Don't miss this Tribute to ELVIS Sat March 2nd at the Art Bar!
Bernie Love featuring Patrick Baxley, Jay Matheson, Marty Fort, and Kevin Brewer delivers the goods.
Early 9 p.m. show, 21+ Comedian Mike Reed kicks things off.
Bernie Love only offers this show about twice a year, so come on out!
More at www.bernieloverocks.com
An Ode to Garage Rock (In Appreciation of the Woggles) by Kevin Oliver
(Photo: Steven W. Terrell)
Rock ‘n’ roll is old enough to have a Hall of Fame and a museum, and enough subgenres to confuse even the most dedicated music fan. One of the constants, however, has been “garage rock,” a subgenre of rock that’s indebted to raw, unfiltered sounds coming from a basic guitar/bass/drums band from the 1960s. Think Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, The Kingsmen (of “Louie Louie” fame), The Standells (“Dirty Water”), The Troggs (“Wild Thing”) and many more. It’s an energetic, danceable style, something that has probably fueled its enduring popularity over the years, to the point where there are now “Garage Rock Revival” acts keeping the original style alive in various ways.
One of the latter is the long-running Atlanta band The Woggles, which has been around in some form or another for over 30 years, so to call them “revivalists” may not be entirely accurate–they probably influenced many of the newer bands themselves.
Featuring a two-guitar lineup, classic bass and drums rhythm section, and the irrepressible frontman “The Professor” Mighty Manfred, The Woggles have taken the garage rock blueprint and built their own sound on that foundation. 60s British Invasion, R&B and soul music classics and more form the border-less abandon of a Woggles show, with Manfred holding court up front as a slightly lunatic ringmaster of his own rock ‘n’ roll circus. It’s like a “Nuggets” compilation manifested in human form on whatever stage they appear on.
The problem with writing about a band like The Woggles is that there’s no real substitute for actually hearing them or seeing them live. So, in preparation for this Friday night’s Art Bar show, here’s a quick primer on some of the best Woggles tunes:
From their 1992 debut LP “Teen Dance Party,” this is a cover of an obscure 60’s tune from Don Gardner; it’s typical of the dance numbers they would make their name on.
From 1998’s “Wailin’ With The Woggles,” this one shows off their mostly instrumental surf rock tendencies, a fun side of the band.
A must-have for your Halloween playlists, this one from 1996’s “Get Tough!” is another surf-rock style number but with spooky sounds added.
A veritable mission statement for the ever-touring Woggles, this one’s a great showcase of the slightly unhinged vocals of Manfred. From the 2012 album “The Big Beat.”
While not quite a ballad, this one proves that The Woggles can slow down a bit and throw out some great melodic pop tunes when they want to. Great harmonica solo here, too.
A terrific cover of the Spirit classic that takes the dizzying speed of the original and fuzzes everything up even more. From the 2005 collection of singles, “Soul Sizzling 7” Meltdown.”
The Woggles with the Capital City Playboys:
Art Bar
Friday, May 19th
9:30 PM
Facebook event:
You're Invited to the Launch of The Limelight Volume III by Cindi Boiter at the Art Bar, Thursday February 23rd
Please join the Jasper Crew Thursday night, February 23 from 6 to 8 at the Art Bar as we help executive director Cindi Boiter celebrate the launch of her newest collection of essays written by some of Columbia’s most interesting local artists about some of Columbia’s most interesting local artists.
The Limelight volume III: A Compendium of Contemporary Columbia Artists is the third collection in this series Boiter has published from Muddy Ford Press. This volume features essays from Jon Tuttle and his son Josh, Cassie Premo Steele, Clair DeLune, Dale Bailes, Kristine Hartvigsen, David Axe, Claudia Smith Brinson, Jason Stokes, Ed Madden, Tim Conroy, Len Lawson, Chad Henderson, and Boiter herself. The subjects of the essays include Tom Beard, Al Black, Nappy Brown, Anastasia Chernoff, Thorne Compton, Clark Ellefson, William Price Fox, Phillip Gardner, Tyrone Geter, Terrance Henderson, Rob Kennedy, Jillian Owens, Leslie Pierce, Kathleen Robbins, Sharon Strange, and Kay Thigpen.
We’ll be gathering at 6 pm for a cocktail hour during which attendees can order drinks from the bar and visit with friends, purchase and sign books. Following that we will enjoy brief readings from the collection.
Admission is free and we’ll be gathering in the back of the bar. Books, including The Limelight Volume I and The Limelight Volume II will also be available for purchase at reduced rates.
The Art Bar is located at 1211 Park Street in Columbia, SC. Thanks to the Art Bar for hosting this event.
The Art Bar Hosts Jasper's Santa Crawl this Thursday!
Join the Jasper Family, Friends, and Future Friends this Thursday night (12/15) for our first official Santa Crawl.
We’re meeting at Art Bar at 7 pm. For those who would like to explore the Vista’s various bars and restaurants, we will send you on your way, while a number of us will simply be crawling around the Art Bar, enjoying a cocktail menu specially designed for the occasion, with a portion of sales from this menu going to benefit the Jasper Project. Jasper Santas will be onsite at the Art Bar from 7 – 11.
Wear anything from your warm and cozy Santa suit to Sexy Santa, Silly Santa, the Grinch, Rudolph, Hermey the future dentist, Coach Comet, or whatever Christmas character makes your little round belly shake like a bowlful of jelly!
New Jasper Magazines will also be on hand!
The Jasper Project and Art Bar Present Santa Crawl 2022!
It’s time to don your gay apparel and join the Jasper Project on Thursday December 15th at the Art Bar for our first ever (official) Santa Crawl!
