February Blog

DJ TAKE OVER

DJ Natty Heavy and DJ R Dot are taking over the DJ scene in Charleston, SC. Don't believe me? Just watch the video below! From interviewing College of Charleston's Basketball Head Coach, introducing  Biz Markie to The Alley, to Budlight Bingo at Triangle Char + Bar for a chance to win Budlight VIP tickets to St. Patty's Day in Savannah, DJ Natty Heavy and DJ R Dot are definitely laying their tracks across the southeast. 

DJ NATTY HEAVY FOR BEST OF CHARLESTON!

Vote for DJ Natty Heavy as Best Club DJ as well as your other favorites for the City Paper's Best of Charleston 2017!  

Tavern & Table Sweetheart Brunch

With Valentine's Day just two weeks away, Tavern and Table has you covered with their Valentine's Day Brunch on February 12th! This love at first brunch will have a special Valentine's inspired brunch menu, a free chocolate fountain with strawberries and pretzels, and a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar, all while One Kool Blow serenades you and your honey. The Sweetheart Brunch is 11am-3pm, but the love will last forever! 

Patrick Davis & His Midnight Choir at CMH, 2/23

Patrick’s “Patrick Davis & Midnight Choir” is an 11-piece band featuring horns & background singers created by PD in early 2016 from both his own artistic vision & the soundscapes of his songwriting & performing heroes Van Morrison, Lyle Lovett & Bruce Springsteen. Davis borrowed the name “Midnight Choir” from a line in one of his favorite Leonard Cohen songs “Bird On a Wire” & since his eleven-piece outfit starting playing dates Davis & “His Midnight Choir” have witnessed growing congregations across the Southeast. Catch Patrick Davis and His Midnight Choir on February 23 at Charleston Music Hall for a night to remember! 

See Water at Music Farm Chas, 2/24

A world without Type 1 diabetes is a world worth living in. 1770 Records and See Water are teaming up to bring you See Water's Album Release show featuring TreeHouse, Of Good Nature, and Whitehall at Music Farm Charleston on February 24th. PBR has also decided to be a part of this concert that will benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, JDRF, is a major non-profit leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. JDRF's goal is to progressively remove the impact of type 1 diabetes from people's lives until they achieve a world without type 1 diabetes. The show starts at 8:30pm and tickets are $10 ADV/$15 DOS. 

Rocketman- A Tribute to Sir Elton John, 2/25

We love the philanthropy among our friends! Dream Makers of GFWC presents Rocketman - A Tribute to Sir Elton John aka Tokyo Joe's, Columbia, SC based band, alter-ego on February 25th at Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, SC. Rocketman will be joined by Charlie Morgan, Elton John's drummer for 13 years, on drums. Proceeds will benefit local children's shelters. Also, there will be various auction items at the show to raise money for the children's shelters, including the guitar in this photo, below, courtesy of Bobby Barry and Graph-Itty screen printing. The guitar will be played at the show and bids will be taken at the show. Tickets are available at www.capitoltickets.com.

Blue Dogs 4th Annual Homecoming Show & 28th Anniversary Concert RECAP

We hope all of you had an amazing holiday season! We sure did. We had the pleasure of working with our good friends, Blue Dogs, again for their 4th Annual Homecoming Show and 28th Anniversary Concert. The two-night event began at an intimate affair at Music Farm Charleston on December 27, 2016 when talented artists and bands from Charleston, SC took to the stage and captivated their audience with their hauntingly beautiful voices, zealous playing, and all around compelling performances that kept half of their veiwers' eyes locked on them, unable to peel their eyes away, and the other half lost in the melody, dancing the night away. At the end of the first night, some of the Blue Dogs and their friends closed out the show on a howling note leaving their Dog People delightfully wagging their tails for the main event the following night. 

