by: Ellison Manley, Web Designer at Engenius, avid music lover and Albino Skunkfest coordinator.
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Going to see live music is my favorite thing, and living in Greenville provides great access to the types of artists I love best. Sure, I travel to Asheville a fair amount (last show: First Aid Kit) to see bands at places like The Grey Eagle (most recent show: Joseph) and The Orange Peel (every time they play I’ll go see: Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings), but it’s even better when the bands I love play locally, which is happening more and more thanks to places like The Spinning Jenny, Radio Room, and our awesome local festivals, like the upcoming BB&T Fall for Greenville.
Just last weekend I was at The Albino Skunk Festival in Greer, a twice-annual event that has honestly become my “happy place,” and a festival I’ve regularly volunteered at since 2012 (my “skunk name” is Daisy). It’s the kind of festival that has a knack for choosing up-and-coming artists. Skunkfest alumni regularly appear on NPR lists like “bands you’ll tell your friends about,” “favorite Americana albums of [insert year],” and the like. It happens the second weekend of April, and the first weekend of October every year, so mark your calendar!
Nine bands from past Skunk Fests are playing this weekend at BB&T Fall for Greenville (FFGVL), which leads me to my next favorite thing about being a music fan in Greenville — our consistently impressive lineups at this event!
Fall for Greenville does a great job giving local musicians the spotlight. I can personally recommend going to check out Vilai Harrington & The Hamptones, Angela Easterling, The West End String Band, Brooks Dixon, LOZ, and Hedgepath, Hoover, and Sipe, but there are at least a dozen more performances by locals across genres.
As far as touring bands at this year’s FFGVL, it is an embarrassment of riches. From multi-Grammy winning dobro player Jerry Douglas (Sunday @ 5:30 pm, Carolina Chevy Stage) to a legit New Orleans brass band fronted by a Mardi Gras Indian Spy Boy (Saturday @ 7:30, Furman Jazz & Blues Stage) to good-time festival favorites Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (Friday @ 9pm, West End Stage). There is going to be absurd talent all up and down Main Street this weekend!
The hardest part of FFG is not being able to be in three places at once. So with all the talent, and the inability to clone myself, I’ve cultivated a list of must-see music.
Oliver Hazard (Saturday @ 7 p.m., Iron Hill Brewery Stage) is new to me, but I’ve been checking them out on Spotify in preparation. They have an upbeat, folky sound and based on their website, they seem like fun fellows who are pumped to be making music together.
American Aquarium (Saturday @ 7:30 p.m., Carolina Chevy Stage) is fronted by a great songwriter, BJ Barham. The band’s sound is like bro-southern-rock-but-with-
River Whyless (Sunday @ 3:30 p.m., Carolina Chevy Stage) is a foursome from Asheville who I heard at my first Skunkfest in 2012 and have been following ever since. They fall under the “folk rock” label, but their song arrangements are really unique and their lyrics are thought-provoking.
Front Country (Sunday @ 5:30 p.m., Iron Hill Brewery Stage), a five-piece band out of San Francisco will close out the weekend. Lead singer Melody Walker has got some powerful pipes and each member of the five-piece is a versatile, talented musician. This will be a fun set, with some bluegrass, some soulful numbers, and even some cover songs you may know.
To prep yourself for these shows, check out a curated list of artists mentioned in this article.
