Jack Williams Concert at Tree of Life (ToL) Coffeehouse

JACK WILLIAMS

The non-profit ToL Coffeehouse is now working to restart its singer/songwriter concert series, which began 30 years ago in Columbia and was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Jack Williams, a nationally touring performer and long-time Coffeehouse favorite who grew up in our area, will perform April 22 at the Tree of Life Congregation at 6719 North Trenholm Road in Columbia. He will be performing with the Winterline Band, which consists of Columbia-area musicians Cary Taylor, Susan Taylor, and Danny Harlow.


Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with sandwiches from Groucho’s, plus desserts and beverages. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 if purchased online in advance (at tol-coffeehouse.square.site) or $27 at the door.


The Coffeehouse music series had its roots in house concerts held by Dr. Jimmy Riddle, a Columbia psychiatrist with a passion for folk music. His concerts featured nationally touring singer/songwriters. About 1993, local singer songwriter Susan Corbett suggested holding similar concerts at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Heyward and Woodward streets in Shandon, where she served as religious education director. The concert series became known as the UU Coffeehouse.


“A bunch of us helped in a variety of ways — selling tickets at the door, helping run sound, managing the kitchen, setting up the sanctuary, putting posters around town, and anything else needed to hold shows,” said Mike Paget, then a member of the fellowship and longtime volunteer.


Paget took over as director of the series from about 2000 to 2013, when he moved to Kansas City, where he started the Green Guitar Folk House. Steve Fisher took over until the last concert at the UU in February 2017. The UU had decided to no longer host the event, and the Tree of Life Congregation picked it up.


Ironically, the Coffeehouse venue in Shandon was built in 1952 by the Tree of Life Congregation and served as its synagogue until it moved to Forest Acres in 1986. Ellis Paul kicked off the renamed ToL Coffeehouse series with a concert at the Trenholm Road synagogue Nov. 17, 2017. In another irony, Ellis Paul played Feb. 15, 2020, which turned out to be the series final concert before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the season’s final show, which had been planned for April 15.


If this event is successful, the volunteers who run the ToL Coffeehouse hope to launch a full series of four or five concerts this fall. 

 

Virginia Russo Joins Saul Seibert for Artists Showing Artists THIS THURSDAY


For the first installation of the Jasper Project’s Artists Showing Artists series taking place this Thursday night at 7 at The Living Room, Saul Seibert chose Artist Virginia Russo as one of the artists he would like to feature. 

Kara Virginia Russo is a visual and performance artist who grew up in the tiny lake towns of 1980's central Florida, before moving north and earning a BFA from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. After living for a while in both Asia and Europe, she returned to settle with her husband and two children in South Carolina, where she splits her time as an artist between Columbia and Greenville. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions from Charleston to Asheville.  

Most recently, she collaborated on Zion: a Composition by Saul Seibert, contributing album art, projection visuals, merchandise design and creation, and live ritual based performance art.



According to Russo, “My job as an artist is primarily to SEE, and only secondarily to communicate what I see. In expressing what is unseen (both within and without), I have found it helpful to use the visual language of an inner world I think of simply as The Planet. I like to explore the tension of navigating the wild terrain of the unseen from the safety of the imaginary. Think of my work as paintings, photographs, and explorer’s notes from a place you’ve never been, but one which feels immediately familiar.

“My pieces are built of layers upon layers of wet in wet watercolor and ink, relying on long experience to predict what the unleashed media might do, while staying open to surprise. Over the wet media (or occasionally under), I layer pencil, oil and chalk pastel, collage, and embroidery. I think of the wet media as attempts to paint mystery, and the dry media as attempts to expound and interpret to myself what I have painted, like notes in the margin of a well-loved book.” 

Russo continues, “My collaboration with Saul on Zion happened one day while he was looking at some of my recent work. I remember him sending me a message in response to some pieces that read simply, "I know this place."  I felt the same way the first time I heard the beginnings of the music. The work we've done together has been based on that ever since. We are artistically walking the same landscape. I see my role as simply making visible what is already there inside the music. When I listen to Zion, I'm transported to this place that is unique to Zion but is set in some other corner of my own imaginary world that all my work comes from. I can walk around, explore, see the features of this world, and then come back and paint it. The performance art is the same, I use the body as an instrument to convey visually the emotions and narrative of the piece in real time for the audience at live shows. I contribute all visual art for the project, from designing and hand printing the shirts, to the album art, to the bank of film that Ash Lennox, who does our live visual sets, pulls from. It's an incredible piece of music, and I still can't believe I get to collaborate on it. The musicians are phenomenal, I'm blown away every single time they play it.  

“Zion as a project was more or less part of my life as an artist for two years, from the very beginning of the project. It provided the steady thread all through an overseas move back to America, and all the transition that came with it. Zion stayed the same, I think the project kept me sane.  

“When the collaboration began, I had only been making art again for a year after a decade long hiatus. Zion provided the framework I needed to find my voice and confidence. I would ask Saul his opinion, and he would just say that he trusted me completely. I had complete artistic freedom, which was intimidating at first, but challenged me to grow as an artist in ways I'm grateful for. I grew into the project, in a sense. Every now and then, Saul would say something like "wouldn't it be cool if..." and I knew I was about to learn to do something I didn't think I could do. I picked up whole skill sets I had never tried before, ranging from stop motion, to illustration, to block printing. Saul had such confidence in my abilities, anything seemed possible. On top of that, Columbia has welcomed me into the creative community, and I can't imagine making art without all this support.” 

Join Jasper on Thursday night as we facilitate Rebekah Corbett’s project, Artists Showing Artists with Saul Seibert. Saul has invited poet-songwriters, Alyssa Stewart, and NoN (Keith Smyly), as well as his band King Saul and the Heretics. Art will be on display and available for sale by Virginia Russo, Adam Corbett, and Emily Moffitt. 

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. 

The Living Room, 6729 Two Notch Road #70, Columbia, SC, 29223

Tickets

jasperproject.org/artists-showing-artists/tickets


Refillable Jasper cups for beer and wine will be available for $10 as well as hotdogs and a selection of baked goods. 

All proceeds go toward supporting the Jasper Project’s mission.

Previewing the Parker Quartet’s Beethoven Cycle

“The length and impact the Parker Quartet has had on the School of Music is unique. The level of commitment they have to us is unparalled.” - Dean Tayloe Harding

“Although I know these works well, this will be the first time in my life that I’ve heard the complete cycle live. For our community and our students, this is really a once in a lifetime experience.” - Dan Sweaney

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

It is an impressive feat to complete and perform a Beethoven string quartet. It is even more impressive when you perform all 16 of them in the span of one week. Despite the daunting task, the Parker Quartet are up to the challenge.

Founded and based in Boston, the Parker Quartet are the current quartet in residence at the University of South Carolina’s School of Music. Founded in 2002, the group currently consists of Daniel Chong (violin), Ken Hamao (violin), Jessica Bodner (viola) and Kee-Hyun Kim (cello). This year marks their tenth year of working with the music department, providing masterclasses for the dedicated students of USC and concerts for all audiences across the Midlands. They have grown so close with the music community and capital altogether; according to School of Music Dean Tayloe Harding, it is evident among the faculty and staff at the School of Music that the Quartet thinks of the city “as a second home.” Everyone at the School of Music has enjoyed getting to see the growth and development of this quartet alongside their own Gamecock musicians. “The beautiful thing about this quartet is that they’re young, but each member plays like they’ve been playing for decades, like the Emerson Quartet,” Harding said. “They play like they have been together as a group their whole lives. There is a unique symbiosis within the group and with the school that makes the residency so easy to sustain.” Associate Professor of Viola Dan Sweaney and his students have gotten to work extensively with the members of the quartet, and to him, all the members “have really become like family.” Alumni of the University continue to attend the concerts and often invite their own students to attend with them. Other projects that the Parker Quartet have accomplished through their residency include visiting schools in the area, working with the USC String Project and performing for the inmates at the DJJ Juvenile Detention Center.

