Best of Columbia

Best of Columbia 2023: We asked and you answered. Now, the results are in.

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Aug 23, 2023

The annual Best Of issue features businesses that were nominated and then voted on by Free Times’ audience. 

Concert and Music News

Headed to Columbia, country's Chris Lane talks owning his music, the art of the break-up song

• By Vincent Harris Special to Free Times
• Apr 22, 2024

Chris Lane is known as a writer of love songs that skyrocket to the top of the country charts, but his latest project is all about the break-up song. Catch up on his new era ahead of Lane's Columbia show. 

Concert and Music News

Free concert tickets to New Brookland Tavern available at these Five Points businesses

• By Eden Prime Special to the Free Times
• Apr 11, 2024

A handful of Five Points businesses are partnering to give out free tickets to shows at New Brookland Tavern, all in an effort to get Columbia concertgoers to step outside their musical comfort zones. 

Concert and Music News

My Columbia music history: Notes from a “Cracked Rear View”

• By Eden Prime Special to the Free Times
• Apr 8, 2024

A Columbia native and lifelong music lover, Eden Prime recounts their childhood — and now young adulthood — learning and experiencing the gritty, ever-present importance of the local music scene. 

Concert and Music News

Eric Church, Lainey Wilson to headline inaugural Field + Stream music festival in Midlands

• By Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Apr 2, 2024

The inaugural music festival in Winnsboro will be an homage to Field + Stream's 150 years of Southern outdoor living. 

Concert and Music News

Concert Countdown: 13 shows happening in Columbia this April

• By Vincent Harris Special to Free Times
• Apr 1, 2024

Whether it's MercyMe coming to Colonial Life Arena, ole' Johnny Cougar at Township Auditorium or a full bill of local acts at Uncle Fester's Pub, there's no shortage of good live music to catch this month in Columbia. 

Concert and Music News

The new blood of USC’s Jazz Program is forging a gender-inclusive vision in SC

• By Kyle Petersen Special to Free Times
• Mar 27, 2024

Women represent a fraction of jazz musicians and educators. But a new camp for young girls from the female-majority faculty at USC's jazz program is aiming to change that with a nationwide program. 

Columbia Business

New Brookland Tavern to expand next door, 3 months after relocating to Five Points

• By Hannah Wade hannahw@free-times.com
• Mar 20, 2024

The popular dive bar and concert venue is expanding its footprint in Five Points  with a smaller performance space than 632 Hard St., where New Brookland Tavern moved before New Years' Eve. 

Concert and Music News

Columbia band Bona Lisa channels power and grit to deliver classic rock and roll

• By Nicole Kitchens Special to Free Times
• Mar 20, 2024

For anyone searching for a view into the past, present and even future of rock and roll, Columbia band Bona Lisa provides the ultimate solution.

Concert and Music News

Columbia music roundup: New tracks from Admiral Radio, PG RA, Bones Hamilton, Patrick Davis

• By Vincent Harris Special to Free Times
• Mar 11, 2024

From PG RA's sophomore album to a new track from indie/folk duo Admiral Radio, there's lots of new music from local acts to explore. 

Concert and Music News

'Everyone's a little gay.' Columbia band's country album takes aim at Southern hypocrisies

• By Eden Prime Contributing Editor,

  Free Times

• Mar 1, 2024

Even though most of the tracks on “Cowboys and Cocaine” are boisterously lyrical and laced with catchy sing-along choruses, the album tends to err on the side of criticism, poking fun at the moral hang-ups in the South.

Concert and Music News

This woman dominates Columbia's rave scene with a cowboy hat and a mixing table

• By Sarah Danelli Special to Free Times
• Feb 27, 2024

Columbia mixer DJ Wandergirl has become a fixture on the local rave scene with steady-thumping beats that meld nostalgia and modernity with irresistible rhythm. 

Concert and Music News

Who's coming to Columbia? ZZ Top, P!nk, Hootie among those slated for 2024 concerts

• By Vincent Harris Special to Free Times
• Feb 19, 2024

Get your calendars ready, because we’re laying out some of the biggest shows coming to our area over the next 10 months. 

Concert and Music News

Uncle Fester's Last Call host Hip-Hop showcases as way to spotlight local, regional talent

• By Perry McLeod
• Feb 16, 2024

On the last Thursday of every month, Fester's Last Call Hip-Hop Showcase provides a stage, a network and a crowd for rappers, MCs and singers looking to hone their skills.

Free Times

Renewable history: Columbia’s Five Points gets a musical renaissance

• By Eden Prime Special to the Post & Courier
• Feb 14, 2024

Five Points was once Columbia's music hub with venues like Elbow Room and Rockafella's. Will New Brookland Tavern moving to the nightlife district help kickstart another renaissance?

Concert and Music News

Legendary bassist Edgar Meyer brings father-son duo composition to Koger Center

• By Kyle Petersen Special to Free Times
• Feb 10, 2024

World-renowned bassist Edgar Meyer will join his son, violinist George, at Columbia's Koger Center Feb. 17 for an evening of music that exists in the liminal space between classical, Americana and bluegrass. 

