Big Names and Locals Add Up To A Big Weekend of Music
Andrew Duhon
Some weeks the local bands and musicians come out in force and let us know that the local scene is not just alive and well but, rather, flourishing in a way that we all have to appreciate. Other weeks, a venue like the Radio Room (okay, usually the Radio Room) drops some nationally touring, Grammy nominated artist on us like it is no big deal – it is just a Thursday after all. The best weeks, of course, are when all of the above happens at once and that is exactly where things stand at the moment.
The big national name on the calendar is Andrew Duhon, a Grammy nominated artist from New Orleans playing at the Radio Room tonight. Duhon is first and foremost a storyteller and, beyond that, if you want to call him a singer/songwriter, folk singer, or Americana prodigy, well that is just up to you. Intelligent and captivating songwriting are paired with a voice that will have you hanging on every word. As much as I hate make comparisons and say “so-and-so sounds like so-and-so”, I do have to admit that I am catching some serious Amos Lee vibes listening to Duhon’s recordings, and I mean that in all of the best ways. Duhon is touring in support of his latest album Emerald Blue which you can get your hands on at the show this evening.
Niel Brooks; p/c Anthony Collins
If singer/songwriters are your thing but you are looking to support the local variety, Swanson’s Warehouse is featuring a lineup of some of the best the Upstate has to offer this evening. My buddy Vilai Harrington plays the host of the evening which features Mary Norris, Niel Brooks, Daniel Lovelace, Abby Carrol, Billy Dalton, and Sloan Smith. This is a wealth of talent and diversity of voices that promises to make for a memorable evening of music in Downtown Greenville this evening.
The mood switches gears Friday night at the Radio Room with a local mega-bill featuring Luxx, Ill Intentions, Sweet Spine, and Superdeath. Anybody that has ever read or listened to me opine about the local music scene for more than five minutes or so should know that Luxx and Ill Intentions are two of my favorite indie/alternative artists going today. These kids – and yes, I believe I am old enough to call them kids – are the future of the Upstate music scene and play their hearts out every time they take the stage. Go listen to Luxx’s track “Judith” right now and tell me I am wrong. I am listening to it on the Radio Room concert calendar as I type this and am even more certain of that fact than I was before I started this paragraph.
Annie Elie
Alternatively, another personal favorite of mine is providing the entertainment for the 16th anniversary celebration of Art & Light Gallery in the Village of West Greenville. Singer/songwriter Annie Elie was one of my very first interviews when I first started writing about music back in the day and it was nice to happen to recently re-make her acquaintance. Elie moved to Florida for a time but is now happy to be back in the Upstate and reintroducing herself to the local music scene. Welcome her home, celebrate a local gallery’s anniversary, and check out First Friday in the Village for the perfect evening to kick off the weekend.
Valley Maker
