Last year I got all sappy with my birthday post, but this year I don’t think I have it in me.
First off I want to thank my cousin Bentz Kirby for inspiring us to start this blog.  It really wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for him saying that everyone needed to do their part in the music scene.  Second I would like to thank Adam Fogle, he’s been a great friend and taught me how to be a so called “blogger.” He taught me it’s all about respect.  I hate that he’s not writing as much anymore, he’s one of the most talented guys I know.  Long live the Palmetto Scoop, you’ll always be classier than the shit show which is Fitsnews. Those two people I will thank every year, and anytime anyone asks me about the website, those two names are sure to come up.
Now, I’ve been thinking a lot about where we’re headed. The biggest challenge when I started the website was convincing people that we were here to stay. That we weren’t going to just fade away like every other independent music website in South Carolina EVER. Hey, it’s only been three years, and I’m getting older, but our staff is getting collectively younger. Trust me, we’re not going anywhere.
I think in year three we’re going to get edgier. We’re going to bring the opinion. We’re going to stir the pot. We’re going to make you disagree with our opinions in hopes that we’ll get some healthy discussion going. I hope it’s nothing like the Next Big Thing contest where local bands just took low blows at us and their fellow bands. That was sad to see and a couple of bad apples ruined what could have been a great contest. The good news is a lot of those bands met through that contest and got to be friends. We brought Commerce through town the other week and they were excited to meet Ian from Pan because they enjoyed Pan’s music from the contest.
Look at the comradery that formed from the New Brookland Tavern battle of the bands this year. Octopus Jones and Dance Commander playing shows together. The bond that has formed between Foley, OJ, and Sea Wolf Mutiny is special and it all started there. That’s what we were going for with that contest and that’s what we are going for with this site.
Last night we had our first showcase at The House in 5 Points with Foley, Nick Bays and Kemp Ridley. I have known the guys in Foley the least amount of time, but they are super guys who are perfect for our music scene. With Nick and Cayla playing last night it was really perfect. I’ve been following them since the beginning and since they were in high school. It’s great to see how much they’ve grown into outstanding musicians. Thanks to all of the people that came out, it was good to see so many people in bands from around town, the Free Times and just friends of the website.
Tonight we’ll take it to another level with Washed Out.