Traditionally, a Santa Crawl is a bunch of merry-makers climbing into the Santa Suits we all keep in our closets and pub crawling through the city streets. But working in conjunction with the good folks at the Art Bar, this (official) event will find us just crawling all over the Art Bar instead.
Of course, you are welcome to (unofficially) take your Santa and other Christmas Character Clothes for a drink anywhere you’d like. But we hope you’ll at least start and stop with us at the Art Bar.
To make that invitation even more appealing, the bar staff at Art Bar will be creating a special Jasper Holiday Cocktail list and a portion of the proceeds of those drinks sold between December 15th and Christmas will be donated to the Jasper Project to offset the cost of printing Jasper Magazine, Fall Lines, and the winning submission to the Lizelia Prize Project.
To get you in the spirit for some Santa fun, enjoy these photos from our (unofficial) pre-Covid Santa Crawl in 2019.
Jasper Project ED Cindi Boiter and husband Bob Jolley at a previous non-affiliated Santa Crawl.
Dick Moons and BA Hohman Santa Crawl in 2019
Columbia Operatic Laboratory Brings Unconventional Opera to Art Bar with “Still Notoriously Hot *And Bothered*”
Columbia Operatic Laboratory (COLab) was founded by (now) alumni of the University of South Carolina School of Music in 2015. Since then, they have continued to try to promote the timelessness and accessibility of opera.
The nonprofit, that Jerryana Williams-Bibiloni, Marketing Director at COLab, says is like a Beezer's Gourmet Sandwich Shop T-Bird, consists of five members—a small board of artists with “day jobs” who have a passion for sharing opera to the city they love and dwell in.
“Although we all have our unique role to play for practical reasons, each vote has equal weight, which is especially beneficial as we come from fairly diverse backgrounds and want our respective niches represented,” Williams-Bibiloni shares, “This means also that we take turns in the director and musical director chair by assigning project leads based on our strengths and weaknesses or just availability!”
This group of dedicated individuals operates by the mission not your meemaw’s opera company, which emphasizes “the fact that [they] relish the opportunity to adapt classics to have [their] special COLab twist as part of [their] demystification of opera.”
If you go to a COLab production, you aren’t going to see time-period appropriate costumes or the same production of the ole’ opera those already deep in the genre have seen a plethora of times. They are making opera for those who may never have attended one otherwise.
“An example of this was our latest production of Mozart’s der Schauspieldirektor. Right off the bat we decided to move forward with the common English title The Impresario and to set it in Columbia, SC, with modern lyrics by librettist Evelyn Clary,” Williams-Bibiloni details, “As a show about a poor opera company, it felt appropriate to tackle as our first full production post-pandemic, and with the expertise of both Clary and Director Michael Brown, we were able to successfully address misogynist tropes of Mozart’s time and shape a more prominently feminist tale.”
Williams-Bibiloni jokes that part of COLab’s success is that they, like Star Trek, aim “to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.” In reality, they are actively trying to perform where others don’t, to perform in nontraditional ways—unconventional is their middle name.
“To achieve this we are constantly seeking partnerships with local organizations and looking for ways to highlight some of what makes the midlands area a fantastic place to live and work,” Williams-Bibiloni shares, “This goes right in hand also with our #SingLocal initiative that focuses on supporting local artists both on and off stage with job opportunities that respect not only what they bring to the table but also that they deserve to be paid consistently and fairly.”
This newest opera, “Still Notoriously Hot *And Bothered*,” is somewhat of a spin-off of their “Famously Hot” show last year, in which they paid “homage to the city we call home by trying to incorporate Columbia’s loving branding of being famously hot.”
“The title of our August 19th performance — Still Notoriously Hot *And Bothered* — comes from this as a 2.0 spin-off of sorts,” Williams-Bibiloni explains, “We’re still hot and sweaty but we’re also excited to share what makes us hot and bothered in a variety of ways as we’ll be covering the 3 Ls — Love, Lust, and Loss — through opera, operetta, and even musical theatre.”
This performance takes place at Art Bar, who has been one of COLabs strongest supporters since day one—a relationship that has only grown stronger over the years.
Patrons can expect a “night of melodious, intimate storytelling” featuring Jennifer Mitchell, baritone Greg Pipkin, and collaborative pianist Sharon Rattray. Art Bar is a 21+ venue, and there is no cover charge for entry to the event. Food and drink will be available.
“There won’t be a full orchestra, unless you count the hum of the city noises outside or the chatter of other bar patrons, nor will there be a specific dress code, but you can count on a welcoming, come-as-you-are environment with something for everyone in our program,” Williams-Bibiloni intimates.
Whether you like Art Bar, opera, art turned on its head, or new experiences, Opera at Art Bar: “Still Notoriously Hot *And Bothered*” is a show that will entertain and bring joy. The performance is Friday, August 19th at 6:00pm.
For those who want to spend even more time with COLab, on Friday, September 16th, they are having their first Pirates of Penzance Sing-A-Long: a pirate-themed fundraiser featuring Gilbert & Sullivan with an (optional) audience chorus.
For more information and updates on their events, you can follow COLab on Instagram and Facebook at Columbia Operatic Laboratory or email them at ColumbiaOperaticLaboratory@gmail.com.
Ashley Bennett Talks Inclusivity, Immersion, and Interaction Before Upcoming Tiny Coven Performance
On August 5, visitors and regulars of Art Bar will be treated to a performance by Columbia’s Tiny Coven Dance, a dance studio run by Ashley Bennett that prides itself on teaching fusion dance while also prioritizing diversity and inclusivity. We interviewed Ashley to find out more about what to expect from their upcoming show as well as some more information on what developed her passion for dance!
