Tuning in to Admiral Radio – An Interview with Becca and Coty and Preview of their Upcoming Koger Center Concert

“As a kid, the Koger Center was like that crown jewel of the city where so many foundational memories live for me. It’s really an honor to be able to perform here, especially with Coty. It’s something I never dreamed would happen.” - Becca Smith

On Thursday, January 26, Admiral Radio will perform at the Koger Center for the Arts at 7:30 PM to kick off their new series, “Live in the Lobby: Southern Sounds.” If you’re unfamiliar with Admiral Radio, the husband-and-wife singer-songwriter duo of Becca Smith and Coty Hoover is known for their unique Americana style of musicianship. Their name stems from their beloved eponymous radio from 1941, which promptly inspired the duo’s passion for delivering comfort and storytelling through music. To newcomers who could hear them for the first time at the Koger Center, Admiral Radio describes their sound as something “not quite country or traditional bluegrass, but rather something in between of all those things,” taking inspiration from artists like Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Shovels & Rope. Always on the lookout for inspiration and new material, each artist they listen to and love end up being reflected in their own work.

The new series, “Southern Sounds,” adds to the lobby repertoire at the Koger Center as they continue to maximize the use of every space within the facility. When it comes to describing the sound of the South, Becca and Coty say it as “hard to pin down. No matter the genre, whether it’s jazz, country, R&B, rap, folk, rock, soul, indie, or something in between, it’s the stories we tell that seem to resonate most and cross over.”

“Live in the Lobby” paves the way for more intimate concert settings, reducing the physical and metaphorical barrier between the audience and the performer.

“I grew up going to the Koger Center. It was something that my late grandmother had a strong appreciation for, and she made an effort to share the arts with me,” Becca says. “If you’re from the Midlands or even the state at large, you know this venue.”

As the Koger Center continues to define itself as a performing arts venue for all forms of music, not just classical, the duo is excited for the continuous development of Columbia’s music scene. “There are so many things to love about Columbia’s music scene. Columbia’s scene reflects its people: it’s DIY, gritty, humble, and special. What we love most is the sense of community we’ve found,” the duo says. They’d love for more listening rooms and general spaces to share a bond over music with the rest of Columbia, and the Koger Center continues to push for those opportunities, too.

With an abundant level of love for their craft and for Columbia always visible to those around them, Admiral Radio is an absolute treat to watch live. They thrive on the communication shared between themselves and the audience when they perform. “Sharing feels like a moot point without an audience there to help make sense of the world with you. Hearing people’s stories and knowing their names is what gives us the biggest feeling of inspiration and purpose when we perform live,” Becca and Coty say. The attitude they share towards live performances sets the tone for a magnificent evening of music and camaraderie this Thursday, and it’s something you won’t want to miss.  

Artists Rise Up with Neighborhood Art Shows & Bohumila Augustinova Tells Us Why

Given that the Jasper Project is a full-blooded grass roots arts organization with a penchant for do-it-your-selfers and folks who say screw the system that we didn’t design and take problem solving into their own hands, we love and celebrate the, now, many community-based art shows on the calendar these days.

These events have grown organically from the hearts and environs of the artists themselves and been nurtured by their neighbors who know the value of having artists who live next door or just down the street. Those artists tend to live life intentionally, prioritizing beauty and finding their own versions of gods in the tiniest details of their lives. They tend to be kind and respectful of shared spaces. Or they may keep to themselves unless they are needed. In any case, having artists as neighbors usually means lovely yards and porches that bother no one and enhance the world around them, so why wouldn’t non-artist neighbors enjoy participating and encouraging neighborhood arts events like the Cottontown Art Crawl, Melrose Art in the Yard, Keenan Terrace Art in the Yard and more?

Jasper is here to cheer on our local artists as they brave the chilly days ahead and gather under tents (and probably blankets) to show the rest of us how their spirits have manifested into the beautiful art they’ve created and have for sale. We love the lack of a middle person. We love that the artists are turning over the temple tables for themselves. We love the purity of this kind of exchange – value for value. And we love that the artists said We have art for sale, and we need somewhere to sale it, and solved that problem for themselves.

Here's a look at some of the al fresco arts events coming to a neighborhood near you.

THIS SUNDAY 11/20/22

According to their social media, “Historic Melrose Art in the Yard held the first art event in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. The idea was to provide local artists and artisans with a safe place to show and sell their wares while also showcasing the historic neighborhood. The event drew hundreds of people to explore the neighborhood. … The November 20th AITY will be the eighth time the event has been held. This event is entirely outdoors and spread over several city blocks.”