Concert and Music News

'Dad rockers' The Remnants have been jamming for 40 years. And there's no end in sight

• By Vincent Harris Special to Free Times
• Feb 5, 2024

A group of Columbia musicians will celebrate four decades of playing together with an anniversary show at Art Bar on Saturday, Feb. 10 in the Vista. 

Concert and Music News

AP & Soulful Touche' create space for spirituality, community at The Venue in Columbia

• By Eva Flowe
• Jan 31, 2024

A Christ-centered band that mixes “soulful, inspirational, modern jazz fusion" puts on a show at a Main Street bar and concert venue. 

Free Times

USC music professor to play with Fred Armisen-led band on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers'

• By Vincent Harris Special to the Free Times
• Jan 24, 2024

Colleen Clark is set to play drums with Seth Meyer's 8G Band on late-January, an opportunity she hopes will allow young girls to see a profession in jazz and percussion is viable and possible. 

Music Features

Columbia musician Sunshone Still new album a triumph of 'impossibly delicate intimacy'

• By Vincent Harris
• Jan 22, 2024

Columbia musician Chris Smith's latest musical venture, Sunshone Still, portrays a mix of impossibly delicate intimacy, stellar songwriting and creative production on the new album "Two Crossed Stars." 

Concert and Music News

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal to headline Columbia's first EDM festival

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Jan 18, 2024

Shaq tops the bill for Hidden City Music Festival, which will be at the Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce, as his alter ego, "DJ Diesel."

Music Features

Sorry, vinyl: Columbia's Caveman Tapes bringing cassettes back in style

• By Vincent Harris
• Jan 17, 2024

The DIY indie music label has put music from Columbia's Dear Blanca, Stagbriar and Twin Toasters on cassettes as a way to bring the analog medium back in SC. 

Music Features

Getting vulnerable with Columbia 'soul hop' artist Toni Esther

• By Genna Contino
• Jan 9, 2024

Columbia-based artist Toni Esther sees her music as therapy. Literally. On her upcoming project, she plans to keep tapping into her work as a counselor, her roots in South Carolina and her love of storytelling. 

Music Features

The Bass Line: A look at one of Columbia's rhythm powerhouses, Cam Powell

• By Sarah Danelli
• Jan 8, 2024

The rhythm section is key to a band's success. We took a look at one such bassist keeping the groove in Columbia: Cam Powell. 

Charleston Scene

Best of SC Music 2023: Our writers' picks for albums outside of SC

• By Kalyn Oyer koyer@postandcourier.com Vincent Harris, Kyle Petersen and Eden Prime Special to The Post and Courier
• Jan 5, 2024

While we've honed in on the best records to come out of South Carolina this past year, we've also tasked our writers with sharing their favorite discs to come from outside of the state. 

Charleston Scene

Best of SC Music 2023: Albums that missed the cut

• By Kalyn Oyer koyer@postandcourier.com Vincent Harris, Kyle Petersen and Eden Prime Special to The Post and Courier
• Jan 5, 2024

Here, our writers share their picks that didn't quite make it into the top 20 and why we think they still deserve some recognition. 

Music Features

Sequoyah Prep School's essential New Brookland Tavern concerts

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Jan 5, 2024

From playing WRUK's battle of the bands and seeing Andrew W.K. to watching Paramore weeks before they made it big, SC band Sequoyah Prep School reflects on the moments they remember from two decades playing and attending shows at New Brookland Tavern. 

Charleston Scene

Third place for Best of SC Music Album of 2023: 'Telepathy' by Stagbriar

• By Kyle Petersen Special to The Post and Courier
• Jan 4, 2024

Traces of the old Stagbriar remain, particularly on stately ballads like “Call Back in the Morning” or the plaintively strummed “Toxic,” but for the most part these are songs that romp and roll with abandon, harkening back to the halcyon '90s indie rockers, even as they carry forward the signature dual-sibling vocals of the band.

Charleston Scene

Second place for Best of SC Music Album of 2023: 'Ruthless' by She Returns From War

• By Eden Prime Special to The Post and Courier
• Jan 4, 2024

The Americana voice captivating South Carolina in 2023 was decidedly She Returns From War. 

Charleston Scene

Our winner for Best of SC Music Album of 2023: 'Exit Simulation' by Niecy Blues

• By Kalyn Oyer koyer@postandcourier.com
• Jan 4, 2024

Niecy Blues' debut full-length album was not only voted the South Carolina record of the year, but it's also reaching far beyond with its acclaim, garnering rave reviews from Chicago's Pitchfork and PopMatters and even the United Kingdom's Boomkat and Resident Advisor. 

Music Features

Guns N' Roses, The Replacements bassist set for solo shows in Columbia, Charleston

• By Vincent Harris
• Jan 2, 2024

Though he played with some of the biggest bands of the 1980s, bassist Tommy Stinson doesn't spend much time reflecting on the past. His latest projects will be featured at his upcoming shows in Columbia and Charleston. 

