Upstate Live Music: Plenty of Great Shows to Celebrate the Weekend

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Brett Barest

One thing I love about the Upstate music scene is the diversity of venues hosting live music. From traditional listening rooms to breweries to an inn just off the beaten path, this weekend offers a variety of settings to choose from when it comes to consuming live music. The following shows are just a few selections off the iOnGreenville music calendar and are merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg of what is going down around town in the days ahead.

First up, kick off the weekend a day early with Darby Wilcox & the Peep Show taking the stage at Quest Brewing Company Thursday evening. Darby’s shows at Quest are always a little extra special as she was the first artist ever to perform at the brewery the day it opened. Her trademark stage presence and sassy personality seem to get kicked up a notch when she takes the Quest stage and it is always a pleasure to be a part of. Just to sweeten the pot further, Project Host’s food truck will be on hand to make sure you get to enjoy really good food for a noble cause.

It is important to note here that given how differently things are operating during pandemic times, Quest’s Thursday night concerts are currently ticketed events. This show is about two-thirds of the way sold out at the time of this writing so you might be best served to reserve your spot now in case they hit maximum limited capacity by the time gates open on Thursday. If you have seen Darby Wilcox before, you know she is worth the price of admission and, if you have not, it is far past time to fix that.

Friday night sees the return of Seven Year Witch at The Radio Room which means Greenville’s favorite dive bar music venue might need new doors and a roof Saturday morning after having them completely blown off the previous evening. Seven Year Witch was voted Best Live Act at the inaugural Upstate Music Awards last year and it only takes about seven seconds of seeing them live to see why. The literal back flip level of energy they bring to the stage is unparalleled and, had we actually had a regular serving of live shows in 2020, it is hard to imagine who would have taken their crown at this year’s upcoming UMA’s. If a face melting evening of high energy rock & roll is your cup of tea, then Seven Year Witch will make darn sure you do not go home thirsty Friday evening.

If a more subdued Friday night is more your speed, don’t forget to check out our friends at The Red Horse Inn in Landrum as they host Rush Morgan that evening. I have said it before – and will continue to do so until I am blue in the face – that Rush is one of the most prolific songwriters on the local scene today. Couple that talent with a nice glass of wine in a picturesque setting and this might be the most relaxing way to end your work week.

As I mentioned before, these are but three of the roughly 40 shows on the iOnGreenville music calendar from Thursday to Sunday alone. As we continue to watch COVID cases decline and, in turn, the announcement of live shows increase, we are heading in the right direction to a normal music scene again. Fortunately, there are plenty of local live artists providing an amazing soundtrack for the journey there.