PC: Cesar Palacio
JASPER: What is your personal background within the world of dance? What was that "a-ha" moment that pushed you to pursue dance as a career?
BENNETT: I have wanted to be a dancer since I can remember. There is actually a photo of me on my 5th birthday, wearing a pink leotard with a tiny tutu, holding a ballerina teddy bear. In the photo, I’m wearing a gold “5” pin on my leotard and posing in “bras bas” (think arms down in a rounded position, teddy bear nestled into the crook of one arm). I hadn’t taken a dance lesson yet because we couldn’t afford it. My first ballet class was at age 12, while attending Davidson Fine Arts, a magnet school in Augusta, GA. While there, I studied modern dance with a Paraguayan instructor who also taught us traditional South American dances; since then, I was interested in multicultural folkloric dances. I remember seeing bellydancers at a festival and distinctly remember that there were moms performing in troupes with their teenage daughters and I thought that was really cool. I took a couple of lessons at a recreation center but wasn’t able to go regularly, so I didn’t end up studying bellydance seriously until after I graduated from high school.
JASPER: What can the audience expect from the performance at Art Bar?
BENNETT: The show is a musical treat. We used pretty much all international electronic music. Think Arabic and Turkish rhythms with full, bassy, moody layers. I was very careful to keep the music esoteric enough to transport the audience, while still being easy to listen to. Everything is right around heartbeat level, which is probably how I stay sane choreographing and rehearsing as much as I have been. I have not divided performances by skill level, and have instead interspersed less experienced dancers with company seniors; this way, I am staying just within my team’s abilities, while still pushing them to their limits.
JASPER: Have you performed at Art Bar before?
BENNETT: Art Bar was the home stage for the company I moved here to join, “Delirium,” which later became “Columbia Alternacirque,” and that was in 2007. I think it was about 2017 that we did about 9 monthly shows at Tiny Coven, in an event we called “Shrine Underground,” and it was a fast-paced choreography/rehearsal schedule that helped my senior troupe members sharpen their stage tools. In this period of time, my new performers became very efficient with training, as well as costume/makeup and stage craft.
JASPER: How would you describe the dance community in Columbia? Do you think it’s changed or grown over the past few years?
BENNETT: I feel like the dance community is still very much in an incubation stage, thanks to the pandemic. Our ability to rehearse and train together is dependent on everyone being available. We have still been struggling with missing dancers while they quarantine — but it’s coming back. I think bellydance is one of the least-respected dance forms, so it’s difficult to promote online. I refuse to market my classes in the frame of an “exotic new hobby,” and I also refuse to promote weight loss at my business, so the dancers that find me are coming to train because they like my dance style and want to be a part of it. That makes me a bit insular, and that’s okay. There are a couple of other bellydance instructors in town, and they know that my door is always open for collaboration, rehearsal space, cross-promoting events, etc. and we have been that way since before the pandemic
JASPER: What does the troupe do to ensure the audience has a unique experience watching you?
BENNETT: Art Bar is such a great space for blurring the lines between audience and performer. As much as we love ennui, the enthusiasm of a performer standing RIGHT next to you — breathless and awaiting their next cue — is probably my favorite thing about the venue. I remember, years ago, dancing there for a packed house. I finished my solo and made my way to the back of the audience, but couldn’t see. I climbed onto a chair and grabbed a man’s shoulder to stabilize me. A couple of days later, I read Jeffrey Day’s review of our show in The State, and he was the man whose shoulder I had grabbed. For someone who is so accustomed to being completely separate from the performers in professional dance shows, the experience was groundbreaking. He STILL reminds me of that story whenever we see each other and I still get warm and fuzzy.
Tiny Coven’s performance starts at 8:00pm on the 5th, and admission into the show is free! Support local bars and local artists by stopping by to check out a one-of-a-kind performance you won’t want to miss.
ELVIS TRIBUTE by BERNIE LOVE & THE MEMPHIS THREE (aka Columbia's Favorite Playboys & Friend) - July 2nd at the Art Bar
JULY 2ND, 2022!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A few words from Marty Fort, founder and director of the Columbia Arts Academy and longtime member of the Capital City Playboys, who encourages music lovers to mark their calendars for July 2nd.
“So everyone's excited for the new [Warner Brothers} ELVIS movie coming, out...But I want to HIGHLY encourage you to come to Art Bar on July 2nd to see Columbia's full blown and brand NEW Elvis Tribute set Bernie Love featuring the Capital City Playboys with Patrick Baxley bringing the heat as Elvis.”
“[We’re] so excited to rock this set of Elvis tunes, many of which we performed at the Guest House at Graceland in April. So come out for this EARLY show 8:30 p.m. Who knows if we'll ever do it again?”
Bernie Love will be followed by a rocking set by the Capital City Playboys as well as Jared Petteys and the Headliners. There may even be more surprises in store.
The Art Bar is located at 1211 Park Street in Columbia’s historic Congaree Vista.
THE BEAT: Local All-Star Ramones Tribute Show by Kevin Oliver
Although the Ramones disbanded in 1996 after a 20-year run of albums and legendary live shows, the New York punk band’s influence remains strong. It was that legacy which led bassist Jason Carrion of Isabelle’s Gift to choose their music to pay tribute to in this coming Saturday night’s all-star tribute show at the Art Bar. This isn’t just any tribute act, however. Carrion has enlisted a “Who’s Who” list of local musical luminaries to play and sing together in a rotating cast that will present Ramones tunes from the familiar to the more obscure deep cuts.
