National and Local Names Headline the Weekend Ahead
Brett Barest
One of the best things about our local music scene at the moment is that we are a city big enough to both attract nationally touring artists and have a populace rich in ever emerging homegrown talent. Look no further than this Friday night alone when one of today’s big names visits the Peace Center while three bands still in the beginnings of their careers hone their skills and make new fans at The Radio Room. This all comes courtesy of St. Paul & the Broken Bones at the Peace Center’s TD Amphitheatre and Parris Bridge and a great supporting cast at Greenville’s favorite dive bar listening room.
First, let me tell you everything you need to know about St. Paul & the Broken Bones show – it’s sold out and if you do not have tickets, you are not getting any. Sorry, but these Peace Center shows (even the Wednesday evening local performances) sell out with the quickness and, if I am being honest, why would they not? The back drop of the Reedy River running through Downtown Greenville is unparalleled, local food and drink is readily available, and the talent on stage is always top notch. Keep an eye on The Peace Center calendar and stay ahead of the next shows you have to look forward to in the months ahead.
Friday at The Radio Room
Over at The Radio Room, you should still be able to procure a spot at a great three band set, headlined by Parris Bridge who I was first introduced to when they won the Best New Artist award at the inaugural Upstate Music Awards last year. It was a well deserved recognition as the local rock & roll band blends influences of punk, metal, and pop into their sound for an incredibly diverse and satisfying listening experience. Just over the halfway mark of 2021, they have already released their first full length album Mirrored Images and an additional standalone single “Seventeen” showing the world that their foot stands heavy on the proverbial gas as they continue to make their impact on the local scene.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the evening, for me at least, is the show’s opener The Planks. The Greer based band is exactly my preferred style of stripped down, nuts and bolts, garage rock. Their first single “Trash Can” is gritty, depressing, and self-deprecating so, naturally, I love everything about it and can listen to it over and over again. The only catch here, though, is “Trash Can” is the only Planks release I can find anywhere online and I need to hear more from this band. It looks like the 8pm slot at The Radio Room is my chance to do just that.
Sandwiched between Parris Bridge and The Planks is Hyperchina, perhaps the heaviest take on rock & roll of the evening. “Helmet-esque” is one description The Radio Room’s Wes Gilliam had to offer but, simply put, if you want big, in your face, wall of sound rock, this is going to feed all of your needs.
These are but two of the shows and four of the bands taking an Upstate stage Friday night, but the iOnGreenville music calendar is teeming with more shows to consider in the week and weekend ahead. There’s a Frank Sinatra tribute running at Center Stage through early August, my buddy Donna Kay continues her Speakeasy Sundays at The Velo Fellow with The Carousers, and so much more is on the calendar to carry you through the weekend. Find the perfect show or shows for you and yours and get out and support live local music. As always, be safe and enjoy the show!
Find More Weekend Fun Around Greenville
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