| | Issue #20.40 :: 10/03/2007 - 10/09/2007 | Music Crawl 2007
Which Part of "24 Bands for Five Bucks" Do You Not Understand?
| BY FREE TIMES WRITERS
| Fall is a magical time of year. The temperature cools, the leaves change and thousands of music-hungry Palmetto staters descend on the Vista for the Crawl.
Originated in 1999 as an effort to highlight, promote and support the diversity of musical talent in and around Columbia, the Free Times Music Crawl celebrates its eighth installment on Saturday with 24 acts spread across six stages in the Vista. For a mere $5, patrons 18 and older can freely visit stages at the Art Bar (where there are two stages), Flying Saucer, Headliners and Wild Wing Café for a full evening of eclectic and cutting-edge music, plus an info booth/stage in front of Blue Marlin. Wristbands sold at each venue will enable patrons to visit all five stages.
If you already love local music, this is your chance to celebrate it. And if you don’t, this is your chance to find out what all your cooler, hipper friends have been raving about. Whether your tastes lie in Appalachian roots-stomp, kickass bluegrass, soulful hip-hip or balls-to-the-wall rock ‘n’ roll, the Crawl’s got you covered. And it’s the only local festival dedicated entirely to boosting the music scene in Columbia.
As for the crawling, this year’s Crawl is possibly the most crawl-friendly yet. With Art Bar and Flying Saucer centralized around Park Street, Headliners a short hop down Gervais, Wild Wing Café a block off Gervais on Lady street and the Blue Marlin snugly in the middle, Crawlers can easily park and walk throughout the evening.
Kenley Young and Kimberly Summer get a head start on things in the Free Times Music Crawl Informational Tent, parked outside of Blue Marlin, at 6 p.m. The Crawl begins in earnest at 8 p.m., where local hip-hop head Preach takes the TV Stage at Art Bar. The rest of the stages begin shortly thereafter — The Decade kicks off the Headliners stage at 8:15 p.m.; The Verna Cannon at Flying Saucer and Collette at Art Bar’s Dance Stage at 8:30 p.m.; and Analog Moon at Wild Wing Café at 9:30 p.m.
Some of you might be conditioned to skip the opening acts of local rock shows, but Free Times learned from its mama that you always put your best foot forward. Skipping even one of the early acts would be downright foolish — there’s no filler on our sonic smorgasbord. Forget about going to church the next morning — come early, stay late.
All Music Crawl proceeds go directly to paying the bands, promoting the event and supporting charity. A portion of this year’s proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society, the nationwide organization dedicated to preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. There’s nothing like a little philanthropy mixed in with a night of awesome music.
The following is a comprehensive preview of the acts scheduled to play this year’s Crawl. Contributing are Tug Baker, John Cataldo, Kevin Foster, Eric Greenwood, Preach Jacobs and Kevin Oliver. — P. Wall
ART BAR
(TV STAGE)
Preach
8-8:30 p.m.
Hip-hop is dead, Nas quipped on his latest record. And that seems true, unless you like your emcees to rap about bitches, bullets and bling, in which case it’s no short order to find a rapper to tickle your gangster-fantasy fancy. Those in South Coca seeking something with a little more substance, however, needn’t look any farther than Columbia emcee Preach. Preach’s latest opus, Garveyism, received rave reviews not only in this humble rag, but in underground-oriented rags such as Straight No Chaser and Lo-Fi Magazine and at online hip-hop community okayplayer.com. Conscious, political and powerful, Preach is — to coin a phrase — straight dope. — P. Wall
Brave Horatius
9-9:30 p.m.
I guess it’s not enough for Jordan Blackmon to be one of the most genuinely lovable cats in Columbia; he has to rub our faces in his indelible talent while he’s at it. With the amicable (yet unfortunate) unraveling of his former band, Alaska the Tiger, Mr. Bee now has more time to protect the Pons Sublicius from the Etruscans (learn your ancient Roman folklore, people). As with everything else he touches, Blackmon pours his beautiful heart into these gentle and beguiling songs, the poetic potency of which could exterminate the whole human race or, at the very least, those rotten Corsicans. — K. Foster
Magnetic Flowers
10-10:45 p.m.
