Charleston may not be Nashville when it comes to music industry bona fides, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of musicians and songwriters making waves here in the Lowcountry.
What is in short supply, however, are the kind of listening rooms — intimate spaces where artists swap songs and stories with audience members up close and personal — that populate other Southern cities like Nashville and, to a different extent, Austin.
Enter Dear Dive Bar, a series of small-scale performances held inside Elliotborough Mini Bar on Percy Street that mimic that salon-like environment.
“Each show features two different songwriters, alongside our host (me),” said Meredith Foster, Dear Dive Bar’s co-founder. “Artists swap original songs and stories in the center of the room, and perform totally unplugged.”
Foster had the idea after playing her first show at the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where many rising musicians got their big break. She was eager to bring the experience to Charleston, where she splits time.
“I moved to Charleston in 2021, fresh out of college, and I was — am — a songwriter. I discovered Elliotborough Mini Bar, like, two weeks into living here. At the time, it was hosting these open mic nights and I started going regularly,” Foster said.
“I became really close with everyone there and just kept feeling like, ‘You know, this is such a cool, special place to perform.’ Then I got offered the slot to play at the Bluebird Cafe and felt really strongly that that whole experience would be perfect in Charleston, and perfect at Mini Bar.”
Together with friend and co-founder Amanda Russell, who is a bartender at the local bar, she hatched the idea for the listening room series and pitched it to the owners. From there, Dear Dive Bar was born. The first season launched in 2023.
“We modeled it off of the Bluebird’s ‘In the Round’ format, which invites a silent audience into a unique living room–like experience. You can’t find anything else like it anywhere in Charleston,” Foster said.
Dear Dive Bar’s fifth season (two seasons occurred in the same year) kicks off March 23, with subsequent shows scheduled for May, July, September and December. Part of the allure of the series involves keeping the lineup of featured artists under wraps until two weeks before showtime, and limiting the audience to 40 people. Those looking for tickets ($20) are instructed to queue outside of the restaurant on the night of each scheduled performance and wait.
“It’s all part of the experience,” Foster said. “It makes it feel intimate, special — like everyone’s in it together and on the same level.”
Also part of the experience: the occasional surprise guest and cameo appearance, according to Foster. “We’ve had everyone from brand new local songwriters to 11-time platinum hit-writer Wyatt Durrette to Grammy winner Shelby Means. The goal is to pair nationally touring acts with local and regional artists making waves on the Charleston scene.
“That’s where the magic happens and the music shines.”
Follow @deardivebar on social media for ticket and show information.
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