A chronicle of the Upstate South Carolina music community and beyond
The WinterSkunk Music Fest will be presented on Saturday, Feb. 8 at The Spinning Jenny, 107 Cannon St., Greer. An indoor precursor to the popular Albino Skunk Music Festival held on local music aficionado Glynn Zeigler’s property north of the city each spring and fall, this year’s WinterSkunk Music Fest Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS As Randy Foster left the stage following his “There Goes the Neighborhood” album release concert at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg last February, he did so in a typically unassuming manner. “When it was over, I was just focused on packing up my gear,” the Hub Read More
Marc Higgins and the Chainsaw Bears will perform on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at The Peddler, 149 W. Main St., Spartanburg. Led by the stellar songwriting of its namesake, the Hub City-based outfit cranks out an infectious mix of jangle pop and Americana in the spirit of such renowned bands as Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS As a ninth grader at Byrnes High School in 1972, Spartanburg resident Michael Buffalo Smith received his introduction to the Allman Brothers Band. A fellow student “brought the ‘At Fillmore East’ album to school,” Smith recalled recently. “We had a really cool teacher who would let us Read More
Grammy Award-winning country star Travis Tritt will perform Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Walhalla Performing Arts Center, 101 E. North Broad St., Walhalla. A Grand Ole Opry member since 1993, the Georgia native is noted for his raucous brand of country music that also includes elements Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS In 2011, the website UltimateClassicRock.com produced a list of the “Top 10 Southern Rock Songs” of all-time. At No. 1 was “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band. The song appears as the second track on the band’s eponymous 1973 debut album, which kicked off with Read More
Having launched to much fanfare just over two months ago, The Sally Rides will take flight again on Wednesday, Jan. 15 for a performance at The Peddler, 149 W. Main St., Spartanburg. Composed of five women with decades of experience on the Upstate music circuit, the group has already amassed Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS Sunny Sweeney has been churning out no-nonsense country music for the past decade and a half, impressing audiences with a powerful sound that’s commercially accessible yet filled with a renegade outlaw spirit. “I’ve always been an independent artist and then for a couple of years I had Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS After several years as a restless troubadour who spent most of her nights sleeping in a touring van, acclaimed indie folk singer-songwriter Ira Wolf has somewhat settled down. “Just about a month or two ago, I finally bought a house here in Nashville and have kind of Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS On New Year’s Day 1953, the life of one of the most important figures in country music history came to a tragic end. The legendary Hank Williams died in the backseat of a baby blue Cadillac in Oak Hill, West Virginia, as he was being driven to Read More