To the untrained ear, this concert series may not sound so intimidating. In the past, the School of Music has conducted series of musical cycles for individual composers; one such cycle presented 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas as a concert series with Dr. Scott Price, the School of Music’s Coordinator of Piano pedagogy. Harding said, “That kind of series is way more common than the complete quartet cycle. It is rare for something on this scale to be done since the quartets make up a half, quarter, or full concert length on their own.” There have been other cycles of concerts for other famous composers at the School of Music, like a community Mozart festival back when Harding first arrived at the School of Music. There is a poignancy that this Beethoven cycle has that is incomparable to anything the department has ever done in the past, which automatically sets this series above any expectations audiences may have. The rarity of this Beethoven series is unmatched and a major incentive for audiences to attend. Beethoven’s string quartets are considered the pinnacle examples of the genre, and Carnegie Hall’s short guide to the group separates the pieces into three groups: Early Period, Middle Period and Late Period. The tones vary from the “introspective and tempestuous” Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 to the “humorous” Quartet in F Major, Op. 59.

The School of Music and the Parker Quartet are partnering with Historic Columbia to host four of the six concerts at historical locations around the city. Each of these concert venues-Rutledge Chapel, the Robert Mills House, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and the Seibels House-all existed during Beethoven’s lifetime. “Chamber music was originally meant to be played in the home and later in small venues,” Sweaney said. “The historic homes are precisely where chamber music would have been played during the classical era.” This cycle bolsters relationships between local Columbia organizations and departments within the University umbrella and develops the foot traffic among the involved facilities further.

The venues and lack of price tag for tickets all contribute to the mission of making classical music accessible to audiences across Columbia. The growth in accessibility provides a pathway to a newfound appreciation for the genre, which is exactly what Sweaney and Harding want audiences to experience. “We hope to reach people who love chamber music and some people who’ve never heard a string quartet before,” Sweaney said. “They might just become chamber music lovers after this.” According to Harding, even though several of the venues have already sold out, the larger venue performances are located on campus-specifically in Johnson Hall of Darla Moore School of Business and the School of Music Recital Hall-and there will be livestreams available for each performance.

You can reserve seats for any or all concerts online through Eventbrite. For more information or if you have any questions, contact Audra Vaz, the Assistant Dean for Advancement for the School of Music, at audra.vaz@sc.edu. If you want to read more about the quartets, check out the Carnegie Hall’s guide.

Philharmonic Collaborates with Local Nonprofits to Present a Weekend of Music and Sensation

By Liz Stalker

Ayano Kataoka

This coming weekend, the South Carolina Philharmonic will present two noteworthy concerts at the Koger Center: Firebirds of a Feather on Saturday, February 18th at 7:30 p.m., and Sensory Friendly Family Concert on Sunday, February 19th at 3:00 p.m. Both concerts are a part of the Philharmonic’s Music for a Cause program, a program that involves partnering with other non-profit organizations in order to raise awareness and funds for important causes through the Philharmonic’s various Masterworks concerts.

 

Firebirds of a Feather is a concert centered around the fantastical nature of our aviary friends. The concert is bookended by Igor Stravinsky, starting with Song of the Nightingale, and concluding with The Firebird Suite—one of his most renowned works—with Takashi Yoshimatsu’s composition, Bird Rhythmics, at its center. The SC Philharmonic’s Marketing Director, Chad Henderson, describes the selection of pieces as “a great opportunity for audiences to ignite their creativity and let the story form in their mind based on how they interpret the music.”

 

The Philharmonic will play alongside featured soloist Ayano Kataoka, a percussionist whose marimba skills will be particularly highlighted through these pieces. Kataoka started performing as a marimbist as early as nine years old, leaving her home in Japan to tour around China. She went on to amass a number of impressive degrees in music and perform all over the world. Kataoka is currently the Professor of Percussion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and continues to be a season artist of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

 

Firebirds of a Feather is being put on in partnership with Feathered Friends Forever, an organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and sanctuary of abused and neglected birds as well as adoption services for responsible bird lovers. Patrons who get there early can check out the live birds that will be in the lobby prior to the show, thanks to handlers from the organization. The birds in attendance will be highly social, imbued with some of the playfulness of the music that will follow, and present a unique opportunity for the audience to, as Henderson puts it, “learn more about these fantastic animals and create a personal connection to aviary rescue.”

 

Sensory Friendly Family Concert is, at its core, a concert designed for all families, inclusive to children of all ages and abilities. This concert, which will be just under an hour in length and feature themes from well-known children’s movies, such as the Harry Potter franchise and Moana, invites audience members to participate in whatever way they feel moved, such as singing, dancing, vocalizing, and moving about. The concert will also prioritize the ability of audience members to exit the theater with ease as needed. In addition to this, there will be a variety of accommodations available to theatergoers, including a quiet room, spinners, and changing stations that accommodate children with disabilities, and the lobby and auditorium will both be open an hour before the concert begins.

 

The Philharmonic has partnered with a number of organizations for Sensory Friendly Family Concert. Their current partners include The Unumb Center for Neurodevelopment, The SC Commission for the Blind, Family Connections of SC, Key Changes Therapy Services, Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center, and Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services. This concert will be the first of many Philharmonic inclusive family concerts.

 

“The SC Philharmonic is definitely committed to making these accessible family concerts a more regular occurrence,” Henderson shares on the commitment to inclusion, “It’s important that we make it possible for everyone in our community to experience symphonic music. The Koger Center is dedicated to working with us on diminishing boundaries as we go forward.”

 

Tickets for both events are available on the Koger Center’s website

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.  

Jasper Presents a Two-Part Valentine's Day Event -- An Evening with Bernie Love A Tribute to Elvis AND Love Hurts/Love Heals - New Art from Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley

Jasper Presents a Two-Part Valentine’s Day Celebration:

Love Hurts/Love Heals featuring the art of Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley followed by An Evening with Bernie Love—A Tribute to Elvis, both at 701 Whaley

Worried about taking that special someone to yet another crowded and overpriced boring Valentine’s Day dinner? Put your fears aside as The Jasper Project has your Valentine’s Day festivities figured out!

Join us on Tuesday February 14th at 701 Whaley for a two-part arts party.

Part One – from 5 – 7 pm in the 701 Community Hall Gallery we welcome esteemed Columbia-based artists Wilma King and K. Wayne Thornley for their interpretations of the phenomenon of Love Hurts/ Love Heals. Both artists’ works will line the halls for your interpretive pleasure, and you and your date are invited to enjoy wine and light snacks as you view the work.

Part Two – from 7 – 10 pm and following the Love Hurts/Love Heals exhibit, wander just a few feet over to the 701 Whaley Market Space where a night of Vegas-style entertainment awaits you both at An Evening with Bernie Love – A Tribute to Elvis. Featuring Patrick Baxley in the title role accompanied by Marty Fort, Jay Matheson, and Kevin Brewer, this tribute will focus on some of the King’s most romantic musical numbers performed in a classic Vegas cocktail party type setting.

Food will be provided by Chef Joe Turkaly and champagne and beer will be available for purchase.

Did you wait too late to shop for a special little something special for your beloved? No worries! Columbia artists Cait Maloney, Lindsay Radford, and Gina Langston Brewer will be on hand with a selection of their original romantic art gifts, and portrait artist Jamie Peterson will be commissioning small portraits of you and your sweetie based on photos you have taken at the event.

Doors for Bernie Love open at 7 pm with the main event kicking off at 8:30 pm when the King arrives in true Vegas style. Tickets to An Evening with Bernie Love are $20 and are available in advance at www.Jasper.org or by clicking here. A limited number of tables are available for $500.

Love Hurts/Love Heals is a free drop-in event. .

Welcome to 2023! Cola-based Artists Share Their New Year’s Resolutions


We often struggled with creating our own New Year’s Resolutions, so this year, Jasper turned to creators themselves to see what they hoped for their 2023s. Hoping you take as much inspiration from these as we as did! 