Blue Dogs 4th Annual Homecoming Show & 28th Anniversary Concert took place on December 28th at Charleston Music Hall. As the crowd shuffled into The Hall, all of the bands prepared themselves backstage for the event of the year; all while remembering the great reason for this event in the first place. Every year about 16,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone and cancer is the leading cause of death for kids in the United States. Many of these kids end up at MUSC for treatment. Although, these kids are always welcomed at MUSC for treatment, unfortunately, some are turned away due to not enough rooms or inadequate means to treat them. For this reason, Blue Dogs and friends, along with all of the sponsors who contributed, Press On Fund, and Ear For Music created this event to raise money to build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital equipped with more rooms and better technology to give the children who come through the doors a better chance at winning their fight with cancer, and to help fund pediatric cancer research. As the audience members anxiously sat in their seats awaiting for the show to begin, the house lights shut off and the stage lights flashed on as a huge cheer rang across the venue. The main event had officially begun. Throughout the night, bands scurried on and off the stage and the crowd cheered, danced, donated, and drank merrily. Towards the end of the night, backstage in a secret room, we received some amazing and shocking news from an anonymous donor that gave chills to many and even brought tears to a few. Following the jaw-dropping news, Press On Fund agreed to match what was donated, and at approximately 11pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2016, the official check was signed and given to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital for pediatric cancer research for a grand total of $151k plus the other donations that had yet to be counted. Everyone cheered, hugged, and cried! We officially raised 3x more than what we raised last year and we couldn't have done it without the help of all of the bands who performed, all of the sponsors who contributed, all of the donors who donated, Music Farm Charleston, Charleston Music Hall, Press On Fund, MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital, 4 Good, Tito's, JEM Marketing/Taco Bell, Blue Dogs, and all of you who have supported us and the Blue Dogs over the years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

January Blog

HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us at Ear For Music! What a year it has been, from Party at the Point, Rockin' The River, Woolfe Street Playhouse gigs, weddings, private & corporate events, to closing out the year on a howling note with the Blue Dogs 4th Annual Homecoming Show & 28th Anniversary Concert. We raised more than three times as much as last year and a portion of the proceeds goes to building the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital and funding for pediatric cancer research.

With the turn of the new year, we have some serious Bizness to announce in the upcoming months, but for now Markie your calendars for this kick off event...

Biz Markie at The Alley

You and your friend read that right. Biz Markie is coming to The Alley Charleston on January 21st, 2017. Biz Markie has been creating beats and dropping dope life lessons about trust and relationships since the '80s. Also, our very own DJ Natty Heavy will be DJing before Biz Markie takes the stage. So, if you're looking for some sage advice, something to do on a Saturday night, or you just simply love Biz Markie and DJ Natty Heavy, then Markie your calendars for January 21st and get your tickets now before it's sold out! 

Brought to you by The Alley, The Becket Agency, Ear For Music, Southern Eagle SC, David Aylor Law Offices & Breakthru Beverage Group.

 

28th Annual Blue Dogs Homecoming Show

Blue Dogs 4th Annual Homecoming & 28th Anniversary Concert and Super Goo Jam

Let the countdown begin! Just over a month away from the best two shows of the year, Super Goo Jam and Blue Dogs 4th Annual Homecoming & 28th Anniversary Concert. We are very excited to announce that Shawn Camp & Cary Hudson of Blue Mountain will be joining us at The Charleston Music Hall this year!! So, mark your calendars for December 27th and 28th and join us for a fun-filled, two-night stand full of talented bands, charity, and camaraderie. The Super Goo Jam will kick off the first night at Music Farm Charleston on December 27th at 8PM, doors will be at 7PM, tickets are $10, and some of the bands that will be making the night memorable are Guilt Ridden Troubadour, Sally & George (featuring Joel Timmons of Sol Driven Train), Ward Buckheister, Finnegan Bell, Doug Jones, Danielle Howle, The Kenny George Band, and many more artists to be announced. Also, Cary Hudson of Blue Mountain will be doing a head lining set at the Super Goo Jam with Guilt Ridden Troubadour for all you Blue Mountain fans!! 

On December 28th, Charleston's country-rock band the Blue Dogs will once again take over the Charleston Music Hall--along with some special guests and friends--this year to celebrate 28 years of making music! This show marks their fourth "homecoming” and to solidify it as an annual affair; the band brought in the Medical University of South Carolina's Children's Hospital as a charity partner. Proceeds will benefit both the campaign for the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital AND the Press On Fund for pediatric cancer research. We are thrilled to announce that Shawn Camp & Cary Hudson of Blue Mountain will be our very special guests at this years Homecoming show.
 

There will be more special guests announced for both shows, so stay tuned! 

From everyone here at the Kennel have a great Thanksgiving holiday and thanks in advance for all of your support!! We look forward to seeing y'all next month!
 

