A chronicle of the Upstate South Carolina music community and beyond
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
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
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
By DAN ARMONAITIS There’s something about Christmas music that always puts Nathan Angelo in a good mood. “Celebrating Christmas is pretty awesome,” the Greenville-based singer-songwriter said. “I just have so many great memories of times with family and cousins in other towns, and I think just hearing some of those Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS The Becky Buller Band will perform Friday, Dec. 13 at the Chapman Cultural Center as part of the Bluegrass Spartanburg series presented by the Spartanburg Philharmonic. But, first, its leader and namesake has some business to take care of in Nashville. Buller is a member of the Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Johnny Irion released one of his songs, “Hard Working People,” as a single, and it ended up being featured on Amazon’s Fresh Folk & Americana Playlist. As the title implies, the song celebrates the lives of everyday folks such as farmers, bartenders, military Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS The first time Marshall Tucker Band co-founder Paul T. Riddle ever heard the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet recording of “Take Five,” which featured Joe Morello on drums, it was over the phone. Riddle was just a kid and his drum teacher, David Haddox, called the Riddle home Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS Brooks Dixon considers himself a “very contemplative type songwriter” who, on his own, tends to write “slower, thoughtful stuff.” The Brooks Dixon Band, on the other hand, represents something a bit different. “With the band, we definitely have a fun energy, and I think a lot of Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS Jeff Anderson still has a fondness for the country music that he enjoyed while growing up in Greer. “I always liked that kind of ’80s and ’90 style country,” Anderson said. “What I consider real country or honky-tonk style country — country that really tells a story. Read More
By DAN ARMONAITIS Shannon Hoover has experienced the loss of some important people in his life lately, including a couple of family members and such musician friends as Kofi Burbridge and Yonrico Scott. It inspired him to write a still-untitled jazz composition that will be premiered as part of the Read More