Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009
Good Night Americana?
South by Southeast Fights for Its Future
Any record buyer, who was also a local or visitor to the Grand Strand between 1979 and 2005, may remember shopping (or just hanging out) at the large independent record store, Sounds Familiar, before it closed in 2004. Behind Burky’s Grill, near 38th Avenue North and U.S. 17 Business in Myrtle Beach, the store was decorated with homemade shrines to music legends and was usually overflowing with boxes and bins of yet-to-be-stocked CD trade-ins. Counter space near the register was dedicated to selling CDs from local bands. Posters plastered the walls, doors and windows promoting upcoming local shows, and, ironically, the music played on Sounds Familiar’s sound system was often quite unfamiliar – from either brand new or very old or rarely heard artists.
Depending on who was working, the music most often played came from a singer/songwriter or small acoustic-driven band that the clerk, if asked, would tell you was “so-and-so” from the “Americana” genre, whatever that meant. Sadly, the store is now a training center for telemarketers, and Americana music, as a brand, genre and classification may be still just as misunderstood and unfamiliar to many locals and visitors today – but not because the local Americana music organization, South by Southeast, hasn’t done its part.
In the late 1990s I remember buying, selling and trading new and used CDs, vinyl, and music-related DVDs while talking for hours with Sounds Familiar’s owner, Jeff Roberts. The 6-foot 6-inch, pony-tailed purveyor of all music trivia was (and still is) a walking Wikipedia of musical knowledge and Myrtle Beach history. At his right hand, the store’s manager Seth Funderburk, who was Roberts’ young Padawan, and shared with his boss a passion for all music, but especially something called “Americana.” The two, along with Sam Hannaford, a local Myrtle Beach business man and percussionist with The Chainsaws and Sweet Nell and the Feast, would one day found a charitable music education and concert promotion organization called South by Southeast (SXSE), a not-so-subtle play on the massive for-profit South by Southwest music promotional organization in Austin, Texas.
SXSE would go on to host regular Music Feasts, which featured a potluck dinner and an Americana music concert. Most of these Feasts have taken place at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot. The organization will host its 50th Music Feast on Saturday at the depot featuring singer/songwriter Verlon Thompson and local opener George Marshall. The family-oriented, living-room party atmosphere is a big part of the event’s draw, as is the home-cooked food and copious amounts of locally brewed New South beer. “People generally eat around 6 to 8,” said Roberts, who I spoke with last week from his home in Myrtle Beach, “a local opener plays around 7 p.m. and then the headliner starts around 8 p.m… and we let em’ go as long as they want.”
Founded in 2003, SXSE is a registered South Carolina charitable organization, and is dedicated to “preserving and promoting American music not usually heard in other venues” as it is written, in part, in the organization’s mission statement. SXSE was in its first years assured of covering its operating and production costs and of funding its musical outreach programs through strong attendance at its shows and growing membership roles, but like traditional parts of the music industry SXSE too is struggling, and may go the way of record shops, to be just another footnote in Myrtle Beach’s musical history – though not if its founders and board members can pull the organization out of the mire that threatens it.
With waning attendance at its Music Feasts, along with apparent apathy among its members and competition for consumers’ expendable cash, the organization is re-thinking its future and is mounting a massive membership and fundraising drive, determined to keep its mission alive. While Roberts, the executive director, and the founders remain hopeful for the future and the remaining 2009 concert schedule ahead of them, this fund drive, membership drive and awareness campaign may be the last hope to save this unique institution dedicated to local music education, and to promoting live, A-list Americana music on the Grand Strand, from artists you’re not likely to see and hear anywhere else in the area.
south by southeast is born and grows
Roberts’ business, Sounds Familiar, closed in 2004 like so many other independent brick-and-mortar record stores, finally succumbing to illegal peer-to-peer digital music pirating, and big box competition from Best Buy and Circuit City for the smaller numbers of CD buyers left. Roberts opened Sounds Better in 2006, a smaller operation at 9904 N. Kings Highway. The store, like its predecessor features rare, vintage, new and used CD’s and vinyl. Funderburk, now co-owner of Sea Note Recording and manager/audio engineer for local original rockers Ten Toes Up, shares with Roberts and fellow SXSE members, a love of Americana music – a broad genre that covers a multitude of artists and styles from the relatively well known (Avett Brothers) to the relatively obscure (Verlon Thompson). Roberts, Hannaford and Funderburk were all, by chance, at the same event that originally got the wheels turning.