Melrose Art in the Yard welcomes more than 80 artists to show and sell their original work in the historic, downtown Columbia neighborhood. The event also features food and a concert by Admiral Radio, starting at 4:30 pm.

NEXT SATURDAY 11/26/22

Hosts Bohumila Augustinova and Bekah Rice invite you to join them for the third annual Keenan Terrace Art in the Yard with 16 artists selling their handmade, one of a kind creations.


Artist participating in this event include Lucas Sams, Gina Langston Brewer, Adam Corbett, Ginny Merett, Diane Hare, Barbara Howes-Diemer, Michael Krajewski, Wayne Thornley, Valerie Lamott, Flavia Lovatelli, Jennifer Hill, Stan Cummings, Elisabeth Donato-Owens, Ellen Fishburne, Tennyson Corley, and. of course, Bohumila Augustinová.

Bohumila Augustinova Chats About Why She Loves Pop Up Outdoors Art Shows

I was part of Melrose Art in the Yard. It was their second or third year and I was set up next to couple of  my friends. We loved the event. I have a big front yard, so we decided that maybe we could do our own version of the event. Just with all of the artists in the same area.  

Starting the event wasn’t all that difficult. I organized plenty of art events before, so this may have been the easiest event I ever organized. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of work. Just not as stressful.  

There are few things I really like about it. First, I love and adore working with local artists, so showing my work right by their side is always a pleasure. I love that neighbors come on foot, with their dogs and kids. It has a true community feeling to it. I get to know some artists that live right in my neighborhood and so many of my friends come to support the event.  

We have a few artists that been with us since the beginning and few new faces as well. 

We have Michael Krajewski, who’s been selling his work at this event since the beginning. He brings his smaller works of art and sell them at amazing prices. Michael is also a collector of vintage toys, so he always entertains us with different toys he brings.  

This year for the first time Tennyson Corley is bringing her amazing ceramic sculptures. They are really humorous and charming.  

Wayne Thornley, he’s been one of my favorite local artists for years and a good friend. He’s dangerous to me, because I know I’m going to want to buy more of his work. He brings paintings and his wish boxes, and I have the feeling I need another one of those. 

I’m excited because Liz Donato who was my first ever pottery teacher will be joining us. Her pottery is so beautifully made. 

Ellen Fishburne is one of our neighbors and she does amazing watercolor paintings and notecards.  

We are doing this once a year. We settled on the Saturday after Thanksgiving because it’s “shop local day.” 

The only tricky part of this event is that even though our front yard is big, it’s not big enough to grow. We can only have about 17 artists. At this point, the only call for artist we do is on the neighborhood facebook page.

THE BEAT: Both Sides Now Lang Owen explores stories and sounds on his new album "She’s My Memory"

By Kevin Oliver

Columbia singer-songwriter Lang Owen’s new album She’s My Memory is a relationships album, but not in the classic boy-meets-girl pop music mold. Rather, the sixty-something Owen has collected what amounts to a lifetime of thoughts here on friendships of all kinds, from romantic partners new and old to co-workers and the people we see on TV screens and newspaper bylines. In putting the album together, he also relied on musical relationships built over the past five years since he emerged onto the local scene. 

 

Owen enlisted fellow songwriter and guitarist Todd Mathis as his producer, with a diverse cast of additional players on board and additional recording and mastering from Carl Burnitz. The result is a shimmering statement of purpose, a beautifully rendered collection of songs that tell stories in a way that captures the heart and the imagination. Musical touchstones from James Taylor to Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Todd Rundgren, and more reveal themselves upon repeated listens, but Owen has firmly established his own sound and style with this new album.

 

There are stories both told and implied here, from the simple work ethic of “Man With A Broom,” to the internal evaluation of “Where Does The River Start?” Of the latter, Owen says, “On the surface the narrator is dealing with a breakup, but in my mind, he’s questioning himself–how did I get to this point, where am I going from here, and especially, how have I made some of the choices I did along the way?” 

 

Some of the choices Owen made in recording these songs included expanding his musical palette well beyond just himself, with the assistance of producer Todd Mathis. It was all in the preparation, Owen says.

“We sat down with scratch tracks of the songs I recorded on my own and brainstormed what kind of instrumentation would work with each,” He recalls. Guest musicians who ended up participating include drummer Mike Scarboro (The Runout), guitarist Zach Bingham, and backing vocals from Becca Smith of Admiral Radio. Bass duties were split between Chris Paget, Jeff Gregory (The Runout), Mathis’ former bandmate Kevin Kimbrell, and Mathis himself, who also filled multiple other instrumental roles. 

 

Being in a “band” situation isn’t exactly a new thing for Owen, though it had been a while, he admits.

