Author: The Music Advocate

The FR8yard in downtown Spartanburg to livestream concert benefiting its musician employees

By DAN ARMONAITIS As an outdoor gathering spot used extensively for live music, The FR8yard in downtown Spartanburg shut its gates for the winter just after Thanksgiving. During the downtime, FR8yard partner Kenneth Cribb kept himself busy by putting together an impressive slate of concert events that were to have Read More

Salti Ray’s Mary Emma Norris organizes online Alone and Scared Fest featuring six Upstate singer-songwriters

By DAN ARMONAITIS Like many other musicians throughout the world, Mary Emma Norris has spent the past couple of weeks in isolation and unable to perform in public due to crowd-gathering restrictions related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s a far cry from how the month began. On March 1, Read More

Greenville’s Little Lesley & the Bloodshots to perform livestream concert on Saturday night

By DAN ARMONAITIS Little Lesley & the Bloodshots were to have played gigs this weekend at Smiley’s Acoustic Cafe in Greenville and at Rockabilly Reckoning in Austell, Georgia. Instead, like other musicians throughout the world, their shows were canceled due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In the internet age, Read More

Mountain Fever Records to award scholarship for a music-loving future college student, here’s how to apply

Do you know a music-loving high school senior? Are you one yourself? If so, here’s a fun project the student can work on while homebound due to coronavirus-related school closings. The Mountain Fever Music Group announced on Monday, March 16 that is accepting applications for its 3rd annual Higher Education Read More

Two St. Patrick’s Day-themed events in downtown Spartanburg on Saturday to feature plenty of live music

By DAN ARMONAITIS Downtown Spartanburg will be filled with music throughout the afternoon and evening on Saturday, March 14 as two major St. Patrick’s Day-themed events are held along Main Street. The 3rd annual Shenanigans on the Square will be presented by Delaney’s Irish Pub and Wild Wing Cafe from Read More

Alt-country ‘badass’ Sarah Shook to perform at The Radio Room with backing unit, The Disarmers

By DAN ARMONAITIS Sarah Shook has a reputation as a bit of a badass, and it’s a label that the North Carolina-based singer-songwriter warmly embraces. “By my estimation, nothing is more badass than having compassion for others,” Shook said. “And assuming that assessment is true, then, yes, I got badass Read More

Quick picks: 5 shows to see this week (March 10-16)

Dan + Shay will bring its “The (Arena) Tour” to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, 650 N. Academy St., Greenville on Saturday, March 14. [Update: The concert has been postponed until Sept. 10 due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the coronavirus.] Having won Grammy Awards each of the past two Read More

Charleston’s Matt Megrue digs The Radio Room, will play there in support of new full-length band album and solo EP

By DAN ARMONAITIS Charleston-based singer-songwriter Matt Megrue hasn’t played The Radio Room since the Greenville music venue moved from North Pleasantburg Drive to its current location on Poinsett Highway in 2017, but he already knows what to expect when he performs there on Friday, March 6. “I saw Titus Adronicus Read More

Now a resident of Spartanburg, Anna Chandler brings her Nancy Druid project to the Upstate

By DAN ARMONAITIS While living in Savannah, Ga. for 13 years, Anna Chandler would often drive up U.S. Highway 17 to Charleston. Along the way, she’d pass through the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Basin, a beautiful estuary better known as the ACE Basin. “That drive is my favorite to do Read More

Quick picks: 5 shows to see this week (March 3-9)

Molly Tuttle will bring her mix of folk, bluegrass and traditional country to The Spinning Jenny, 107 Cannon St., Greer on Friday, March 6. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter and 2018 Americana Music Awards Instrumentalist of the Year for her guitar prowess is touring in support of her latest album, “When You’re Read More