In 2002, Bob “Noodle” O’Connor, guitarist/vocalist with long-running local rock/jam-band The Mullets, hosted a living room concert at his home in Murrells Inlet, as a BYOB party with some 35 friends to listen to Jack Lawrence (Doc Watson’s flat pickin’ partner) and Michael Reno Harrell, a Southern story-telling songwriter. “Each of us brought money, beer and food,” recalled Hannaford, a SXSE founder who now sits on the advisory board. Hannaford is the percussionist with The Chainsaws, and Sweet Nell and The Feast, and regularly gives of his time to worthy causes, including Bimini’s Oyster Bar’s annual autism fundraiser, Rickfest. O’Connor’s successful party, complete with A-list entertainment, spawned another event later that year. With a handful of mutual friends, Roberts, Funderburk, Hannaford and Sweet Nell’s guitarist, Mike Millsaps, threw a concert at Millsaps’ family-owned Aloha Motel recreation room. The iconic Myrtle Beach motel, in the 7300 block of North Ocean Boulevard, was demolished in 2006, but fostered the next evolutionary step toward the eventual formation of SXSE. The show featured Americana singer/songwriters Lauren Ellis and Jill Block and was packed with families, coolers, hot food, cold beer and great music. The concept is rather clever; get 40 or 50 like-minded people to chip in $25 each and use the money to hire a touring or regional singer/songwriter or hungry up-and-coming band to play your private party. With $1,200 - $2,000 available you’d be surprised at the level of artist you can attract for an evening’s performance. The idea was to bring to town well-respected, critically acclaimed indie Americana songwriters, pay them fairly, and ask them to perform for a couple of hours in an intimate setting, not in a late-night bar filled with pool tables and patrons not interested in the music. Here, whether in a living room, a motel rec room or some other small space, plenty of food, original music and adult beverages would help move the evening and appreciation of the genre forward – and they succeeded.
more than music
Soon the still un-named organization would host another show at the Aloha, then at the former Royal Oak (now Spencer’z Sport Pub South) in Murrells Inlet. Then came a series of shows at the New South Brewing Co. in Myrtle Beach, one of the organization’s first commercial sponsors and big show/beerfest called The Great Americana Sampler Show (November 2004) at Coastal Federal Field – now called BB&T Coastal Field. In addition to hosting the Music Feasts, SXSE has organized 10 musical instrument drives, with another scheduled for Aug. 16 at Liberty Taproom and Grill. “We’ve lost count,” said Roberts, “it’s no where near a hundred [instruments], but it’s a lot. Someone well-meaning gave us an Esteban guitar with the neck separated from the body – we couldn’t do much with that one,” he said.” Many of the salvageable instruments are refurbished free-of-charge by Star Music, a corporate sponsor, whose store sits adjacent to the Myrtle Beach Train Depot, now the permanent home of SXSE’s concerts for several years. Star Music also donates a brand new guitar for a raffle at each Music Feast.
“We donated a band uniform to the Myrtle Beach High School Band Boosters,” said Roberts. “We gave a flute to a little boy in Conway – he was the most recent recipient of an instrument.” Michael Foxworth, former band director at Myrtle Beach High School and Myrtle Beach Middle School, was the recipient of donated instruments after several instrument drives. The instruments and a portion of the money raised, when there is any, is given to local schools for use in their music departments. “We use that money to help schools buy instruments,” said Roberts, “or to send a couple of needy kids to band camp, or whatever comes to us in the way of someone in need.” SXSE paid for a plane ticket to send a girl from Myrtle Beach to an event at Berklee College Of Music in Boston, and has organized musicians visitations, including from those in The Necessary Band, and wise-cracking piano player Marty Richardson (formerly of Crocodile Rocks), to be guests at public schools, talking to would-be young entertainers about the ins and outs of life as a professional musician. SXSE has facilitated guest musicians’ visits to Tara Hall, a home and school for troubled and abused boys outside of Georgetown. “It’s not all about the money,” continued Roberts. “Guys like Steve Marino [a local musician] and The Necessary Band and lots of others have all donated time.”
