PSYCHEDELIC ELECTRONIC GARAGE ROCK | The Growlers
w/ Ceramic Animal
Sun. Aug. 4
8 p.m.
$30
Music Farm
Garage rock might sound sloppy sometimes, but just because it’s ragged doesn’t mean that anyone can pick up a guitar and do it themselves. There’s a certain unpolished, heartfelt, and loud-as-hell aesthetic one has to have. The good news is that once you have that down, garage rock is one of the most flexible styles of music on the planet. At least that’s the conclusion one comes to when listening to the catalog of California band The Growlers. These guys have been together for almost 15 years, and they’re still finding variations on what should be a limited formula. With singer Brooks Nielsen’s endearing broken-hearted vocals out in front of Matt Taylor’s wiry guitar and keyboardist Kyle Straka’s well-chosen chords, there doesn’t seem to be anything that they can’t throw into that basic rock ‘n’ roll mix. The psychedelia in their early work is one thing; there are plenty of bands from the late ’60s who were able to meld unearthly harmonies and odd production choices to garage rock. But The Growlers most recent turn has been to synths and dance music, as displayed on their 2016 album City Club, and damned if it doesn’t still work really well. Their quality control is also through the roof; in 2018, the band released Casual Acquaintances, a collection of outtakes and B-sides from the City Club sessions, and pretty much every song could have ended up on the proper album. It’s been a while since The Growlers have put out anything new, but thanks to a catalog of rough-hewn gems and seemingly endless flexibility, their live shows haven’t suffered at all. —Vincent Harris SUNDAY
COUNTRY | Haley Mae Campbell
Sat. Aug. 3
8 p.m.
Free
Home Team BBQ (downtown)
Haley Mae Campbell postulates that her ever-evolving country sound is, in part, informed by her years growing up on Isle of Palms. “I just remember all these perfect pictures in my mind, of nights looking out at the Atlantic, or up at the stars,” she says. “So, whenever I am attempting to craft a new song, I want it to be a perfect picture like that, too.” Of late, the Charleston native has been taking in new scenery in Tennessee and taking full advantage of everything her adopted home of Nashville has to offer in terms of career advancement. “Even as an outsider, I have encountered a real welcoming community that has embraced me and helped me to grow as an artist,” Campbell reflects. “I get to spend the first part of my weeks hiding out, writing songs in an office space or down on Music Row somewhere. Then I typically load up the van and venture out of town for live dates with my band on the weekends.” The latter exercise is precisely what brings Campbell back to the Lowcountry for an intimate performance at Home Team BBQ, an establishment to which she is no stranger. “I’m particularly excited,” Campbell says, “because this will be my first time playing at the downtown location.” Campbell has plenty of other things to be excited about these days, like the fact that her current single, the catchy yet plaintive track, “Anything But Yellow,” is becoming increasingly popular on Spotify and throughout Radioland. —Kevin Wilson SATURDAY
HIP-HOP | Whoa, Man: A Collection Of Dames Who Spit Flames
w/ Ray LeJune, Glizzy, Lay Wills, Kween Katt
Sat. Aug. 3
7 p.m.
Free
Purple Buffalo
The “Whoa, Man” hip-hop show at Purple Buffalo is all female, from the DJ to the MCs to the organizer, Vaughn “V.P.” Postema. That was very much on purpose, and it was meant to correct an issue that Postema has long noticed at hip-hop shows. “I’ve always loved R&B and hip-hop, but it seemed like there weren’t a lot of women on the bills,” she says. “I felt that women were very underrepresented in the field of hip-hop, so I found it very important to showcase them and, for once, have women all across the board. I really wanted anyone who graced the stage to be a woman. I’m not the first person to do it, but I felt that I should do it.” Luckily, V.P.’s own experience has brought her in contact with many talented performers who fit the bill. “I have a background in radio broadcasting, so I was able to hear a lot of these artists,” she says. “There are only four on the bill because I wanted to keep the list short and focused.” The common denominator among the four women (Glizzy, Lay Wills, Kween Katt, and headliner Ray LeJune) was a deep catalog of singles or other recordings. “That was very important to me because I want people to be able to go back and research and listen to these artists,” she says. “And when you have a catalog, it shows the level of seriousness you have about your craft. Women are dope artists and should not be overlooked in this industry. They don’t all rap about the same things; they’re as diverse as any other male artists in this genre.” —Vincent Harris SATURDAY
COUNTRY SKATE ROCK | Shawnthony Calypso
w/ Public Luxuries
Sat. Aug 3
9 p.m.
$5
Tin Roof
Hailing from Lexington, Ky., the guys in Shawnthony Calypso take one small step for themselves, and one giant leap for all of skate rock. The band’s latest release, The World is a House to Us All, wonderfully illustrates frontman Reid Small’s style of songwriting. Imagine a wizard mixing a pinch of traditional country in a cauldron with skate rock. It would surely produce the sound that Shawnthony Calypso makes. Many tracks on the new record feature walking bass and guitar lines with steady, not flashy, drums. The distinct, heavy reverberated vocals on most of the tracks seem to be the signature sound for the band, contrasting with traditional country sensibilities. The few instrumental songs like “Man Wolf” and the title track, ring out layered distortion commonly found in stoner rock, while tracks such as “Evinrude 65” are bare bones rock ‘n’ roll. High production is nowhere to be found here, folks. The beauty of the music is found in the rawness. Sounding much like garage recordings, this is sure to warm the hearts of many purists. Standout track, “Me and My Dog,” presents a catchy melody while showing off the style that makes Shawnthony Calypso truly unique. —Henry Clark SATURDAY
JAZZ FUSION | Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
w/ House of Waters
Thurs. Aug. 1
9:30 p.m.
$12/adv, $15/dos
Pour House
Modern jazz composer Jonathan Scales has been called a master of the steel pans, but that’s not a title that the North Carolina-based artist is comfortable with. “It’s a lifelong process, and I’m wise enough to know that I am nowhere near having it all figured out,” Scales explains. “I didn’t even take up the steel pans until I was in college at Appalachian State. Prior to that I was primarily a sax player.” Still, Scales laughs knowingly at the suggestion that he is the only one out there doing what he does. “I didn’t set out to create a new context for the instrument,” Scales insists, “but that’s kind of what happened along the way.” On his latest release, PILLAR, Scales goes deep into new territory with his regular, though fluid, band, the Fourchestra, and he gets to collaborate with some of his genre-defying heroes, most notably Oteil Burbridge, Victor Wooten, and Béla Fleck. As it should, the PILLAR song cycle will loom large when the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra takes the stage at Charleston Pour House this week, but the audience can count on an assortment of tunes from Scales’ other five albums to round out the set. Interestingly enough, the virtuosic musicians in the opening act, House of Waters, rally around another nontraditional frontman, Max ZT, who is pushing the boundaries of what a hammered dulcimer can do. If you are up for an evening of musical adventure, then this is the show for you. —Kevin Wilson THURSDAY
Love Best of Charleston?
Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.