Myrtle Beach’s best insider tips on the local music scene

Winter seems to spark the creative promotional juices from area businesses that must rely on locals, as opposed to hordes of invading tourists, for boosting sales. The House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach is no exception, presenting for the first time JAM-uary open mike nights, each Friday in the restaurant’s Gator Bar. Tomorrow’s jam features host Stan James Gregory. Jeff Thomas and Joshua Grant’s duo, Sneaky Jones, is also slated to host later in the month. Grant hosted the inaugural jam last week for a packed house, many there to see Mother’s Finest in the adjacent music hall.

A $10 all-you-can-eat Jambalaya special begins at 5 p.m. each Friday, and the live music runs between 7 – 9 p.m. Bring your own instrument, and /or voice to participate.

“We love working with local musicians,” says Dawn Temples, marketing and promotion manager for the HOB. “This way we can [re-hire] musicians we regularly work with, and [the jam] is a way for us to meet new talent as well. If this becomes a big hit, we may extend it through February.”

Songwriter Releases Lament

Intrepid troubadour Brain Roessler, the long-time, long-suffering host of countless area open mike nights, and songwriters’ showcases, will take the stage, front and center at his own CD Release Party and concert Jan. 17 at Atlas Tap House in Myrtle Beach.

For more than a decade Roessler has tirelessly organized and hosted weekly open mike nights at Fresh Brewed Coffee House and other Grand Strand music-friendly venues, though he’s on hiatus as host until sometime later this year. His new release, “Songwriter’s Lament” is not his first recording, but perhaps his most ambitious. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Roessler in a Facebook post, “and I hope to celebrate this occasion with all of the people who have supported my music through the years.” Roessler, normally a soloist, has engaged a bevy of local musicians to help record including: Painted Man’s Brett Sisson, Sleeping Policeman’s Charles Grace, Wicked Gift’s Phil Fox and others.

“My usual recordings in the past were board mixes, but this was my first time in a real studio,” said Roessler. “We recorded at Southern Harmony Recording Studio in Florence, so it’s a full band recording, which is really something special.”

Atlas Tap House (formerly The Sound Hole) is located at 100 Chester Street in Myrtle Beach.

Punk at PLT

Local promoter Paul McKinney is bringing old school Florence-based punk act, the Independents, along with Black Cat Attack, and new local punk act The Dirty Earls, to the stage Jan. 18 at Pine Lakes Tavern in Myrtle Beach. The three bands plan to fill the small venue with loud, raucous rock ‘n’ roll, reminiscent of the days when the popular bar and live music venue was known as Droopy’s.

The Independents once enjoyed management by the late Joey Ramone, co-founder of the iconic New York City proto-punk band, The Ramones. The Independents toured the U.S. on numerous occasions during its heyday in the mid-1990s through early 2000s.

Black Cat Attack, a Canadian death punk act, is said to mix “horror and metal,” (have they ever heard of local act Prowler?) and features ex-Sum 41 guitarist Dave Baksh. Show opener, The Dirty Earls, is a self-described post-punk trio from Myrtle Beach, most recently playing Coastal Carolina University Greek gigs, and at the Fat Cat Café in Carolina Forest.

The show’s tickets are $7 in advance, available at Pine Lakes Tavern, $10 at the door. Pine Lakes Tavern is located at 5201 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach.

This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach’s best insider tips on the local music scene."