“This whole thing grew out of my desire to see more of my music friends that I’d been missing the last couple years because of Covid,” Carrion says. “I had lunch with Jay Matheson (of the Jam Room and multiple local bands), and he was on board immediately, as were the people at the Art Bar.”
The calls to other musicians came next, and Carrion says almost everyone said ‘yes.’ Logistically the preparations have been tricky, with several players coming in from other cities and even other states.
“Jay let us use the Jam Room for practice, and Web Hulon of lowercase gods opened up his place for us too, so we had different combinations practicing different places with different people,” Carrion says. “Brian Vogle, who used to be in Drown Mary with me, is coming from Atlanta to play this show.”
Other participants include Carrion’s bandmates Chris Sutton and Scott Frey from Isabelle’s Gift, Patti Davis, currently of the Transonics but also from the late great punk band Six Ten Split, among others, Claude Spurlock of Gruzer, Billy Riot of Soda City Riot, members of Brandy and the Butcher, and Jeremy Martin. Carrion’s own son, who usually does hip-hop music, is involved as well.
It’s a real history of local bands,” Carrion says. “Jay started playing here in the 80’s, Chris and I came out of the 1990s along with Patti, and the Gruzer guys and Soda City Riot are more recent, down to Brandy and the Butcher.” Even the bands of more contemporary vintage include members who have been around the local music scene for years.
The camaraderie of getting together and rehearsing these songs has been the biggest benefit for everyone, he adds.
“There are no full bands participating in this as a single unit,” Carrion says. “Everyone is mixed up with people from other bands, some of whom they’ve never played music with before–that’s been the fun part.”
While everyone was mostly familiar with the songs, there were some choices made on songs and who would sing what. Not everyone can do “I Wanna Be Sedated,” after all, and there were some songs that even the musicians didn’t want to have to learn.
“Ramones songs are more complex than people realize,” says Web Hulon, who will be singing two of the set’s 18 picks. “One of my favorites got voted down because it would have been too hard to do, but it was Jason’s idea for me to sing ‘Do You Wanna Dance,’ an older song that was a cover when the Ramones did it.”
Carrion sees this as a confirmation of being into playing live music just for the sake of playing, nothing else, and he’s excited to be playing with a group of musicians who feel the same way.
“I went to see Soda City Riot for the first time a while back, since Travis Nicholson is playing with them and now also with us in Isabelle’s Gift,” He recalls. “They just brought it that night, every part of that band is great–that’s the kind of energy and level of fun we want to bring to this.”
The Ramones Tribute Show happens Friday, April 15th at the Art Bar, doors open at 8:00 with the show starting at 10. $8 cover, 21+ only.
THE BEAT: Art Bar Concert Review March 12, 2022 by Emily Moffitt
Video game track covers, electrifying synths, and rock and roll; Art Bar’s live music concert on March 12 had it all.
The night featured performances by Outer Ego, Dead Spring, Harry and the Hootenannies, and Bad Stars, giving the audience a plethora of genres and new music to listen to.
Several of the bands debuted new music they were working on, and some performed excellent covers by other well-known groups, like Outer Ego’s great cover of Daft Punk’s “Something About Us” and Harry and the Hootenannies’ getting the crowd going by performing the original Powerpuff Girls theme song.
With so much variation between each group, there was enough to go around for the crowd to enjoy and dance to. The intimate spacing of the stage to the audience in Art Bar bolstered the mood of the entire room, encouraging conversation between the performers and the crowd through the music and during breaks.
It was a great night and a fantastic concert and gives us plenty to look forward to in terms of future gigs for all of the groups involved here.
Columbia Operatic Laboratory is Back at Art Bar 3/25 - GET YOU SOME FREE OPERA!
“Not your MeeMaw’s Opera Company …”
The Jasper Project is all about bringing Art to the people. Even when we, the people, aren’t expecting it and maybe didn’t even know we were missing it.
That’s why we love the way the Columbia Operatic Lab works.
At the Columbia Operatic Lab, their mission is the demystification of opera — removing all those stuffy misconceptions that opera is only for CeRtAiN PeOpLe — i.e., the kind who can afford to put on their schmanciest clothes and don their tiaras and and cummerbunds for the occasion of listening to stories of life presented vocally.
The Columbia Operatic Lab reminds us that the history of opera is full of comedy, drama, sex, irreverence, murder, and more. At one moment opera will make us LOL and at the next if will create a lump in our throats the size of Bizet’s big toe.
What’s more, they make this oft-misunderstood art form accessible by planning free concerts at local bars and simply passing the hat to help sustain their organization.
We love this!
And we’re happy to share the details of the COL’s next venture into the beauty of opera. Here’s what they shared with us …
Columbia Operatic Laboratory is presenting a concert of operatic music at Art Bar at 6:30pm on Friday, March 25. “This is not your MeeMaw’s opera company” says Evelyn Clary, who is a board member, “We will have fantastic professionals singing dearly loved operatic pieces, but we will put our fresh and fun spin on the evening. You need not be an opera nerd to enjoy the beauty of the music and share some laughs with us.”
Even those who are not opera buffs will recognize quite a few of the tunes. There will be selections from Carmen, Barber of Seville, Pirates of Penzance, and Impresario (which will be staged by the company in May). Also, they will perform an operatic setting of a portion of Night of the Living Dead.
Joining board members Michael T. Brown and Jerryana Williams-Bibiloni are baritone Greg Pipkin and Soda City’s favorite Jezebel, TrashyAmber. Bradley Fuller will accompany them. All are alumni of the University of South Carolina School of Music. “One goal of our company,” says Brown, “is to highlight SC grown talent and to provide professional performance opportunities for local artists.”
