ROCK | Shut Up & Color
w/ Marytree, Pluff Mud Queen
Sat. Jan. 11
8:30 p.m.
The Sparrow
Charleston’s own Shut Up & Color exists to make music that is loud and fun. And that infectious ethos is what this week’s show in Park Circle is seemingly built around. For this particular occasion, the local band will be holding court at the Sparrow along with two other groups that are guaranteed to deliver an electrifying evening. Here’s the breakdown: Shut Up & Color will hit hard with its high-energy antics and stellar song selection. Then, Marytree will be bringing their minor key mayhem to the party. Their 2017 album, Chipper, recalls big hard rock hits from the 2000s and grunge tunes that toppled the charts in the ’90s. Songs like “That Much is Certain” bring back thoughts of the last big push for rock on the radio. Finally, Pluff Mud Queen can be counted on to double down on the blues. Their songs, like “Ball of Confusion” and “More Than Love,” are dance-y, energetic foot-tappers and head-bangers. The setting for such an outrageous outing couldn’t get any better than the Sparrow, the area’s hallowed hall of noise pollution. —Kevin Wilson SATURDAY
VARIETY | 9 to 5 Mag Release Party
w/ Semkari, Bad Vessel, Maya Gold
Fri. Jan. 10
8 p.m.
$7
Purple Buffalo
Quarterly music publication 9 to 5 Magazine is celebrating their second year and eighth issue with a release party at the Purple Buffalo and three sets from South Carolina artists. Synth-heavy rock project Bad Vessel will perform their electronic and fun indie tracks, like their 2019 single “Shiny,” at the event. Semkari, a featured artist in the upcoming issue of 9 to 5 magazine, is also set to play. The rapper’s known for a bold mixture of video game references and a heartfelt delivery that gives his music more substance than the Smash Bros. and Darth Vader samples initially let on. Since dropping his 2018 EP, Sempathy, Semkari has released a series of singles, such as 2019’s “Mustang” and “Sapphire // Ruby,” both featuring Scene Jesus. Americana singer Maya Gold will round out the rundown. Her first single, “Broken Frame,” was released in December. The track mashes rhythmic acoustics, an electric guitar that carries the melody, and some descriptive lyrics that paint an image of the song’s main character. The night’s lineup is eclectic and showcases the next crop of potentially great artists in the South Carolina scene — just like 9 to 5 does every few months. —Heath Ellison FRIDAY
GROOVE-JAM | Zach Deputy
w/ Of Good Nature
Sat. Jan. 11
9 p.m.
$15/adv, $18/dos
Pour House
In 2019, singer and multi-instrumentalist Zach Deputy released an EP called Red Moon. Actually, it was less individual songs and more of a mini-suite of what Deputy does best: reggae-inflected, head-nodding grooves, electronic percussion rubbing up against Deputy’s sweet-and-sour vocals, and general blissed-out chillaxing all around. It doesn’t necessarily sound all that different from what Deputy has done in the past, but why should it? He’s been carving out a singular niche for more than a decade now, creating a hybrid of the musical styles he loves, picking and choosing elements from jam-rock, electronic pop, and straight-ahead reggae, making them his own. Onstage, Deputy’s typical set is even more continuously connected than his new EP. Much like Keller Williams, Deputy loves looping technology, setting up an easygoing groove piece by piece. The singer then sits back to ride the wave, adding his croon or a few choice guitar leads while the set becomes something bigger than a setlist. Much like a top-notch jam band, Deputy’s set changes every night because it can. There’s one guy driving, so he can do whatever he likes with the loops and leads, building a song in response to the crowd or taking it in another direction because he feels like it. Whether on album or onstage, Deputy makes exploratory kind of music that isn’t as demanding as jam, or prog-rock, for that matter. It’s more about finding a sweet spot in the pocket and settling in. —Vincent Harris SATURDAY
ALTERNATIVE ROCK | Madam Adam
w/ Lost Cosmonauts, White Walls
Sat. Jan. 11
9 p.m.
$5
The Royal American
Over the summer, local rock band Madam Adam hit the city with two singles, “Wherewithal” and “Rest of Your Life.” It’s been almost five years since their last LP, Rite of Passage, and the band hasn’t changed too much. There’s a little more pop, especially in the gigantic chorus of “Wherewithal,” but the band is still doing what they do best: making melodic alternative rock music for the modern age. “Rest of Your Life” has a new-wave electronic focus hiding behind the delayed guitar. The verse, which reflects longingly on the future, is romantic and contemplative toward the idea of forever. Madam Adam certainly has learned a thing or two about dynamics in the last few years. The band lets the music build and swell more than ever, instead of going fast with hard-hitting and loud-as-hell rock tunes. Currently, there’s no word on what Madam Adam’s new music is leading up to, and there haven’t been any new songs since the summer, but fans of the band’s approachable and fun alternative tracks are surely eager to see what’s around the corner. —Heath Ellison SATURDAY
HIP-HOP | Anfernee
w/ Clayton James, Dr. Mambo, Abstract that Rapper
Sun. Jan. 12
9 p.m.
$8
The Royal American
Four prominent Charleston hip-hop acts are taking over the Royal American to give 2020 a proper welcome. Rappers Clayton James, Anfernee., and Abstract will each play their own set along with a performance from masked jazz/trip-hop group Dr. Mambo. The instrumental trio recently played at O-Ku on King Street with Abstract on Dec. 28, but this will be the first live show in quite a while for both James and Anfernee. James previously indicated on social media that he was taking a break from live performances for a period of time while working on new music but a show at one of Charleston’s most recognized venues with a bill of three other major players in local hip-hop is a pretty bold way to return to the scene. New music has not been indicated or teased by the other artists on the bill but the new year usually brings announcements and hype. If nothing else, all of the performers are remarkable showmen, thanks to Anfernee. and Abstract’s unrelenting energy and the costumed ghostliness of Dr. Mambo. It’s a celebration of a new year and new promises with some of Charleston’s most loyal hip-hop figures. —Alex Peeples SUNDAY
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