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!
 

                                                                      &nbs…

                                                                                                                                                                        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.

                                                                      &nbs…

                                                                                                  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!

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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