Artists shared the simple but deep desire to create more, from the general to the specific:

“To sketch everyday” – Laura Garner Hine

“To create more art, see more art and share more art” – Keith Tolen

“To create a fresh collection of meaningful works to show by the end of the year.” – Ashley Herring Warthen

“To be more consistent and spend time in the studio every day.” – Olga Yuhkno

“To sketch a few times each week even though I am working a regular job and still in school.” – Heather Lynn Endicott

“To complete my translation of Havamal, and put together the video where I tell the story.” – Price Lassahn-Worrell

Some artists addressed the desire to return to unfinished projects – with both earnest desire and humor:

“To finish a few of the many unfinished works sitting in my studio. To find creative inspiration and spurs.” – B.A. Hohman

“My 2023 New Year's resolution is to finish all the craft projects from 2022 that I should have done in 2021, since I started them in 2020 after buying the supplies for them in 2019.” – Valerie Lamott

 

A recurrent theme was the desire to stop listening to the nagging voice in the back of our minds that tries to scare us or quiet us:

“To be less critical of my art and to be more open to ideas flowing in and reconnect with my inner voice.” Renee Rouillier

“To override my inner critic and follow my intuition.” – Ginny Meret

 

Similarly, artists shared a desire for understanding of themselves and the space they occupy:

“To respect the fact that life brings changes and art sometimes has to occupy a different position on the list of priorities.” – Mary Ann Haven

“To paint more of what I WANT to paint.” – Sean Madden

“To paint and write (about my daily experiences, culture, and cooking) on a daily basis in 2023. I could not manage to paint or write regularly in 2022 although I realize and internalize how painting and writing are effectively helpful to my inner peace and well-being (my mental health) and nurture my inner child.” – Khin Myat

 

The desire for self-exploration came up again and again:

“To explore new mediums, to be more vulnerable, to be more generous.” – Lucy Bailey

“To delve deeper into the world of sound & rhythm by availing myself of educational opportunities. The goal being to broaden and enhance my understanding of how sound affects us and to incorporate that knowledge into my craft.” – Dick Moons

“To play with more mix media, experiment more with oils, delve into interchangeable art with my business partner Barry wheeler who always pushes me to keep exploring.” – Michael Krajewski

“To allow Artist-Self more Exploration of Shadow Self//privately (perhaps publicly) …let those kids merge—dissolve some things and mend some others, all the while being colorful, honest and vulnerable through visual & written prophetic blabber!” – Emily Wright

 

And, artists expressed a desire to grow within a community, with goals for unity and collaboration:

“1. Listen to people more and work on humility as well as developing healthy, in person relationship that encourage aggressive kindness. 2. Help cultivate and create a culture of collaboration with “Columbia-Centric" artists from all mediums in order to reinforce a positive art infrastructure. 3. Finish writing and producing three original albums. 4. Stay clean and sober. 5. Serve the city.” – Saul Seibert

“To see, and be a part of, more collaboration with artists and our communities. Utilizing our talents and materials to create and unify....” – Gina Langston Brewer

The common message among these various goals is this: create what you want to create, create whenever you can, and create in constellations. The act of making something, of there now being something where there once was nothing, may often be simple, but it is magical. Go into 2023 treating yourself with grace and with the open-mind and willingness to create something where there wasn’t something before.

And Happy New Year—from all of us!

Columbia Artists Share Their Christmas Wishes for the Art Community

It’s that time of year again, where we deck our halls and trim our trees, scoot closer on our couches to those we love, and curl up tight in our blankets as we sip hot chocolate (which South Carolinians can actually do this year—brr!). It’s in these moments of peace and joy we often close our eyes to make our Christmas wish. This year, here at Jasper, we asked a handful of our local artists their wish, specifically: “If you could make one Christmas wish for the Columbia arts community, what would it be?”



Artists wished for more space—places old and new alike where they can freely share their creative gifts with the city they love.

“Main St. Back…”
—Michael Krajewski, visual artist

“More places to show (and make) art!”
—Lucas Sams, visual artist

“An artist’s alley in a public space where anyone can contribute however/whenever they want!”
—Cait Maloney, visual artist

“As a member of the Cola arts community, if I had one present for Christmas, it would be to have more spaces like CMFA (or to expand CMFA), where community members can rehearse and perform and support each other (for free)!! CMFA has been invaluable to Bonnie [Boiter-Jolley] and I’s company, the Columbia Repertory Dance Company!” 
—Stephanie Wilkins, dancer and Artistic Director of Columbia Repertory Dance Company


Artists wished for an expansion of funds for local artists so that they can express themselves fully and without burden.

“I think the community could give back to the artists—no strings attached guaranteed income for those who pour into the community with their creative gifts and talents. This would help artists have the opportunity to at least cover living expenses due to the increase of the cost of living and still have the opportunity to pursue a creative career.”
—Maya Smith, visual artist

I’d wish for sufficient financing for artists to present their art to the community. There are many costs involved in producing a play, a concert, a ballet, and other art events that ticket prices alone cannot cover. To have the financial support from the public and private sectors to present our art in the best way possible would be an amazing Christmas present.
— Becky Hunter, performer


Artists wished to spend more time with each other, to acknowledge each other and create inter-community support.

“More togetherness throughout the arts community where everyone mutually supports each other, meets together quarterly, and promotes each other.” 
—Arischa Conner Frierson, actor

“A 3-Day retreat filled with Skill Shares and Improv and Games so that we can learn to love each other even more. Like Family <3”
—Monifa Lemons, poet and actor


And, finally, artists wished for the chance to grow as humans and creators, not just within themselves but within a community as a whole where each person can better the other.

“My holiday wish (mostly for myself but also) for the Columbia arts community is for the courage to be open. I know I can seem insular because of my own internal obstacles, but I think collaboration can elevate our art beyond our skillsets and help us fulfill and even exceed our creative concepts. Collaboration builds our artistic support systems and creates informed testing audiences. While I believe it’s important for one to make the art one needs to make without regard to how others may receive it, I believe it’s also nice to be able to ask for constructive criticism and maybe be given encouragement along the way to a project’s completion. I don’t know if I’ll personally gain this kind of courage by the time January rolls around (or ever), but I’m always hopeful I will and that others might, too!”
— Desirée Richardson (Death Ray Robin), musician

“As a social worker, I was trained to practice from a ‘strengths perspective.’ This perspective acknowledges challenges while encouraging us to identify and work with whatever resources we have access to within ourselves and the community. So, the gift I’m hopeful for this year is our collective vision to see the strengths that exist within the Columbia arts community and to employ those resources in fostering expressive projects that bring meaning to people’s lives.”
—Lang Owen, musician

“My Christmas wish for Columbia is…more people of skill and intellect and intuition and caring go see more shows and performances and exhibitions. These people would then share their thoughts and impressions with the rest of us. Helping to strengthen and spur the conversations between art and artists and patrons. CRITICS! I want more critics of every size, shape, gender, sex, color and perspective to do good work in Columbia.”
—Darion McCloud, performer and storyteller

“I want all the artists and soon-to-be artists in Columbia to find, embrace, and share their gift. I hope that even when it’s dark they see they are loved and supported.”
—Adam Corbett, musician and visual artist


From our family of artists and art supporters, we thank everyone for the love they have shown this community this year, and our Christmas wish for you today and always is that you have all the joy and support there is to offer. Merriest of Christmases—and have an extra boozy eggnog on us!



THE BEAT: My Favorite Music of 2022 by Kevin Oliver

The following is a list of my favorite music released by Columbia, South Carolina artists in 2022. It is woefully incomplete, as there were many other artists and albums I enjoyed this year, but these are the ones that have really made a home in my head for the foreseeable future. 

 

1. Saul Seibert, etc., Zion: A Composition

An extremely ambitious multimedia project is probably impossible to fully appreciate in just its audio form, but the three movements that comprise Zion are at least enjoyable that way, if not as mind-blowing as the full three-dimensional live experience. The ebb and flow of the various parts, instruments, and their arrangement throughout create a psychedelic space in which a listener can exist however they choose–passive acceptance, interactive challenge, or somewhere in between. 

Music | Zion. A Composition. (bandcamp.com) 

 

2. Lang Owen, She's My Memory

It’s not hyperbole to say that Columbia hasn’t ever produced a songwriter quite like Lang Owen before; his combination of 70’s singer-songwriter style and an incisive, observational writing technique would be rare anywhere these days. The songs here are his best so far and defy a simple paragraph explanation–so do me a favor, go listen and let them speak to you, too. To paraphrase “The Long Way,” he’ll take you the long way and then bring you back another. 