With funding of the arts in public schools under the knife for years, SXSE’s mission and efforts help offset some small percentage of costs and is seen as a welcome and crucial asset by the educators and students who benefit – but that help may be in jeopardy. “We can’t grow this or do some of the things we’ve done in the past, because our funds are depleted,” said Roberts, who was busy fielding phone calls and preparing for Saturday’s train depot show.
Lynn Auman has been the orchestra director at both Myrtle Beach High School and Myrtle Beach Middle School, having held the position for the last 10 years. In just a week, Auman will head back to school to begin her 11th year in the position. “We’re excited to be getting back,” said Auman. In the past SXSE has been able to donate money, administered by Auman, to both her schools, and she sees the service as invaluable. “It’s been used to purchase equipment, music, entry fees for students who’ve made regional and All-State programs who maybe can’t afford to pay for the registration. They’re a fabulous organization and have worked hard to do great things in the Myrtle Beach area – and not just with my two schools but with many of the schools in the area. It’s a great thing. They give back to the community.”
Hasee Ciaccio is a 17-year-old student at The Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology in Myrtle Beach. She is also an orchestra member, playing violin, at Myrtle Beach High School, and has performed with the All-County Orchestra for the past five years. SXSE helped sponsor Ciaccio, paying for a trip with the orchestra to New York. “We felt like she deserved it and needed it, too,” said Roberts. “Hasee and her friends, since they were little girls, have volunteered for the organization selling raffle tickets and helping out in a lot of ways. We’ve always tried to be fair and even-handed when we’ve had money to offer, and this was a perfect scenario of both merit and need.”
the myrtle beach train depot
If you’ve never been to the Myrtle Beach Train Depot, you may not be alone. Many Horry County residents and visitors have never set foot in the historic property. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the depot was built in 1937, a full year before Myrtle Beach even had a name. It served as a railway station for trains that hauled people and supplies to the growing seaside town. The depot served Myrtle Beach into the late 1960s when it was closed and eventually fell into disrepair. Through the fast and hard work of a handful of prominent Myrtle Beach residents (The All Aboard Committee), the depot was saved from the wrecking ball, refurbished and reopened in 2004. The building, now owned by the City of Myrtle Beach, is home to weddings, receptions, private parties and SXSE’s Music Feasts. Heated and air-conditioned, the warm, old wood of the building resonates like a vintage guitar, making it an ideal setting for the organization’s musical events. Small, but not too small, the depot offers a lot to both the artists and audience, who benefit from an experienced sound engineer, like Funderburk at the helm, and a first-class P.A. system. “Seth [Funderburk] has got that place down so well now that on a couple of occasions the artists have recorded in there,” said Roberts, “and the [tracks] have real studio quality.”
Most of the Music Feast attendees are SXSE members; though more and more are not renewing their annual $25 memberships and attendance ($20 per ticket for members, $25 ticket for non-members) has been down, from the early highs of around 200, to just dozens, or less, at the last several events. “I guess we’re on the cusp of not being in existence,” admitted Hannaford reluctantly. “We’ve lost money on the past two out of three shows,” he said. “Each time we lose a few more [attendees]. We’re going to schedule fewer shows next year – maybe six or seven. We’ve got to get some money in the bank. We’ve got three more Music Feasts scheduled for 2009 and we might throw a Christmas party.” The drop-off has mirrored the country’s economic slump.
