Summer Solstice Playlist ~ 2013

The summer solstice occurred in the early hours of the morning, ushering in the beginning of the summer and the longest, most sun-filled day of the year. 

To help celebrate the season, and all of the humidity, rain storms, lightning shows and beach haze that it brings, here's a list of our Top 10 summer-inspired songs ~ enjoy!

1} "In the Summertime", Mungo Jerry
2} "Sunny Afternoon", The Kinks
3} "Walk, Don't Run", The Ventures
4} "Summer Breeze", Seals and Crofts
5} "Summertime Rolls", Jane's Addiction
6} "Cooper River Nights", Brave Baby
7} "Under the Boardwalk", The Drifters
8} "The Boys of Summer", Don Henley
9} "Summer in the City", The Lovin' Spoonful
10} "Summertime", Janis Joplin

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Fundraiser for Jordan Igoe ~ feat. Brave Baby and Black Top Desert

The Royal American, the refurbished and repurposed hot spot tucked away on Morrison Drive, is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday (5.11) to help the lovely and talented Jordan Igoe record her debut album. 

On nearly any night of the week, Jordan can be found playing a show around town, whether it's with her duo Happy Story Hour or her Wednesday mash-up at Juanita Greenberg's, but this weekend she will be sharing the Royal American's austere stage with rising Charleston darlings, Brave Baby. Signed to the local label Hearts & Plugs, Brave Baby released their debut record earlier this year and quickly established a dedicated (and steadily growing) fan base, touring the Southeast throughout the month of January and hitting the local circuit hard with their thoughtful lyrics and dreamscape guitar work.

Rounding out the bill will be Black Top Desert, a relative newcomer to the Charleston community, but already a welcome addition. Having spent his childhood among the empyrean landscape of the Southwest, singer Johnny Delaware reflects this astral upbringing in his music. "My faded eyes don't shine bright in the sun," he sings in "Planetary Systems", while the song "Sarahlina" - a gently swaying tune with a mellow brass line running throughout - includes lyrics such as, "There's gotta be a secret way / it tries to pull me away and under / But tugging me another way / I gotta try just a little bit longer." The words tell the story, but it is Delaware's voice, perhaps above all else, that gives the band its passion. Combining the haunting romanticism of Alex Ebert with the strength of a young Jackson Browne, Black Top Desert is sure to bring a new, fervid energy to the scene.

Show Details:
The Royal American - 970 Morrison Drive
Doors 9p - $5

Jordan Igoe on ReverbNation: www.revernation.com/JordanIgoe
Brave Baby on Bandcamp: www.BraveBabymusic.bandcamp.com
Black Top Desert on SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/BlackTopDesert


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It's a brave new world for Brave Baby

With roots that delve deeply into the rich Carolina soil, Brave Baby has released its debut album, "Forty Bells" (courtesy of Charleston-based record label, Hearts & Plugs), an adventurous and soaring ode to the fleeting nature of childhood nostalgia and the dreamscapes of early love. And it comes at a poignant time in the band's career, on the precipice of new beginnings and with a solid, new line-up.

Featuring the astral guitar work of Christian Chidester, and anchored by the lockstep precision of bassist Jordan Hicks and drummer/producer Wolfgang Zimmerman, "Forty Bells" has a surprisingly electronic influence; yet Brave Baby captures an organic emotionality that tends to be lost on most electronic-fusion bands. On songs such as "Living in a Country", "Last Gold Rush" and "Denmark", Steven Walker's synth pop keys reveal hints of The Killers and newcomers Walk the Moon. But it is Keon Masters, topping off this treasury of talent as the band's vocalist, whose voice and lyrics provide much of the mood and set the enchanting tone for "Forty Bells".

The record opens with "Magic and Fire", an energetic track with an irresistible beat and lyrics that paint an image of longing. "Take me home / it's where my heart is / Don't let me go / we've come too far now." The chorus uses a chiming, rhythmic guitar hook with percussive accents that sweep the song along into a beautifully, reverb-laden ending, only to suddenly erupt into the next track, "Nothing in Return", a straight forward tune with an unhinging, apathetic drive. The record proceeds with this element of surprise, intriguing the listener and stirring a curiosity that leads from one song to the next. 

The album's title track is the longest on the record, coming in at 5:31, and showcases Chidester's atmospheric and cascading guitar work. The stripped down vocals are beckoning in their honesty, with Masters penning such lines as "And maybe all we need is love / maybe all we need is love for ourselves / Maybe all we want is more / I want it all myself." The record changes direction again with "Lakeside Trust", a swift and upbeat song with a playful bass line, steadied by Zimmerman's solid percussive work. This could be a tune by Arcade Fire, evoking all the excitement of a late summer evening with friends and first loves. 

