The fight over the future of the Lowcountry’s natural landscape is coming to the stage at Music Farm on Nov. 4 when Charleston musicians gather for the finale of a concert series using music, poetry and community to rally opposition to a massive natural gas project on the Edisto River.
“Songs To Save The Edisto” will feature Charleston duo Shovels and Rope, singer-songwriter Joel T. Hamilton’s Mechanical River, the Deadleg Wobblers, the Palmetto Choral Collective Peace Choir and former Charleston poet laureate Marcus Amaker. The series was organized by the Charleston Climate Coalition, the M.A.R.S.H. Project and Microdose Cooperative.
For Belvin Olasov, director and co-founder of the Charleston Climate Coalition, the series represents an opportunity to bring the spirit of the folk-protest movements of the 1960s into a contemporary environmental fight.
“I’m someone who is really interested in the use of music in countercultural protest movements,” Olasov said. “There was a time when music and art and culture were just more naturally interconnected with change-making activism causes.”
Inspired by that connection, Olasov wanted to bring that tradition to the Lowcountry. The series has taken different forms, from a coffee shop to a pool, but attendance has grown steadily, and now the series moves to Music Farm for its finale.
Music, joy and the environmental fight
The cause behind the concerts is a proposed $5 billion natural gas-fired power plant near Canadys in Colleton County along the Edisto River. Dominion Energy South Carolina and state-owned Santee Cooper plan to jointly develop the 2,200-megawatt facility, which received approval from the S.C. Public Service Commission in May.
The project also involves a new natural gas pipeline and its infrastructure, which raises concerns about impacts on the ACE Basin, one of the Lowcountry’s significant natural landscapes. Environmental advocates question the project’s cost, air pollution, water quality and the long-term consequences of expanding fossil fuel infrastructure.
For Olasov and the Charleston Climate Coalition, the convergence of the gas plant, pipeline and data center development represents an especially troubling moment for the region. The coalition has spent seven years advocating for climate action in the Lowcountry, including clean energy, green buildings and public transportation.
“In my time as a climate activist, there hasn’t been any flashpoint as dangerous as this gas plant,” Olasov said.
The concerts offer a way to make that fight more visible while giving people an accessible entry point into environmental activism.
“The idea was to create some sort of confluence of energy, something that brings people together to a cause bigger than themselves,” he said.
That sense of community and enjoyment is particularly important when the issues themselves can feel overwhelming.
“The nature of the issue is dark,” Olasov said. “This fossil fuel infrastructure is for data centers, not for us. So I think balancing out that darkness with lightness and energy is really important.”
A collaboration built around creativity
The Charleston Climate Coalition has worked with the M.A.R.S.H. Project for several years, finding common ground in an approach to environmental advocacy.
The M.A.R.S.H. Project is a Charleston-based environmental initiative that combines ecological stewardship and community engagement with creative activism to protect the Lowcountry’s natural environment. Microdose Cooperative is a creative community organization that collaborates on arts and music events, helping bring projects such as Songs To Save The Edisto to life.
“They share a lot of the same ideals of centralizing joy and play and creativity, as well as love and reverence for our natural world,” Olasov said. “To me, the joy of this work is in the collaboration and great people you get to work with and to be friends with,” Olasov said. “To me, this series couldn’t have happened without the M.A.R.S.H. Project and Microdose Cooperative.”
Although Nov. 4 marks the end of the series, Olasov sees potential for the format to support other environmental causes, including wider use of solar energy and creating protected bike lanes in downtown Charleston.
“I won’t say that the climate activist’s job is never finished because one day, we simply must be finished,” Olasov said. “But there is a lot of work to do between now and then.”
The artists:
Shovels and Rope: The famed local duo will play protest songs, both old and new, in a brief acoustic set.
Palmetto Choral Collective Peace Choir: The choir performs classic 1960s protest songs alongside gospel music.
Mechanical River: The indie-folk project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joel T. Hamilton brings a singer/songwriter’s perspective to the bill.
Marcus Amaker: The former Charleston poet laureate is an important part of the event for Olasov. “His environmental poetry touches me really deeply,” Olasov said. “It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.”
The Deadleg Wobblers: The band will close the evening with a loose, celebratory jam. Olasov described the anticipated finale as having a “jamboree vibe.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 7 p.m, Nov. 4., Music Farm, 32 Ann St., Charleston. Tickets range from $24-$44. musicfarm.com.
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