Thursday, Sep. 01, 2011

A different kind of going green

It's been a while, but my brother-in-law told me about taking his family to a concert series in a field in Awendaw on Wednesday nights - and asked me if I'd heard of it.

Typically, I like to act like I know stuff - especially on the entertainment scene - but this one had me stumped.

Awendaw?

Really?

All I'd ever seen passing through Awendaw (and wishing I was in Charleston already) were some funky-colored houses and some of those roadside sweet grass basket huts. Oh yeah, and the Sewee Environmental Education Center, I'd always been intrigued by that and have vowed to stop in, but never have.

So I Googled "Awendaw concert series" and up popped www.awendawgreen.com.

Ahah, that must be it.

I surfed the site, which has info on the venue's weekly barn jams and determined that this must be the culprit.

So, I had it on my radar, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Last Wednesday (Aug. 24), I made my strike.

After checking to see if last Wednesday's Barn Jam was a go, because of the impending threat of Hurricane Irene, I made a spur-of-the moment decision that I was going to make the trek, and enlisted my buddy/local photographer Matt Silfer and my brother-in-law, Jason Raley, to make a mad dash down U.S. 17.

We arrived just about the time the sun was setting, and as we were getting out of Matt's truck, we spotted two hotties getting out of their vehicle dressed like they were going to a club or fancy pub rather than a field in the middle of nowhere, so we knew this wasn't going to be like a scene out "Deliverance."

With PBR and bug spray in tow, we wandered into the concert site, which resembles something out of a movie set with twinkling lights, live oaks overhanging and a mix of families with young kids, hippies, hipsters and frat-sorority types grooving to the live music staged on the back open-end of an old barn.

You have to see it - and feel it - to believe it.

In Surge's five years of existence, we have mostly focused on the local music scene and the various venues and events that you can take advantage of along the 60-mile stretch of the Grand Strand.

But we've found a notable exception that needs illumination and is sure to be of interest to Surge readers and music lovers... and it's not too far away.

South of Georgetown, and south of McClellanville, (about 78 miles from the heart of Myrtle Beach) but not quite into the urbanized outer ring of Charleston is the town of Awendaw, out in a big field, on the back porch of a barn on every Wednesday music-lovers gather for the Awendaw Green Barn Jam, featuring local and regional acts - some from the Myrtle Beach area, including local blues artist My Buddy Todd who played there last night.

And it's free (although donations help the organization survive).

It's a very organic thing, self-described on its Web page as: "Founded by a group of music philanthropists, the vision of Awendaw Green is to network local artists and bands with each other, music enthusiasts and fans. A laid-back venue in a laid-back town, it may just be the coolest music venue in the Lowcountry. A low-key and friendly environment, the concerts occur in an old barn with a professional sound technician and equipment. Bon fires, food, music, friends, networking, an old barn, even canoeing...how could it get any better?"

So we dispatched correspondent Christina Knauss to find out what's happening at the Awendaw Green, how it came about, and what role it is playing in the development of the coastal South Carolina music scene, and you can read her detailed report beginning on page 14.

In addition, if you're contemplating heading down to Awendaw for a weekly Barn Jam, we've got a checklist of things you should consider before you leave the house, and we've got the series' upcoming schedule of artists, too.

I'm looking forward to going back - maybe I'll see you there?

Housekeeping

OK, a little bit of housekeeping concerning this edition of Surge.

A few of our regular items are not appearing in these pages this week: They are: Music Notes (author Paul Grimshaw is out of town); and Through the Airwaves and Pod Picks are on hold. But these three features' normal slot is occupied this week with an interview with Hawthorne Heights front man JT Woodruff, which you can read on page 23.

In addition, this week's GameFace column will be available only online at www.weeklysurge.com.