The acquiescent "Days of our Youth" introduces some adolescent frustration into the otherwise wistful and saudade album. "So why should I be good / when he is not? / Why should I get territory rights / when nothing here is mine?" The bottom drops out at the 2:30 mark, just long enough for Masters to lament, "There's a sad story growing / but you don't want to know it." When the bass and drums rush back in, heavy and full, the weight of the song beautifully illustrates the sadness of a heavy heart.

Lightening the mood is the simple and sweet "Grandad", complete with a Bossa nova-style snare tap and sliding, surf rock guitar lines that drip with reverb and delay. "Cooper River Night" is a love letter to Charleston, a fresh and spirited song that makes clever use of time and phrasing. "It was a Cooper River night / We ditched the cars / and rode our bikes / to watch the ships / sail out of sight," Masters sings, really showing off his range and stepping nimbly out of the Bon Iver shadow that many critics and music writers are quick to cast onto him. "Living in a Country" (the first single off the album, released Nov. 2012) slips back into the darker side of the band, exposing a vulnerability and regret that we all feel at one point or another, while "Foxes and Dogs" is possibly the most ambitious tune on the record. With fantastically pretty chord progressions and layers of vocals, there is a lush softness to the creative and sentimental lyrics on what has grown to become my favorite song on the album.

"It's a civilized sacrifice / when nobody knew / that foxes and dogs play, too / that I will come back for you."

"Last Gold Rush", as mentioned earlier, is one of the more synth-heavy songs, with a rolling drum cadence that calls to mind The Killers's "Believe Me Natalie" (from their debut record "Hot Fuss",  released in the U.S. on Island Records in 2004). The shortest track, "Denmark", employs its fair share of Walker's synth pop as well, but in a much different way. Coming in at just 2:31, the track channels late 90s Prince sensibilities, with some Fleet Foxes thrown in for good measure. Featuring a soulful backing chorus and a cleanly executed Masters falsetto, this song bestows an apt closure to the gallery of emotion that is "Forty Bells", gently laying to rest the days of adolescence and bravely looking over the precipice, into what is sure to be an illuminating and auspicious future.

Catch Brave Baby this Friday, 1.17.13, for their "Forty Bells" Album Release Show at The Charleston Pour House. Joined by Octopus Jones and label mates ELIM BOLT, it's sure to be a great show. Doors open at 9p and the $10 cover charge includes a copy of the new record.

Brave Baby website: www.bravebabymusic.com
Brave Baby on Facebok: www.facebook.com/bravebabytheband

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Show Calendar ~ January

Here it is - the first monthly schedule of 2013! 

This blog seeks to promote the musicians and bands throughout Charleston and our sister cities who are working hard on crafting their own original music, so this post may not appear as full as some of the other sites that list every live set (including cover and party bands) going on around town. If I'm missing anyone, please post in the comments section below or send in an e-mail so that new shows can get added.


THURSDAY - Jan. 3
- Tin Roof: The Outervention
Doors 8p
$5
- The Brick: Tyler Spooner
Doors ?
$?
- Wild Wing Cafe (North Charleston): Southwood
Doors 9p
FREE

FRIDAY - Jan. 4
- Tin Roof: The Wet Machine, w Scott Dence + Antoine Dukes
Doors 8p
$5
- The Mill: Lily Slay; Dead Leaves (Nashville)
Doors 9p
FREE
- The Pour House: The Everyone Orchestra, feat. Jason "Lefty" Williams
Doors 9p
$15 adv / $18 dos

SATURDAY - Jan. 5
- Tin Roof: Hybrid Mutants; Funny Looking Kids (FLK)
Doors 8p
$5
- The Pour House: The Everyone Orchestra, feat. Wallace Mullinax
Doors 9p
$15 adv / $18 dos
- The Mill: Antoine Dukes w Rachel Kate; Yes Ma'am; Outdoor Protestant Blues Band
Doors 9p
FREE

SUNDAY - Jan. 6
- The Sparrow: Bully Pulpit; Stone Mountain Freeway (Atlanta)
Doors 9p
$5

TUESDAY - Jan. 8
- Home Team BBQ (Sullivan's Island): The Outervention
Doors ?p
$?
- The Pour House: "Firetag's Birthday Bash", feat. Quasiphonics, Jordan Igoe, Skwirl Grinda + more
Doors 7p
FREE

