Myrtle Beach Days – a Visual & Literary Celebration of the Grand Strand Exhibition Sept. 1 – Oct. 3, 2012 Reception & Book Signing Saturday, Sept. 29, 1 – 4 p.m. By Dariel Bendin Myrtle Beach Days – a Visual & Literary Celebration of the Grand Strand opens at Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Sunset River Marketplace to Feature Two Authors on Oct. 4
By Dariel Bendin Sunset River Marketplace, the eclectic art gallery in Calabash, N.C. continues its Coffee With the Authors series on Oct. 4 from 10 to 11 a.m. with two presentations. Myrtle Beach mystery writer Troy D. Nooe will be discussing his newest in the Frankie McKeller gumshoe series, “Damn Yankee,” which is set in [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Retro Blues: They’re What’s New Sometimes, to be on the leading edge of the blues, you gotta look back. Case in point: this year’s Cape Fear Blues Festival. The headliner for the annual event is EllerSoul recording artist Li’l Ronnie & the Grand Dukes. This group mixes up elements of 50s R&B, soul, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Mary4Music & Mama Rue’s
By Dariel Bendin Jumpin’ On the Mary4Music Bandwagon Mary4Music.com gets over 32,000 unique visitors a month, and I don’t mean hits. (That number is in the hundreds of thousands.) I’m talking about individuals who come back to the site over and over again. I’m not particularly surprised, because I’m one of them. It’s a great [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Pop Ferguson Blues Fest
By Dariel Bendin Road Trip: Pop Ferguson Blues Fest in Lenoir, N.C. Clyde “Pop” Ferguson is a legend. Never mind that you may not know his name. He’s a legend anyway. At 84 years old, he’s still playing the blues, and let me make it as clear as possible. He’s the real deal. He’s not [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Butterfly And Art Festival At Brookgreen Gardens
By Dariel Bendin Brookgreen Gardens will host a brand new, two-day festival that celebrates the world or butterflies. Taking place Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, the family-friendly event will include a wide range of activities designed to teach us more about the important role that butterfies play in our environment. Children can make [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Royal Southern Brotherhood Breaks Out
By Dariel Bendin The debut album of Royal Southern Brotherhood, which hit the street on May 8, is one of the most exciting releases of the year, and that’s only slightly due to the hype that preceded it. The lion’s share of the credit flat out goes to the band, Royal Southern Brotherhood: Cyril Neville, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Downhome Sophistication: 36th Annual Spoleto Festival USA
By Dariel Bendin Thanks to assistance and contributions from Spoleto Festival USA When you think about it, Charleston, S.C. is the perfect city for a festival such as Spoleto. It’s both intimate and cosmopolitan, sophisticated yet downhome, traditional but leading edge. In short, Charleston is the perfect setting to celebrate the broad spectrum that is [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Feelin’ Blue? 2012 Blue Crab Festival • May 19 & 20
By Dariel Bendin As far as the town of Little River, S.C. is concerned, the month of May means just one thing: the town’s annual and ultra-popular Blue Crab Festival, which takes place this year from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20. The waterfront area of this fishing [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: ‘Hangin’ Out With the Rick Strickland Band
By Dariel Bendin Multi-talented S.C. musician Rick Strickland is a one-man band. To say he’s a prolific songwriter just hints at his lyrical stamina. His soulful stylings are out of this world and and – with a four-octave range – his vocals reach even further. Add to that technical savvy, masterful guitar work and a [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Sunset River Marketplace Features Vignettes Of Eclectic Design Through May
By Dariel Bendin Calabash, N.C. art gallery Sunset River Marketplace is featuring Feed Your Eclectic Soul through May 31. According to gallery owner and design consultant Ginny Lassiter, the group exhibition is “a showing of custom design ideas, fine crafts and gently loved pieces from the past.” Lassiter and fellow designer Beth Pethtal of Sunset [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Bo Schronce Talks About Music & More At Sunset River Marketplace April 23
By Dariel Bendin This is going to be a lot of fun, so I thought I’d share it with you. Sunset River Marketplace, the very cool gallery in Calabash, N.C. where I hang out so much, is bringing in Bo Schronce to speak at their next Creative Exchange event on Monday, April 23 from 11 [...]