“We really noticed the middle of last year that things were getting slower,” said Funderburk. “It’s been steadily slower except for the really big shows we have every now and then, like Randall Bramblett.” I asked myself, who the hell is Randall Bramblett? Turns out he’s been performing with Gregg Allman, Elvin Bishop, Steve Winwood, Traffic, Widespread Panic, and many, many others since 1973. He’ll also open for Bonnie Raitt at the House of Blues Oct. 17. Who knew, other than the folks that have seen him perform at SXSE’s Music Feast?
just who are these americana artists?
While SXSE struggles to reach new members and engage the complacent ones, Americana, on a national level, is enjoying a renaissance of sorts, even while many people are still confused, asking “What is Americana?”
While difficult to define, the genre is made up of a wide variety of styles and Roberts found a good way to describe the music. “It’s too country to be rock, and too rock to be country.” That over-simplified and widely used description may be one of the best – but it doesn’t tell the whole story, and maybe no one can, but one group tries. The Americana Music Association, founded in 1999, is a trade organization, which seeks to further the cause of the genre. Though the similar, but highly specific genre rockabilly has been around for more than 50 years, the modern troubadours of American music, from the 1960s to present-day, that don’t quite have a home elsewhere, can be found on format-dedicated radio stations, on airplay and sales charts, and even on their own version of the Grammys – The Americana Awards Show, held each September in Nashville. Last year’s conference saw some 12,000 registered fans enjoy the shows in large and small venues across Music City. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will officially recognize Americana, presenting an award “Best New Americana Album” at the 2010 Grammys.
More than just a style and format, Americana is deeply rooted in American musical and story-telling traditions including folk, rock, country and bluegrass, and the lyrical content is as important as the music. Americana artists tell a uniquely American story. Groups like The Band and the Avett Brothers are prime examples, as is ex-patriot Canadian Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, and some would argue Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefers and Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band also fit the mold. The genre is most often made up of individuals such as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Gram Parsons, John Prine and Bob Dylan. It’s modern (The Avett Brothers, The Old Crow Medicine Show, The String Cheese Incident), it’s old (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Elvis), it’s rock (The Band, Robert Plant), it’s country (Porter Wagner, Loretta Lynn), it’s alt-country-punk (Jason & the Scorchers) – it’s American.
“We’ve been to the AMA in Nashville seven or eight times,” said Funderburk, who travels with Roberts, Hannaford and others in a nearly annual pilgrimage, though this year Funderburk will forgo the trip because of managerial/engineering commitments with Ten Toes Up. “We kind of made it a yearly event to hang out together, especially after the store [Sounds Familiar] closed. It was also a chance to scout bands for SXSE.” In addition to a big awards show, countless showcase performances are part of the four-day conference each fall. “We saw Johnny Cash and June Carter perform their last show (2002) before they passed away.”
a little help from their friends
As word spreads that SXSE is facing tough times, many are stepping forward to help, but will it be enough?
QRock Radio.com, an Internet oldies format radio station, owned by former Myrtle Beach radio deejays, started broadcasting in May from its studio at Broadway at the Beach, in a space adjacent to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Playing music from the `60s, `70s and `80s, the station features live on-air personalities, interviews, contests and an open-door policy to all visitors to the area. The name, in part, comes from the legacy of WKZQ, which was called Rock 102 in the `70s and `80s. All the principals at QRockRadio.com were at one time all broadcasters at WKZQ, off and on anywhere between 1973 and 1997. A reunion, billed as “the largest radio reunion in Myrtle Beach history” is scheduled for late September, complete with a major Broadway at the Beach concert. QRock, the event host and sponsor, has identified SXSE as the benefactor of any funds raised.
Liberty Tap Room (7651 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach) will host a musical instrument drive and concert by Hannaford’s band Sweet Nell and the Feast (and friends), 4:30 p.m. Aug. 16. The QRock studio, Star Music, the Train Depot and Sounds Better have all been identified as drop-off locations for donated musical instruments at anytime.
Corporate sponsors, such as New South Brewing, Pepsi, Sea Note Recording and Star Music all lend their support, helping offset some costs, but “more [sponsors] are needed,” according to Roberts.