WEDNESDAY - Jan. 9
- The Royal American: Leogun (London); Bully Pulpit; Costumes (Austin)
Doors 9p
$5
- Juanita Greenbergs: Jordan Igoe
Doors 10p
FREE 
- The Pour House: Concrete Jumpsuit (Columbia); The Tarlatans
Doors 9p
$5 adv / $7 dos

THURSDAY - Jan. 10
- The Royal American: The Head (Atlanta); The Dunder Chiefs (Rock Hill); Wrenwood
Doors 9p
$5
- The Mill: Local Music Showcase
Doors 9p
FREE
- Tin Roof: Bully Pulpit; El Camino
Doors 9p
$5

FRIDAY - Jan. 11
- The Pour House: "A Nick Collins Benefit", feat. Fowler's Mustache
Doors 9p
$5 min. donation
- Tin Roof: Introducing Fish Taco; The Collection (Greensboro); Paleface (Everywhere)
Doors 8:30p
$5

SATURDAY - Jan. 12
- Music Farm: "CofC Battle of the Bands", feat. Tyler Boone, Stop Light Observations, South Street + more
Doors 8p
$5

SUNDAY - Jan. 13
- Tin Roof: Sinners & Saints (Charlotte); Jordan Igoe
Doors 8p
$?

TUESDAY - Jan. 15
- Recovery Room: Matadero
Doors 9p
FREE
- Loggerhead's Beach Grill: The Vagabond Choir, feat. members of Dead 27s (Wallace Mullinax, Oliver Goldstein) + members of Old You (John Pope, Young-MiFeldsott)
Doors 9p
FREE

WEDNESDAY - Jan. 16
- Tin Roof: Clint Fore; La Calle
Doors 8p
$5
- Awendaw Green: Barn Jam, feat. Caroline Aiken (Atlanta), Phyllis Tannerfrye (Georgetown), Danielle Howle (Columbia) + Josh Harty (Fargo)
Doors 6p
$5 donation
- Juanita Greenbergs: Jordan Igoe
Doors 10p
FREE
- The Pour House: PoHo Family Jam
Doors 9p
FREE

THURSDAY - Jan. 17
- The Pour House: Brave Baby Album Release Show; ELIM BOLT; Octopus Jones (Raleigh)
Doors 8:30p
$8 adv / $10 dos - includes CD
- Tin Roof: The Moon and You (Asheville); Lindsay Holler; Harrison Ray
Doors 8p
$5
- The Mill: Local Music Showcase
Doors 9p
FREE

FRIDAY - Jan. 18
- Morgan Creek Grill: "Winter Tide Cocnert Series" / Caroline Aiken & Danielle Howell Songwriter's Series, feat. Rachel Kate Gillon
- The Windjammer: Loners Society opens for Cowboy Mouth (New Orleans)
Doors 9p
$15
- The Brick: Four 14 (Greenville)
Doors ?p
$?

SATURDAY - Jan. 19
- Boones Bar: Tyler Boone
Doors 9p
$?

TUESDAY - Jan. 22
- Recovery Room: Happy Story Hour
Doors 9p
FREE

WEDNESDAY - Jan. 23
- Juanita Greenbergs: Jordan Igoe
Doors 10p
FREE
- Awendaw Green: Barn Jam, feat. TBA
Doors 6p
$?

THURSDAY - Jan. 24
- The Pour House: Josh Roberts + The Hinges (Columbia); Guilt Ridden Troubadour; The Outervention
Doors 9p
$8 adv / $10 dos
- Tin Roof: Tyler Boone; Carey Murdock (North Augusta)
Doors 8p
$5
- The Mill: Local Music Showcase
Doors 9p
FREE

SATURDAY - Jan. 26
- The Sparrow: Bully Pulpit; All Get Out
Doors 9p
$?
- The Royal American: The Fairy God Muthas
Doors 9p
$5

SUNDAY - Jan. 27
- The Pour House: "Virgil Kaine Bourbon's 1st Birthday", feat. The Royal Tinfoil, Mazloom Empire (Columbia) + Rachel Kate Gillon
Doors 8p
$8

TUESDAY - Jan. 29
- Tattooed Moose: "Craft Beer Tuesdays" w Bully Pulpit
Doors 9p
$?

WEDNESDAY - Jan. 30
- Juanita Greenbergs: Jordan Igoe
Doors 10p
FREE
- Awendaw Green: Barn Jam, feat. TBA
Doors 6p
$?