King City Records 1st Annual Showcase - Recap

Charleston-based indie label King City Records made its grand entrance onto the local scene this weekend with its First Annual Showcase, at Tin Roof in West Ashley. Featuring three of its currently signed bands, the evening ran the gamut from a kazoo solo to guitar shredding, with a “Baba O’Riley” cover thrown in for good measure.

First on the bill was the duo Wrenwood, consisting of Dallas Corbett (lead vox + rhythm guitar) and Dan Rainey (lead guitar + backing vox). Opening with “The Moon and the Tide”, the band sprang to life with an Allman Brothers-meets-The Ventures speed-walking guitar line, cementing the notion that Rainey is one hell of a guitar player. Marking the time with a foot pedal-operated tambourine, Wrenwood worked their way through several songs, engaging the crowd with their bright sound and deep, bluesy grooves. Corbett’s voice is a searing flame on tunes like “Cheap Shots” (“He said ‘Come back darlin’, I haven’t said all I could’/He only gets this way when he drinks more than he should”), and a soft campfire ash in tunes such as the harmonious and sanguine “Bluebird”.

In their most adventurous song of the set, “Apples and Oranges”, Rainey again led with a swift, slick guitar intro, but this time with a distinctly swaggering hipster vibe. “Whiskey and water, bourbon and Coke. I bring the laughter, you bring the jokes,” Corbett sang, her jazzy vibrato reminiscent of a 1930s lounge act siren. Rounding out the set with their new tune “The Wayside”, Wrenwood is a talented and fun duo that I hope to hear more from in the months leading up to their new album release early next year.

Website: www.wrenwoodmusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WrenwoodMusic

Next up: Loners Society


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