She's My Memory | Lang Owen (bandcamp.com)

 

3. EZ Shakes, Everything Changes

An Americana powerhouse of a band over their two full length releases, on this brief three-song EP, EZ Shakes announced their transition into a sonically more rock ‘n’ roll soundscape. The Velvets-meets-Neil Young feel of “Damn Fools” is driven by the most addictive two-note bass line ever, courtesy bassist Jim Taylor, while singer and bandleader Zach Seibert stretches his vocal instrument on “Waiting on the Bubble To Pop,” a Wilco-esque slice of sublime, chiming tunefulness that shifts gears effortlessly. It’s a cliche to say it, but the worst thing about this release is that at three songs, it’s way too damn short. 

▶︎ Everything Changes | E.Z. Shakes (bandcamp.com) 

4. Numbtongue, Phantom Limbs

Bobby Hatfield has been turning heads and ears with drama-filled rock since his days with The Sea Wolf Mutiny. As Numbtongue, his musical vision has only expanded, eschewing the limitations of a traditional ‘band’ with a combination of acoustic and synthetic sounds. On this new album, the arrangements are next level, with multiple themes threaded throughout and even the smallest elements adding texture and finesse to the songs. There are traces of everything from Radiohead to Tyler the Creator here arranged in chasms of genre and style that Hatfield not only manages to cross but bind together in a way that somehow makes perfect sense.

▶︎ Phantom Limbs | numbtongue (bandcamp.com)  

5. Brandy and the Butcher, Lucky Foot

There are female singers, and then there are frontwomen. Liz Hale is the latter, a blast-your-face-off vocalist who’s all attitude, all the time. The band has no choice but to keep up with her energy level, and they succeed handily here, diving headlong into a bracing set of songs that evoke all the great punk and rock raconteurs, from The Stooges and MC5 to The Cramps and X. 

▶︎ Lucky Foot | Brandy and the Butcher (bandcamp.com) 

6. Candy Coffins, Once Do It With Feeling 

Jame Lathren has a fondness for 80s goth-rock and the dramatic flair of David Bowie, and that comes through loud and clear on the darkly rendered songs here as he snarls and sneers. The delay effects from former Bachelors Of Art guitarist Tom Alewine don’t hurt in setting the proper mood, either. But it is Lathren’s songwriting that lifts this above being a simple genre exercise and into classic songcraft as he details the rise and fall of a relationship over the course of ten songs. 

 Candy Coffins (bandcamp.com)  

7. Moses Andrews, Exodus Pt II

Confessional songwriting is a genre unto itself, but Moses Andrews puts himself out there in ways not often heard with this collection. Contributing bass, drums, organ, synth, and vocals along with a supporting cast of locals such as Cecil Decker and Sean Thomson, Andrews touches on hip-hop, country, pop, and indie rock sounds in the process of illustrating the world through his own experiences with others. The mirror he’s holding up here is uncomfortable, but entirely accurate and needed. 

▶︎ Exodus Pt. II | Moses Andrews III (bandcamp.com)

 

8. Rex Darling, Living Room Diaries

One of the more adventurous live acts to surface in Columbia in recent years, this recorded effort delivers on that promise with atmospheric, exotic pop music that packs a surprising punch. There are traces of cabaret jazz and more than a little Amy Winehouse in vocalist Catherine Hunsinger’s style, while the guitar work of John Vail introduces jam rock and 70s fusion into the improbable mix. All that, and the songs are playful, inventive, and catchy as hell. 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2mfp1JvgUm5jguQeEXMBI2?si=TNuD1sLzQqCJyT5fwihboQ 

 

9. Todd Mathis and Clayton Mathis, Home

Siblings have made some great music together, but this is no sibling harmony album. Instead, these are the brothers who sit on their dad’s back porch reminiscing about all the shit they did to each other as kids. Steeped in family ties, this is some of Todd’s most endearing and accessible work.

Home | Todd Mathis, Clayton Mathis | Todd Mathis (bandcamp.com) 

10. Hillmouse, See You In The Car 

Tyler Gordon’s current musical vehicle is transporting a nicely done batch of new songs here, the kind of timeless melodies that evokes everyone from Tommy Keene to Ed Sheeran–a wide range, to be sure. His world-weary vocal delivery stops the proceedings from skidding into saccharine-sweet territory, instead parking Hillmouse in a post-emo lethargic swoon. 

▶︎ See You In The Car | Hillmouse (bandcamp.com)

 

THE BEAT: The Living Room Aims for Listening Room Vibe by Kevin Oliver

When the subject of venues in Columbia comes up, the most often repeated “missing link” in the local scene is the presence of a real listening room–a space for music that’s not connected to a bar, or a restaurant, or any other business, really. The last time we had something like that here would be the UU Coffeehouse Series that the Unitarian Universalist Church in Shandon hosted for many years, later shifted to the Tree of Life synagogue for a couple of seasons. It’s an important option, especially for the kind of thoughtful, sometimes quieter folk and acoustic acts that don’t translate as well in a noisy, more boisterous room. 

Inspired in part by those UU shows, the new venue dubbed “The Living Room” aims to provide just such an opportunity at its space on Two Notch Road in northeast Columbia that the spiritual community Jubilee! Circle has called home since 2019.

Rev. Candace Chellew is the pastor at Jubilee! Circle, and she says it was an idea borne of both necessity and also a desire to open up the space to more events.

“As with most businesses that survived the pandemic, we decided to use one of the best assets we have–our space,” She says. We’ve rebranded it as The Living Room because it has that cozy atmosphere, and we added areas with couches and coffee tables to complete the ‘living room’ feel.” 

The goal, she adds, is to mold the space to each performer’s needs. They’ve already hosted singer-songwriter Lang Owen and performances by the Columbia Operatic Laboratory’s “Pirates Of Penzance” sing-along, and this Friday, December 16th, they’ll welcome indie folk and rock singer-songwriter Danielle Howle, performing with her current semi-acoustic trio that includes Josh Roberts on lead guitar.

Lang Owen performing at the Living Room

It’s as much about the attendees for Chellew as it is about the performing artists, she says.
“We intend to make this a space to enhance the lives of people who attend, and to support the local music scene and the artists seeking such a listening room atmosphere to build their audience and share their talents.”

The eventual goal is to replicate what the UU Coffeehouse series did, bringing in national and regional talent in addition to the more local artists, with at least one show per month. 

“Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level.” - Candace Chellew

They are also including a charity/nonprofit element to each show, Chellew adds. “With the Danielle Howle show, it’s a silent auction to raise money for Pawmetto Lifeline, but with each event we do, we’d like to find a way to get the crowd to support other organizations within the community with their donations, time, and talent.” 

Chellew sees the Living Room as a natural extension of the mission of Jubilee! Circle in the community. “Unlike many spiritual communities, we don’t evangelize, and we’re not trying to get you to believe anything in particular or adhere to specific doctrine,” She says. “Our message is simple: Love is what we are, that is what we should always be teaching and projecting into the world. The arts are to us a way to extend that love to the community as a whole; music and arts are healing ministries that bring together people of all political, social, ethnic, and economic stripes, and Jubilee! Circle seeks to remind everyone of our ultimate unity with one another at a spiritual level. Everyone who leaves one of our events with a song in their heart becomes a force for love and healing in the world–whether they are conscious of it or not.” 

If you’re interested in putting some of Danielle Howle’s songs in your heart, the show is this Friday, December 16th,  at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 online or at the venue,  6729 Two Notch Road ##70 Columbia, SC 29223.

click for tickets

click for silent auction promo video

 

SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble Big Band Holiday Concert

South Carolina’s celebrated big band ensemble performs Dec. 17th, 2022

From our friends at SC Philharmonic—

 

The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the direction of Music Director Robert Gardiner, continues the 22/23 Season with SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC (1014 Greene St., Columbia, SC 29201). This special holiday concert features the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, a 20-piece big band that is comprised of some of the most outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas. SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the return of international touring and recording artist Kobie Watkins (drums) to the ensemble, and Robert Lewis (saxophone), the Director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, will be performing with the ensemble as a guest artist. This concert is presented in partnership with USC Jazz. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org. 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is presented in partnership with USC Jazz, and will boast a full evening of entertainment with two acts of amazing big-band holiday jazz from the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. Audiences will also enjoy a pre-concert performance by a student combo from USC Jazz in the lobby. The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble set will also include performances from USC Jazz faculty Lauren Meccia (saxophone/vocalist), Matthew White (trumpet), Michael Wilkinson (trombone), and Bert Ligon (piano/composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus). 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature time-cherished holiday jazz classics. The program includes arrangements of “Jingle Bells”, “All I Want for Christmas,” “Let it Snow,” “What Child is This?” and many other jazzy tunes of the season that will leave audiences’ toes tapping. 

