Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
silenced goes silent after halloween gig
Silenced
Jeremy Dunham has been performing a lot lately - though less with the band with which he's most usually associated. The graphic design artist/singer/songwriter/guitarist has made his mark on the Myrtle Beach music scene for the better part of a decade, primarily with his long-running hard rock band, Silenced. The four-piece mostly-original act, which had recorded in Memphis a few years ago with noted producer Pete Matthews, shopped its demo, and was beginning to garner label interest, will play its last scheduled gig on Saturday at the House of Blues as part of the Myrtle Beach Rocks - Halloween showcase.
The incestuous local music scene has helped Dunham, and many others, explore a variety of musical ideas with a multitude of players. "It's kind of like 'I'll trade you my bass player for your keyboard player,'" laughed Dunham, whose new band, Bullfrog, will feature two Silenced players and one from Circles in Autumn. Dunham's other project, Potatoheads, is a cover duo with Circles in Autumn vocalist/guitarist Shaun Brown. In Bullfrog, Dunham will trade his electric guitar for an acoustic, allowing him to nurture the folk/Americana side of his prolific songwriter's psyche. Bullfrog has already played a few gigs and will perform again Nov. 14 at the 2nd annual Myrtlestock. (Stay tuned for more info on that event.) Bullfrog features Dunham, Chris Ware (drums), John Spulka (bass), and Thomas Brady (keyboards)
"Bullfrog started out as a solo project for me while I was doing Silenced," said Dunham. "I had all these folk-y ideas that didn't fit with Silenced and didn't want them to turn into hard rock songs. I made a [Bullfrog] album that was funded through the South Carolina Arts Commission and I got such good response from the CD, but I didn't have a band to play the [material] with. I'm really digging the acoustic guitar/piano thing - I've never had a piano player in any of my projects before. [Bullfrog] will be that kind of old-school-meets-new-school project."
the beginning of the end
Silenced began as a power trio in 2001 with Dunham, drummer Michael Pridgen (formerly of Echo 7) and bassist Colin Bowman. In 2003 Jody Lewis was added on guitar and after a series of bass player changes, the line up was in place: Dunham, Pridgen, Lewis, and bassist Spulka. "Silenced hasn't played since April. One week somebody couldn't make practice and the next week somebody else couldn't make it, and before you knew it a couple of months had gone by...and it was unspoken - but we weren't even calling each other to see if we were going to practice, so we all decided that this would be our farewell show - that's not to say we won't play together again in a year or two in a reunion kind of thing."
The all-ages Myrtle Beach Rocks show is $5 at the door, but free if you get in contact with one of the bands and request tickets. Also on the bill: Circles in Autumn, The Wet Teens and Shark Legs. Costumes are encouraged.
band bending halloween
It's a big weekend for musical madness, especially with Halloween falling on a Saturday. Two of the live music clubs in 5 Points (downtown Myrtle Beach's Superblock) will host a Halloween Block Party with a ghoulish gaggle of local bands taking on the persona of other acts. Imagine Queensryche pretending to be Pink Floyd. OK, that's not such a stretch, but at both Drink! (503 Eighth Ave. N.) and The Basement (819 Main St.) you'll be able to see 11 bands normally known for their original material performing the greatest hits of their alter egos.
Beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, The Basement will host on the hour (give or take): Roses Last Novel as Silverstein, Atalaya as Death Cab for Cutie, Below the Bassline as Sublime, The Humanoids as Dead Rockstars (covering a variety of bands with deceased members), members of the Shark Legs, Zero Motivation, October Chorus, and the Strike-O-Matics as The Misfits.
Beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, Drink! will host on the hour (give or take): Reigning Parade as Pink Floyd, members of Wicked Gift (and friends) as the Talking Heads, The Wet Teens as The Independents, Shark Legs as W.A.S.P., and Zombie Tsunami as The White Stripes. These are rare performances from these bands, some new to the scene, many mixing and matching players, and all worth checking out. A $6 cover, good for both venues, will be charged at the door for those 21 and older, $8 for younger than 21. All-ages admission allowed at The Basement, and 18 and older at Drink!
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