Magnetic Flowers’ last appearance at Art Bar was a revelation. It was one of those shows where afterwards everyone kept saying, “Where did these guys come from?” Well, they’ve been here a while now, but during that show, Magnetic Flowers truly came into their own as one of the best acts Columbia has to offer. The addition of a new bass player freed up Adam Cullum to play keys throughout the entire set, adding a fullness and vehemence that was missing before. Their subtle blend of indie rock and Americana makes for an energetic yet poignant experience that shouldn’t be missed. — T. Baker
Rockefeller Horsecollar
11:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m.
The music of Rockefeller Horsecollar plays like a mixtape of American underground music post-1980 — you’ll at times hear the heady, angular post-punk of Mission of Burma; the yelping, frantic tension of The Pixies; the dense, fuzz-laden chaos of Dinosaur Jr; the rootsy garage-punk of Sebadoh; and the unbridled punk fury of Black Flag. But the band’s far from an indie rock jukebox — the strapping lads of Rockefeller Horsecollar cook up an inviting and intriguing mess of psychedlic post-punk that must be seen to be believed. RoHoCo has been in hiding recently, working in the Jam Room on its upcoming fourth release. — P. Wall
Death Becomes Even the Maiden
1 a.m.-until
It takes a lot of time, effort and talent to sound like you’re playing with reckless abandon, and the proof’s in the proverbial pudding that is Death Becomes Even the Maiden’s forthcoming EP, The Arrangement (Vie Deviant Soi). Songs like “Control” and “To Your End” speed along like they’re on the verge of flying apart, but there’s a calculated undercurrent to it all as though Eric Greenwood, Chris Powell and Heyward Sims know just how far they can bend without breaking. Then again, tracks like “Identify” and “Frames” are exercises of restraint that manage to retain their bite.
Throughout The Arrangement, Greenwood’s nimble bass lines service both melody and tempo, which is anchored by Powell’s taut, full-tilt clobbering. Meanwhile, Sims reminds us all that he’s an incredibly acrobatic and dexterous guitar player, but not in a showy kind of way. You have to see him live to believe how much he can pull off without the use of multi-tracking. Greenwood credits Steve Slavich with helping the Maiden pull it off during their sessions at the Jam Room. “He has incredible, creative ears,” Greenwood says. “His mixes are subtle, yet dynamic, without ever being overbearing.” Slavich strikes again.
Look for The Arrangement later this year, and bring earplugs with you for this headlining set. You’ll thank me in the morning. — K. Foster
ART BAR
(DANCE STAGE)
Collette
8:30-9 p.m.
It seems that this year’s Music Crawl is going to have a touch of soul thanks to singer/songwriter/composer Collette. More than just a beautiful face, she has the sounds reminiscent of the neo-soul movement but the heart of a jubilee choir at your local Baptist church. If you were one of the lucky ones to witness her at Hush with her live band, you know what will be in store. Soulful grooves and honest writing will add diversity to the Crawl. Be prepared to be amazed and thoroughly entertained. — P. Jacobs
Black Swan
9:30-10 p.m.
With a sparse yet subtly propulsive sound, Columbia’s Black Swan avoids easy categorization. The piano-laced foundation of minor chord melodies forces the band to focus its energy on the darker side of the pop construct. Vocalist Courtney Vincent sounds both urgent and plaintive, singing unpredictably off-kilter melodies as compared to the music. Four demos are available at its MySpace page (myspace.com/blackswansc), ranging from the beautiful, haunting and aptly named “Melancholia” to the more straightforward, driving dark pop of “Holding Out.” With only a handful of shows under its belt, Black Swan already displays an enormous amount of potential. — E. Greenwood
The Gadgets
10:45-11:30 p.m.
