This and That

I haven't posted new material here since 2015.

But don't call it a come back!

The logo you see here is my new multi-media venture, Lean Tune Studios. My talented wife designed the logo. I'll tell you more about it in a later post.

The main product of Lean Tune Studios is written content, but there is also an audio component.

It's where I pursue my passion for songwriting. I'm looking to sell my songs to artists/record labels/production companies, and I'm also looking for commercial jingle writing opportunities.

Check out my demo recordings here: https://kentavo.bandcamp.com/.

Weekend Buzz: Myrtle Beach's best entertainment bets for March 13-15, 2015

I'm not going to quote Loverboy, but it's that time everybody's been working for - the weekend.
And once again, there's an overload of events to choose from to keep yourself entertained this weekend along the Grand Strand.
Here are some recommendations:

TONIGHT

Myrtle Beach rock act The Izm squares off against two country artists - Rock Hill's Matt Tucker and Fayetteville, N.C.'s Erik Smallwood - in the finals of the Myrtle Beach round of the annual Hard Rock Calling Battle of the Bands tonight at Hard Rock Cafe at (and not near, as another local media outlet reported) Broadway at the Beach.

The action gets started at 8 tonight. There is no cover charge.

If you're a fan of The Izm and or/local original music, then grab your posse and head to the competition, because audience reaction is a portion of the judging criterion. Make some noise!
The winner will pocket $1,000 and advance to the next round of the battle, and continue the fight for the ultimate prize of performing at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Barcelona, Spain.
Hard Rock Café is at 1322 Celebrity Circle, Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach. Call 946-0007 or visit www.hardrock.com.

TONIGHT

Over at the Boathouse, the venue's Friday night country showcase continues with country duo Love & Theft, known for the No. 1 single "Angel Eyes." Of particular interest to locals: former Eason guitarist Travis Newman, who had been a member of Craig Morgan's band, will be shredding his ax with Love & Theft tonight. The show starts at 9 tonight. There is no cover charge.

The Boathouse Waterway Bar and Grill is at 201 Fantasy Harbour Blvd., Myrtle Beach. Call 903-2628 or visit www.boathousemb.com.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

St. Patrick's Day is actually Tuesday (March 17), but once again Myrtle Beach is getting a leg up on the Irish celebration as dueling St. Patrick's Day festivals go head-to-head.

• At the Market Common, it's the 6th annual Irish Fest set for Saturday at Valor Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, featuring live music, Irish food and beer, vendors and kids activities. These 16-ounce drafts will be on tap: Brooklyn Irish Stout ($5), Highland Gaelic ($5), Highland Devils Britches Red IPA ($5), New South White Ale ($5). There is no admission charge. Valor Park is off of Farrow Parkway at The Market Common, on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, between U.S. 17 Bypass and U.S. 17 Business, south of Myrtle Beach International Airport. Call 839-3500 or visit www.MarketCommonEvents.com.
• Meanwhile, down on the oceanfront and boardwalk, Ocean Boulevard's St. Patrick's Day Celebration has expanded to a two-day event, incorporating a battle of the bands set for Sunday. It gets kicked off on Saturday with a street festival featuring live music, a beer garden, a kids carnival, vendors, games and plenty of drunks. Admission is free, and the event is roughly from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday. The event's headlining act is self-described "Voodoo Rock 'n' Roll" band The Delta Saints, expected to go on stage 8 p.m. The festival site is on Ocean Boulevard between 8th Avenue N. and Mr. Joe White Ave. The event will resume Sunday with an inaugural Battle of the Bands from noon to 9 p.m. on the oceanfront stage on Ocean Boulevard, between 8th Avenue N. and 9th Avenue N. There is no admission charge either day. For more info, go to http://myrtlebeachdowntown.com.

SATURDAY

And further on up the Strand, the 27th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival starts earlier than the others, slated to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Centered on Main Street, the event features the parade (starting at 9 a.m.), three stages of live entertainment, kids activities and approximately 150 vendors. The festival is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission and parking is free.
For more info, go to http://parks.nmb.us/Page.aspx?id=14.

TUESDAY

As mentioned, Tuesday is actually St. Patrick's Day, so we're going to handle those events in a separate, upcoming blog post.

Styx will be rockin' the Paradise, er, the House of Blues, tonight in North Myrtle Beach

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that classic rock act Styx is town again for a gig tonight at the House of Blues.
And I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out that one of the band's main songwriters and voices isn't in the fold.
Estranged singer-songwriter-keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, who sang many of the band's poppier and softer hits such as "Mr. Roboto," "Come Sail Away," "Lady" and "Babe" is still estranged.
Yet, in his absence, the band has forged on a with a harder edged rock sound, led by dueling singers/guitar slingers Tommy Shaw and James "JY" Young.
Shaw is the voice of many of Styx's other radio tracks including "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Renegade," "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" and "Blue Collar Man."
And JY seems to rock even harder, taking baritone lead vocals on a handful of rockers, including "Half Penny/Two Penny," "Heavy Metal Poisoning," "Miss America" and "Snowblind."
Meanwhile, DeYoung's replacement, Lawrence Gowan, who already had a successful solo career in Canada, has been a member of Styx since 1999, with more actual service time in the band than DeYoung.
I've seen this version of Styx before - at the defunct Carolina Amphitheater in Marion - and it's definitely a rock 'n' roll show and Shaw and Young have some serious chops.
Tonight's concert is billed as "An Evening with Styx," which is industry standard for "no opening act."
Doors open at 7:30 tonight, the show starts at 8:30.
Tickets are $42.50.
House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 S., Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.houseofblues.com/myrtlebeach.

