RHYTHM & BREWS
Rhythm & Brews best place to hear the blues
MAR 28, 2012
Admittedly, I am not a musician. My dad and my brother both play the guitar and drums, and my fiancee is a pianist, but I've just never gotten the itch. With that in mind, I'm a great admirer of music. I grew up on classic rock, that's how my parents raised me, and have been to many a bluegrass show. I don't, however, know a lot about the blues. I'm unfamiliar with the history of the genre, and the musicians behind it. Sitting down to do a little research, I discovered the blues comes from the phrase "blue devils," the concepts of melancholy and sadness. It originated in African-American communities (like all popular American music in the 20th century) of the "Deep South" over a hundred years ago, from the spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed, simple narrative ballads of the slaves.
To overcomplicate a good thing, the blues can be subdivided into several subgenres ranging from country to urban blues, which have ebbed and flowed in popularity throughout the 20th century. The best known are the Delta, Piedmont, Jump and Chicago Electric blues styles. World War II marked this transition from acoustic to electric blues and the progressive opening of blues music to a wider audience, especially white listeners. In the 1960s and 1970s, a hybrid called blues-rock formed. Knowledge and wisdom, however, are two different things. I could read a whole book about the blues, but would that be understanding? I decided to go to the source. The blues can only really be understood when heard live, and the best place in the Upstate to hear the blues live is at the Rhythm & Brews in Greer.
Block party planned for The Shoppes' open house Thursday
MAR 14, 2012
A mini-festival is brewing at The Shoppes at The Grapevine open house Thursday.
Wanda Garcia, owner of The Shoppes, has planned an evening, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., that will include music, appetizers and wine. About 40 small business owners will showcase their products that include clothing, arts, crafts, repurposed furniture, candles and signature handcrafted merchandise.
Roses are red but the Blues is American
FEB 14, 2012
By MAX HIGHTOWER
Willie Nelson once said in an interview “Blues is the first music born in America”.
Rockin' Tuesday Blues Jam at Rhythm & Brews
FEB 7, 2012
Last week at the Rockin’ Tuesday Blues Jam at Rhythm & Brews in Greer, it was like "The Last Waltz" of blues jams with musicians on and off the stage all night long. It’s hard to believe it was only our third jam. And there’s no telling what the fourth one will be like tonight.
Let me set the stage. It’s 8 p.m. on January 31. Tuesday night.
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