There is no cover charge, but donations to Columbia Operatic Laboratory, a 501(c)(3) are gratefully accepted. For more information on the event, check out Facebook.com/ColumbiaOperaticLaboratory
Art Bar is located at 1211 Park Street in Columbia and is a 21 and up establishment.
Columbia Operatic Lab is Everything 2021 Needs from a Badass Opera Company
“This is not your Mee-Maw’s opera …”
Columbia Operatic Laboratory is delighted to be back at Art Bar at 8:00 PM on Friday, August 20 to present a “Notoriously Hot *and Bothered*” concert and the original opera “Four Singers Walk into A Bar.”
The concert will feature music from opera and musicals that will take you from the heat of passionate love to the flames of anger, to the pits of Hell, and back to the sweltering heat of our fair city. Who knows what you will hear or what special guest stars may appear?
Four Singers Walk into a Bar tells the story of four singers who walk into a bar to sing and try to pick up dates. While they sing in foreign languages, there is a handy-dandy live translator to provide an English translation and a bit of color commentary. Columbia Operatic Laboratory founding member Maria Beery wrote the show as a way to make a recital of arias and scenes more interesting by weaving a plot through them. While the music is hundreds of years old, the stories are current and relatable.
This is not your Mee-Maw’s opera, and you do not need a music degree to enjoy a special evening of live entertainment.
Performers for the evening include singers Maria Beery, Michael Brown, Evelyn Clary, Jennifer Mitchell, and Craig Price, translator Andrew Skaggs, and collaborative pianist Bradley Fuller.
Art Bar is located at 1211 Park Street in Columbia. There will be a $5 cover, and donations will be gratefully accepted.
Columbia Operatic Laboratory, Inc. is a 501-c3 nonprofit aimed at providing arts educating in the field of opera. For more information, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo Credits – Michael Brown and Jerryana Williams-Bibiloni
Ony's Bands - Tyler Digital - Appearing Thursday Night at the Jasper Release Party
Columbia may not be the epicenter of the electronic music scene, but there are artists who are trying to broaden our scene with more of it. These artists are usually either on mixed bills or performing at house shows, but there is more going on in this sector of our music scene than some may realize. A few of these acts will be performing at Jasper’s fall 2016 release party at Art Bar on September 29, including Tyler Digital.
Tyler Digital is the electronic project of local musician, Tyler Matthews. Matthews has been producing seriously for about three years, and makes dance pop fit for house parties and DJ sets. His influences range from Hans Zimmer to Led Zeppelin, and he hopes to one day be a soundtrack producer as influential as the likes of Zimmer. I asked Matthews more about his music and the local electronic scene in the following interview.
Matthews will be performing a DJ set as Tyler Digital at the Jasper release along with Autocorrect, The Moon Moths, and King Vulture.
Can you describe what your music is like? On some days it's energized left-field dance pop — and on another day it's an emotional hybrid of synth-wave and symphonic house. I try to not sound like anyone else, but that doesn't make life easy for writers.
What is your songwriting process like? I like to make a good synth sound, then make a 1-2 bar chord progression, put together a beat and then make a bass that goes well with both. After that I like to chop up some vocals turn that into a lead instrument. Everything else just builds around those components.
What bands/DJs/acts do you typically play with? Is it usually a mixed bill/house show sort of situation or would you say there is an active scene? And if not, do you wish there was one/think it's possible that it will emerge? Long answer: Mixed bill/House Shows - Yes. Mason Youngblood runs Moas Collective; he's done a great job of getting electronic producers together. But he moved to Brooklyn for his PhD and then several of our friends spread out to Atlanta, Portland, Nashville, New York, Puerto Rico, etc in just the last year. But we still talk music often and collab because internet life. Right now I do shows with Anissa Armaly (Dulce De— DJ and producer) and also Wright Clarkson (OS3) who is a baller. I also do shows with Contour and some other producer friends from the Charleston scene. Ahomari (Cyberbae) plus the Tri City Rec crowd is making amazing music right now. So there's definitely talent in SC, but quite the limited audience; I think any musician here would admit that. Regarding the scene now, we blend in with the bands in Scenario Collective and they have events all the time. I'm confident we could expand the live scene in 5 Points, Main Street, and the Vista if any owners were looking for that. Ideally I'd love to have a space in Cola similar to Common Market in Charlotte - the crowd and atmosphere there is amazing and one we need in Columbia. Or maybe I should just ask the Whig for a residency.
Do you have any other shows or releases coming up? I'm doing a DJ Set for WUSC on October 27th. And once a month there's usually some house show or dance party that I'll get asked to do. From a creation standpoint, I'm writing a soundtrack for a short film which I plan to make myself. And then I'm producing a rap EP for a couple of talented bosses. They are Columbia's next hope.
What is your philosophy as a musician, if you have one? The best music you will make are the songs that happen naturally, fluidly, and quickly. Translated to philosophy: just keep making music - you will surprise yourself. You can't do anything wrong when making music anyway.
Ony's Bands - Autocorrect & the Jasper Release Concert Thursday Night at Art Bar
Autocorrect describes themselves as a “post-human experimental rap choir,” blending performance art, hip hop, and internet content. From their name alone, one gets the impression that they are calling attention to the ways in which technology affects how we communicate. Their songs address this issue in varying ways. The group consists of Cecil Decker (rapping, drums, sampling, programming), Chris Johnson (vocals, synths, guitars), and Moses Andrews III (bass, vocals, synths).
