The Radio Room Is Here for All Your Weekend Entertainment Needs
The Radio Room; Greenville, SC
There are plenty of venues in the Upstate but sometimes The Radio Room just puts up a run of shows that cannot be ignored. Such is the case this week where Thursday, Friday, and Saturday each see an artist worthy of a single feature story but, given their company, I would be remiss in not mentioning all of them. As far as covering the local music scene goes, we can file this under “good problems”.
Valley Maker
Thursday night leads off with perhaps my favorite show of the week with Valley Maker. The Kurt Vile-esque act is delivered courtesy of Austin Crane, both musician and PhD student. It is no surprise then that a distinct voice delivers thoughtful, intelligent songwriting that leaves the listener hanging on every word. If I am being honest, Valley Maker was the biggest surprise to me when I sat down to listen to the weekend’s music calendar as it grabbed my full attention at first listen and seemed to get more and more interesting with each ensuing song. This is an artist I am looking forward to taking a deeper dive on and expect really good things when he takes the stage on Thursday night. Fleur Geurl and J.S. Terry will accompany Valley Maker for a full evening of music and excellent way to kick off the weekend a day early.
Friday follows with Will Blackburn doing his solo thing away from his usual gig as lead singer of Charleston’s Stop Light Observations. SLO’s brand of “anti-pop/not rock (but also isn’t not rock)” has amassed the band a great following over the years but, playing solo, Blackburn’s vocal talent is the unabashed star of the show. This intimate evening of music will also include local favorites Mourning Dove meaning some of South Carolina’s biggest vocal talents will be in the room for one special night.
Will Blackburn
The Saturday night feature is J. Roddy Walston stopping by on his “Christmas to the Bone” tour. I have to admit, this one gives me some conflict. I think Walston is an amazing talent, his brand of indie rock is just my cup of tea, and his reputation as a legendary live performer is absurd. That being said, I typically despise all Christmas music and am not sure how I feel about a whole night of it, regardless of who is performing. These conflicting opinions are causing me much grief and internal struggle but, after much soul searching, I have come to one conclusion…
It is J. Roddy Walston for crying out loud and you absolutely need to see this show. Seriously, how could I even begin to consider anything else? One thing to also consider here is that while the Thursday and Friday shows require common sense, Saturday night requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for admission. Either of these things are easy enough to acquire these days, but I mention it so we can all plan accordingly.
J. Roddy Walston and The Business
Finally, even if you cannot get out to see a show this weekend there are always things to look forward to. A friend of Forthright Records, John Brewster, is releasing his debut solo album this Friday and it should be available on all platforms. Brewster is best known for his time with the wildly successful Charleston Band SondorBlue but has more recently moved to Boulder, Colorado to work on his solo career. He has released a handful of soulful yet poppy singles over the last year and we are interested to hear what a complete John Brewster record sounds like this Friday.
John Brewster; debut album on 1/17
