Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker

Hootie and the Blowfish keep exploringnew

With Hootie and the Blowfish no longer touring, the annual Homegrown concerts for the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation have become significant events for fans in the Carolinas.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 08-09-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

Jimmy Thackery Keeps Winging Itnew

Jimmy Thackery is a great modern blues artist. Or at least that's how he's perceived, though he's forever frustrated by the narrowness of that notion. It's just part of his legacy as a founding guitarist for seminal Washington, D.C., bar band the Nighthawks.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 07-12-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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David Gray Renews His Soul With a Renovated Soundnew

There's hardly a musician who wouldn't love to have the success David Gray enjoyed with his 1998 multiplatinum album White Ladder and its breakthrough hit, "Babylon." After languishing in obscurity for his first three albums, the self-financed release became an international sensation characterized by a mix of acoustic folk and electronic elements.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 06-29-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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Chris Mills Celebrates a Decade of Musicnew

Americana-pop artist Chris Mills is keeping busy these days, touring in support of his greatest hits disc Heavy Years: 2000-2010.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 06-16-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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Nashville Pussy Cranks Open a Good Timenew

Nashville Pussy's combination of boozy bluster, backwoods boogie, and arena-ready roar suggests a Southern-fried AC/DC, though others might hear it differently.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 05-31-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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Minus the Bear Embraces the Audacity of Changenew

For Seattle's Minus the Bear, their soul-inspired new album Omni changed the formula and provoked the worst critical reviews of their career. But the band seems to have rediscovered an older sound on their latest recordings.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 05-25-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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Garage a Trois Explore Unmarked Territorynew

What exactly is Garage a Trois? Jazz fusionists? Jam band improvisers? Moody cinematic instrumentalists? Experimental rockers? Attempts to categorize this musical supergroup are doomed to failure.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 05-10-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Garage a Trois, Skerik

Plain White T's Prove There's More to Life Than 'Delilah'new

Though the Chicago-born band Plain White T's seemingly came out of nowhere in 2007 with "Delilah," their success was hard-earned. They'd formed a decade earlier and had already released several albums. They returned last December with Wonders of the Younger.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 05-10-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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Boombox Makes Music for the Massesnew

Improvisational duo Boombox experienced plenty of word-of-mouth success and built a strong following along the festival circuit where their loose-limbed sounds can be heard late into the night supported by legions of grinning, blissed-out fans.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 04-29-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

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The Infamous Stringdusters Begin to Break Out of Genre Prisonnew

Musicians and bands frequently spend their early years imitating their primary influences. It's why third albums are often watershed moments. Full of assurance from prior studio efforts and years on the road, record number three is when a band or artist emerges into their own -- from Born to Run to London Calling to OK Computer.

Charleston City Paper | Chris Parker | 04-06-2011 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: The Infamous Stringdusters