Decker explains that their main goal is to “explore the way modern communication and technology fractures identity.” He says, “There’s an interesting duality with social media, where it can unite and divide people.” Autocorrect explores this divide and how it affects the individual. They’ll be performing at Jasper’s Fall 2016 release on September 29 at Art Bar, with other performances by The Moon Moths, King Vulture, and a DJ set by Tyler Digital.
Can you tell me a little bit about your band and how/when you formed?
Autocorrect, neé Salvo, spawned in 2014 from colliding noise/rap/ambient projects between Cecil, Chris, and Sean. They trapped Cecil’s then-roommate Moses—the funkiest person alive—in a dank meme ritual. Initially a recording project, Cecil’s propensity for performance art combined with the rest of the group’s classical music training turned the one-off idea into an exhilarating live band.
Can you describe what your music is like?
We are a post-human experimental rap choir. Student loans, minimum wage, tweetbots, and crippling depression. There has never been a better time.
What are some of your previous releases? Are they available online?
Our newest album, as it is, will make you cry into your drink while you bust a move on the dance floor. All of our records/EPs/etc are available at http://autocorrectsound.bandcamp.com.
What is your songwriting process like?
We assemble in the smallest room possible, gathering our chaos magick underneath an extensive and relentless pile of electronics. We stare at each other in silence until someone has an idea. Then, we spend the next 6 hours making a song.
Who/what are some of your musical influences?
El-P, John Cage, Pino Palladino, Koji Kondo.
What are your goals for the band/its future?
Our imperative is to always make art that challenges us and the audience. Right now, we want to start absorbing every other kind of music into our collective body. So we’ve scheduled sessions with local superstars, like the Post-Timey String Band, in order to suck the music juice out of their brains.
Concert to Celebrate Jasper Magazine Release at Art Bar
Thursday night is concert night at the Art Bar as we celebrate the release of the 31st issue of Jasper Magazine. In the next few days we'll be profiling the bands that will be celebrating with us via our regular series by Ony Ratsimbaharison, Ony's Bands, starting with Moon Moths.
The Jasper release party will also give us a time to recognize some important people in the arts community who are getting stuff done these days - our JAY finalists and our 2016 2nd Act film Festival filmmakers.
We're also pretty excited about the stories in this issue including a cover story on Nicole Kallenberg Heere whose work we love for both its exquisite technique and its irreverent subject matter. (Wait til you see the cover of the mag!)
Our centerfold is pretty impressive, too, as we profile one of America's top artist, Joe Byrne, who lives right here in Columbia, SC.
And in our new expanded format of 96 pages we are able to bring you more music reviews, book reviews, and stories about local artists (did you know that Keith Mearns, who is the horticulturist at Historic Columbia used to be a professional ballet dancer?)
We've even got short fiction as Michael Spawn shares his short story, "Stoned Puppies Forever."
We'll be offering you more teasers over the next few days as Ony profiles our guest bands and we get you ready for another fun night at Art Bar - Columbia's longtime home for the wondering artist.
Now, the Moon Moths, by Ony.
Self-proclaimed as “psychedelic orchestral hip-hop,” The Moon Moths is a new-ish band that is heavily involved in Columbia’s newly revitalized scene of young artists. You can find them and their friends playing unconventional shows set up by the Scenario Collective, a local artist collective that aims to enrich our arts and music scene. Overall, they wish to spread a message of love, peace, and self-fulfillment, according to Rupert Hudson, the band’s vocalist.
The Moon Moths features a rotating cast of members but was started by Hudson, AKA Prince Rupert, after he got asked to play at a Battle of the Bands but had no band to play his music with. After missing this opportunity to play, Hudson got together with some other members of Scenario, which he is involved with, and started playing. Hudson lists over ten active members of the band in the following interview, but each performance’s lineup is dependent on who’s available to play.
You can catch their extensive lineup at Jasper’s Fall 2016 release party on September 29, with other performances by Autocorrect, King Vulture, and Tyler Digital (playing a DJ set). Who are all the members of the band?
Prince Rupert - Vocalist
Sixx - Vocalist
Moon Child - Guitar/Vocals
Love Potion #9 - Violin
Poof The Blue Bat - Tap Dancing/Vocals
Fresh Heaven - Guitar/Vocals
King Goof - Bass
The Seduction - Keys
Mister B - Drums
The Visible Choir Boy - Trumpet
Daddy Ice – Ukelele
So is there a set group of people in the band or does it vary sometimes? The band varies sometimes depending on our shows, as since we have so many members it's difficult to have everyone at each show! But we try to have all the members each time.
What is your songwriting process like? Originally, I would write the entire song on the piano and the band would flesh it out, but recently we have been getting together and writing songs as a full band, which creates a more rewarding environment for the whole band.
Who/what are some of your musical influences? All of us have differing tastes that align in certain places but my own influences are specifically Chance The Rapper, Arcade Fire, and Kanye West.
Do you have any other shows or releases coming up? We do! We are playing Scenario's Embryoasis show on October 1st at Tapps and the Subversive Art Festival (SAFE) at Tapps on October 8th. We will be releasing music late this year or early next year.