Read the rest of this entry »David Fair Brings Rockin’ Americana To The Beach
By Dariel Bendin Nashville singer/songwriter David Fair is coming to Myrtle Beach this weekend for two shows. Tonight, Friday night, he’s opening for Phil Vassar at Club Boca at Broadway At the Beach (in fact, he’s probably on stage now!); on Saturday, he’ll be at 2001 Nightclub in their intimate Stage room. David plays a [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Oceanfront Spot Begins Summer Season
By Dariel Bendin Harold’s On the Ocean, known to locals as HOTO’s, opens their always popular deck for their Summer Concert Series on April 1 (no joke, folks). Entertainment on the oceanfront deck will be the Craig Woolard Band from 1 to 5 p.m. Additional entertainment for the month of April includes: Stevie Mac, 4 [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Randall Bramblett at SxSE
Soulful Troubadour Randall Bramblett Back at Myrtle Beach Train Depot for South By Southeast Music Feast By Dariel Bendin It’s become a wonderful tradition for South By Southeast concert goers in Myrtle Beach. Right about this time of year, the Randall Bramblett Band – and we’re talking the full band here – head to the [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Royal Southern Brotherhood: Roots Rock Meets Soul In An Electrifying Union
By Dariel Bendin I first heard about Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) from the band’s drummer, Yonrico Scott. He was in town last Dec. for a South By Southeast show and during an interview, I put the standard query to him, “So what’s ahead for you?” The enthusiasm and intensity of his answer caught me by [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Art Appraiser To Give Gallery Talk In Calabash March 14
By Dariel Bendin If you have ever wondered what a piece of art is worth, if you’ve wished you knew what to look for when purchasing art or you have other questions about art appraisals, you might want to attend the next Creative Exchange presentation at Calabash, N.C. art gallery Sunset River Marketplace. Professional art [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Chuck Town Be Crawlin’ Wid da Blues
By Dariel Bendin Blues hounds, get ready to howl. It’s almost time for the 2012 Lowcountry Blues Bash, now in its twenty-second year. This ten-day celebration of America’s oldest music form is being held in and around Charleston, S.C. from Wednesday, Feb. 8 through Tuesday, Feb. 21. According organizer Gary Erwin aka Shrimp City Slim, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Southern Charm and Worldly Sophistication: B&C Art Museum Has It All
By Dariel Bendin Art museums, particularly in smaller cities, are often the culmination of monumental efforts by groups of art lovers, and Myrtle Beach’s hidden jewel of a museum is no exception. Located on Springmaid Beach at the south end of town, the B&C Art Museum was conceptualized by a group of local visionaries who [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: More Live Music in 2012
By Dariel Bendin More Live Music In 2012! I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions. I never do. But I just heard one that I can support wholeheartedly. More live music in 2012! So, for this piece, I’ll be focusing on my own local stomping grounds, from the port city of Wilmington in North Carolina [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Stocking Stuffers (Music Picks)
Stocking Stuffers Music Picks to Keep You Groovin’ Through 2012 By Dariel Bendin This is the time of year when I sit back with a nog while all y’all tell me what’s cool, hip and happenin’ in the world of music. Enjoy! Mike Farris mikefarrismusic.com Intense, talented and on fire, this Nashville boy is one [...]
Read the rest of this entry »SxSE Brings Blues With A Soul Twist To The Beach Jan. 7
By Dariel Bendin South By Southeast, the not-for-profit music organization in Myrtle Beach will open its 2012 season with a show appealing to blues lovers, soul fans and R&B aficianados alike. Powerhouse guitarist SaRon Crenshaw will be bringing his electrifying band all the way from the Big Apple to the Myrtle Beach Train Depot on [...]
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Memphis Bound By Dariel Bendin Randy McQuay, Lawyers Guns & Money Win Cape Fear Blues Challenge I was fortunate enough to be one of the judges for the Cape Fear Blues Challenge this year. It was a lot of fun and I got to hear some great music. If you ever get a chance to [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Cookbooks To Benefit Hospice Available At Sunset River And Select Calabash Merchants
By Dariel Bendin During a Creative Exchange event on Wednesday, Nov. 9, Sunset River Marketplace art gallery introduced their just-produced “Gallery Gals Appetizers!” cookbook, demonstrating three of the appetizers and offering a dozen of the cookbook’s recipes for sampling. Sixty-five people attended the presentation. Cookbook sales during the Creative Exchange were $1,100. “This Creative Exchange [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Bono Productions To Hold Music Showcase At Kono Lounge Nov. 27
By Dariel Bendin Nathan Stallings, owner of Bono Productions, has announced the new firm will hold its first music showcase on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Kono Lounge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Music is set to begin at 6 p.m. and a complimentary filet hibachi will be served from 6 [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Sweet Goodbyes to Molly & a Warm Welcome for Allie Until Oct. 27, Allie Privette was a dental assistant in Raleigh, N.C. Now she’s the girl in the band. Twenty-seven-year-old Allie has the challenging job of filling the shoes and monumental vocal vacancy left when singer Molly Askins decided it was time [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Swing On By Swing Bridge Pizza In Little River
By Dariel Bendin From the road, Swing Bridge Pizza appears to be a popular family-friendly pizza joint, and that’s exactly what you’ll find inside. Located on Sea Mountain Hwy. in Little River, S.C., Swing Bridge Pizza opened its doors on May 5. Since then owners Tyler and Nicole Spencer have been filling the walls with [...]