 

“I played in bands in the 1980s, and I enjoyed playing with other people,” He says. “When I picked music back up in 2017(after decades as a teacher, visual artist, and social worker), I played by myself mostly because I just didn’t know any other musicians.” 

 

There are story songs here that those who have followed Owen’s solo acoustic shows the past few years will recognize as falling directly in his usual style, such as the topical “Last Gasp Of The News.” This time around there are also songs where the sound falls more toward the “band” side of things, with a particular vibe that a simple acoustic guitar arrangement wouldn’t be able to achieve as vividly.

 

“Collection Day” is one such tune, with an unhurried, yet rhythmic indie rock feel not too far from bands such as Yo La Tengo. “Smile From You” leans on Owen’s strummed guitar, but the other elements contribute to the song’s unsettled, foreboding atmosphere of an uncomfortable snapshot in time.

“We spent a lot of time on working out that one,” Owen says. “It went through a lot of different variations to get where it did–any time you work with great musicians, they’ll come up with great ideas.” 

 

Even with the expanded arrangements and feel of the recording sessions, Owen’s flair for narrative shines through. The title track “She’s My Memory” is a story song about telling stories, where a comment from a co-worker about remembering his life better than he does prompted a story of a person losing their memory who is still able to remember it through his wife’s anecdotes.


“I think that song sets the tone for the album,” Owen concludes, “which in part is about the importance of relationships to our well-being.” 

 

In “Everybody Here” the opening lines, in their own way, reach that same conclusion–we all help each other, whether we realize it or not: 

 

“Everybody here’s my therapist

I need all the help I can get

I look around, I’m losing my ground

I don’t like what I see one bit

I float by like a whisper, you hand me a megaphone

In our own little worlds somehow, we’re not alone

We’re not alone”

 

Lang Owen releases “She’s My Memory” officially on all platforms June 17th. The release show, featuring a full backing band of many of the players on the album, happens at Curiosity Coffee on Saturday, June 18th, from 5-8 p.m. $10 

 

Facebook Event with ticket link

Happy Hour Release Party for Jasper Magazine Spring 2022 - Thursday, June 9th at Black Rooster Rooftop Bar

Join us as we celebrate all the artists honored in the spring 2022 issue of Jasper Magazine for the official release event at 5:30 on Thursday, June 9th at the Black Rooster’s beautiful rooftop bar.

Among the artists we’ll be celebrating are cover artist Lindsay Radford (written by Kristine Hartvigsen) and centerfold Michael Krajewski (which was shot by Brad Martin in the Black Rooster itself!)

In a jam-packed 64 pages you’ll find another piece by Kristine Hartvigsen on Mike Miller’s new novel, The Hip Shot, as well as excerpts from Jane Zenger and Angelo Geter’s new books of poetry from Muddy Ford Press.

Music editor Kevin Oliver put together a detailed section of new music called “10 to Watch” featuring new work from Saul Seibert, Katera, Desiree Richardson, Tam the Vibe, Rex Darling, Space Force, Admiral Radio, Hillmouse, Candy Coffins, and Lang Owen, with contributing writing from Kyle Petersen and Emily Moffitt.

Tam the Vibe

Stephanie Allen writes about Josetra Baxter and Tamara Finkbeiner’s Walking on Water Productions and their new series Secrets in Plain Sight, with photography by Bree Burchfield.

And we highlight Columbia artist Quincy Pugh as well as feature Will South’s interview with Tyrone Geter all the way from Gambia.

The Three Graces by Quincy Pugh

USC filmmaker Carleen Maur helps us understand more about the art of experimental filmmaking.

Emily Moffitt profiles visual artists Rebecca Horne, Lucy Bailey, and designer Diko Pekdemir-Lewis.

Ed Madden curates poetry from Juan David Cruz-Duarte and Terri McCord.

Christina Xan details the incredible success of Cooper Rust and her non-profit organization, Artists for Africa.

Cindi Boiter profiles SC Arts Commission executive director David Platts, with photography by Brodie Porterfield, and writes about the new public art, Motherhood by Nora Valdez, with exquisite photography by Stephen Chesley.

Motherhood by Nora Valdez, phot by Stephen Chesley

And finally, we memorialize two pillars of the Columbia arts community, Mary Bentz Gilkerson and Wim Roefs, whose loss this spring we are still reeling from.

——

We look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

The event is free and Black Rooster’s regular rooftop bar will be serving drinks and food. Come by for happy hour and grab a drink, a magazine, and a hug from your favorite folks. Or plan on staying a while and grabbing dinner or snacks.

Thanks to restauranteur extraordinaire Kristian Niemi for hosting us.