What are some of your previous releases? Are they available online? We have just released on track, Meep Meep, on our soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/themoonmoths/meep-meep
What are your goals for the band/its future? We are going to be recording this year and I would love to get that out so that we can book a tour. Playing SXSW next year would be brilliant and a definite goal. --OR
Show Alert: Capital City Playboys CD Release This Saturday, September 26th at Art Bar
On Saturday, September 26, local lounge-rock trio the Capital City Playboys will release their first full-length LP, Bad Bad Man. The album’s lead single and title track is a kinetic burst of ominous, surf and blues-influenced rock and roll based around clean guitar lines and tight, unflashy rhythms. With guitarist Mary Fort’s deep-bellied croon leading the charge, one is almost reminded of Glenn Danzig and his early work with fuzzy doom-punkers the Misfits. The unrelenting gloom in his voice makes for an interesting contrast with the waves you can almost hear crashing somewhere in the background. This song belongs over the opening credits of a Tarantino flick. Don’t believe me? Just listen here. -Music Editor Michael Spawn
Jasper Magazine September 2015 Release Party: The Music
We've got a great evening of music to celebrate the release of our new magazine that covers, among other things, giants of modernism like Georgia O'Keeffe, crazy wigs made by some talented folk working at Trustus, dystopian depictions of mutant hogs conjured up by Julia Elliott, and the worst local musician of all time, that asshole Danny Joe.
Come out tonight, September 17th, to the Art Bar to check out the new magazine, socialize, and hear some great local tunes. Here's some of what we've said before about the acts playing, along with links to their music:
"...the heavily reverbed melancholy and hazy melodies he writes are well within the lineage of chillwave, even as he tends towards busier productions and more urgent tempos than would be the norm. He also incorporates some lovely R&B-inflected moments, like on 'Her Bath Salts' and 'Easy, Girl,' which win him easy comparisons to Toro y Moi.
Those tunes are undeniably likeable, but the best stuff here is when Sams is tinkering on the edges of that signature style, when he tries out a more laconic delivery on the bustling 'Ferris Wheeler' or veers into The Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips territory on 'Call Out Your Name.'" -Kyle Petersen, Jasper Magazine May 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCtYGWrx7FA
"A duo composed of vocalist/guitarist/kazoo player Kelly McLachlan and multi-instrumentalist Sean Thomson, PTSB are more Gillian Welch & David Rawlings than She & Him, with a love of the most time-worn idioms of classic folk and blues songs and a blazing authenticity to support their claim as a “string band.”
The songs themselves range from lonesome country to ramshackle blues, but McLachlan’s voice is best suited to wrenching the nuance out of individual syllables in the most simplistic of country ballads or sad-eyed blues songs. Here, “I Do” and “Tightrope” serve as the best showcases, although “Blues for Charley” and “Lauren’s Song” are the best examples of the group’s songwriting prowess." - Kyle Petersen, Jasper Magazine May 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHogwSjUur8
"...Within these fifteen tracks, we find Brown fully embracing and perfecting the anything-goes Neverland pop he began courting on 2013’s Through Vivaldian Colored Glasses. Describing any song or album as ‘Beatle-esque’ runs the very real risk of embarrassing all parties concerned—the artist, the listener, Paul, Yoko, etc. (Ringo would likely remain ambivalent)—but sometimes it’s just the most accurate possible description for a piece of artful pop music, so I’m using it now in what I hope is the best possible way. Second Childhood is the sound of Sergeant Pepper diving headlong into the toybox and treating every discovery like the treasure it is. It’s Marshall Brown being himself completely, while making no bones about his influences and how he can twist them to suit his needs." -Michael Spawn, Jasper Magazine September 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAQtse6IIyE
"He’s an asshole musician with delusions of grandeur." - Daniel Machado on his alter-ego Danny Joe Machado, Jasper Magazine September 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ogls-FyahM
Highlighting Indie Music in the Summer Music Festival Season
So we are officially in the midst of the summer festival season, and dedicated local music lovers have probably caught various local acts populating the stages at Rosewood Crawfish Festival (which had an excellent line-up of local acts this year), Stereofly’s Rootsy Memorial Day Festival at Art Bar, the Back To Rockafella’s celebration, or West Fest. The more cultured have also stopped in on the Southeastern Piano Festival, a week of world-class piano performances which is as of this writing mostly sold-out (we recommend checking out the Arthur Fraser International Concerto Competition, where young contestants duke it out in dazzling style from morning to night. It's this Friday, June 14, at the School of Music recital hall, and it's free). More festivals are on the horizon, including the wince-inducing resuscitation of the Three Rivers Festival on July 6 and 13. Jasper loves a diversity of musical experiences, but in particular loves when Columbia gets a bit more cutting-edge. Two festivals this summer offer some of that edginess where others play it safe.
The first is Recess Fest, which is happening this Friday, June 14th, at a variety of venues across Columbia. An off-shoot of the Charlotte festival, which is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year, the festival derives its name from the carefree spirit of school recess, and champions a community-centered approach while introducing local acts from across the state. Spearheaded by people person bandleader and Can’t Kids drummer/singer Jessica Oliver, the night offers a reasonable festival-style cost for a rambunctious line-up. Here are the details:
New Brookland Tavern Modern Man - Charleston Elim Bolt - Charleston Octopus Jones - Raleigh (formerly Columbia) One Another - Charlotte Red Door Tavern Great Architect - Charlotte Magnetic Flowers - Columbia Dear Blanca - Columbia Luciferian Agenda - Charlotte State Street Pub Blossoms - Charlotte Dumb Doctors - Charleston Let’s Go, Coyote! - Columbia Jordan Igoe - Charleston Silent Spring Ensemble - Columbia Conundrum Music Hall Roomdance - Columbia Happiness Bomb - Columbia Sandcastles - Columbia Late Bloomer - Charlotte Hunter Gatherer Brewery Bo White & su Orchesta Fat Rat da Czar with Grand Royal
All of the shows except for the Hunter-Gatherer one start at 7 and finish around 11, with festival-goers convening at the brewpub for an after-party with Bo White and Fat Rat (which Jasper thinks was a thoroughly excellent planning decision). The line-up demonstrates an excellent mix of bands who play the town frequently with some lesser-knowns from from the Charlotte area.
