Friday, May 1, 2009

LIVE REVIEW Jimmy Herring Band

Posted by T. Ballard Lesemann on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Jimmy Herring Band
Thurs. April 30
The Pour House

f470/1241214346-jimmyherring1_strattonlawrence__resized.jpg The driver in front of me opened his truck door and eight empty beer cans spilled out into the Pour House parking lot. But once inside, the packed house — many of whom were Panic fans looking for a taste of that cool, cool, chilly water — found a performance that was far more “Peaches in Regalia” than “Ain’t Life Grand.”

Jimmy Herring, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Sipe don’t have to find a pocket; it comes to them. Over a continuous two-hour set of Zappa-esque space-jazz-funk, the quintet (rounded out by Scott Kinsey on keys and Greg Osby on sax) played all over the map. One highlight was their cover of Jeff Beck’s (penned by Stevie Wonder) “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” (thanks to local musician Jeff Caldwell for recognizing that gem). With the show starting promptly at 9:30 p.m. and over at 11:30 p.m., the half of the crowd that spent their time socializing on the deck were likely disappointed at the amount of music they witnessed.

But starting on time has long been a problem in the Charleston music scene. “Start on time, rock out, and get it over with,” says Allman Brothers family veteran and RadioFreeCharleston.com founder Bunky Odom, who added after the show, “I thought they were the best musicians that ever graced the stage at the Pour House.”

That’s a bold claim but one without an easy refute. The night’s only singing came from Oteil, duplicating his bass notes an octave higher with his voice. Jeff Sipe lives in his own rhythmic paradise, and Herring finds ways to squeeze unthinkable numbers of notes into a measure. The show began with the members taking turns at exploration, eventually morphing into free-for-alls that wandered in every direction, but perfectly in step. —Stratton Lawrence

(photo by Stratton Lawrence)

Topics: Visiting Acts, Scene, Concerts

LIVE REVIEW Taylor Swift

Posted by T. Ballard Lesemann on Fri, May 1, 2009 at 6:57 AM

Taylor Swift
Thurs. April 30
North Charleston Coliseum

The audience response to opening act Kelly Pickler suggested she could have packed the Coliseum on her own. The former American Idol contestant worked every big of that stage while giving fans her big hits, but she really soared with “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You.”

The other opening act, up-and-coming foursome Gloriana, gave the audience a peppering of what to expect off of their debut album, along with their popular first single “Wild At Heart.” The infectious song was just made for an audience (you’re almost compelled to clap along when you here it in the car), so it was no surprise that the crowd ate it up.

0e55/1241186553-taylorswiftlive.jpg Before launching into her final number “Should Have Said No,” Taylor Swift told the sold-out crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum that she wanted to leave a good last impression. That she did, but she shouldn’t have worried. The impression from every number was big-budget theatrical fun worth every penny.

Swift started the show “You Belong With Me,” outfitted in a band leader uniform through most of the song until ripping it off to reveal the first of several glittering, skinny dresses she would wear during the night.

The set design, white stairs and platforms projecting different backgrounds for each number, was put to good use — shifting from high school lockers in the opening number to library shelves in “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and on and on until thunderclouds for the final number.

Obviously excited to be spotlighting the music off of her new album Fearless (released in November), the energy on stage really seemed to climb for the new stuff. The standout performance was “You’re Not Sorry” (a scorned lover ballad we’ve got new respect for) that bled into a cover of Justin Timberlake’s similarly themed “What Goes Around … Comes Around.” —Greg Hambrick

Topics: Visiting Acts, Scene, Concerts

Thursday, February 19, 2009

52.5 Records celebrates twelfth birthday, Feb.20-22

Posted by T. Ballard Lesemann on Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 4:06 PM

Charleston record store 52.5 Records reaches year 12 this Saturday!

A haven of recordings, books, DVDs, and know-how on Upper King Street, the store celebrates a cool birthday all weekend. The local independent shop opened its doors for the first time on February 21, 1997 at a small space at 52 1/2 Wentworth St. In 2000, the shop moved down to a location at 75 Wentworth Street, just a block off of King Street.

Proprietor Clay Scales (pictured) reopened at his third location on Upper King (the old Peggy Dress Shop at 561 King St.) early in 2007. He and the staff plan to host a weekend’s worth of specials. “As part of our celebration, we will be hosting a food drive to benefit The Lowcountry Food Bank,” says Scales of the event. “The goal will be to collect 630 cans of food [12 x 52.5 = 630 … ha!]. We’ll also be giving away a pair of tickets to see Ryan Adams & The Cardinals in concert at the PAC on March 11. Donate, and register to win.”

Non-perishable food items may be dropped off during regular business hours, Feb. 20-22. Specials during the day include 52.5% off any used CD, LP, or DVD for each item donated, and/or 12% off any new CD, LP, DVD or book.

On Sun. Feb. 22, the celebration and food drive continue with two sets of live music (“on the rug”) from Carolina mystery band Birdsmell (* it turned out to Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell) and local indie folk-rock quintet Autumn Gold. Music starts at 8 p.m. “Only 52 people will be admitted, so donate early and donate big,” says Scales.

Call Scales at the shop at (843) 722-3525 and sing “Happy Birthday” (Beatles-style, of course) when you see him. See www.corporaterocksucks.com for kicks.

(bottom photo by Leslie McKellar)

** City Paper covered this event in the Concert Reviews and Scene sections in the Wed. Feb. 25 issue. Here are some additional snapshots from the Sunday evening in-store gig (photos by T. Ballard Lesemann):

Topics: Local Bands, Scene

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