ACOUSTIC FOLK | Kevn Kinney
w/ Colter Wall
Thurs. Sept. 17
8 p.m.
$12
Palmetto Brewing
Up until the hard-rocking Fly Me Courageous was recorded back in 1990, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ singer/songwriter/guitarist Kevn Kinney had been content to get creative with his various musical personalities. He could be a punk, a Southern rocker, and an acoustic folkie, mixing and matching genres from song to song. He went on his own for 1990’s MacDougal Blues, a series of stripped-down, mid-tempo acoustic tunes, and he’s more or less maintained separate career paths ever since, returning to the band for the occasional rock release while pursuing his gentler solo muse on eight solo albums. It might sound like Kinney’s more of a serious singer-songwriter when he’s by himself, but in fact he’s just the opposite. While he’s spent a lot of time on the last few Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ albums working out his frustrations with the current American political and social landscape, his solo albums tend to have a lightness and sweetness to them that he rarely shows in a full-band context. Albums like Main Street (2000) and Broken Hearts & Auto Parts (2002) are filled with shaggy-dog stories and perceptive character studies that have a hopeful, almost naïve optimism about them. And his performances in solo-acoustic mode are anything but somber. Reeling off covers, his own cuts, and the occasional Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ classic, Kinney is an unpredictable and highly enjoyable performer, taking familiar songs off on unexpected tangents, starting off stories that never quite reach a resolution, engaging the crowd in conversation, and basically coming across as everyone’s favorite, slightly fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll uncle. —Vincent Harris THURSDAY
PUNK | The Queers
w/ The Nobodys, First World Problem
Thurs. Sept. 17
9 p.m.
$12/adv., $15/door
Tin Roof
Since the early ’80s, the Queers have been keeping punk rock relevant. Over three decades after their original formation in 1981, Joe Queer and his band are still going strong. Though heavily inspired by the Ramones, the Queers have forged their own style with original guitar solos and vocal harmonies. The band’s blatant rebellion against an increasingly electronic music scene has established them among punk-rock fans as one of the few still-operating legends of the genre. The Queers have released nearly a dozen albums since Grow Up hit the shelves in 1990. Their most recent album, Back to the Basement, was released in 2010 and held on to the dirty rhythm of the band’s older days. This year, Queer and crew will share the Tin Roof stage with fellow ’80s punk rockers the Nobodys and Charleston-native punks First World Problem. —Kaleb Eisele THURSDAY
INDIE POP | Songs of Water w/ Grace Joyner
Fri. Sept. 18
8 p.m.
$10/adv., $12/door
Charleston Music Hall
North Carolina’s Songs of Water is comprised of Elisa Rose Cox, Michael Pritchard, Greg Willette, Jon Kliegle, Luke Skaggs, and Stephen Roach — a young troupe of musicians blending orchestral pop and indie folk. The brainchild of Roach, Songs of Water began as a casual community of friends testing out their talents before they tightened it up and released their first album, a self-titled instrumental collection, in 2004. In 2007, Roach met Skaggs (son of bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs), and the collaboration expanded into a six-piece, releasing 2010’s The Sea Has Spoken, a sweeping, pastoral mix of bluegrass, gypsy folk, and two songs featuring Ricky Skaggs. However, the new record, this year’s Stars and Dust, introduces more lyricism and a bolder, more punctuated sound that puts the band in the same soaring, symphonic pop realm as acts like DevotchKa. The band will be preceded on Friday by local indie-synthstress Grace Joyner, who has ties to the Songs of Water crew. “I actually have known some of the members since I was young,” she says, “so it will be a special experience to share the stage with them.” Joyner’s stunning, simplistic sound is brought to you by layered arrangements (organ, keys, acoustic drums, electro drums — to name a few), searing vocals, and lyrics that tell stories you want to hear the endings of. After her debut with the Young Fools EP last year, Joyner’s been busy recording her follow-up LP. Although the new record isn’t expected to be released until early 2016, Joyner will perform some of her new material for the Music Hall audience this weekend.
—Kelly Rae Smith FRIDAY
BLUEGRASS | The Barefoot Movement
w/ Finnegan Bell
Sat. Sept. 19
7 p.m.
$30 (Includes BYOB corkage fee)
St. Thomas and Denis Church
Tennessee bluegrass group the Barefoot Movement first took their shoes off and hit the stage armed with their stringed instruments five years ago. For this young Nashville four-piece, playing barefoot simply sets the tone for a down-home, comfortable experience for both the performers and the audience. Their onstage presence may seem relaxed, but the band’s commitment to their craft certainly isn’t nonchalant. Whether it’s a front porch or a big festival, the foursome clearly have enough heart and potential to have garnered some well-deserved national attention. Last year, the Barefoot Movement received the Momentum Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and they were featured last month on website RS Country. This week, they’ll bring their organic sound to the second ever STAC (St. Thomas and Denis Church) house show. STAC events are housed in the historic, 300-year-old St. Thomas and Denis Church, a sweet wee Cainhoy parish otherwise known as the Old Brick Church. Shane Williams, STAC’s worship-arts director and vocalist/songwriter in local folk duo Finnegan Bell, wants to use the special structure to bring the community together in the name of music and art. He says, “STAC House Shows are working to promote quality and intimate listening room environments for national and local artists who are excellent at their craft and thrive at a high level in this kind of storyteller environment.” The Barefoot Movement are touring in support of their new EP, The High Road, a collection of traditional bluegrass-folk songs. —Kelly Rae Smith SATURDAY
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