Music Features

'The new New Brookland Tavern': Bar, venue shutters in West Columbia, moves to Five Points

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Dec 31, 2023

Beloved SC band Sequoyah Prep School closed out decades of sold-out shows at New Brookland Tavern on State Street in West Columbia and welcomed crowds to the bar's new location on Harden Street in Five Points.

Music Features

The Frontwomen: How female musicians, bands are dominating Columbia music scene

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Dec 20, 2023

Women musicians and women-fronted bands are on the rise in Columbia, but artists said they still face barriers in the male-dominated industry. 

Arts and Entertainment Features

Black Nerd Mafia's Kwasi Brown on the essential Columbia indie artists to know

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Dec 6, 2023

Black Nerd Mafia's Kwasi Brown compiled a list of the best Black, independent artists creating in Columbia today for Free Times. 

Local News

USC to offer course on Taylor Swift. Are you ready for it?

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Updated Nov 30, 2023

USC in Columbia, SC will offer a class on global pop sensation Taylor Swift that will explore business, the music industry and the success of her Eras Tour. 

Music Features

Columbia band Prosperity Gospel howls 'anti-Fascist post-black metal' on sophomore album

• By Vincent Harris
• Nov 30, 2023

Columbia band Prosperity Gospel plays "a particularly brutal genre" called black metal, known for its screeching vocals and overstimulating sound, but the band took an unconventional approach for their sophomore album. 

Arts and Entertainment Features

How Black Nerd Mafia is making space for Black, marginalized creatives in Columbia

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Nov 29, 2023

Black Nerd Mafia hosts concerts, open mic nights and showcases to platform independent artists in Columbia — creating spaces downtown where they say there aren't many for persons of color who are creatives. 

Local News

Darius Rucker to receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Nov 28, 2023

Palmetto State native Darius Rucker will join thousands of other stars on Hollywood Boulevard with his very own star. 

Concert and Music News

Columbia filmmaker Chris Bickel's latest project combines music, horror with 70s aesthetic

• By Kyle Petersen
• Nov 28, 2023

Chris Bickels forthcoming film, "Pater Noster and the Mission of Light," centers around a record store employee whose discovery of a rare, 1970s vinyl draws her into a hippie commune cult. The soundtrack for the film features a bevy of local artists, and is releasing in a slow drip. 

Music Features

Columbia syntho pop duo Travel Therapy releases sophomore album to make you dance

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Nov 27, 2023

Travel Therapy's "Sum Notes" is a nine-track roadmap to getting listeners to move their feet to artist Michael Gutshall's "electronic, melancholy pop." 

Music Features

Band featuring Shovels & Rope's Cary Ann Hearst, Marshgrass Mamas, set for Columbia show

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Nov 13, 2023

The Marshgrass Mamas are a supergroup of South Carolinian women musicians who play music with traditional bluegrass instruments that's "a little bit muddy and swampy." 

Videos

Video: Jam Room Music Fest brings diverse offerings for tenth year of festival

• By Perry McLeod
• Nov 8, 2023

With 11 bands in total, the eclectic range of performers kept hundreds of music lovers entertained for more than 10 hours on Main Street. 

Free Times

Jam Room Music Festival offers diverse range of arts for tenth year on Main Street

• By Perry McLeod
• Nov 7, 2023

The Jam Room Music Fest in downtown Columbia was an incredible experience. The tenth year of the festival started off with a bang. Local bands…

Local News

Hootie & The Blowfish announce summer 2024 tour with stop in Columbia

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Nov 6, 2023

The Summer Camp Tour with Trucks will make one stop in the Palmetto State — and it's Soda City. 

Concert and Music News

Get into the festivities: Columbia 2023 Holiday concert guide

• By Vincent Harris
• Nov 2, 2023

Have a holly jolly Christmas with these slate of concerts and productions happening in the Midlands this holiday season. 

Music Features

Columbia native Kimberly Walsh finds her strength on new EP 'Fever Dream'

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Oct 30, 2023

"Fever Dream" is Kimberly Walsh's sophomore album and a deeper exploration of the music that moves her and the lyrics that sing her story.

Local News

Carolina Scorpion women's football made the team a family. Now they need a field to play on.

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Oct 28, 2023

Women's tackle football — played in the same uniforms and by the same rules as men — is gaining in popularity across the country, bringing together women and men with a love for the game. 

Music Features

White Knoll High School Choir to perform with their 'Jukebox Heroes' at Township Auditorium

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Oct 26, 2023

White Knoll High School's choir will perform "I Want to Know What Love is" with the late-1970s rock band at the Township Auditorium during their upcoming concert.

Music Features

SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble brings big band sound to Columbia audiences

• Zoe Nicholson znicholson@free-times.com
• Oct 23, 2023

Launched six years ago, the nonprofit SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble aims to bring high-caliber jazz talent to Midlands audiences in the style of big band.

Local News

'Not your mom's library': Richland Library's Overdue event creative way to reach young adults

• By Eden Prime
• Oct 22, 2023

“No offense to any stuffy libraries but, we're not your mom’s library,” said Mary-Kate Quillivan. “Whatever you thought a library was, it’s no…