While I was reading through all of the events for this years Indie Grits Festival I had a major breakthrough and it’s something that I just realized. This will hopefully, probably, pretty much definitely, be the last Indie Grits at their current location behind the state house on Main Street. By this time next year they’ll be here, with your continued support.
Indie Grits Festival is hosted by the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, SC and this year has grown to 10 days from April 19-April 29. What started out as a film festival six years ago has now expanded to a festival that not only plays host to talented Southern filmakers, but also to music, art, food, performing art and for the first time technology. The full schedule can be found below, with more info to come.
Toro y Moi’s unforgettable performance from last year will be followed up this year by reunited Athens indie rockers The Olivia Tremor Control and the one man band which is Quintron. No word yet on whether or not Miss Pussycat will have a hand in the puppet slam at Indie Grits.
The Olivia Tremor Control was one of the original Elephant 6 recording artists that spawned off such popular bands as Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel, and of Montreal. After disbanding in 2000, they reunited with new material and in September 2011 released a three song single titled The Game You Play Is In Your Head, with plans to release more music and tour in 2012.
SCHEDULE of INDIE GRITS EVENTS (in addition to films shown each night):
April 19:
Indie Grits Opening Party, 7 p.m.
o   Location: 701 Whaley
o   The Indie Grits opening party is in conjunction with the Preview Party for 701 CCA’s Columbia Open Studios
April 20:
Puppet Slam at Indie Grits, 7 p.m., Day 1
o   Puppeteers from across the Southeast converge for two gloriously gritty evenings of experimental short puppetry and object theater. The puppet slam at Indie Grits will feature an evening of raucous and ribald, thought-provoking and awe-inspiring performances.
The Olivia Tremor Control concert
April 21:
Puppet Slam at Indie Grits, 7 p.m., Day 2 (see above)
April 21:
701 CCA Columbia Open Studios, Day 1
o   Location: In artists’ personal studios around the Midlands
o   www.columbiaopenstudios.
o   Visit with individual artists in their private, working studios, while learning about their backgrounds, tools and techniques, and how their personal stories impact their art. The public will have the opportunity to purchase participating artists’ works at zero mark-up.
April 22:
Slow Food at Indie Grits, 4-7 p.m.
o   www.SlowFoodColumbia.org, @slowfoodcolumbia
o   12+ chefs from Columbia’s top farm-to-table restaurants will serve epic tastes at a “Sustainable Taste of Columbia” party with wine, beer and music. Each chef’s dish must feature at least one locally, sustainably produced major ingredient.
701 CCA Columbia Open Studios, Day 2 (see above)
April 24:
Quintron
Off Menu with Kristian Niemi, Slow Food at Indie Grits event
o   Location: Rosso Trattoria Italia (4840 Forest Drive)
o   Take notes as one of Columbia’s greatest restaurateurs shares his cooking tips.
April 25:
South Carolina Philharmonic at Indie Grits
o   www.SCPhilharmonic.com, @SCPhil
o   Location: Drayton Hall, USC
o   Indie Grits organizers have commissioned four new silent films to play along with the Philharmonic’s performance–a unique collaboration.
April 26:
ConvergeSE public event and happy hour
 April 27:
ConvergeSE, Day 1
o   www.ConvergeSE.com, @ConvergeSE
o   Location: IT-oLogy (1301 Gervais Street, Ste. 200)
o   ConvergeSE is a melting pot of web designers and developers with varying ranges of experience. Sessions in mobile web design, marketing and business development.
 April 28:
Crafty Feast
o   Crafty Feast is an all-day juried festival focused on handmade crafts.
Converge SE, Day 2
 April 28: Indie Grits Closing Party and Awards
