SUPERFLY TRIBUTE | Merlot Moments
Langston Hughes III
Wed. Dec. 6
6 p.m.
$20
Accent on Wine, Summerville
Purveyors of “adult contemporary head nod,” Langston Hughes III are known for their smooth and cool take on rap music, but they’re also fans of wine, art, and culture. They occasionally combine all those with hip-hop in events they call Merlot Moments. According to Chawle Dawk da Superstar, it’s all about classic hip-hop. “Not necessarily old school hip-hop, but the classic energy and feel of the golden age of hip-hop,” he says. This new Merlot Moment will be a “mini-moment,” with more of an emphasis on the classic film Superfly. “Superfly was definitely ingrained in hip-hop culture,” says Chawle Dawk. Not only was the film a beloved example of blaxploitation cinema, but it also featured a fantastic soundtrack by the legendary Curtis Mayfield. “It’s been sampled numerous times in hip-hop and Curtis Mayfield definitely has always been one of my favorite guys and an inspiration to Langston Hughes,” he says. “We just wanted to give a head nod in celebration to that while we sip some good wine from around the world.” The crux of the music for the night will be songs from the Superfly soundtrack, songs that have been inspired by it, breakbeats, and songs that complement the soundtrack. “We will definitely be playing our music and probably introducing a new song,” he says. While they are not planning on performing, Chawle Dawk says that “depending on the energy” they may pass the mic for a song or two. Here’s hoping the energy’s high. —Heath Ellison WEDNESDAY
MULTI-GENRE | 843Core
w/ Down Under, AGØNY, Pinkerton & the Brinks, Never Any Ordinary, Hollow Notes, Boardwalks, Crystal Cavern, Bass Ghost
Sun. Dec. 10
5 p.m.
Free, all ages
Cory’s Grilled Cheese
843Core Productions’ last show of the year is another multi-genre showdown at Cory’s Grilled Cheese, this time combining folk, punk, hip-hop, and metal, all on one far-from-cheesy bill. This also marks the three-year anniversary of the first of countless shows founder Will Manigault ever booked (and, it’s his birthday). “I wanted to do something special to bring together all of my friends in the metal scene and my friends in the indie-punk-alternative scene I’ve been working with lately,” he says. “It’s also an opportunity for my band Down Under to play with friends we wouldn’t normally get to share a bill with.” Other than Summerville deathcore group Down Under, the lineup includes Ravenel Metalcore band AGØNY, Charleston folk-Americana crew/Cory’s Grilled Cheese owner’s Pinkerton & the Brinks, Mt. Pleasant indie-punk troupe Never Any Ordinary, Goose Creek post-hardcore four-piece Hollow Notes, local pop-punk project Boardwalks, Goose Creek nintendocore (you heard us) act Crystal Cavern, and local hip-hop artist Bass Ghost. To thank everyone for three years of support, Manigault says this show is free for all. —Kelly Rae Smith SUNDAY
CHRISTMAS INDIE ROCK | The Silver Bells
Sat. Dec. 9
1 p.m.
Free
Jack of Cups
Tues. Dec. 12
6 p.m.
$8
Charleston Music Hall
After more than a decade of either recording songs or performing shows, the Silver Bells skipped last December — but never fear, Charleston’s only Christmas band is back to get you hyped for the holidays. “It was nice to take a break last year,” says frontman Nicholas (surprisingly, no relation to the saint) Doyle. “But sometimes when you allow yourself to stop doing something, it ends up being more exciting when you come back to it. Plus, I missed playing these songs with, and for, my friends.” The four-piece — Doyle, Douglas Thompson, Ballard Lesemann, and Danny Infinger — are set to play several shows this season, including this Sat. Dec 9 at Jack of Cups on Folly Beach (following the Folly Christmas parade), Tues. Dec. 12 at the Charleston Music Hall (just before the venue’s holiday film series screening of “Christmas movie” Die Hard), and Wed. Dec. 20 at the Tin Roof (openers Secret Guest will perform as Secret Santa). Doyle says that in addition to tracks off 2014’s It’s Christmas, Everybody!, the X-mas indie-rockers have a few new songs and covers in store. “I hope people try to come to as many of the shows as they can — we’re trying to make each one different,” Doyle says. “I am so thankful that Charleston has been so supportive of this ridiculous thing that we do.” —Kelly Rae Smith SATURDAY AND TUESDAY
MULTI-GENRE | Asheville Holiday Hang
w/ Town Mountain and Amanda Platt & The Honeycutters
Sat. Dec. 9
$13-$15
9 p.m.
The Pour House
Asheville, N.C.-based acts Town Mountain and Amanda Platt & the Honeycutters are teaming up for a tour entitled Asheville Holiday Hang. Despite both groups being natives of Asheville and longtime friends, on paper the pairing does not quite add up stylistically. Town Mountain is based in a traditional, all acoustic, Appalachian bluegrass sound while Amanda Platt & the Honeycutters have a base in electric country and rock. But the bands see themselves as two sides of the same North Carolina coin. This is the second year that the Holiday Hang tour has rolled through the Southeastern U.S., and the fifth year that Town Mountain has organized a Holiday Hang especially for Charleston. Besides displaying some of the best Americana music that Asheville has to offer, the bands are partnering with the MANNA FoodBank, a non profit and sub-organization of Feeding America that seeks to solve the issue of hunger in North Carolina’s Appalachian region. Partial proceeds from every show on the Holiday Hang tour will benefit a Feeding America food bank in each of the seven cities the bands stop in, including Charleston. —Alex Peeples SATURDAY
HORROR FUNK | Robotrio
Tues. Dec. 12
8 p.m.
Free
The Royal American
Robotrio is the latest project from keyboardist Ross Bogan. “[Drummer] Jonathan Peace and I have been longtime friends and musical collaborators and we wanted to start a project that was sort of like an organ trio,” says Bogan. With the original inspiration being New Orleans funk groups like the Meters, Bogan also cites rock and experimental as poking through in the sound. “Peace has a really cool metal background and he’s always been kinda like ‘Miles Davis and Slayer, that’s my thing,'” says Bogan. “I’m really into pedals and horror movies and synth rock.” Basically, the influences are varied as hell. “We took the idea of the organ trio and naturally it just got more progressive with a heavier edge,” he says. Peace and Bogan are the two consistent members of Robotrio, with a rotating third member. Occasionally it will be Ben Mossman playing bass, and occasionally it will be Wallace Mullinax playing guitar. “It’s really four of us, but we decided it would be a cool thing if we just mixed it up every week,” says Bogan. “Every now and then it will be all four of us and we’ll be a robo-quatro.” —Heath Ellison TUESDAY
Stay cool. Support City Paper.
City Paper has been bringing the best news, food, arts, music and event coverage to the Holy City since 1997. Support our continued efforts to highlight the best of Charleston with a one-time donation or become a member of the City Paper Club.