The ensemble for SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS will feature the following musicians: VOCALS: Kristi Hood (Dick Goodwin Big Band), Edwin Hamilton (Freelance musician, Minister of Music, Augusta, Ga); SAXOPHONES: Robert Lewis (Director, Charleston Jazz Orchestra), Bill King (King William Jazz Collective, USAF), Tracy Patterson (Assoc. Professor/Woodwind Chair, Winthrop Univ.), Mark Sterbank (Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Prof. Charleston Southern), Lauren Meccia (Instructor of Jazz Studies at USC); TRUMPETS: Charlie Polk (SC Philharmonic Orchestra), Matthew White (Assoc. Professor of Jazz Studies, USC), Chip Crotts (Director of Jazz Studies, Georgia Tech), Tim Leahey (USAF Airmen of Note, retired) TROMBONES: Michael Wilkinson (Asst. Professor of Trombone, USC), Brad Jepson (Co-Founder, Greenville Jazz Collective), Major Bailey (Assistant Director of Bands at SC State University); Robert Slade (Commander and Conductor of the 208th Army Band) RHYTHM: Bert Ligon, (piano, composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, USC), Shannon Hoover (bass, Co-founder of the Greenville Jazz Collective) and Kobie Watkins (drums, international touring and recording artist). 

SWINGIN’ HOLIDAYS is a one-night only performance on December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM at the W.W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall at USC. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org.

This program is supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborates in its work with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and South Arts.


Christmas at Redbank: A Night of Traditional and Not-So-Traditional Songs of the Season

Leading the sing-along at Christmas at Red Bank — all photos by Leslie Ann Smith

If you’re a fan of local music and have lived in the midlands a while you are likely familiar with Christmas at Redbank. For seventeen years Redbank Methodist Church in Lexington has hosted an array of local musicians presenting their unique take on classic and sometimes completely original Christmas songs. Jasper Magazine’s music editor Kevin Oliver is the creator and founder of the concert and shares some inside baseball about the event, “Most of the acts perform acoustic, but some add electric instruments and bigger arrangements. We started acoustic simply due to logistical concerns with getting a dozen or more acts on and off a stage in two hours’ time, and it just became what we did.”  

Along with music the audience can also now expect poetry and scripture readings. Oliver notes that last year the readings, “really tied the show together as less a string of performances punctuated by me talking, and more of a fluid, almost theatrical story.” They have chosen to do them again this year with Jasper board member, poet Al Black, narrating.

Al Black

Along with the new format Oliver says that what makes the event so successful and keeps the night fresh is, “outside of the requirement that songs be ‘sacred’ and not ‘Santa’ in theme/content, I allow the artists involved to pick what they want to sing. That usually includes familiar carols and hymns, but they can also throw me for a loop with a left field or unexpected selection. I try not to reveal too many of the song choices ahead of time, because that's part of the magic of the show--you know who's about to sing, but not WHAT they will come up with.” 

Throughout the years the lineup has included an assortment of popular local musicians and bigger names who are just passing through or are returning home like Ryan Monroe, who is now in Band of Horses. Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie, Mark Bryan, Jake Etheridge, Hannah Miller, and Danielle Howle are frequent performers, as well.

Todd Mathis

This year’s lineup includes Brent Lundy, Band of Pilgrims, Admiral Radio, Todd Mathis, The Water Kickers, Ashleigh Morse with Jim Morse, Chris Reed, Prettier Than Matt, Buck and Rhonda Mooneyhan, James Etheridge, Jr., Matt and Becky Goudelock, and Al Black. Oliver mentions that this year there are a few new names on the bill, “Chris Reed is a local musician that's burning up the local bar and restaurant scene but also performing original rock with his band The Bad Kids, and I'm glad to have him aboard this year as our rookie. The Water Kickers are a new group name, but the duo has both appeared at CARB before with other ensembles. Brodie Porterfield was in the Dawn Key Shotguns, while Kelley McLachlan Douglas Porterfield was in both Post Timey String Band and The Prairie Willows. Ashleigh Morse will be expanding the CARB family as well, bringing her father Jim Morse along for a song–he's been a Columbia musician for a long time himself.”

Kevin Oliver, founder of Christmas at Red Bank and Music Editor for Jasper Magazine

The show is Sunday, December 4th from 6:30pm-9pm. It is free to attend, but an offering will be collected for Mission Lexington (formerly LICS). This opportunity to give has been a part of the event from the start and each year they raise an average of $1,200 for the organization with last year's total reaching over $1,500. Find more details and get directions to the church from the Facebook event.

REVIEW: CMA's Baker and Baker present Zion. A Composition by Saul Seibert

Zion. A Composition

Live at Columbia Museum of Art

Thursday, Nov 17th, 2022

Baker & Baker Series

by Kevin Oliver

An ambitious instrumental and visual art piece conceptualized by Saul Seibert with help from artist Virginia Russo, multimedia from Ash Lennox, and a cast of fellow musicians, Zion. A Composition came alive in multiple dimensions on Thursday evening at the Columbia Museum of Art, as part of their ongoing Baker & Baker concert series. 

Seibert opened the evening with a short explanation of the story behind the composition, and as he told the family background in front of multiple members of his own family in the audience, the anticipation in the audience built. The delineation of the three acts: The Diaspora, The Sojourn, and The Ascent, was a useful glossary of sorts for the crowd to reference, but as the piece unfolded, there was no visual division on screen or stage to indicate when one movement ended and a new one began. As such, at several lulls in the program audience members interjected applause and exclamations, seemingly unsure if something was ending or maybe just overwhelmed with appreciation of what had just transpired in a concluded segment.  

With two of the three movements already released for a while prior to this live performance, and the third just completed, it was still a much different experience watching the musicians perform the entire piece live. Left to right, they filled the CMA stage: Seibert’s older brother Zach Seibert (E.Z. Shakes) sat quietly cooking up some sinister electric guitar tones, Marshall Brown contributed keyboard swirls of varying tone and intensity, Kevin Brewer held down the beats even as they came and went throughout, Darren Woodlief, also seated, provided a solid bass presence that asserted itself fully in the final movement. Sean Thomson was the musical wizard of the night, starting on spooky, sensual sitar and moving to steel guitar and some wicked electrified mandolin. Seibert himself stood center stage, hollow body guitar in hand throughout, the ringleader of this spiritual, musical circus troupe.  

Every musical composition has an arc, that up-down movement that gives it an interesting story to tell. Zion’s first movement, Diaspora, came through as a slow-building bundle of potentialities, with the audience a bit on edge, unsure of where it might be headed, perhaps. The preshow preface alluded to one beginning to rid themselves of preconceived ideologies, attitudes, and casting those things out, and the music reflected such a sweeping task. Thomson’s sitar was prominent through the early passages, giving this portion a raga-like intonation that allowed listeners to settle into the aural universe of Zion.  

As the middle section opened up, the music soared, searching for those times of sojourn, as the movement’s title suggests–those places of rest, as one searches for home. At times the band resembled arena rockers on an extended jam, bluesy and blustery and supremely confident. In these sections, the drumming and the guitars evoked the percussive jazz plains of Steve Tibbetts’ 1980s work, or a more democratic take on the guitar orchestras of Rhys Chatham. In between those searing, searching sections the dynamic shifted to hushed tones, leaving sometimes a single instrument moaning, or clicking along softly as the band reloaded for the next swell like a surfer coiling his muscles for the next wave. 