The Gadgets manage to pull off pure pop bliss while simultaneously rocking out like ‘80s underground acts such as The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. The songs are short bursts of energy — getting in, getting the job done and getting the hell out in a scant few minutes, which takes considerable talent to do well. There’s a certain air of charm around The Gadgets, delivered mainly by frontwoman Eva Moore, whose Elastica-esque vocals are somehow tough and endearing at the same time as she sings about things like Swiss Army knives. This is how a three-piece rock band is done, kids. — T. Baker
The Heist and the Accomplice
12:15-1 a.m.
With its last record, Improvement, having been released almost 18 months ago, The Heist and the Accomplice has been conspicuously absent from local clubs as of late. Indeed, the band has made a point not to play live in Columbia, instead focusing its time and energy on writing and recording new material, two demos of which are available on its MySpace page (myspace.com/theheistandtheaccomplice). The more exciting of the two is “What’s the Objective” — a dark, driving and urgent rocker. The new direction expands upon Improvement’s harder edge, while retaining a sophisticated yet slightly more mature pop sensibility. It’s easily one of the best songs the band has ever written.
With its sparse local appearances in the past year, The Heist has wisely avoided saturating the market. Such tactics make the occasion of a show — hey, like this one! — that much more significant. And, despite its seeming invisibility locally, The Heist’s equipment hasn’t exactly been growing cobwebs, as the quartet has been steadily booking and playing out of town shows in college towns in order to grow its fanbase regionally. With a penchant for memorable pop hooks and an ambitiously keen business sense, success can’t be far off. And all the hard work should culminate in what is already a highly anticipated third album. — E. Greenwood
BLUE MARLIN
Kenley Young
Kimberly Summer
6-10 p.m.
Throughout his long local tenure, Kenley Young has fronted a handful of original bands, played innumerable open-mics and acoustic sets, performed as Dr. Frank N. Furter in several rock productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, paid homage to Bobby Darin and Johnny Cash in the Art Bar’s Crooners and Swooners series and will soon debut as rhythm guitarist in a Replacements cover band. That said, I’m pretty confident this is the first time Mr. Young has ever busked along one of Columbia’s busiest thoroughfares. His résumé is no coincidence, as his gift of song is the stuff would-be Lloyd Dobler’s would be proud to hoist above their heads.
A former native of Asheville, Kimberly Summer recorded her most recent effort, Listen, in the land of Biltmore with Chris Rosser and some studio support before fleeing for the Capital City. I bet it was the drum circles. No matter, Summer’s confident voice and trademark Alvarez guitar have found a happy home among the Midlands’ singer-songwriter crowd. Her performance for the Crawl will be her fourth consecutive set of the week, so she should be ready for prime time. — K. Foster
Editor’s Note: Kenley Young and Kimberly Summer will be trading off sets between 6 and 10 p.m.
FLYING SAUCER
The Verna Cannon
8:30-9:15 p.m.
I think it was Tolstoy, John Lennon or Hick’ry Hawkins who said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” For the four elder statesmen (and woman) in The Verna Cannon, this band seems to be what happens when they’re busy making other plans. I have it on good authority that the Cannon’s slowly been working on material for a “long overdue third record that will come out god knows when.” Expect this set to lean more toward a fresher mix of its sweet somnambulant shush-pop, but don’t be surprised if the band dusts off a selection or two from 2000’s Movie Star Faces. — K. Foster
Papa String Band
9:30-10:15 p.m.
For a band that started as a couple of friends strumming guitars on the banks of the Broad River, The Papa String Band has built a solid reputation for bluegrass and reggae-infused jam rock. Its live shows are wide-ranging affairs that include songs from the likes of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie alongside traditional bluegrass numbers and its own original tunes. Gary Bishop (of long-defunct local jam-rock legends Mountain Express) joined up on bass this year, which only served to polish the band’s pedigree that much more. — K. Oliver
Black Bottom Biscuits
10:30-11:15 p.m.
