Next week, Music Farm of downtown Charleston will play host to Third Eye Blind, one of the greatest alternative bands of the late ’90s. The band is passing through town on Wednesday, February 8th. Doors open at 8 PM and tickets for the show are selling at $25 for advanced purchase or $30 at the door.

Formed in San Francisco in the early ’90s by Stephan Jenkins and former member Kevin Cadogan, Third Eye Blind has proven to be a lasting entity in the alternative rock community, penning such hits as “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Never Let You Go,” and “Jumper.” They have been repeatedly commended for their incredible stage presence and their dedication to keeping their setlist a nice mixture of old and new, playing classics from their self-titled album and newer tracks from their newest record Ursa Major, released in 2009. Be it nostalgia or die hard dedication, fans have been pleased and satisfied by Third Eye Blind’s return to recording and touring. Next week’s show is definitely going to be worth checking out.

Enjoy this video of the band performing “Slow Motion” from their 1999 release Blue.

Image and Video from Serial Box Presents

David Ramirez,Dylan Sneed, Chuck Mims

Tuesday. Feb 7
New Brookland Tavern. West Columbia. SC

7:30 pm $5

On Feburary 7th, one of the best up and coming singer-songwriters makes a stop in Columbia. David Ramirez will join Dylan Sneed and Chuck Mims to put on a show of true Americana music. After struggling to make it in Nashville, Ramirez turned to the road, where he played 150 shows in 2010. Ramirez tells all about his life on the road through his “folk-brewed pop”. Ramirez has received high praise recently, being called “the best damn songwriter you don’t know yet”, by PASTE Magazine and “soulful, stirring, heartbreaking”, by The Civil Wars.

Playing with David Ramirez will be Dylan Sneed, a resident of Hartsville, SC. Sneed and Ramirez share Texas in common, where they both lived at one point in their lives. While in Dallas, Sneed received much praise for his grassroots Americana, a sound that will blend nicely with that of Ramirez. Since moving to Hartsville, Sneed has released a full-length album called “Texodus”.

Here’s a video of Ramirez playing “Fires” done by Serialbox. It’s a little taste of what you can expect at the show.

Hearts and Plug Facebook

The Lovely Few’s new album The Perseids had the attention of Hearts & Plugs from the get go. The Hearts & Plugs family is tight knit, and you’ll notice members of each band contributing to each others projects. Dan McCurry of Run Dan Run offered noise samples to The Perseids, while Mike Mewborne of The Lovely Few lent vocals to Run Dan Run’s new album Normal. The bigger question for me is what took these two forces so long to come together?

The music of Mike Mewborne and the Hearts & Plugs label date back to 2007. Recently the label has found new life with the release of Run Dan Run’s new album and with the addition of The Lovely Few. And as those two grow, look for the Hearts & Plugs label to grow and thrive with the talented roster they have that also includes Ash Hopkins and Nick Jenkins.

This Friday night The Lovely Few will join Ben Walker in performing at The Midnight Rooster in beautiful historic Hartsville, SC. It is my favorite low key venue in the state. Great staff, great atmosphere, great town, great food combined with two bands that are deserving of your attention.  All good reasons to be there.

Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia, SC    Thursday, Jan 26

Doors 7pm  Show 8pm    $6

Netherfriends was a touring machine back in 2011 and it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop. He actually played at Conundrum last year to a very satisfied crowd before heading to New York for CMJ and then a full European tour. Hopefully 2012 is the year that his endless touring pays off for him. His music is catchy and fun with a whole lot of interesting sounds. He uses loops and pedals throughout his set which is something different than the conventional band approach. He’ll have refined his live set since he last played here, so be sure to check it out.

Dead Surf are a pretty new band from Columbia, SC who recently released their first EP Dune Boogie. You can download it at http://deadsurf.bandcamp.com. This EP has garnered quite a response since it was released and in only a week, their page was featured on the first page of Bandcamp’s South Carolina tag. Their live show is sure to be fun and musically sound. Just seeing this band is worth the $6 price tag attached to this show. Cassangles are also from Columbia, SC and have played many shows here including shows at Indie Grits and Music Crawl. Their shows are always lively and fun.

Savannah Stopover Festival     Savannah, GA     March 7-10

So I know that there are a lot of us out there who live in the South and have taken a peek at the SXSW lineup and been brought to tears over it. The fact that the famous festival is so close to us, yet still far away, is a saddening thing, especially due to the fact that many of us will not be able to make the trek to Austin, TX. Now, Savannah Stopover knew this and last year they started a festival that hopefully will be around for many years to come. The idea of this festival is that bands stop in Savannah, GA on their way to SXSW which means that this new festival gets a whole lot of amazing bands. You may not see any GIGANTIC names on the lineup, but trust me, all of these bands are well on their way to getting their names known all over the world.

The full lineup can be seen over on http://www.savannahstopover.com, but here are some of the highlights:

Born Gold, The War on Drugs, The Love Language, Cheyenne Marie Mize, Dinosaur Feathers, Savoir Adore, Oberhofer, Grimes, Caveman, Spanish Prisoners.

That’s only a few of the 40 bands that were announced yesterday with 30+ more being announced on February 1st. I am extremely excited to pick through these bands and discover some amazing acts that will probably be even better live. The next time I will post about the festival will be on Feb 1st once they announce the rest of the lineup then after that I’m going to do a few ‘featured’ articles on some of the bands that I think are going to stand out at the festival.

