding us to appreciate the life we’ve been given—monotony and rough patches are irrelevant in the greater scheme of things, so appreciate the little things that remind us of our luck. The title track “Dixiana” is a song of the “sway-from-side-to-side-with-a-lighter-in-the-air” variety, one that makes you feel proud to be from the South… that is, if you’re actually from the South. It’s Southwood’s very own “New York State of Mind.” Similar to what they did with their self-titled EP, the band decided to end Dixiana with “Rambler’s Son,” a stripped down ballad reflecting on mistakes made and dealing with the resulting consequences but refusing to be ashamed of the past. This song rounds out the journey for the listener; you’ll be itching to hit the replay button before the EP’s even over.

With Dixiana, Southwood has reaffirmed the already strongly seated notion that they are, without a doubt, one of the best bands in the Southeast. It strongly exemplifies each of the member’s talents. Mitch Wetherington sings in no other key than awesome, and is supported flawlessly by Henri Gates’s vocals and lead guitar, Christian Wood’s bass lines, and Craig South’s unshakeable rhythm on the drums. Dixiana pushes all the right buttons at the perfect frequency. Satisfaction is expected, and Southwood most definitely delivers.

WHEN: Saturday, January 19th 2013
Doors: 8 PM
WHERE: The Music Farm
32 Ann Street, Downtown Charleston
HOW MUCH: $10 Adv, $15 Door

Kris Allen is stopping in Charleston for a night, playing the Music Farm with Matt MacKelcan.

Who can forget the eighth season of American Idol, the battle of genres and style that blazed between flaming rocker Adam Lambert and sweet pop-singer-songwriter Kris Allen? I’m positive I wasn’t alone in watching Kris surrounded by falling confetti while victoriously crooning “No Boundaries” with tears running down my face.

Since Idol, Allen has released two studio albums and a Christmas EP, the first of which achieved significant recognition. This self titled LP included his trademark tracks “Live Like We’re Dying” and his rendition of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which was included as a bonus track and may or may not still hold a spot in my most listened to playlist. His sound has been compared to that of Carolina Liar, Augustana, even holding some elements of Maroon 5.

In typical American Idol fashion, the eighth season’s runner up Adam Lambert held onto his spot light while Allen seemed to fade away. But fading away from the limelight does not mean idleness; such is the case with Kris Allen. In between the releases of his freshman and sophomore albums, he began to fight in favor of music education, hoping to share the joy of music with underprivileged youths who wouldn’t be exposed to it otherwise.

Head out to the Music Farm on Saturday to see this philanthropic songbird melt the hearts of young women and men alike, and be sure to check out Allen’s performance of “Heartless,” linked above.