It is in its final movement, however, that Zion finds, well, Zion. The Ascent is a lumbering leviathan of a groove, somewhere between Soundgarden-level grunge and the groaning Krautrock grooves of Can or Neu!, just a beast of a display anchored by Woodlief’s mammoth bass riffing. Again, however, there are interludes, lulls in the action. Life isn’t all one trajectory, after all, and neither is the ascent to Zion, musically speaking. The mountain does eventually get conquered, and in conclusion the music doesn’t so much fade away as plant itself on the peak and say “done.”  

Visually, artist Virginia Russo’s live painting/art added a facet to the proceedings that didn’t have to be there, but the performance was richer and fuller for it. As the band’s musical arc proceeded to rise and fall, so did Russo at the front of the stage, clad in black with a rolled out white canvas in front of her. She proceeded to paint over the entire canvas with her hands, no brushes, and then pick up the fully paint-saturated canvas and cut it into long, increasingly narrow strips. Those, she then rolled up before pulling them back apart, one ripped square at a time. The squares were then arranged on a new, clean white canvas to make a totally different piece of art. It was a perfect visual analogy for the thematic elements of the musical composition and served to reinforce those themes as the audience both listened and watched the proceedings.  

Other parts of her artwork for Zion were projected throughout as sometimes moving images on two large screens behind the musicians, lending a psychedelia gauziness to the already evocative visuals. 

Overall, I’d call this a nearly unqualified success, to write and perform such a challenging piece of multimedia art here in Columbia. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything quite like it locally, and Seibert’s prior resume as a garage rock raconteur certainly wouldn’t have hinted at the possibility of something like this coming forth. Going in, Seibert told me himself that there would be very, very limited live performances of this project, and I understand why–the preparation and commitment of all the participants was fully on display for this one.

Building The Sound: Q&A with the Guitarist and Bassist of Eighth House

We talked with Gabe Crawford, well-known guitarist for many a local project, and new to the scene bassist, Laurent Duverglas, about their new band Eighth House. Their sound is described by Crawford as “Loud pretty chords, quiet vocals, dub bass, and slo mosh beats,” but you can hear them for yourself at their first show November 16th at New Brookland Tavern with Cathedral Bells, and Surf Rock is Dead.

 

“If there is a sound missing in your town, build it, and they will come!” – Gabe Crawford

JASPER: How did Eighth House come to be?

DUVERGLAS: I like to think of the story of how Eighth House came to fruition as almost like a true love at first sight kind of tale. I'd been playing bass for a couple of years by the time I moved to Columbia in July of 2021, but I never thought Columbia would be home to the kind of band I'd always dreamed of being a part of. Shortly after moving, I became enamored with the Cola queer, alternative, and music scenes. I first became acquainted with Gabe after I learned he designed the poster used to promote The Beautiful Neighborhood's Grunge prom, from then on it seemed as if out paths never failed to cross. I quickly knew him to be the guy in a million bands, something we still joke about, but also to be this really loving and genuine dude. One night we got to talking about music and we suddenly realized that not only did we have the same taste in music, we were both lovers of "the scene that celebrates itself" - shoegaze.

We formed our first lineup which included our wonderful lyricist and vocalist, Heather. The weekend after that, we had our first practice and a show booked at New Brookland Tavern for the 16th of November. Eventually we recruited the enigmatic multi-instrumentalist behind Cloud Repair, Richard, to join Gabe on guitar. Lastly, we were able to enlist the spectacular drummer from many Columbia bands including Gamine, Rugstain (Jenny) to join me on the rhythm section!

 

JASPER: Gabe, what sets Eight House apart from the other bands you are currently in?

CRAWFORD: It’s much different sound compared to the other bands I compose/manage because it’s almost completely new people working towards a different sound.

 

JASPER: Can you talk about all the bands/projects you are involved with?

CRAWFORD: Eighth House is the newest project at the moment, earlier this year I started Gamine with friends Cassidy Spencer and Shane Sanders and months before the original Covid Shutdown. I was asked to be in what would become Flippants by Austin Syms, which I now share with him, for the last few years I have played alongside Richard Wells in his Cloud Repair project, and I work with Kat Hammond in their Charlie Boy collective as well. Each band is sooo different, Flippants is punk band where I focus more on dominant 7th melodies and angular guitar devices, Gamine is where I compose with the bassline as the first layer with emphasis on minor keys, synth lines, and 80s Goth tropes, Eighth House is a space dedicated to alternative guitar tunings, different distortion textures, wandering chord progressions, and 90’s pop/rock sensibilities. 

 

JASPER: How do you manage your time? 

DUVERGLAS: Currently the band meets once a week to practice which is more than manageable for me as I devote most of my time to my PhD studies.

CRAWFORD: With a planner, pen, and ink. I am often late to things, but I plan my day as it shows itself to me, unless some event has been written in the planner first.

 

JASPER: What motivates you? 

DUVERGLAS: I would say a culmination of things! The first being my band members and many others within the cola art, fashion, and music scenes. There are a lot of talented creatives in this city and being around them is like an ever-flowing stream of wisdom. Second, I spent so much time in my childhood obsessed with the music and art direction from a lot of video games. Heather and I most recently spoke about our love for the Silent Hill games but particularly their soundtracks. Akira Yamaoka crafted such beautiful testaments to industrial, drone, noise, trip hop, and alternative music with those games, they truly transcend the medium.

CRAWFORD: Columbia lacks certain sounds, we have plenty of stellar metal bands, cover bands, and folksy southern sounds, but we lack the current sounds of the underground, so I just fill in the gaps with the right people and live for the stage, I enjoy booking and the “always-go” lifestyle.

 

JASPER: What does your writing process look like? 

DUVERGLAS: I will listen to a whole bunch of music that is explicitly reminiscent of shoegaze stylings and then start messing around on my bass until I come into any fun sounding basslines. When I first picked up my bass, I was still reeling off my utter infatuation with post-punk and can say that most of my influences come from that vein of musician. I don't know anything about music theory and though I'd like to learn it to enhance my playing, I also enjoy the ignorance I currently possess because I don't seem to be analyzing everything from a set framework.

CRAWFORD: Right now, I demo out most of a song and then give it to the band, it is filtered through the other members into the song that you hear, and I am only composing the chords and possibly the melody as well, with Heather our singer doing the vocals and words, Laurent also composing songs and pieces, Jenni creating the drum parts and Richard working with me to compose the 2nd guitar parts.

 

JASPER: What do you do when you are creatively blocked or just not feelin' it? 

DUVERGLAS: I immerse myself in another world! I love reading novels and watching movies where the focus is on character-driven narratives. I seem to get lost in these movies where "nothing" happens, they in turn always inspire something be it a song idea, lyrics, or a poem.

CRAWFORD: Usually Reference listen, I go and wade in the world of music until the inspiration or drive shows itself to me again.

 

JASPER: Who are some of your favorite local artists? 

DUVERGLAS: There are so many! I feel honored to share space in the Cola scene with artists and groups such as Gamine, Bones Hamilton, Opus & The Frequencies, Flippants, Rex Darling (who just released their first album - Living Room Diaries), Charlie Boy, Cloud Repair, and Death Ray Robin to name a few.

CRAWFORD: Hah! Not locals anymore unfortunately but Melon In was an amazing project that I got to work on, I love them as well as Cloud Repair, which is why I have Richard in the band. And of course, Stagbriar and the like.

 

JASPER: If you could write or play the soundtrack to a movie what would it be and why?

DUVERGLAS: This is such a fun question! What comes to mind is working for queer and shoegaze obsessed Gregg Araki to create yet another shoegaze-filled soundtrack for a movie of his. But I'd equally love for some academic to contract an album designed to test the effects of, say, shoegaze on animal behavior.

CRAWFORD: Been a huge fan of the film Legend (1986) and I have always really enjoyed the Tangerine Dream soundtrack for the movie, but I would love to take a crack at that.

 

JASPER: Do you have a favorite Columbia music moment?

DUVERGLAS: Definitely the first time I saw Flippants at the Museum of Art's Arts and Draughts! As an audience member, seeing Austin prepare a ladder on stage and a table close to the audience with a cake on it was bizarre. It wasn't until I saw him jump onto the cake from the ladder did, I understand what was happening. Further, seeing Gabe hop onto Brad's shoulders to finish the set was hilarious. I'll never forget that show! 

