By DAN ARMONAITIS
The last two years have been unusual, to say the least. Between the global pandemic that turned the world upside down and political divisions that seemed to widen to unprecedented levels during the most recent U.S. election cycle, it’s as if society has been living through a “crooked piece of time,” to borrow a song lyric by the late John Prine.
It’s the complete antithesis to what Spartanburg singer-songwriter J. Randy Foster strived to achieve with the hugely successful “There Goes the Neighborhood” concerts that he held in 2019 and 2020. Those events, like Foster’s original album of the same name that inspired them, were community-driven efforts that brought musicians from all walks of life together for a common purpose.
While Covid-19 forced the concert not to be held last year, Foster is finally set to present “There Goes the Neighborhood 3.” The star-studded show will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3 at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg.
“It’s a great opportunity to get together with other people in the community that you’ve maybe been sort of estranged from in these last couple of years,” Foster said of the concert, for which tickets are still available (click here). “And it’s also an opportunity to remember that there’s still a lot of good out there and a lot of hope.
“I think a lot of people have struggled with that lately. I mean, I’ve struggled with it, honestly.”
Like the two previous “There Goes the Neighborhood” concerts, this year’s version will once again feature dozens of area musicians and choir members on stage — in various combinations — performing songs, written by Foster, that span a wide array of music genres from folk, pop and R&B to rock ‘n’ roll and country. Two new compositions will be included.
“The fact that all these very, very good — and, in many cases, extraordinary — musicians were willing to, first, go into the studio and record my songs is something that’s very precious to me,” Foster said. “That they would trust me as a songwriter, that I wouldn’t ask them to come in and play something or sing something that they would be ashamed of, means a lot.”
Despite an impressive music background that includes a longtime stint with renowned beach music outfit Grand Strand and having, as a teenager, played in such bands as the New Generation, a psychedelic pop-rock group that notably included future Marshall Tucker Band members Tommy Caldwell and Doug Gray, Foster prefers to shine the spotlight on the other musicians who will appear on stage at the Chapman Cultural Center on Feb. 3 rather than himself.
“If I have any talent, it’s the ability to surround myself with talent,” Foster said. “Of course, I always have a disclaimer when I do these concerts; I always say that this represents some of the talent in the Spartanburg area but not all.”
In addition to performances of Foster-penned material, this year’s “There Goes the Neighborhood” concert will also include a new twist. During the first half of the show, featured artists — Fayssoux McLean, Shane Pruitt: Hurt & Skip, Angela Easterling & the Beguilers, Matthew Knights & Geezer, the Abbey Elmore Band and Marc Higgins & the Chainsaw Bears — will each perform brief sets that showcase their own respective songwriting prowess and creative impulses.
“As artists, they’re doing the same thing I’m doing,” Foster said. “They have their different genres and so forth, but, like me, they’re vocalizing their internal soul talk with music. In other words, they’re writing songs that, in most cases, are very, very personal to them.”
Foster said allowing other musicians’ songs to be spotlighted in such a way is a natural step toward turning “There Goes the Neighborhood” into something bigger than himself.
“I’d love for this (yearly concert) to go on long after I’m gone and for it to continue to showcase Spartanburg’s talent,” Foster said. “Ever since (1950s rock ‘n’ roll stars) The Sparkletones, and even before, we’ve just had a lot of talent in our area, and I think it’s a worthwhile notion to keep showcasing this special thing we have in Spartanburg.”