                                                                                                                                                                        Shawn Camp 

Grammy award winning producer Shawn Camp has earned wide respect as the top-tier penman behind #1 Billboard hits for George Strait (“River of Love”), Josh Turner (“Would You Go With Me”) and Brooks and Dunn (“How Long Gone”), in addition to the Brooks smash “Two Pina Coladas.” Camp frequently splits pages with legendary tunesmiths like Guy Clark (“Sis Draper,” “Magnolia Wind”) and Jim Lauderdale (“Forever Ain’t No Trouble Now). Shawn also penned Blake Shelton’s “Nobody But Me”. A true artist, Camp’s previous solo albums – including 1993’s Shawn Camp, 2004’s Live at the Station Inn and Fireball in 2006 – consistently have turned heads. The accomplished instrumentalist, who has accompanied luminaries including Guy Clark and John Prine, frequently backs seamless lyrics with his fiery fiddle, guitar and mandolin riffs. Shawn is also a talented producer; a skill that won him a Grammy nomination in 2013 and a Grammy win for 2014’s Best Folk Album of the Year (Guy Clark’s, My Favorite Picture Of You). Most recently, Shawn formed the band with NRBQ’s “Big Al” Anderson to make the World Famous Headliners (along with Pat McLaughlin, Greg Morrow and Michael Rhodes). Their debut album spent over 6 weeks in AMA’s top 20 and was named one of the Top 100 Americana Albums of 2012.

                                                                                                  Cary Hudson

Cary Hudson is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from the great state of Mississippi who resides somewhere between Memphis and New Orleans. While living in Venice, Cary worked in a deli and hung out with the guys in Weezer (fun), walked on Zuma Beach hoping to meet Neil Young, started a band called Blue Mountain with Laurie, and experienced the Rodney King riots (not fun). After moving back to Oxford in 1992, Blue Mountain began touring nationally, signed a deal with Roadrunner Records, and recorded their classic Dog Days album with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel. They went on to record more albums, played shows with Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco, The Jayhawks and Willie Nelson, were the cover story of the second No Depression magazine, and in 2011 were voted "Most Legendary Oxford Band" by the readers of The Local Voice. Cary has played guitar for Bobby Rush, RL Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, Shannon MacNally, Dayna Kurtz and many others in his close to thirty years on the road. He was chosen as one of the Top Ten Alternative Country Guitar Players by Gibson magazine, and his songs have appeared in TV shows and movies including the George Clooney film "Up in the Air". He recently released his sixth solo album, Town and Country (mixed by Multi-Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker). 

Brought to you by your friends at Ear For Music!

How To Properly Maintain Your Vinyl

For the collector, the tactile experience of playing a vinyl record can amplify the enjoyment of their favorite albums. Continued enjoyment of your vinyl, of course, depends on maintaining it with proper handling, cleaning, and storing practices. Whether a new or longtime collector, make sure that you know how to care for your vinyl so that you can enjoy it for decades to come.

Handling

Handle a record by its edge or label and avoid touching the playable surface. Your fingers transfer oils to the record that increase the build-up of dust, which lowers sound quality and can damage a record if it isn’t cleaned regularly.

Use the cueing lever to guide the needle into place; a nervous twitch of your hand could scratch your record. Likewise, let the platter stop completely before you pick up the record. If the platter is still moving, you may scratch the opposite side as you lift the record.

Cleaning

Clean records before each listen to clear away debris that could damage the record while it plays. Use a dry carbon fiber brush to clear the surface: don’t press down, use light contact to clear away any debris. Move the brush in a circular motion that follows the grooves of the record. Do not use a t-shirt or a cloth rag to clear the record as they are likely to scratch your record and spread lint.

For a deeper clean, use a microfiber cleaning cloth and a cleaning solution (there are various cleaning tools to consider if you are willing to spend some extra money) You can use distilled water or make your own cleaning solution, though ordinary soaps will leave residues that may damage the record and suggested recipes are often unsound. Pick up a specialty cleaning solution meant for records at a local music shop or online. Apply enough of the solution to dampen the microfiber cloth and gently wipe the record, with minimal friction, in a circular motion following the direction of the grooves. Your turntable’s needle will also accumulate dust and need regular cleaning with a soft, fine tip brush.

After cleaning, let your records dry before playing them. If you play your records wet, the needle can push debris further into the record’s grooves and make dust and muck even harder to clean. This is why you should avoid wet playing which, though suggested by some as a way to reduce surface noise while playing a record, will seriously damage your vinyl.

Storing

After use, gently slide a record into its sleeve in order to minimize exposure to dust. Buy inner sleeves for records that do not come with them already, and use outer plastic sleeves to further protect your vinyl from dust. Store your records vertically and never stack them on top of each other, as the weight can be uneven and cause warping. Store them vertically and leave some space on the shelf. Keep your records in a cool and dry place, at or below room temperature, and out of direct sunlight. Visit the library of congress for more information on media storage.

Jessica Kane is a music connoisseur and an avid record collector. She currently writes for SoundStage Direct, her go-to place for all turntables and vinyl equipment, including Rock Vinyls.

Blog by Jessica Kane