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By Dariel Bendin California Dreamin’: Steve Young’s Acoustic Performance at the Train Depot I spent a good many years, most of my twenties, thirties and then some, in L.A. and I often just ache for California sounds and sensibilities. So when I heard that outlaw singer/songwriter Steve Young was coming to perform at a South [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Celebrating The Mighty Mollusk: 31st Annual N.C. Oyster Festival Oct. 15-16
By Dariel Bendin Over 50,000 happy, hungry folks are about to converge on Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. in search of music, merry-making and the almighty mollusk – the oyster. If you’ve never made it to this Festival, you owe it to yourself to get there this year. The sheer fun factor of this Festival puts [...]
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By Dariel Bendin R+R With Rick Strickland Is there a recording artist who makes you smile every time you hear him on the radio … or whose song you have to stay in the car and listen to even though it’s on your iPod and in the CD player? For me, Rick Strickland is that [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Easterling, Turner To Play Port City Oct. 5
By Dariel Bendin Wilmington, N.C. is in for a treat as Americana duo Angela Easterling and Brandon Turner present an intimate listening room concert downtown at Press 102 on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The folksy Easterling hails from Taylors, S.C. the mill town section of Greenville. Kudos for her songwriting and vocal talents [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Atalaya! Where History, Fine Art And Kettle Corn Come Together
By Dariel Bendin Mark your calendars for Sept. 23 – 25 because it’s time once again for the hugely popular Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival, now in its thirty-sixth year. Over 100 fine artists and artisans will be descending on the Grand Strand with their hand-blown glass, fine art photography, delicate basketry, leading-edge pottery, masterful [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Road Trip: Summer’s Last Blast Blues Festival She D’Ambrosio is a talent scout, booking agent and all around lover of blues music. It’s been on her bucket list for quite some time now to put together a blues festival for the Upstate of South Carolina, and this month it’s finally come to [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Fall S.O.S. Is All About Fun Sept. 16 – 25
By Dariel Bendin When the subject of conversation is a ten-day adult party that takes over a town in the south, you know you’re talking about S.O.S. in the Ocean Drive section of North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The 2011 S.O.S. Fall Migration starts Thursday, Sept. 16 and runs full board through Sunday, Sept. 25. Most [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Gallery To Feature Coastal Paintings By Nancy Hughes Miller
By Dariel Bendin Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, N.C. will feature works by Cary, N.C. artist Nancy Hughes Miller from Sept. 12 through Oct. 22. A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 from 2 to 5 p.m., gallery owner Ginny Lassiter has announced. Miller is a prolific, award-winning artist [...]
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Legends Of Beach Hit The Beach By Dariel Bendin On Friday evenings throughout the warm summer months, hundreds of locals in and around Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. head to the Museum of Coastal Carolina where the parking lot transforms into an outdoor concert area. Folks set up their lawn chairs, blankets and coolers and get [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Carolina Soul Band Gonna Make Me Eat My Words I need to stop shooting my mouth off about how sick I am of tired old cover tunes and even tired-er cover bands because, sure as Shinola, every time I do, some band comes along and insists on playing everything from “Mustang Sally” [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Folk Art: From A Collector’s P.O.V.
By Dariel Bendin Art educator Ted Oliver purchased his very first piece of folk art , a little cut out by Howard Finster back in the early 80s. “That was when I first became aware of the importance of Southern folk art in the art world,” he said in a recent telephone interview about the [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Lesa Hudson: Laid Back In a Driven Kind of Way On my way to see the fabulous duo, Blue Mother Tupelo, at Mama Rue’s Blues Garden in Pawleys Island last week, I stopped off to visit with singer/songwriter Lesa Hudson, so we could talk about her new solo recording, her work with [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Port City Gets A Groove On
By Dariel Bendin Being a fine old southern city, Wilmington, N.C. is steeped in tradition, and one of its favorites is the upcoming Cape Fear Blues Festival set for July 29 – 31. Three days of blues in the Port City will include live concerts, a blues workshop, an all-day blues jam, a guitar raffle [...]
