Boogieman Festival was a ton of fun on Saturday at The Royal American! I’m proud to have been part of such a successful, sold out event, and I had a great time hosting the costume contest. We had over 30 entries and 450+ total voters, and everyone seemed to enjoy the interactive live voting! If you’re one of the entrants or voters, thanks so much for your participation. If you want to check out the contest, it’s still live here.
All of this Halloween excitement and the 31st is still two days away! For those in Charleston, there are two great shows happening on Halloween night, particularly for fans of jam bands.
Before I go any further: Rest in Peace to Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the Grateful Dead. “Box of Rain” is one of two songs Phil wrote for the Dead, written with Robert Hunter during a time when his father was dying of cancer. Many artists performed it in tribute this past weekend, including Phish. Here’s an essay I wrote last year that dives into the full story behind the song.
Bear’s Gone Phishin’ at Charleston Pour House
Bears Gone Phishin’ is a tribute to the Grateful Dead, Phish, and Widespread Panic put together by members of South Carolina bands The Reckoning, Runaway Gin, and Machine Funk. Their first show in June was sold out. I spoke with Andy Greenberg of Runaway Gin about the origin story of Bears Gone Phishin’ and what to expect on Halloween night. Check it out here.
Omiwimo, Extra Chill Fest 2023 alumni and Pour House family open the show on the deck for just 5 bucks.
Interview with Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass: Halloween at The Refinery
I had the chance to speak with Anders Beck, the dobro player of Greensky Bluegrass, in advance of their Halloween show at The Refinery. We had a great conversation about their recent recording sessions in Iceland with Holly Bowling and the renowned jam band holiday that is Halloween (as evidenced by two conflicting, excellent jam band shows in Charleston that night). Check out our interview here!
How To Make It In The Local Music Scene (Instagram Exclusive)
This Instagram post was the single most popular thing I’ve ever posted on the Extra Chill account. It was inspired by my observations about WHY so many local artists seem unable to build a fanbase. Turns out, it had widespread appeal, and I’m linking it here so more people see it.
Favorite Shows You’ve Seen in Charleston?
I shared a post on our forum last week as I was reflecting on my time in Charleston and all the great live music I’ve seen over the years. I listed off some of my favorites, three of which were Nordista Freeze. Since then I’ve thought of more that I left off… notably She Returns From War at High Water 2023 during which I cried like a baby.
Would love to read some more Charleston live music memories in the Extra Chill Community!
Recent Concert Reviews
Two concert reviews went up today and I have a backlog of at least two more still to get to. It’s hard out here being my own bottleneck!
Atmosphere, NO FUN! and Reverie at Music Farm (10/19/24)
Judah & The Lion at The Refinery (10/23/24)
That’s all I’ve got today! Stay tuned for the event calendar update I mentioned in my last email. As soon as I have time to sit down and talk to ChatGPT again I will have it up and running. It’s 90% operational on my private testing site!