Wrenwood hits their stride with new EP, Wrenwood Live

Wrenwood Live is the new 3-song EP from Charleston-based King City Records act, Wrenwood. Recorded during a live session at Ocean Industries Studios on April 20, 2013, the EP is now available for purchase at the band's live shows and on Amazon and iTunes.


Opening with a kazoo solo and the feverish guitar work of Dan Rainey, the first track on Wrenwood's new EP , "Apples and Oranges", would be right at home on the Squirrel Nut Zippers record Hot. If your head isn't bobbing and your foot isn't slapping the floor, someone needs to check you for a pulse. With its hot jazz vibe, it's easy to lose yourself in this song about a pair of uniquely matched lovers. "Whiskey and water / bourbon and Coke / I bring the laughter / you bring the jokes / Send me a signal / it's time to go / Hiding in the afterglow," Corbett sings in her best Tin Pan Alley trill. The flip to a half-time tempo at the end is a brilliant move - it gives the song some room to breathe, while showcasing Rainey's impressive guitar finger work. 

Equally impressive are the talents of Rainey's band mate and girlfriend, Dallas Corbett. She picks up the guitar and plays rhythm; she also plays bass. She's even been known to shake a mean tambourine. But here, it is Corbett's voice that steals the spotlight. Singing with a maturity beyond her twenty-six years, this modest frontwoman leads the band through the beautiful and heartbreaking "Cheap Shots". With a voice that is at once smoky and yet smooth and elegant as honey, Corbett will have you believing that this is an old country classic, with its tender word play and pedal steel. Wrenwood really hits its stride with this one, and while I would be remiss in categorizing them as a "country" band, this crooner is definitely the pinnacle of the Live EP.

The last song on the disc, "Somethin' Special", transports listeners to the wooden stage of a gritty roadhouse. The chugging bass and punchy drum fills keep a rock steady beat, while Rainey's searing guitar cuts through the inevitable smoke in the air; his solo near the two-minute mark is classic rock n roll. And Corbett gives another stellar performance, this time channeling the likes of Alannah Myles with her throaty beckon to "Just gimme somethin' special."

While the brevity of Wrenwood Live leaves me wanting more, it is perfect in that it allows every facet of Wrenwood to shine. As songwriters, the band has really come into its own, and I'm eager to hear what Wrenwood's future holds.


Find Wrenwood online:
w ~ www.WrenwoodMusic.com
f ~ www.facebook.com/WrenwoodMusic
r ~ www.reverbnation.com/wrenwood

Death to Dubstep - Loners Society hit the road with their Summer Tour

It's been a busy year for Charleston's boutique record label and music collective, King City Records. 

With their artists receiving heavy rotation on local radio, recording video shoots, having nightly performances around town, and making appearances at events such as the recent 7th Annual First Flush Festival and the upcoming Summer SOULstice Celebration - not to mention the first ever "Storytellers"-style King City Records Sessions last month - label manager and resident musician Matt Megrue has done one hell of a job spreading the King City word. 

And it has now been officially announced that KCR band Loners Society will embark on an 11-date tour across the Southeast, the Death to Dubstep 2013 Summer Tour, and will be kicking things off right here in Charleston with a July show at The Mill, in Park Circle. 

"This tour is all about being on the road and playing those sweaty, intimate, 4-piece rock n roll shows," Megrue says. "We wanted the opportunity to try out some new material before we hit the studio and we're so excited to be visiting some places and towns we haven't played before along with some old, familiar haunts."

In addition to trying out new material, the Death to Dubstep tour will also feature the debut of the band's new drummer, Josh Beasley. The previous drummer and longtime friend of Megrue, Brian McMickle, parted ways with the band earlier this year in a very un-rock n roll manner - meaning it was a peaceful, supportive and heartfelt decision: McMickle wants to spend more time with his infant son and family.

"To say that we (Loners Society) are simply losing a drummer would be an enormous disservice to Brian and everything he has meant to me (personally and creatively) over the last twelve-plus years," Megrue says.

You can catch Loners Society on their opening night at The Mill on July 12th (FREE show, doors around 9:30p), and check out the rest of the dates below.

