Tag Archive

Live Music Review: stephaniesid and Heypenny Inject Energy Into Spartanburg’s Musical Veins

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As the weekend came to a close, I found myself arriving early at the Hub-Bub Showroom in order to catch Asheville’s stephaniesid and opener Heypenny from Nashville, TN. Before I even arrived that night, I had been inundated with anecdotal evidence about the greatness of stephaniesid’s brand of indie-rock/pop, with Chuck Lichtenberger’s piano-driven melodies... »

Chapman Cultural Center hosts holiday performances

By Sylvie Galloway

The Christmas season may be a busy one for shoppers but it is also a very busy one for those performing under the lights as well. There are four major productions in Spartanburg in the next few weeks all with a holiday theme. The first is the Spartanburg Youth Theater’s production of The Best Christmas... »

Your Weekend, Should You Choose To Accept It …

By Steve Shanafelt

Thursdays are a magical time here on the Spark. It’s when I ask you wonderful readers to forget about the drudgery of finishing off the work week and instead begin focusing on the thing we all live for: The Weekend. What’s not to like about weekends? Sure, some of us still have to work... »

Weekending

By Steve Shanafelt

It’s Thursday once again, and that means it’s time for me to pester you about telling all of us your weekend plans. That’s right, instead of playing the old-media game where the media outlet tries to seem all hip by recommending things you should do this weekend (never mind that they don’t know who... »

Listening Party: Hollows and The Gentle Suit

By Steve Shanafelt

Typically, I’ll spend each Friday morning scanning MySpace for local bands to talk about. In many cases, I’m the first person in the media to have ever written about these performers, and as a result the reviews suddenly become far more weighty than originally intended. Listening Party shouldn’t be my thoughts and views of... »

Listening Party: Noel Thrasher and Culture Prophet

By Steve Shanafelt

Here’s the gimmick: Each week, we’ll pick two local bands — an opening act and a headliner — link to a site where you can listen to their songs for free, then ask you to spend a few moments of your precious time to tell us what you think about them. Some may be... »

Listening Party: Best Music of 2008 Voting Time!

By Steve Shanafelt

Last week, we asked readers of the Spartanburg Spark to nominate their favorite musicians, albums and venues for the first-ever Best Music of 2008 reader poll. And nominate you did! Now comes the fun part. On the left-hand side of the screen, underneath the music listings, are seven online polls covering a variety of... »

Tonight at HUB-BUB: Tyler Ramsey

By Steve Shanafelt

If you’re planning on checking out some live music tonight, I have have a suggestion for you: Tyler Ramsey at the HUB-BUB’s Showroom. I wish I could write something unbiased here, but I can’t. Ramsey is from Asheville — my old digs — and he’s easily one of the brightest stars in that town’s music... »

Spark Question: Weekend plans?

By Steve Shanafelt

Each week, we ask you — our dear readers — to tell us what you’ve got lined-up for the weekend. Are you planning to check out local acoustic-rock act Hindsight (performing with Brandywine) at the HUB-BUB on Friday? Wanting to get your thrash on at tomorrow’s Lecherous Nocturne CD-release at Ground Zero more your speed?... »

“Show No Mercy” Drum Clinic and Chris Pennie Interview

By Daniel Hagerman

Spartanburg’s music scene is a rare and peculiar entity. Seldom do we find ourselves in the graces of true giants. This was not the case at the downtown Marriott on Thursday night, however, as three of metal’s most impressive drummers were scheduled to perform as part of the Sabian Cymbals-sponsored Show No Mercy touring... »

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

By Steve Shanafelt

Each week, we ask you, the readers, to tell us about what you’re excited about doing as the workweek winds down. Of course, it can be awkward to start this kind of conversation cold, so we’ll be the first to go. What are we looking forward to this weekend? »

Sparkle City Headlines: Weeklys, Belle and Upstate Shopper

By Steve Shanafelt

This week, instead of taking pot-shots at local news coverage, I’d like to switch things up a bit and focus on some of the other local and regional publications I’ve run across recently. As a general rule, media outlets tend to publicly ignore each other, the idea being that you should never give your... »

Celebrating the Proms: No tux or ballgown required

By Lydia Anthony

Despite being called “the Last Night of the Proms,” the Spartanburg Philharmonic’s 2nd concert of the 2008-09 ”Masterworks” series has nothing to do with high school revelry. It is actually named after the concluding concert of the Proms, an internationally-popular British classical music festival. Spartanburg’s own “Last Night” festivities will take place this Saturday, October 11th at 7:30 in Twitchell Auditorium at... »

Spark Question: What are you doing this weekend?

By Steve Shanafelt

With so much taking place in and around Spartanburg every week, it can be kind of hard to keep track of the best and most exciting events. Although we aim to be the best source for information about local arts, culture and music, we know that we’ll never be as good as the real... »

Spartanburg, meet the World

By Lydia Anthony

Is it possible, in Sparkle City, SC, to rock out to a kilt-wearing Celtic band while eating Peruvian empanadas and drinking Indian mango lassi, then step away to shop for some hand-woven Columbian blankets, Gullah banana leaf art, and Indonesian handbags made from trash? Sure it’s possible – I did last Saturday. If there’s one... »