Charleston music fans are more than familiar with bands that play funky, horn-infused Afro-Caribbean rhythms meshed with reggae. After all, the local scene is largely dominated by a crowd of jam band lovers, hippy-dippy college kids, and stoners. Which is why we don’t really have to tell you who Sol Driven Train is and what they have to offer. But thanks to an upcoming three-month-long tour, plenty of folks outside the Holy City will soon be grooving to the sounds of Joel Timmons and company.
Beginning Feb. 5, Sol Driven Train will be hitting the road in support of their newest studio album, Underdog. The tour kicks off in Knoxville, Tenn., and heads as far north as Washington D.C. and as far west as Texas. Heck, they even plan to head down south to the sunny Florida Keys.
Of course, the Sol Train will be making a stop in Chucktown, and they’ll be doing it for a CD release show at Charleston Music Hall on Fri. Feb. 22. The best part: The band is giving each ticket holder a copy of Underdog and offering discounted tix for college students.
Not that anyone should be surprised, but Sol Driven Train bassist and vocalist Rusty Cole is excited to perform the new songs out on the road. “It’s especially exciting because Sirius XM radio has been airing a track off of the album,” he says, the song being “Lady from Chiang Mai.”
The band has been touring heavily for the past eight years, and Underdog marks their tenth independent release. According to Cole, Underdog is “not just about us, but about everyone, especially artists, doing it for themselves.”
He adds, “We’re a grassroots band, and everyone we work with is grassroots. We’re the underdog right off the bat.”
For more information about the Feb. 22 Music Hall show, visit charlestonmusichall.com.
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