I’ve got a slight R.E.M. obsession, so getting to see Michael Stipe perform in Athens last month and speak at the Koger Center last week was a real treat. To me, R.E.M. is the playbook for Southern bands: build an audience before you ever play a real club, stay true to the craft of music and art, and surround yourself with trusted advisors. Embrace your local scene and never leave it behind. Give back when you can. Be generous to your fans. There’s a lot of ways to do it, I just think they did it best.
“We made good on those promises of being Southern gentlemen and being good people and being good people from a place that wasn’t always good — and representing something that I think everyone in this room… probably is in agreement with me: that being from the South isn’t always easy.” – Michael Stipe at McNair Conversations.
Upcoming shows
Friday, March 28
- TOUNDS, Moses & the Wilderness, TiffanyJ & No Space Gang @ Richland Library, Columbia (TOUNDS is fronted by Brave Baby’s Keon Masters and features members of The Simplicity.)
- Wheatus @ The Radio Room, Greenville
- Virginia Man @ Swanson’s Warehouse, Greenville
Saturday, March 29
- Danny Bedrosian and Secret Army @ Richland Library, Columbia
- Virginia Man @ The Royal American, Charleston
- Charleston Bluegrass Festival 2025, Charleston
- Shovels and Rope @ The Senate, Columbia
- Brian K & The Parkway @ Art Bar, Columbia
- Hillmouse, Sarah Adams, Slow Funeral, Benton @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
Sunday, March 30
- Twin Toasters, Black Nerd Mafia Presents @ Richland Library, Columbia
New music
In the news
Music newsletter JamWise kicked off a new Southern music series with a spotlight on South Carolina, naming standout albums from Brave Baby, The Simplicity, Shovels & Rope, Dog Named Squid, E.Z. Shakes, Slow Funeral, and Little Stranger. The writeup digs into each release with heart, humor, and deep regional context — a must-read for fans of Southern indie and underground scenes.
First Amendment win for loud music
A federal appeals court struck down North Myrtle Beach’s rule banning “vulgar” amplified music, saying it violates free speech rights. The ordinance had targeted explicit language played at bars and venues. The court ruled that while obscenity can be regulated, vulgarity alone is still protected under the First Amendment—even if it’s loud.
SC Public Radio cuts back NPR shows
South Carolina Public Radio is scaling down its NPR programming to make room for more locally produced content. The station says it’s listening to audience demand for state-focused news and plans to grow its editorial team from 7 to 20 journalists. NPR won’t disappear entirely—but expect fewer hours of national programming in the coming year.
Country fest rebooted for 2025
Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Lynyrd Skynyrd will headline the Field & Stream Music Fest, returning Oct. 3–5 at Carolina Adventure World in Winnsboro. Last year’s debut was canceled after a storm, but the 2025 edition will feature 40+ artists, camping, and outdoor events like fishing, biking, and clay shooting.
Historical Nugget
In honor of Michael Stipe being on campus at USC to speak last week, here’s a bootleg of R.E.M.’s show at Von Henmon’s in 1981.
Encore
SceneSC.com was hacked pretty badly about five years ago, and I’ve spent years trying to piece it back together. There’s still a long way to go in restoring the archives, but the good news is the site is now redesigned, on a new platform, and running smoothly.
For years, load times were painfully slow — sometimes 11–15 seconds — and I could never figure out why. I tried everything I could think of, from code tweaks to countless support tickets with our host. Finally, one support rep found the issue: our site and its database were living on servers across the country from each other. Once they fixed that, everything snapped into place. What a relief.
