Garage Rock | The Frizz
w/ Brothers and Debbie & Skanks
Sat. May 23
9 p.m.
$5
Royal American
When guitarist and singer Rob Kampert first started the Frizz, it was a one-man project. Now he’s joined forces with drummer Ryan Fetter from grind-core band Strategic Warheads for a faster tempo and a more abrasive sound. “We’re channeling The Stooges’ screamy vocals, Mick Jagger, and OBN III’s … you know, real loud and in-your-face kind of music — the way I like it,” he says. As it stands, the duo have seven new tunes under their belt. “We have this song, ‘Pizza Pie,’ that’s literally about pizza. It’s just really stupid and silly and catchy — things I go for. The new stuff is a lot about relationships and money,” says Kampert, who often doesn’t write lyrics down. Even when thinking of the band name, it was off the cuff. “My hair was frizzy one day after being in the rain, so I thought that’s a good one-word band name and took off the y,” he says. “It’s easy to spell, easy to say, and easy to Google.” Kampert will be playing with a few of his previous bandmates from the Lean Few, Phillip and Justin Allen. The two brothers moved from Charleston to Atlanta and formed a new band with Fetters’ stepbrother, fittingly called the Brothers. —Kalyn Oyer SATURDAY
Old-time Folk | The Hackensaw Boys
Wed. May 20
10 p.m.
$10/adv., $13/door
Pour House
The Hackensaw Boys first went on tour in 2000 in a 1964 GMC motorcoach dubbed The Dirty Bird. “To be honest, our first tour was the best time we’ve had,” vocalist and multi-instrumentalist David Sickmen says. “We had 12 guys in the band, and it was a rolling party. It had a certain look and feel about it that was a big part of who we are.” These days, Sickmen is the only remaining original member of raucous Charlottesville, Va.-based folksters. Oddly enough, that evolution has been pretty much trouble-free. “Whenever somebody wanted to step down, they hand-picked the next person,” Sickmen explains. “So, basically it’s always been the original members in some way or another.” Sickmen himself took a five-year hiatus from the band, and it took him a year and half before he could stop thinking about it every day. Since he’s gotten back in the grind, the group has been working on a new album Charismo, in honor of a makeshift instrument (a sculpture of cans and hubcaps) they used on the album. Produced by Bob Dylan bandmate Larry Campbell, the rock-meets-country record will drop at the end of the summer. For now, the Hackensaw Boys are focused on making the most of their time on the road. “To me, a live performance needs to be celebratory,” says Sickmen. “It’s about not being at work and out having fun. It should be a time where people that have to work nine-to-five jobs and do things they aren’t excited about have a chance to get away, party, dance, drink some beer, forget about their shit, and have fun.” —Kalyn Oyer WEDNESDAY
Benefit | First World Problem
w/ Scott Dence, Dirty Circus, Lost at Sea, and Wiggly Piggly
Fri. May 22
7 p.m.
$7
Tin Roof
After a close friend lost her four year-long battle with scleroderma two years ago, Steven Schaab decided to call on a few local friends and organize an event in her honor. This Thursday is the second Benefit for Scleroderma in memory of Amanda Hogsett, held annually on her birthday. Kicking off the event, garage-rock one-man-band Scott Dence of Dumb Doctors will perform, followed by punk cover band, Wiggly Piggly. The female-fronted alt-grunge act Dirty Circus goes on at 9 p.m., followed by local punk bands Lost at Sea at 10 p.m., and First World Problem at 11 p.m. The Autobahn food truck will be on hand for the hungry, and drink specials like $2 PBRs will satisfy the broke and thirsty. All funds raised at the door will go directly to the Scleroderma Foundation to help find a cure for the rare and deadly disorder. —Kelly Rae Smith FRIDAY
Ska | The Slackers
w/ The Duppies
Thurs. May 21
8 p.m.
$15/adv., $18/door
Tin Roof
The Slackers formed in New York City nearly 25 years ago, playing mostly tough Manhattan audiences in small clubs. “People are famously critical and don’t just support you ’cause you are ‘local.’ It took us years to work our way up to filling medium-sized clubs,” says saxophonist Dave Hillyard. The six-piece, comprising Vic Ruggiero (vocals, keys), Glen Pine (trombone, vocals), Jayson Nugent (guitar), Marcus Geard (bass), Ara Babajian (drums), and Hillyard, make ska/rocksteady music mixed with rock ‘n’ roll, blues, R&B, and Latin-American rhythms. For Hillyard, ska was the first style of music that excited him. He says, “I got obsessed with a lot of the U.K. ska music from the 1980s when I was 13 years old, and that made me want to play along with it.” Hillyard’s introduction to British and Jamaican ska was like a gateway drug to more music. American jazz, R&B, and blues now also define the Slackers’ sound. These days, the band has a strong fanbase around the world, from Latin and North American to Europe to Japan — as they’ve been dedicated to playing over 100 shows a year since 1997. The band recently released the boogaloo party tune “Diskambobulated,” which will be available at their merch table this Thursday. —Kelly Rae Smith THURSDAY
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No newspaper subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations from downtown to North Charleston to Johns Island to Summerville to Mount Pleasant.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.