Author: The Music Advocate

Quick picks: 5 shows to see this week (Jan. 7-13)

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ward Davis will bring his distinctive brand of contemporary outlaw country to The Radio Room, 110 Poinsett Highway, Greenville on Friday, Jan. 10. An Arkansas native, Davis has had songs recorded by such iconic figures as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard and co-wrote “I’m Not the Devil” with Read More

Spartanburg Philharmonic to present month-long celebration, ‘Discovering the Banjo’

On Monday, Jan. 6, which would have been the 96th birthday of the most consequential banjo player of all-time — Shelby, N.C., native Earl Scruggs, who died in 2012 — the Spartanburg Philharmonic announced a month-long series of educational and music-inspired activities designed to highlight the rich cultural history and Read More

A song by Spartanburg native Adia Victoria named to Barack Obama’s ‘Favorite Music of 2019’ list

Former President Barack Obama posted to social media on Monday, Dec. 30 a list titled “Favorite Music of 2019,” and a Spartanburg native was among the artists represented. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Adia Victoria, who was born in the Hub City and, according to Wikipedia, attended Landrum Junior High School in Campobello, Read More

Alt-country outfit Dirty Grass Soul to host New Year’s Eve Festival in Gaffney

By DAN ARMONAITIS As Dirty Grass Soul prepares to host its New Year’s Eve Festival on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Grassy Pond Arena in Gaffney, it’s worth noting that the wildly entertaining alt-country band recently returned home from its first-ever international gig. Dirty Grass Soul was a part of Country Read More

‘Beautiful — The Carole King Musical’ returns to the Peace Center in Greenville

By DAN ARMONAITIS On a visit to New York in 2014, Arkansas native Isaiah Bailey had the opportunity to see a Broadway production of “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical.” As a young man still in his early 20s then, Bailey walked into the theater with only limited knowledge of Read More

Greenville’s Brother Oliver to close out ‘milestone’ year with New Year’s Eve show at The Radio Room

By DAN ARMONAITIS While many are eager to say good riddance to 2019, that certainly isn’t the case for guitarists and vocalists Andrew and Stephen Oliver, whose Greenville-based outfit, Brother Oliver, enjoyed an unprecedented level of success this year. “It might be difficult to top it,” Andrew Oliver said of Read More

Quick picks: 5 area shows to see this week

The Jon Stickley Trio will perform on Friday, Dec. 27 at The Firmament, 5 Market Point Drive, Greenville. Hailing from Asheville, N.C., the group has amassed a national following for its genre-defying instrumental mix that blends everything from bluegrass and jazz to progressive rock and metal. Also on the bill Read More

Singer-songwriter Marvin Evatt celebrates his home state, Clemson football with ‘Something in Those Hills’

By DAN ARMONAITIS Watch the lyric video for a new single by Greenville-based singer-songwriter Marvin Evatt, and it’s abundantly clear what he’ll be doing this Saturday night, Dec. 28. “Something in Those Hills,” which Evatt recently recorded at Sit-N-Spin Studios with a star-studded lineup of Upstate musicians, is a bit Read More

Holiday gift guide: 5 Upstate concert tickets on sale now

Still haven’t picked up a Christmas gift for that music lover in your life? What better way to say ’tis the season than with tickets to an upcoming concert. Here’s a list of five recommended shows happening within the 864 area code during the first few weeks of 2020 for Read More