What would a Music Crawl be without the killer B’s playing Flying Saucer? These regional favorites play a God-fearing, mother-loving and light-hearted mix of country, bluegrass and rockabilly for anyone who’ll have them, and they always come dolled up in some custom-made threads that are as colorful as the fellers who wear them. The enthusiasm of Van Abernathy, J.D. Holt and brothers Arnie and Darryl Jones is absolutely contagious and just as instrumental to their sound as the duck call and jew harp. — K. Foster
Loch Ness Johnny
11:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m.
I can’t imagine a more perfect venue to see Loch Ness Johnny than Flying Saucer. With their rootsy combination of Irish and Appalachian folk rock, it’s the perfect place to kick their set off with an Irish car bomb and then wash it down with a dark red Smithwicks ale that goes just right with the sound (and hardworking livers) of Flogging Molly and The Pogues that Loch Ness Johnny strives to achieve. Expect plenty of toasts, foot-stomping, cheers and plain old drunken revelry when these guys storm the stage — a true blessing for us Southern boys with Irish blood. — T. Baker
Danielle Howle
12:30 a.m.-until
Columbia’s reigning indie-folk queen, Danielle Howle’s biggest assets could also be her biggest handicaps — she just doesn’t sound like anyone else out there, and her music incorporates so many different genres that even calling her indie-folk is too trifling. From country to soul, gospel, rock and folk, Howle has traveled through her musical life like a child skipping across a hopscotch game. In her unpredictable live shows, you’re likely to get an exposition on a recent philosophical discussion or personal quirk alongside the music.
She has issued albums or singles on a number of different labels, including Daemon, Kill Rock Stars, Simple Machines, Sub Pop and Valley Entertainment, which issued her 2005 disc Thank You, Mark. Produced by Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish (the eponymous “Mark” of the album’s title), it includes songs such the nearly a cappella “Fields of Cotton,” opening rocker “Roses From Leroy’s” and quiet, contemplative songs such as “This Kind of Light,” making it the most focused and fully realized effort of her career. Since its release, Howle has also been working on music for independent films and television documentaries. — K. Oliver
HEADLINERS
The Decade
8:15-9 p.m.
As The Who once quipped, “The kids are all right.” While we here at Free Times can’t speak for all of the kids, we can speak for the ones in our hep little burg. Among said kids, The Decade’s certainly doing all right — its anthemic, heart-on-sleeve, melody-drenched pop-punk, more in tune with Fall Out Boy than The Frames, has garnered the band a steadily growing following, mostly due to strong showings in local battle-of-the-bands competitions such as WARQ’s Locals Live! competition. The quartet’s recently expanded to a five-piece, picking up ex-Maladroit axeman Jeffrey McMicken to handle lead duties. — P. Wall
The Noise
9:15-10 p.m.
Begun as a studio project, The Noise would eventually become the human jukebox that helped scores of drunken Judas Priest and Winger fans live out their dreams of singing onstage at the New Brookland Tavern’s metal karaoke jams. It’s no surprise, then, that these audio geeks would subsequently retreat to their home studio to refine their thick and melodic rock melee. They’ve since released the eight-song Hafler EP earlier this year and are planning a live DVD. — K. Foster
Suhgarim
10:15-11 p.m.
