If you have any interest in the local music scene, you absolutely want to make sure you participate in the Upstate Music Awards this year.

I have never missed an opportunity to tell anyone who would listen how great a damn time this festival is.

Whatever plans you might have in the days ahead, don’t be afraid to let them go sideways as there are more than a few shows worth the detour.

When I look at my calendar and see quality shows at at least five completely different Greenville venues, I cannot help but think the local scene just keeps getting better all the time.

The stuff we listened to once-upon-a-time can take us right back to that place in all the best ways. Thank God for broken aux ports, I suppose.

Some weeks the musicians come out in force and let us know that the local scene is not just alive and well but, rather, flourishing.

It is always a nice surprise to be taken aback by the richness and diversity of the live music options we have at hand.