On Sunday October 1, the Koger Center for the Arts is hosting their “Seat Reveal Party,” an event that falls under the umbrella of their “Live Outside” series. To improve audience accessibility and diversity, the series is a collection of free concerts on their outdoor Plaza Stage. Previous acts in the series include David Rodriguez and the Latin Hustle, Rex Darling, Som’bout, and Claudette King. The Seat Reveal Party event will be accompanied by free performances by the USC Jazz Studies student ensemble and the Randy Lucas Trio!
Randy Lucas is the group’s guitar and banjo player. He started playing at a very early age and it is evident when you hear him play. He has earned several banjo competition awards during his career, including the prestigious national championship contest at the 1997 Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, the 2001 and 2015 banjo competition at the RenoFest bluegrass festival in Hartsville, and the 2004 Fiddle fest in Roanoke, VA. Randy’s creative playing style is the backbone of the group’s sound. Jim Graddick plays violin and mandolin in the trio. He is a 2012 graduate of the USC School of Music with an undergraduate degree in music education. Fortunately, he became interested in bluegrass and old-time fiddling at a young age and has been playing these styles along with classical music for years. He is the 2017 South Carolina Old-Time Fiddle Champion and the 2018 Carolina Country Music Fiddler of the Year for NC and SC. The “senior” member of the group is bassist Dave Holder. He started playing folk music in 1964 and has continued playing acoustic music of some sort to this day. He enjoys his role as the trio’s foundation holding down the beat and groove and feels privileged to be playing behind two great instrumentalists.
Starting at 5:00 p.m., the Koger Center will open the doors to their auditorium for patrons to see and sit in the new seats without the trademark squeaking. The event is also a part of the “Name a Seat” campaign, where those who have purchased one can choose the seat they would like to have their name on an attached plaque. If you are interested in purchasing a seat the day of, you are more than welcome to! There will be staff available to answer any questions about this fundraising campaign.
The event is free and open to the public. Café Strudel’s food truck will be on site. For more information, visit the Koger Center website or reach out to kogercenter@sc.edu.