The Whigs
w/ Ponderosa
Sat. Oct. 6
$13/advance,
$15/door
Pour House
It’s refreshing as hell to write this: Four albums in, and the Whigs haven’t changed one bit. While almost any other rock ‘n’ roll band at this point in their career would have bloated themselves up with studio effects, a gospel choir, or at least a string section, the Athens, Ga., trio has a knack for keeping their Southern-fried garage pop pure and catchy. “The band has always been on the side of being minimalists,” Whigs frontman Parker Gispert says. “We tend to under-color the pictures, rather than add ingredients that don’t need to be there.” The recipe for the band’s latest album, Enjoy the Company, is beautifully simple: Take the boozy swagger of the Replacements, a sprinkle of the raw urgency of the Drive-By Truckers, then add a dash of poppy hooks a lá the Strokes, and voilà. “We wanted to make something that would age well,” says Gispert, “and not be bound in any specific confines of a few years. We wanted it to sound like it came from a familiar place. Hopefully, we’ll sound just as natural years from now as it does right now to us.” And the band recently shot a new music video right here in Charleston, so keep an eye out for a little hometown cameo. —Miles Britton SATURDAY
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Fri. Oct. 5
$15
Pour House
Forget chicken soup for curing what ails you. Gumbo’s where it’s at. And everyone knows that the best gumbo comes from Louisiana. The same is true of jazz and funk. Enter New Orleans natives the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. These guys have been around since 1977 and boast an impressive five members from their original lineup. They’ve been credited with changing the brass band scene in New Orleans, and they’ve been a major influence in the musical world in general. Sax player Roger Lewis tell us what makes his band so special: “You’ve got your crab, your shrimp, a little turkey mix, and you add in your spices … you cook it up in a big pot, and that’s kind of what we’re all about. You know, it’s like after you’ve eaten a big bowl of gumbo, and that hot rice, and it makes you feel good … it just makes your body feel so good!” Be healed, brothers and sisters. —Katie Kimsey FRIDAY
American Music Celebration
w/Miss Wanda Jackson, Travis “Moonchild” Haddix, and Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
Sun. Oct. 7
Free
Freshfields Village
A trio of contemporary blues greats are heading to Kiawah Island this Sunday for the 7th Annual American Music Celebration. Organized by the Holy City’s Gary Erwin (a.k.a. Shrimp City Slim), the bash, located within Freshfields Village, will kick off at 2 p.m. with Miss Wanda Johnson, a crowd favorite dubbed “the new voice of South Carolina soul and blues.” This will be her first appearance in the Lowcountry with her band, Upstate Rhythm Section, featuring her husband Conger Purcell on guitar. Meanwhile Ohio bluesman Travis “Moonchild” Haddix, fresh off of a tour of Switzerland and Spain, will join his seven-piece band for a rare Southern stop. Haddix boasts a six-decade career, and he loves to mix funk, grooves, and old-school R&B. Rick Estrin, frontman of California’s Little Charlie and the Nightcats, is also set to take the stage with guitarist Kid Anderson, making this their only South Carolina stop this year. Estrin is touring in support of his most recent release, One Wrong Turn. Don’t forget to pack your blanket, lawn chair, and cooler. —Katie Kimsey SUNDAY
Maze
w/ Frankie Beverly and Joe
Sat. Oct. 6
$30-$80
Johnson Hagood Stadium
In the midst of disco’s short reign, a slower but more seductive form of song, the slow jam, was introduced. But whereas disco was designed to get bodies moving on the dance floor, the slow jam was created to get bodies moving in the bedroom. Since that time, R&B stations have been dominated by so-called quiet storm playlists during the late night hours. One group that continues to dominate the slow-jam world is none other than Frankie Beverly and Maze. With a discography rich with such tempting tunes as “Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You,” and “Before I Let Go,” Beverly and Maze create silky soul that’s perfectly suited for baby making. Joining the godfathers of the quiet storm format will be none other than Joe, the man behind “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do),” and “Don’t Wanna Be a Player,” a hit that would later serve as the chorus to the late Big Pun’s “Still Not a Player.” Let it rain. Let it rain. —Kevin Young SATURDAY
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