Here's a video from Charleston favorite Elim Bolt, recorded as part of our own Fork & Spoon's Casual Friday series, who will be playing the New Brookland stage:
http://vimeo.com/64837746
The second festival we want to highlight is Spit Fest (“SP”ace “I”dea “T”apes Fest) , an annual DIY music festival on July 4th dedicated to celebrating “outsider art and culture centering around Columbia, SC.” Organized by the Space Idea Tapes record label, which does casette-only releases of bands throughout the tri-state area, the festival features off-kilter and oddball acts seldom-seen on any other big festival bill in Columbia--and fast-moving, 15 minute sets that allow for a rather expansive line-up on one stage in a single night. Now in its third year, the festival wants to be a bit more above-ground and move away from its house show origins--this year, Conundrum Music Hall is hosting, and the festival has an Indie GoGo fundraiser which finishes up at midnight tomorrow. Check out the fundraiser site here--note the nice incentives, as well as the other logistics needs Space Idea Tapes still has. The festival will also feature a BBQ potluck and regional visual artists showcasing their work. Check out the line-up below.
We'll leave you with a tune from the Spit Fest-featured elvis depressedly's lastest ep, holo pleasures, which was reviewed in the current issue of Jasper (pick one up, if you haven't already!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJSoec3r-EI
Memorial Day Rootsy Revival at the Art Bar
Organized by The Stereofly, a music blog that seeks to unite musicians across the Southeast, the Memorial Day Rootsy Revival (this Sunday, May 26th, at the Art Bar) presents an excellent mix of some of the best local and regional roots-rock acts around, with all proceeds benefiting Hidden Wounds, a Midlands based nonprofit that provides counseling to veterans dealing with PTSD.
BLACKLIGHT ROOM 05:00-05:30 The (Hollerin') River Talkers 06:15-07:00 Black Iron Gathering 07:45-08:45 Co. 09:45-10:45 The Restoration 11:45-12:45 Banditos
OLD TV ROOM 05:30-06:15 Overmountain Men 07:00-07:45 Elim Bolt 08:45-09:45 The Mobros 10:45-11:45 Megan Jean & The KFB 12:45-01:45 Masonjar Menagerie
While featuring many local Columbia bands we here at Jasper are big fans of (The Mobros! The Restoration! Black Iron Gathering! The Hollerin' River Talkers!) and a couple of Charleston's most buzzed-about (Company, Elim Bolt), the real draw here is a couple of awesome-but-little known regional acts: the Nashville-based, Birmingham-bred Banditos and Piedmont, NC's Overmountain Men. The former is a gritty, hard rockin' honky tonk band with a soulful heart, the latter a casually elegant group that splits the difference between good-time string band and stately folk-rock. Check out the videos below--these are two bands worth turning out for, in addition to the onslaught of local talent that will be populating the twin stages of the Art Bar on Sunday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rKzxzvyc35M#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7_P7p1IP3g
Garage/Rockabilly Band Capital City Playboys Are Throwing a Party This Saturday!
By: Casey White, Jasper Intern
The Capital City Playboys have been around since 2009, but its members have been playing in bands around Columbia for a number of years previously. Marty Fort (guitar and vocals), Jay Matheson (bass and vocals), and Kevin Brewer (drums and vocals) are veterans of the Columbia music scene, and with CCP they hope not only to bring new music to the capital city, but also some of that classic rockabilly vibe . The group will be bringing their classic rock and roll party energy to the Art Bar this Saturday night, along with Buck Stanley, Dixie Dynamite, and Beach Day.
Although the band formed in Columbia, Brewer has since moved to Georgia, due to his obligations to the U.S. Army. Brewer joined in 2004, becoming an official Army musician in 2006. Although serving has forced him to relocate, he says that being an Army musician is the greatest day job he’s ever had.
“Keeping CCP going does take a lot of work and, for me, a bunch of driving,” Brewer says. Although it takes a great deal of effort, and is a 308-mile trip each way, Brewer knows that playing shows with Fort and Matheson is the thing he loves to do most.
Although he doesn’t mind driving to play shows with his band mates, Brewer says that the distance does making writing new material more difficult. The group sends ideas for songs to each other when they get them, fleshing them out when the band can get together, i.e. when they all have the time. It is often difficult to find that time, because they all stay busy with their respective careers - Brewer in the military, Fort working for the Columbia Arts Academy, and Matheson working at the Jam Room.
Despite the distance, the Capital City Playboys plan to host a show that the people of Columbia will remember. Brewer also sees the performance as a reunion with the friends and family he had to leave when he moved to Georgia.
“I'm really excited about the show Saturday,” said Brewer. “Not only will it be an epic line-up, but for my wife Gina and I, it will be a bit of a family reunion. Many of our closest friends will be under the same roof for the night. You can expect a stellar performance from every band.”
Buck Stanley is a band fronted by another veteran of the Columbia music scene, Stan Gardner, and features CCP bassist Jay Matheson as well. The group plays what they describe as stripped down Americana, with pedal steel and fiddle players laying down healthy doses of twang-filled licks. Female-fronted Beach Day (hailing from Hollywood, Florida) will be performing their own compelling mixture of surf and garage rock, while Columbia’s Dixie Dynamite will be starting the night off with some old school country sounds.
The four acts make for a great bill, and promise a fabulous night of great music. Come on out to the Art Bar this Saturday, July 28th, and experience it!