CRAWFORD: There are a couple of Eras that I think on all the time, 2010-2015 was the Shredquarters/Queen Punx Palace/ era 

 

JASPER: What are your thoughts on Columbia's art scene?

CRAWFORD: Columbia’s art scene, everyone knows everyone I think, as much as there are the different groups in town everyone knows everyone, and collaboration is so easy, I think.

 

JASPER: What could make the scene better? 

CRAWFORD: Money haha, Money would make it better and by that, I mean infrastructure for art in Columbia, as well as more venues, and art spaces available to book at. There literally needs to be a venue that bridges the gap between the room size of Art Bar/NBT and The Senate.

 

JASPER: What advice do you have for other artists? 

DUVERGLAS: It seems as if the biggest hesitation a lot of people have when it comes to creating, in this case, music is that they have no "talent". This may be biased coming from my punk and post-punk upbringing, but I don't believe one needs to be a classically trained artist to make something that moves people. So, if you make art and you're afraid to share it - please do! If you want to make art and are afraid to do so - please do! Your voice is unique to you, the world is ready to hear it.

CRAWFORD: If there is a sound missing in your town, build it, and they will come!

 

JASPER: As someone involved in lots of projects, can you offer any advice or thoughts to others hoping to start a band?

CRAWFORD: Find people who are just interested in the idea, look, or sound of the band and then just be ok with the music organically changing as you filter your ideas thru the others.

 

JASPER: What can we expect at the show on the 16th? 

DUVERGLAS: Roughly a 30-minute set, we'll be playing one cover and four originals! But more importantly, we aim to foster a safe and inclusive space at all of our shows. We won't tolerate any harassment of any within the audience and will also be bringing noise-protecting earplugs for any who wants them!

You can follow the band on Instagram and buy tickets for the show online at New Brookland Taverns website.

The Beat with Kevin Oliver: Review of Automata - Single Sparrow

Single Sparrow

Automata

Self-released

 

Single Sparrow is the band moniker of Charleston, SC musician Patrick Leitner, and this new album is truly a one-man project–he plays every note, wrote every song, recorded, mixed, and mastered the final product himself. You’d never know it from listening, however, as the playing is seamless, and the production is spotlessly clean. 

Despite the forced sterility of its creation in a kind of artistic bubble, this is not a soulless, automated performance. Leitner has one of those world-weary vocal styles, resigned but still possessing an intensity that belies the non-demonstrative singing. It’s most effective on the pastoral rock of “Peaks and Valleys,” for example, where a loping beat echoes Neil Young as Leitner sings: 

 

“Take me to the Atlantic Ocean, let me feel the waves

Running over sandy shores that weren’t here yesterday

If I try to hold on tight it still washes away

And time is running out on me in much the same way” 

 

The sense of loss is palpable in the song’s metaphor for change, something that the narrator sounds at peace with, if not in agreement to it happening. 

There are stories here from Leitner’s own life–”Tiny Metronome” is a reference to his daughter. He draws from history and culture as well, with “Centralia” taken from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania and “Happy Accidents,” pulled from the story of famous still life painter Bob Ross. It’s the songs that invite more universal interpretations, however, that pull one inside this digital audio world. 

The emotional depth of Leitner’s writing rewards repeat listens, and this album will sink into your consciousness in all the best ways, with lines standing out at different moments. This week it might be the distillation of “impostor syndrome” unworthiness into the words of “A Reflection of the Moon,” as he sings over a jittery percussive track and a single acoustic guitar, “I am a ballad out of tune, a perfect harmony too soon, or the reflection of the moon; a copy of something true.” Next week, it will shift to “Nothing On the News Tonight” and its examination of relationships in a dystopian world; “The apocalypse is over now, just listening still to the static; something in the way you hold my hand that slows down time …”  

Whatever part of Automata connects with an individual listener, the original concept of AI that can think like humans may have been achieved here by Leitner, accidentally or not. The solitary man in a studio created something that connects almost instantly with other humans, through the miracle of digital tech. 

The Beat with Kevin Oliver: Candy Coffins - Once Do It With Feeling

Candy Coffins

Once Do It With Feeling

Self-released

 

The decades of experience represented by the veteran members of Candy Coffins comes through in the music on this new full-length album, which hearkens back to “Disintegration”-era Cure, the less abrasive years of the Psychedelic Furs, and lots of David Bowie. The gothic rock edge doesn’t necessarily render the songs dated; there are enough modern touches throughout to peg this as a contemporary work that just pulls from a very specific artistic palette.  

The focus here should really be on the songwriting of singer and guitarist Jame Lathren, however. The liner notes state that the album “Chronicles a relationship from the onset of the first crack to its complete crumbling dissolution,” and there is definitely an emotional arc from beginning to end. 

Midway through, “Tangled Up in Teacups” includes a female voice leaving messages such as “My god, you are the most selfish person I have ever met. If you’re going to be this kind of disaster have fun doing it by yourself…” as bassist Alex Mabrey drives the unsettling melody underneath. 

Lathren shifts back to the male perspective on “French Exit,” singing “I’m not sorry you won’t know what happened, I’m heading out the door…” in a tortured tenor that wails, then drops to a hushed whisper as he sings, “I’m all alone, but it’s better than being with you…” and the band crashes back into a searing musical coda worthy of a Neil Young opus.  

It’s the music that keeps this from being just another self-absorbed breakup album; there are guitar solos here that say much more than any words could, such as the stinging leads on “A Victory Like This.” When the instruments on that song drop completely out at the end, it’s like you just got dropped off an emotional cliff. 

Lathren may lean too far into the goth-rock nostalgia at times, but he does so in service of a set of songs that capture both the euphoria and the angst that exists in volatile relationships.

 

A Look in the Mirror: Black Nerd Mafia Talks Identity and Black Opportunity in the Columbia Music Scene

Black Nerd Mafia was born out of frustration– frustration with stereotypes and people’s ignorance about Black people. Choosing to not be named or be the focus of this article, the creator and founder desired to showcase the diversity within the Black community and provide a place for those who don’t fit in society’s boxes– a safe and inviting space for independent Black artists and fans. Originally started as a Facebook group in 2014 for Black people tired of being typecast, Black Nerd Mafia has grown into so much more.

 

JASPER: Best dad joke you've heard? 

BNM: A dyslexic man walks into a bra. 

 

JASPER: So, the Facebook group was the original manifestation of it, but how did Black Nerd Mafia come to be what it is today? 

BNM: I always pushed entrepreneurship on my sons and then one day in 2021 I’m talking to my son and I’m pressing upon him to be an entrepreneur and he very frankly just asked me, “Well, you always tell us to own our own business, why don't you own your own?” He said it just like that, and I said, son, you're right. The next day we went and did the LLC paperwork and that's how Black Nerd Mafia came to be. 

 

JASPER: You do lots of things today: you have merch, you organize shows, poetry readings, and trivia just to name a few. Where did you start?  

BNM: The first year it was completely different than what it looks like now. We were doing website building for people, we were doing interviews, we were doing photography, videography – doing just a lot of things that I knew how to do and pretty much anything that I knew how to do to try to make it a business.  

It really didn't start becoming what you see it as now until about a year ago. In 2021 we had our first shows in November after I met Greg at Curiosity… I went to Greg with the idea that I wanted to host shows for independent local artists. He loved the idea, and he pretty much just gave me like carte blanche to do whatever I wanted to do. 

 

JASPER: Tell us a little more about the logo you sent in place of a photo.  

BNM: The little person isn't like a little mascot… it isn't just something that looks cool—it's all intentional. The very first thing you see he's holding like a big water gun. The water gun is a Super Soaker and Super Soaker was invented by a Black person, a Black scientist; his name is Lonnie Johnson. A lot of times people associate Black people with violence and guns and everything. I wanted to take a spin on that and have a gun but a gun that was created to be this amazing child’s toy that was created by a Black person, so that's where the little gun thing comes in. He also has a mirror face… basically that says there's no face to Black Nerd Mafia. He has a mask on so you can't see his face, but also, it’s a reflective mask so if you did look at the character, all you would see is yourself in the reflection. This is to say that Black Nerd Mafia is all of us.