The local chapter of the American Advertising Federation, an association made up of some of our version of the area’s Madison Avenue creative types, recognized SXSE as its charity of choice in 2006, donating graphic design services, billboard space, marketing and public relations assistance for an entire year – all of which greatly aided the then fledgling SXSE, and while the organization had grown and was fairly steady for several years, real trouble arrived about the time the economy tanked.
Upstate roots-rock outfit The Work has performed for SXSE at the Train Depot in the past and supported the organization, throwing a fundraiser for it. “We were so impressed with the organization,” said Mark Dye, bassist for the band, “that when it came time to choose a charity for our annual Christmas fundraiser, we chose them.” SXSE split the proceeds and instruments collected with the Greenville school system, where the fundraiser was held. The popular act also performs at Fosters in Myrtle Beach several times annually.
trouble – and a plan for the future
“There’s so many reasons for our trouble,” said Roberts. “Sam [Hannaford] thinks some of our membership has grown complacent, figuring these events will just continue on. The reason we did these memberships was because when we emerged from the dark [private events with friends] to the light [well-promoted public events] we needed to move to a city facility [the Myrtle Beach Train Depot]. We have to pay rent, and carry liability insurance – which doubled the production costs of the shows right off the bat. It was our plan to use the membership money to fund at least one show in advance and to have funds for assistance in whatever programs we wanted to offer. We’ve never had a ton of money but we were at least always a step ahead, but with the economy being fairly crummy and with membership and attendance trailing off – it has all contributed the trouble.”
Sometimes it takes a scare to set an organization on the right path, and that seems to be the case with SXSE. While it is a South Carolina registered charitable organization, the board is just now working through the Federal requirements needed for 501-C3 (non-profit) status, which allows for tax-exempt donations and is a prerequisite for many arts and cultural grants. “We’re trying to recruit a grant writer,” said Roberts. “The South Carolina Arts Commission would probably take a serious look at us, and other organizations, too, once we get our act together and start telling people what we want to do and what we’ve already done. We should have done this a long time ago.”
One of SXSE’s biggest hurdles is that by its very nature it must seek artists who are somewhat under the radar, and don’t have big drawing power or much name recognition on their own. “We co-exist with the House of Blues,” said Funderburk, “because they need to sell 1,500 – 2,500 tickets and we need to sell 200 tickets. What’s a sell-out for us would be is a colossal flop for them.” By the time an act like The Avett Brothers gets popular enough for the House of Blues, they’re already too big for SXSE.
Roberts, a robust man with a deep voice and a hearty laugh, has had a rough year. He’s made several trips to the hospital to address a blood infection, possibly caused by a Brown Recluse spider bite, leading to a strain of medically resistant staph bacteria that resulted in the loss of two toes. Once a particularly large man, he’s lost 100 pounds in the last 24 months in an effort to keep his Type II Diabetes in check, which he says is under control and that his health, in general “is much better.” “People keep telling me ‘I look like hell,’” laughed Roberts, “and then I worry about it. But I have been blessed with a really great group of doctors.” Hannaford, too, has had his share of health issues. He endured a quadruple bypass not too long ago, but also now feels well, saying he’s surfing and enjoying life.
While raising a son as a single parent, Roberts finds recreation in his music, a lifelong obsession and passion – and he’s attended hundreds of concerts, locally and around the nation, gaining valuable perspective and contacts for SXSE. He seems a perfect fit to lead the organization into the next year, and no one can sell it quite the way he can. “I stand by these Music Feasts as being the best entertainment value in Myrtle Beach.”
If your interest in Americana music and SXSE has been piqued, attending a Music Feast really is a good value and introduction to the organization. A non-member, non-binding $25 ticket includes plenty to eat and drink (beer, wine, soft drinks included) and a show from top artists in the genre in a setting where people are there to listen to the music first and socialize second. $25 annual memberships entitle members to two $20 tickets per-show, making the deal even sweeter. Visit www.sxsemusic.com for more information.
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