7.25.13 @ Rockin Hard Saloon (Murrells Inlet, SC)
7.26.13 @ Deep South (Raleigh, NC)
7.27.13 @ Satellite (Wilmington, NC)
8.04.13 @ British Bulldog Pub (Columbia, SC)*
8.08.13 @ The Saloon (Charlotte, NC)
8.09.13 @ Radio Room (Greenville, SC)
8.10.13 @ Conundrum Music Hall (Columbia, SC)
8.21.13 @ Awendaw Green (Awendaw, SC)
9.27.13 @ The World Famous (Athens, GA)
9.28.13 @ Vinyl (Atlanta, GA)

Loners Society website: www.LonersSociety.com
Loners Society on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LonersSociety‎
Loners Society on Twitter: @LonersSociety‎

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Truth/Ideals album release - with Will Hastings + Happy Story Hour

Last Saturday, King City Records hosted an album release party at the Tin Roof for local singer and songwriter Julie Slonecki, whose third self-released album, Truth/Ideals, dropped earlier this month and will soon be available on iTunes.

Opening the night was New Orleans-born singer and guitarist, Will Hastings. Having recently wrapped a tour with his backing band, this was a rare solo appearance for the rising musician. Hastings kicked off his set with "Comfortable by Disguise", which he explained was the first song that he had ever written.

"So if you think it sounds like shit," he said affably, "that's probably why."

Hastings worked through a solid 30-minutes, breezily cracking jokes to the modest crowd and commenting on the diversity of Charleston's music community. "It's a cool scene down here," he said, "and I feel lucky to be a part of it."

Moving between songs like Hayes Carll's "She Left Me for Jesus" to original tunes such as the wistful and waltzy "For Your Own Good", Hastings's mild, bluesy style was peppered with slick finger picking and powdered with his Buddy Holly-esque, tenor voice. He wrapped his inaugural Tin Roof set with the pretty and original "Digital Sounds", a salutary nod to the musicians and spirit of the 1950s and 60s.

Next on the bill was Happy Story Hour - more commonly known as Mackie Boles and Jordan Igoe. Both veterans of the Charleston music community, Boles's mesmeric guitar and the rustic qualities of Igoe's voice meld together like whiskey and honey. Their sound was incredible and full for a two piece, with Igoe not only singing and playing an acoustic guitar but also marking the time with a foot-pedal powered drum, hi hat and tambourine rig, while Boles shared vocal duties and alternated between the guitar and banjo.

"I don't wanna grow old / I don't wanna get tired / And my American dreams / don't start any fires," Igoe sang, her shuddering vibrato and husky tone hinting at a soul much older than her earthly years.

Boles took the lead on a tune about traveling west, before the pair introduced a brand new original and a small upcoming tour. The duo wrapped with "Troubled Train", the bluesiest song of the set, before turning the stage over to main act, Julie Slonecki.

Slonecki opened her spotlight evening by announcing that the company pressing her album had not mailed copies of the CD to her in time for the show; therefore, she did not have any copies of her album for sale. Instead, she encouraged people to fill out their mailing address on a sign-up sheet so that she could, at some later date, mail to them a copy of the album along with "a personal letter". Perhaps this is just me, but I've always thought that the number one priority for an album release show would be to have copies of said album on hand - even if that means you have to run over to Office Depot to buy CDs and burn the copies yourself...

That snafu aside, the first song from Slonecki was an intriguing, mostly instrumental piece with some ambient distortion and vocal wailing. The 23-year-old, who typically plays solo, was joined on this night by a drummer, keys player, bassist and guitarist/mandolin player, most of whom had only recently begun to rehearse with the singer. Joined also by local vocalist Young Mi (of the band, Old You) for help with harmonies, Slonecki introduced her song "Truth" as being, "hard to translate into a band, because it was just a sweet beat that I put together on my computer."

That statement seemed to be the only theme of the evening, as the overall performance lacked a firm identity. There is no denying that Slonecki has the talent, with her smoldering voice and a music degree from Washington and Lee University; however, the show at Tin Roof did not exhibit any cohesion among the band, nor any cognisance of the path that Slonecki wants to take in this new, electronic direction. One song employed a rigid, snapping drum line much like a MIDI plugin, while the next featured a mandolin, followed by a track that could have easily been picked up from Bjork's cutting room floor.

