QUIRKY FOLK | The Rough & Tumble
w/ Grace Joyner and She Returns from War
Fri. Feb. 20
9 p.m.
$5
The Royal American
The Rough & Tumble create music that’s an idiosyncratic folk blend of steel guitar, ukulele, and well-honed harmonies. Though they’re currently slinging coffee and vegan treats full time in Nashville, Scott Tyler and Mallory Graham grew up in Appalachia. In fact, Black Mountain, N.C. is where they struck up a friendship with Charleston songstress Grace Joyner — they lived just down the street from each other. “A thing that happens when you leave Black Mountain is you feel closer with everyone there,” says Graham. Tyler and Graham got their starts as separate solo projects before they met at music school in Martha’s Vineyard circa 2007. Rough & Tumble have been releasing music since 2010, including a concept album about their own monsters — 2012’s We Don’t Believe in Monsters, Anymore. And since Dec. 2013, the pair have committed to continuously release tracks on Bandcamp for a project called The Rough & Tumble Holiday Awareness Campaign, which identifies and celebrates the (musically) oft-overlooked events, like Martin Luther King Jr. Day (“MLK BLVD”) and April Fools’ (“I Fooled You Again”). The band has toured as a duo for four years, but they recently added a third member — their bullmastiff rescue pup, Butter. “A lot of crazy things happen on tour, because we have a big dog and a small car,” says Tyler. Things might get a little more spacious soon, however, because this summer Tyler and Graham plan to buy a camper, quit their jobs, and pursue music, and the road, full time. “It’s what we’ve been working up to for seven years,” Graham says. “It’s what we really want to do.” —Kalyn Oyer FRIDAY
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | The Northerners
Wed. Feb. 25
9 p.m.
Free
The Sparrow
The Northerners have a way of writing classic-rock songs in a modern world full of electronic pulses. Last year, they released Virginia, a six-song album that sounds a bit like Elton John B-sides or The Band tunes from further down the classic rock basement. Old rock sounds are particularly present on the title track, with its use of Hammond B3, the classic-rock organ that defined a lot of mod music from the ’60s. The Northerners not only create songs that are instrumentally nostalgic, the band is also able to write songs that breathe without cramming as many notes into a melody as possible. The Richmond-based band also likes to use their catchy songs to crack jokes at their own expense. For example, Virginia‘s final track “Pound Hound” features lines like, “I’m going out with a bottle in my hand/ When I get drunk I fall on the ground/ When I get drunk I smell like a hound/ My girl won’t win no pageantry/ She don’t have all her teeth, you see.” —J. Chapa WEDNESDAY
AMERICANA | Ohm Radio Fundraiser
w/ Jordan Igoe, The Travelin’ Kine, and The High Divers
Sat. Feb. 21
9 p.m.
$5
The Royal American
Ohm Radio 96.3 FM, a new commercial-free, listener-funded, community-focused radio station, has its sights set on an Aug. 1 debut. But until then, Lee Barbour and Vicki Matsis, from Media Reform S.C., the nonprofit behind Ohm, are busy fundraising for the low-power FM station by using local talent to highlight what’s to come for Ohm. “When the station is launched, we’re going to have a radio show where all the musicians and artists who have donated to the station for a fundraiser will be able to play their own music, interview other bands, or play their favorite tunes for all to hear,” Matsis says. Saturday’s fundraiser will feature locals like alt-rockers The High Divers, soulful singer-songwriter and Bandswap 2014 winner Jordan Igoe, and The Travelin’ Kine, winner of the City Paper Music Award for Americana band of the year. Matsis says, “We are very grateful for the incredible amount of support we’ve received and are excited about bringing Charleston programming that will feature local music, a wide range of perspectives, promote sustainability, and create a more healthy community.” —Kelly Rae Smith SATURDAY
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