The festival takes place in Savannah’s famed historic district. All of the venues are conveniently in walking distance of one another. The festival kicks off March 7th with an Opening Night art reception and concert at The Jepson Center for the Arts. The Eckberg Atrium at the Jepson Center will display posters from the Festival’s Band Poster Competition with the winners announced that evening. Artists interested in participating can find more information here.

Tickets for all Festival events are currently available through ShowClix: Day passes for 3/8, 3/9 or 3/10 are $30, four-day passes which include the opening night event are $75, and VIP passes are $120, which allow festival-goers access to all events, including private after parties and special events throughout the weekend.

This is going to be an amazing festival that should be attended by anyone who’s interesting in music.

For more information visit:

Annuals w/ Lonnie Walker and Hectorina

Fri, Jan 20        10pm       $8

Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NC    18+

I saw Annuals last year at Hopscotch Festival and they were a solid live band. Very enjoyable and a band that I would definitely see again. Especially for the cheap price of this show. Everyone in the band was so into the show, especially the singer. They are from Raleigh, NC as well as the supporting act Lonnie Walker. Lonnie Walker released a brilliant album back in 2009 and have recently returned, playing shows with Future Islands and Hopscotch Festival. I’ve heard such good things about their live show and they are one of the best bands to come out of Raleigh.

Hectorina is the new project from Dylan Gilbert who was playing shows NON-STOP in 2011 so he’s definitely solidified his live presence. The whole show is a fantastic lineup featuring North Carolina bands. If you’re interested in seeing someone new from the Carolinas or just experiencing a great live show, go to this.

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Octopus Jones-Johnny Carson

Over the last year Octopus Jones has made a name for themself in every city in South Carolina for being a top notch live band. Running on the fuel from their latest album Treat Yourself, OJ has toured up and down the East coast introducing people to a brand of dance driven new wave rock and roll that is like no other. Danny Martin’s low register bravado mixed with intense drumming and high energy performance often incites audience movement and participation. In some cases this has led to the shirts of females coming off. Yes, I’m being serious, as it has been witnessed by our own eyes.

While Octopus Jones calls Myrtle Beach home, they’ll be joined by three out of town bands. Concrete Animals hail from just down the road in Florence. They play intense rock that has all the energy and noise of a punk band, but with guitar work that is both original and has all of the pop sensibilities that you might find in an early Weezer album.

Museum Moth coming from up the road in North Carolina and edge on lofi garage rock. Their single “Blood Mountain” is nothing but catchy.

Young Mumbles should be well rested after their performance in front of a sold out crowd last week at Conundrum opening for Those Lavender Whales. They are known for their stripped down acoustic, straight forward anti mainstream folk tunes.

Those Lavender Whales, Saturday, January 21 10 pm

Radio Room 2845 N. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC

Experiencing a flood, getting married, having a baby and moving would be enough stress to send any normal person to the far reaches of the bar to drown their sorrows.  That is, unless, you’re the band Those Lavender Whales, then instead, you write an album.  The new album entitled, Tomahawk of Praise, is being released on Fork & Spoon records and you can hear the new tunes at their show at the Radio Room in Greenville on January 21^st.

Previously known for their lighter side, the new album will focus on more complex situations.  Don’t worry, the album issues may be deeper, but it sounds far from dark.   Headlining the show, the band will take the stage following supporting act Daddy Lion.

1/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Emoda Gallery
1/19 – Brooklyn, NY – Rock Shop
1/20 – Richmond, VA – (house show)
1/21 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room

The Handlebar, Greenville, SC

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE with special guests Seven Handle Circus

Saturday, January 07, 2012, 8:30pm

It was the first hot day of spring when Chatham County Line gathered around their signature one mic stand and got the sweating BBQ filled crowd in Augusta out of their lawn chairs. As the sweat poured down and the bluegrass poured out, the guys refused to take off their jackets. That day they performed on an all star stage with the likes of Doc Watson and Old Crow Medicine Show. On the Southern circuit Chatham County Line has been known for years for their tuneful bluegrass. Chatham County Line brings to mind bands like The Avett Brothers and Trampled By Turtles the way they cross from traditional up tempo bluegrass into the harmonies and songwriting styles of Graham Parsons.

SHOW: December 8 2011, Thursday, New Brookland Tavern $5/$8

Who: The Lovely Few, with Dylan Dickerson, Ben Walker (Rejectioneers), Those Lavender Whales

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Just one year ago The Lovley Few were releasing their first full length album “The Limited Abilities of Man.” While that album was in the works for a couple of years, Mewborne had begun writing “The Perseids” before the release of The Lovely Few’s first album.

“The Perseids” was recorded summer of 2011 at Archer Avenue Studios and moves more into the ambient electronic area of indie than The Lovely Few have visited in the past. “The Limited Abilities of Man” touched on drums machines, but was equally organic featuring acoustic guitars, drums,banjo and horns. This time around the songs are just as intricate and delicate, but in a darker atmosphere.

“The Perseids” is The Lovey Few’s first installment in The Meteor Series, each track referencing The Perseids meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. With the program advising of David Sease, Mewborne and crew are wildly successful at creating a dark drifting atmosphere for the listener.