Every band, no matter what city it lays claim to, looks for that “something different” to get itself on the musical radar and pique the curiosity of the local fans. For Suhgarim, the band’s “difference’ is the undisputed title of Columbia’s only by-way-of-Italy, female-fronted alt-metal outfit. Self-described on it’s MySpace as “(looking) like Queensryche, Megadeth and Heart had a baby,” Suhgarim’s frequent local gigs have earned it a fervent fan base — and for good reason. Tricia Montfeury’s vocals draw easy comparisons to Evanescence or Lacuna Coil, while the music is a slightly more welcoming alt-ethereal than true metal. Vive la différence! — J. Cataldo
The Downcide
11:15 p.m.-midnight
You’ve probably seen The Downcide in these hallowed pages before, and for good reason. The Columbia quintet is one of the hardest-working and hardest-rocking bands in town. Throwing down some of the roust-about charm of “Breaking the Law”-era Judas Priest, The Downcide move that crunch firmly into the present, forging a modern-rock metalcore wall of sound that even Corey Taylor (of Slipknot and Stone Sour fame) would be proud to call his own. The unabashedly hard rock of The Downcide certainly puts the boot in your backside with the best of its metal brethren, but manage it with a smile. Good times. — J. Cataldo
Neverbetter
12:15 a.m.-until
Neverbetter is arguably the most polished (and most regrettably unsigned) mainstream rock band in Columbia. While there are those who would wear proudly on their sleeves a tenuous appeal to the extremes — be it hardest, loudest or most eclectic — Neverbetter rides straight down the middle of the road. Funny thing is there are people who think that’s a bad thing. If a band writes great, catchy, hook-laden and radio friendly gems — which Neverbetter does — then rejoice in the music and feel lucky to count the band among your hometown friends.
Soon enough, Neverbetter could very well outgrow the confines of our sleepy little burg. Why? Simply put, it’s the songs: Great tunes that are as smartly written as any million-selling Nickelback song and as accessible as the best from Papa Roach or Chevelle. Sometimes you just need to put your lighter up in the air and have a good time, and it’s almost as if Neverbetter singer Aaron Fisher and his bandmates write songs with that express purpose in mind. Remember when you were a kid? It didn’t matter who sang the song; if it got you dancing or singing along, you liked it. Let Neverbetter show you that feeling again. It’s easy. Just open your ears. — J. Cataldo
WILD WING CAFE
Analog Moon
9:30-10:30 p.m.
One of Columbia’s most appropriately named bands, Analog Moon takes its inspiration from the strictly analog days of early FM radio. From Traffic to Pink Floyd, Wings-era McCartney and Queen, it’s as if Todd Britton and company bottled the coolest classic-rock station ever. Analog Moon mines the past with a contemporary flair, however, much like the late, great local group Captain Easy, who are just about the only thing this town has seen with anywhere close to the versatility displayed by this band. Analog Moon issued a live album in 2006 and is currently working on its first studio-produced full-length. — K. Oliver
Almost Jason
10:45-11:45 p.m.
It’s easy to get lost in the serpentine noodlings of jam rock bands. Thankfully, Almost Jason trims the fat and delivers munchie-sized bites of experimental rock that infuses metalesque guitar interplay and slick, funky hooks into it’s jam base. Peppered with the dueling guitar harmonies of Jim Foreman and Drew Medlin, the funky rhythms of Lindsey Bounds and the soulful bass of Mike Mills (no, not that Mike Mills), Almost Jason delivers the groove. — P. Wall
The Soul Mites
Midnight-1:30 a.m.
So long as there has been an Earth and with it the sky and sea, so, too, have The Soul Mites existed. OK, so maybe The Soul Mites aren’t older than dirt, but it’s safe to call them elder statesmen of the local music scene, if for no other reason than through simple perseverance. For more then a decade they’ve been mashing up funk, blues, rock and soul, all the while fostering a fervent fanbase. To call them a variety band would be accurate — what with the mashing-up and all — but egregious, as these mighty Mites are no mere party band.
And true, while it’s been quite some time since The Soul Mites have released an album — seven years, to be precise — they’ve been hard at work (when they’re not rocking about town, that is) at finishing their third full-length, to be titled Faith Healer. But the record isn’t where The Soul Mites shine — it’s on stage, where Tim Davis’ powerful vocals mesh with Frank Robinson’s agile guitar playing, Thom Harman’s fat bass lines and Andy Dumiak’s powerful drumming. No two ways around it: The Mites are simply one of those bands you have to hear live to truly appreciate. — P. Wall
Let us know what you think: Email editor@free-times.com or music@free-times.com.
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