Slonecki invited friends from the audience onto the stage, at several points handing the mic over to her pal Kenny Sharp to lead a rap, while at other times (particularly during the original "Garden Gnome"), leading the band in a Top 40, Sarah Bareilles-style song. "Morning Light" was a pretty, original tune that featured the mandolin, but unfortunately the song just felt awkward and lost, stuffed amongst the improv, rap and alt-jazz that was taking place.

Overall, it was an interesting night - if nothing else, certainly showcasing the vast assortment of musical tastes and talents in this town. I know that Mackie Boles and Jordan Igoe will accomplish great things, so I look forward to catching Will Hastings with his band, and following Julie Slonecki to see where her digital adventure takes her next...


Will Hastings on Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/willhastings
Will Hastings on Facebook: www.facebook.com/willhastingsmusic

Happy Story Hour: www.facebook.com/HappyStoryHour

Julie Slonecki's Website: www.julieslonecki.com
Julie Slonecki on Facebook: www.facebook.com/julie.slonecki


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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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Trifecta of Talent

King City Records' 1st Annual Showcase
Tin Roof - 1117 Magnolia Rd., phone: 571.0775
Doors - 8p
Cover - $5
Originally founded in 2009 by then-Athens-based musician Matt Megrue, King City Records was born out of Megrue's desire for a single outlet through which he could funnel all of his creativity. But with friends like Charleston-based singer/songwriter Tyler Boone, it didn't take long for Megrue's personal project to flourish into a true indie label supporting a handful of area bands, including Loners Society, County Line Strangers, The Unusual Suspects, Tyler Boone's band and the newcomer duo Wrenwood. Many of the musicians play in each other's bands, and everyone contributes to the label's grassroots, "street team" efforts that have proven to be very successful for others in the Charleston music community.

To help introduce their label to the local scene, King City Records is holding its first annual showcase at Tin Roof in West Ashley TONIGHT. Featuring Tyler Boone, Loners Society and Wrenwood, Megrue and his team hope to impress some positive vibes and leave a sweet ringing in the ear of those who attend the bash. With new albums from all three bands coming down the pipeline early next year, King City Records' 1st Annual Showcase is an event that you will want to get in on.

7th Annual Holy City Cold Hearts Revival
Charleston Pour House - 1977 Maybank Hwy., phone: 571.4343
Doors - 8p
Cover - $8 adv / $10 dos - 100% of proceeds go to the Gram Parsons Foundation
Organized by Charleston songwriter Lindsay Holler, this year's Holy City Cold Hearts Revival (a celebration of local alt-folk, country-rock Americana musicianship) is being dedicated to the legend, the travesty and the enduring inspiration of Gram Parsons. On the eve of what would have been Parsons' 66th birthday, Holler and other area musicians including Company singer Brian Hannon and the prolific Rachel Kate Gillon, will be performing at the Pour House in a tribute to the late pioneer of cosmic American music.

Elim Bolt kicks off the evening with their reverb-laden and wistful country-psychedelia. Rachel Kate is sure to impress with her scolding vocals and intimate understanding of how to stir the soul. If psychobilly had a countrified alter ego, it would be Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids, whose music deftly evokes images of tail lights fading into the black of a desert night, grit and heartache swirling in its wake.

The show wraps with the local Parsons tribute band, Hickory Wind. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Gram Parsons Foundation, whose mission is to assist musicians battling addiction and to support them in their recovery, while also spreading education, awareness and prevention through the redemptive and healing powers of music.

City Paper Music Awards - A Nick Collins Benefit
Charleston Pour House - 1977 Maybank Hwy., phone: 571.4343
Doors - 8p
Cover - TBA
The Pour House will host the City Paper's awards shows and winners showcase, featuring the winners of this year's 2nd annual City Paper Music Awards, which will be announced in the Nov. 7th issue of the paper, out later this week.

The show is being set up as a benefit for local singer and guitarist Nick Collins, who was involved in a very serious and tragic traffic incident over the summer. The outpouring of love, support and encouragement for Nick from all of Charleston has been nothing short of extraordinary, so please come out to the Pour House next Thursday to help support not only your local music community, but the continued recovery of fellow musician Nick Collins.