‘A little more intimate’: Murrells Inlet bar’s songwriters showcase to have unique feel
If you’re one who goes to local concerts, you probably know their music.
But do you know their story?
A Dec. 11 Songwriters Showcase hosted by Gary Alexander at Wahoo’s Fish House along the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet will be a concert and chat that takes you deep into the lyrics of three regional artists. Mikele Buck, a former participant on NBC’s “The Voice” out of Greenville, North Carolina, Murrells Inlet’s Josh Brannon of the Josh Brannon Band and host Gary Alexander will sing, tell their personal stories and explain how songs came about during the event.
“It’s a showcase of some of our local musicians and their own songs and they’ll talk about it and other artists that influenced them,” said Tony Jarvis, a bartender at Wahoo’s who also coordinates entertainment and events there.
Wahoo’s has hosted three Wahoo’s Country Music Festivals in recent years, but Jarvis said the songwriters showcase will be different.
“It’s a little more intimate,” Jarvis said. “You get to learn exactly who the musician is and why they choose some songs they sing and a lot of the songs they wrote themselves — it tells a lot about them. And there’s nothing like that around here. I’m just trying to showcase the musicians for who they are.”
Gary Alexander, a Myrtle Beach resident, has been nominated for songwriter of the year in the Carolina Country Music Awards that will be held at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach in January, Buck is best known as a member of Kelly Clarkson’s team on The Voice in 2018 and Brannon is known for touring throughout the Southeast.
The event is the brainchild of both Alexander and Jarvis, who have worked closely in recent years.
“Tony Jarvis and Wahoo’s have been big supporters of mine for many years, but when Tony and I discussed the idea of hosting my songwriters showcase it seemed like a perfect fit,” Alexander said in a prepared statement. “It’s something different for the Myrtle Beach locals to have a show regularly where up-and-coming songwriters are showcased.”
Entry to the 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. event is free and bottles and glasses of wine will be half price.
“We’ll have the heaters rolling so no one will have to worry about it being cold,” Jarvis said. “Hopefully everyone comes out and gets to listen to some original music and get to know these artists.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 6:28 PM.