We can’t wait to see you and show off these exceptional artists who call Columbia, SC home!

THE BEAT - Songs From The Vault: Admiral Radio’s New Album of Very Old Songs

By Kevin Oliver

 

Before we sat down on their front porch to talk about the release of Admiral Radio’s new album Songs From The Vault, I spied a vintage door leaning on the wall in a side room of Coty Hoover and Becca Smith’s charming Earlewood Park home. Described by Becca as “a project that I haven’t tackled yet,” the door’s flaking paint and unusual upper glass panes certainly appeared to be the bones of something that could be repurposed to great artistic effect. The songs on the new album are like that, worn yet comfortable tunes with the familiarity of an old coat of paint peeling from a door, layers upon layers that reveal older truth underneath. 

“We held on to the concept behind this album for a while, wanting something a little more simple and stripped down,” Smith says.  

The duo’s debut, Sounds Like You, was produced using a full band in the studio, something they rarely have the luxury of having on stage in a live setting. 

“We wanted to have something out there that reflected our pure duo sound,” Hoover admits. “We made a point to have this not be extremely polished.” 

The recording was done with the same production team of Carl Burnitz and Todd Mathis who helmed the debut, but this time around they eschewed the trappings of studio mikes, overdubs, and multiple takes in favor of a single condenser microphone hanging in the middle of a room between the two performers. Every song on the album is a single, complete take in that setting with nothing added–just Coty and Becca singing to each other and playing guitars and banjo.  

“A lot of the songs on this are ones we already play, songs we have collected over the last few years that we are drawn to for different reasons,” Smith says. “Sometimes it’s the lyrics, the story that the song tells, or it could be the way it makes us feel, and the way we sing it together.” 

Hoover and Smith sing together like the married couple they are, with their two voices playing off each other in close harmonies that sound as natural as a spring breeze bending the branches of a live oak tree. The sidewalk that constrains and conceals the tree’s roots is an apt metaphor for modern musical expectations that limit what people know about the history behind what they are hearing.  

Smith and Hoover both have deep connections, personal stories that link them to many of these songs and recording them was a bit of a history lesson for them, too. 

“One of my earliest memories growing up is a stuffed animal that I had,” Smith recalls. “It played ‘You Are My Sunshine,’ which if you really pay attention to the lyrics is pretty morbid.” 

Hoover’s recollection touches on the ancient ballad, “Oh My Darling, Clementine.”

“My uncle used to sing ‘Clementine’ to us while we were swinging in the back yard with the other kids,” He says. “I love songs like that where I have a specific memory of it, but when we play it now, I’m always thinking ‘Man, that’s a really sad song.’” 

Hoover and Smith’s easy familiarity with this material belies their own relatively recent vintage; so, when they decided to reach this far back to find songs for the new album, it took a little thought and some effort to research the sources.  

“With this project has come the recognition that some of our favorite songs span a stretch of time that’s much longer than we realized,” Smith says. “The songs we chose go back as far as the 1800s. To dive into the details of who wrote what, when was it published, and thinking about life then versus life now, and that we are still singing that same song two hundred years later, it’s really powerful. It has been a humbling and enriching experience to bring these into our own light and sing them in our own way.”  

The pandemic forced Hoover and Smith to reassess their musical career and focus on what mattered the most, which for them was the connection with others through making music. 

“Like most other full-time musicians, we were a bit lost in 2020 when the pandemic hit,” Hoover says. “We had plans to put out our debut album and tour behind it the rest of the year, and all of that was gone, suddenly.” 

The duo had to quickly figure out how to make ends meet financially and yet still continue to make music. They filled the gaps musically with livestreams, including a fully produced album release concert filmed professionally at the Sumter Opera House, but it wasn’t quite the same, Smith says. 

“The livestreams we did from home were a way to connect that was very restorative for my sense of community and faith in human connections through those very uncertain times,” She says. “We really, truly needed that, and it was an incredible time of camaraderie and support, even though we weren’t able to see our audiences in person. The Opera House show was a strange experience, in that it felt like a dress rehearsal, not quite the real thing.”  

A little more than two years into marriage and going through a pandemic, Smith says that they have learned a lot in the process about what they really want. 

“We are embracing the bits that aren’t quite perfect,” She says. “The pandemic experience has loosened up our attitude towards performance. Before, I was so serious and wanted everything to be just right every time. Now, I just want to play; I really just want to play.”  

You can hear Admiral Radio play this week when they celebrate the release of Songs From The Vault in concert at Downtown Church, 2030 Gregg Street. Doors open at 6:30, they will play from 7-8. A donation is requested, along with whatever food and beverage you prefer to bring in with you for this casual, communal musical evening.