 

JASPER: Tell us about some of the shows and events you have put on. Any that were particularly special to you?  

BNM: It's going to be hard to say, and this is gonna sound like cliché, but all the shows that we've had are dope. I will say that that's the one thing that I do well. I can curate shows well, and I know how to match artists together well, so I quite frankly think that all of our shows have been really dope– really talented people.  

I don't want to like single any of the guys out either, but I would say our first show. It was Eezy Olah and Tam The Viibe. MidiMarc and Airborne Audio did beat sets. It was our first show, so it was really dope and that's always gonna be special to me.

 

JASPER: What do you look for when putting together a lineup for a show, what is your process?  

BNM: I don't pick artists because they have a name. I don't pick artists because they have a lot of followers. I pick artists because I watch, I listen to their music, and I watch their Instagram profiles, and I see their energy, you know, and I go off that. I look for just dopeness first, like I'll come first and foremost… That’s the first thing I look for– the talent. Once I find that and it's easier than you would think, there's a lot of very talented people here in Columbia and the surrounding areas.  

I also listen to the subject matter of the music. I don't want to censor people, but I also just don't 

want to promote music that has just arbitrary violence, just random doesn't make any sense violence. If you can make it artistic, if you can make it great art about your life and why it’s so hard and why you had to do these things, I’ll listen to it and I'll put you on stage.

 

JASPER: What are you looking forward to? What does success look like for Black Nerd Mafia? 

BNM: I'm looking forward to people becoming more aware of the artists that perform at our shows… and Black artist getting to perform comfortably at any venue in Columbia just like anybody else. I want to be a non-biased, platform where the only thing that matters is if you're dope, no politics, nothing. 

  

JASPER: What advice do you have for other artists? 

BNM: Make the music that you love, make the music that you like. Don't try to copy what's cool on the radio. Don't try to sound like Drake. Don't try to sound like anybody else. Make the music that you like and talk about the things that are in your life. You don't have to live some kind of fake lifestyle in your music. Write the music that you know and write about the things that you are passionate about. Just don't give up. I come from a different generation, and it was like if you turned 30 and you were still rapping at 30 years old, you were a loser. I let that type of thing stop me from making music and I want to say if you really really love it and it's really really in you, you gotta dedicate yourself to it and not listen to anybody else. 

The biggest thing I tell all the artists—you need to have some type of merch. Get T-shirts, get stickers and get something that you can sell to finance the things that you're going to need as a musician. You can pay for your studio time, for photo shoots, for anything else you need to pay for by selling merch, and that's something that you can make yourself for very cheap.

Ultimately, it's not the artist fault, it's the venues and the publications. They just keep regurgitating the same people because they don't want to do the work to go find the real dope artists around here, and that is what I do. So hopefully if people come out on November 4th, they can see that.

 

JASPER: What are your thoughts on Columbia's Art Scene?  

BNM: I just gotta be honest about this. I wasn't going to do this, but I gotta be honest– not a fan of Columbia's scene. The music scene here, the art scene, it can be very discouraging and anti-Black.

That’s kind of why I like doing what I do, and that's why I'm doing what I do. I've lived in Columbia ever since I was a kid, and It's always been the same thing. A lot of these venues, downtown Vista, Five Points—quite frankly—don't want Black people in their venues. They don't want Black people in their establishments, so they make rules and do their best to try to keep Black people out of these spaces. If you talk to a lot of Black artists around here, they're like it's very hard to get to play downtown or all these other places, because essentially the owners don't want a house full of Black people, and that's really sad.  

I'm sure some people say “no, that's not true, because I saw this and that person.” There are a few that they let through, and it seems to me—not just me; I talk to a lot of other Black artists—that they only pick Black artists that have a primarily white fanbase… Another reason I know venues treat people bad is because after shows, Black people come to me all the time like, “Man, I love Curiosity, I love it here. Everybody was so respectful to us and was so nice to us. Everybody treated us like people.” That very simple thing—“they treated us like people.” That’s why I’ll always love, Greg and Sandra. 'Cause you can tell that it's a culture that they bring top down, that everybody that works there is always nothing but nice, nothing but respectful to any and everybody. No matter if you're gay, Black, white, male, or female like, everybody is treated fair and equally there. ­ 

[Black Nerd Mafia] are creating an environment to where Black indie artists, get to perform “downtown,” and I think that we've been successful at proving their fears wrong– that Black people are going to be there and there is going to be some kind of violence and fighting or something stupid. We've been doing shows for a year…with zero violence, zero fights, zero calling the cops, zero tempers flared. There's not been one person to even get angry at one of our shows. No pushing, no yelling, no throwing a drink or whatever, nothing negative whatsoever has happened at any of these shows, and the majority are black, and the crowds are all majority black, and so I think that if people can see what we do at Curiosity and what Black Nerd Mafia does maybe it'll let these other venue owners know that, hey, we should be more tolerant and we should be more open to black artists.  

Ultimately, it's not the artist fault, it's the venues and the publications. They just keep regurgitating the same people because they don't want to do the work to go find the real dope artists around here, and that is what I do. So hopefully if people come out on November 4th, they can see that. Right here in Columbia, there's dozens of super talented amazing artists that make positive music that's not about killing people or selling drugs or things like that. You can come to our shows and feel safe. You can bring your wife and you can bring your kids. They are people that bring their whole families to our shows, and I take pride in it. 

 

JASPER: Tell us about the anniversary party. What can we expect?  

BNM: If you've ever seen Dave Chappelle's Block Party, it will be a block party, like a big jam session where we have a bunch of artists that are really good performers lined up and on deck, ready to go. A freestyle type of vibe, but controlled… I like things that just feel organic. They don't just feel like this person is gonna perform and then this person. Let’s do something different here, use some creativity and give the crowd something they haven't seen before.  

I don't wanna talk about some of the artists because I'm just gonna like leave people out, but Midi Marc is a producer from Columbia and he's just amazing and he really is the key to all of this. I've known Midi for a long, over 10 years. The majority of people that you see on this list make all of their own music at home and in a home studio with very cheap equipment, but they’ve mastered it, and they know how to make the music sound good. I feel confident saying that you could pick anybody off this list, and they're dope in their own right. They're all very different, but they're all dope, and that's really all that matters. 

Come to Black Nerd Mafia’s one year anniversary show at Curiosity Coffee Bar Friday November 4th from 5-10pm featuring everyone that has performed for them this past year. Attend the show for free by donating one item from the Oliver Gospel Mission list of winter needs.

 

 

 

 

Photog Caleb Brown of Saucewithspoons Photo-Documents Jasper's 1st House Show - October 2022

Last Saturday, Jasper board member and local arts leader Bekah Rice hosted a house show at the One Columbia co-op as a fundraiser for the upcoming issue of Jasper Magazine. Featured bands included Death Ray Robin, Opus and the Frequencies, and Joseph Hunter Duncan, all of whom blew the crowd away. And by the way, let’s send out one more happy birthday to Joseph Hunter Duncan and thank him for spending his special day on our stage.

Featured artists included Gina Langston Brewer, David Dohan, Adam Corbett, Emily Moffitt, and Olivia Pope, who showed their work pop-up style inside the house at 1013 Duke Avenue, the old Indie Grits homeplace. This is the same place where Al Black hosts his monthly Front Porch Swing Sunday afternoon concert series as well as his once-a-month Jasper’s Tuesday night Poetry Salon.

By the way, Gina Langston Brewer is Jasper’s featured artist-in-residence at the Jasper First Thursday Gallery at Sound Bites in November — and David will be in residence in January 2023.

The bands were sponsored by board members Libby Campbell and Paul Leo with Eric Tucker, the wine and popcorn by Coal Powered Filmworks, and the beer by Muddy Ford Press. We also had a boat load of new helpers, most of whom were friends and family of Bekah. We can’t thank all of these sponsors and volunteers enough. You all rock!

But we were also lucky enough to be visited by local photographer Caleb Brown of Saucewithspoons who grabbed some pretty fabulous shots of the night. Caleb shared some of these shots with us; now we happily share them with you.