James Island artist Mary Edna Fraser loves performing at Circular Congregational Church for one reason more than any other: the harmony.
The round shape of the historic building at 150 Meeting St., she says, can create a harmony that allows audience members to hear the people around them easily.
“It just bounces off the walls nicely,” she said. “The ceilings aren’t too tall, so everybody can hear each other.”
Fraser’s band, Lime and the Coconuts, will take advantage of that harmony May 26 during the church’s ongoing “Music at Noon” concert series during the 2025 Piccolo Spoleto Festival. It is just one of 10 free shows of musicians, artists and bands that will perform at the church at noon from May 24 to June 8.
The group, named after Harry Nilsson’s song “Coconut,” is led by Fraser on the strings and Cajun accordion. She is accompanied by Jeff Narkiewicz on bass, Noodle McDoodle on strings, Matt Sciarro on clarinet and Keith Nam on saxophone. Fraser first played a toy Cajun accordion gifted from her parents before eventually moving to a full-sized version in her current band and her previous one in Atlanta. She described her style as more akin to playing a French horn.
“The normal way it’s played by the Cajun people is kind of an ‘oompa’ or percussive sound,” Fraser said in an interview. “And then I pull out the stops and play it as a single note. Very long, long notes.”
Fraser said Lime and the Coconuts, which has performed at the church multiple times, will play Billie Holiday songs, tunes from the early 20th century and original songs — all with jazz sounds at the forefront.
- IF YOU WANT TO GO: “Music at Noon,” May 26-May 30,
and June 2-June 6, Circular Congregational Church,
150 Meeting St. Free.
Venue to showcase additional ticketed events
Guitarist Alejandro Rowinsky, who performs at 6 p.m. on May 30 in a $20 ticketed show, will present a classical guitar concert. He has played in Charleston before, but for a gig far different from the one at Circular Congregational. Rowinsky played his guitar in the song “Misbehavin’ ” from the locally-filmed HBO show The Righteous Gemstones. The tune is eventually featured in multiple episodes — specifically in episodes five and six of season one — where it is performed by actors Walton Goggins and Jennifer Nettles.
Rowinsky said via email that his musical career began in 2016 when he auditioned for the “Elena of Avalor” live show at Disney World. He was chosen to be the lead guitarist for the show, performing onstage at Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Since then, Rowinsky hasn’t slowed down, playing in venues like The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Six Flags.
The day before Rowinsky’s performance, guitarist Christopher Laughlin will be at Circular Congregational, performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1,” pieces by legendary Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, a flamenco piece from fellow Spanish composer Paco de Lucía and more. Tickets are $25 each.
For Laughlin, skilled in classical, flamenco and fingerstyle guitar, the performance at Circular Congregational will give him a chance to show off his range and to expand his technique. This is especially the case with the flamenco guitar, as he had to learn more advanced strumming techniques in order to play properly.
“I find the music exciting to play, and I think audiences find it very exciting to listen to,” Laughlin said.
He will close out the performance with pop songs such as “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. If the audience wants an encore, Laughlin said, they’ll get “Sweet Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.
Henry O’Brien is an arts journalism and communications graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
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