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By Dariel Bendin The Surf is Back, Live and Kicking at 94.9 FM Last week, the folks at NoDepression.com were lamenting the fact that satellite radio, sites like Pandora and other subscription streaming services were really chipping away at what they refer to nowadays as terrestrial radio. I don’t think it’s quite that simple, and [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Gallery Adds New Jewelry, Items For Summer
By Dariel Bendin Sunset River Marketplace is known throughout the Grand Strand for its eclectic offerings, coveted by locals and visitors alike. “I’m so excited about our new jewelry,” said owner and style consultant, Ginny Lassiter in a telephone interview. “Claire Sallinger Martin, who is one of our watermedia artists, also creates these wonderful trinket [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Get Tickets Now For Cape Fear Blues Festival July 29 – 31 This summer marks year 16 for the Cape Fear Blues Festival, and once again, I can’t wait! According to Lan Nichols from Cape Fear Blues Society, they’ve moved away from the big outdoor concert on Saturday to a few different [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Three For The Road Even with gas prices reaching $3.95 a gallon in some parts of the southeast (according to gasbuddy.com), summer is for road trips. And road trips mean music. So with that in mind, here are three recordings, as different as different can be, but each wholly satisfying and exciting [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Strange or Sweet? No matter what your leanings, there’s something to love on both of these new CDs: Strange Love by Roy Roberts and Sweet Love from the Holiday Band. Roy Roberts Strange Love Ocean Beach Records (2011) Genre: Soul-Blues When it comes to soul-blues, Greensboro, N.C. artist Roy Roberts is one [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Sunset River Presents Victor Gerloven Retrospective
By Dariel Bendin Sunset River Marketplace, the eclectic art gallery in Calabash, N.C., will feature a retrospective of works by the late Victor Gerloven in an exhibition titled Retrospective: the Gerloven Legacy. The show is being held in conjunction with the thirtieth anniversary of the Brunswick Arts Council, for which Gerloven served as president from [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Spoleto: A Sensory Explosion
By Dariel Bendin Spoleto Festival USA has evolved into a massive presentation of culture unleashed – over 150 performances, which, press materials promise, range “from the intimate to the epic.” In this thirty-fifth season, which takes place from May 27 through June 12, the Festival is presenting one of its largest programs ever. Here are [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Beach Newz: Shaggers Gone Wild!
By Dariel Bendin The ten-day adults-gone-wild party better known as S.O.S. Spring Safari has just wound down, leaving thousands of shaggers, musicians, club owners, servers and workers exhausted … but already gearing up for the next one. Here are a few highlights: This was originally published at DarielB – Flying Under the Radar (http://darielb.wordpress. com). [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Paint Wilmington! Nationally Known Artists Capture The Port City On Canvas
By Dariel Bendin Paint Wilmington! is an invitational art event that brings a mix of nationally known masters and some up-and-comers to North Carolina for five days of painting the Port City’s marshlands, downtown settings, farmlands, beaches and woodlands. This year it will be Perry Austin, Tim Bell, Gavin Brooks, Ken Dewaard, Robert Isley, John [...]
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By Dariel Bendin Road Trip With Coastline! Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse in Durham, N.C. was the place to be last Sunday night when Jim Quick & Coastline took the stage to record their first ever DVD. The cozy little club slash restaurant was packed with friends and fans hungry to hear their favorite band cookin’ up [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Calabash Merchants Unite To Honor And Aid Local Artist
By Dariel Bendin On Saturday, April 9, from 2 to 5 p.m., Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, N.C. is set to host a very special art reception for Jakobus “Co” Bungener. Also participating in the event are Victoria’s Ragpatch, Calabash Garden Tea Room and Turtle Crossings Cupcakes. Making it noteworthy are a special [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Soulmen Steve Bassett & Ammon Tharp At the Spanish Galleon
By Dariel Bendin There’s a new band coming to town, but for many of the shaggers heading to Ocean Drive for the annual Spring Safari, these will be happily familiar faces. The Virginia Beach All Stars are none other than brothers in soul Steve Bassett and Ammon Tharp with their rockin’ compadres Donald Quisenberry, Randy [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nashville Recording Artist Rickey Godfrey To Present Program At Calabash Gallery’s ‘Creative Exchange’ Series On April 13
By Dariel Bendin Nashville guitarist Rickey Godfrey is scheduled to speak and perform at Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, N.C. on Wednesday, April 13, as part of the gallery’s Creative Exchange series. The presentation, which is titled The Life and Times of Rickey Godfrey, starts at 11 a.m. and runs through 12:30 p.m. Cost is [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Blueberry Wine With Local Art Labels Unveiled At Sunset River Marketplace
By Dariel Bendin At a special art reception on Saturday, Feb. 26, Sunset River Marketplace art gallery and Carolinas Vintage unveiled the 2011 Blueberry Wine special limited edition bottles representing six coastal North Carolina locations: Calabash, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Southport and Oak Island. The gallery event, which drew over 200 art [...]
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