What's in a logo?

So my lovely and talented wife whipped up a new logo for my Best Bets feature here on the blog I'm calling the Weekend Buzz (that's it below).

What do you think?
Is it a winner?
I think so.

Chants to Dance: Coastal Carolina University's men's hoops squad heading back to NCAA tourney

In case you missed it yesterday, the Myrtle Beach-area's largest institution of higher learning, Coastal Carolina University, punched its return ticket to the men's NCAA basketball tournament - aka March Madness - knocking off Big South rival Winthrop.
The Chants spanked the Eagles 81-70 in the Big South Conference Championship finals at the HTC Center, capturing the conference's crown and the automatic berth to the Big Dance.
This is the second year in a row that Coach Cliff Ellis' squad has earned an NCAA tourney berth after a two-decade dry spell.
What's next for the Chants?
Well, they have to wait around a little bit for the power conferences, such as the ACC, SEC and Big 10, to host their respective conference tourneys this week and weekend, before they find out who will be CCU's first-round opponent.
The official NCAA Selection Committee reveals the match-ups on a CBS televised special at 6 p.m. Sunday. That's WBTW News Channel 13 for you Myrtle Beach-area local yokels.

Stage is set for finals of Myrtle Beach battle of the bands

The stage is set for the March 13 finals of the Hard Rock Calling Battle of the Bands at Hard Rock Cafe in Myrtle Beach and it has a decidedly country bent.
Two country acts - Rock Hill's Matt Tucker Band and Fayetteville, N.C.'s Erik Smallwood - will square off against Myrtle Beach hard rock act The Izm to move into the national phase of the competition, with the winners having a chance to perform at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Barcelona, Spain.
The action kicks off at 8 p.m. next Friday, March 13 - yes, Friday the 13th will be lucky for somebody.
Hard Rock Café is at 1322 Celebrity Circle, Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach. Call 946-0007 or visit www.hardrock.com.

Myrtle Beach's Weekend Buzz for March 6-8, 2015

Thank the heavens it’s the weekend again, so it’s time to unwind for many of us along the Grand Strand.

And despite the quick return of Old Man Winter, don’t use that as an excuse to remain a hermit.

I’ve rustled up some groovy happenings for the Myrtle Beach-area this weekend (March 6-8), so get out there and live a little bit.

TONIGHT (FRIDAY)

Myrtle Beach’s hard-rocking The Izm and country-singer-songwriter Erik Smallwood  from Fayetteville, N.C. have secured slots in the Hard Rock Calling Battle of the Bands finals slated for March 13 at Hard Rock Cafe in Myrtle Beach, and tonight they’ll find out who their third competitor will be.

Join me tonight as I get judgmental on performers IBC, Rock Hill-based Matt Tucker Band, Jenius Beats and Myrtle Beach indie rock outfit Oceans Orange, starting at 8 p.m. There is no cover charge.

As I stated earlier in the week when the competition kicked off, audience reaction is part of the judging criterion, so if you know any of these acts, or like their music, you should show up and make some noise.

The regional champ crowned on March 13 advances  to the international competition for a chance to perform at the Hard Rock Rising 2015 festival in Barcelona, Spain.

Hard Rock Café is at 1322 Celebrity Circle, Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach. Call 946-0007 or visit www.hardrock.com.

If you’re not into competition and just want to check out some live rock ‘n’ roll tonight, here are a few more recommended options:

• “Gwen Stefani’s husband,” aka Gavin Rossdale leads his ‘90s alt-rock juggernaut Bush - “Come Down,” “Glycerine,” “Machine Head,” “Everything Zen,” “Little Things,” “The Chemicals Between Us,” “Greedy Fly,” “Swallowed,” “Letting the Cables Sleep,” and “The Sound of Winter” -  back to the House of Blues tonight in support of new album “Man on the Run.”
  
  Nickelback protege Theory of a Deadman (“Bad Girlfriend,” “Hate My Life”) and Stars in Stereo are also on the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m. the show starts at 8. Tickets are are $51.50.  House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 S., Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.houseofblues.com/myrtlebeach.
• If ‘60s avant garde rock is more your thing then check out Loaded, a local tribute to the music (and visuals) of the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, tonight at the PIT (Pawleys Island Tavern). The show starts at 9 p.m. and there is no cover charge. Pawleys Island Tavern is at 10635 Ocean Highway (U.S. 17), Pawleys Island. Call 237-8465 or visit www.pawleysislandtavern.com.
• Meanwhile, on the north end of Myrtle Beach proper, soul-inflected up-and-coming Charleston band The Dead 27s hold court at Bourbon Street. Show time is 10 p.m. Bourbon Street Bar & Grill is at 5307 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach. Call 712-1083. Sample the video below to find out what the fuss is all about.

SATURDAY

If you know that barbecue is not a grill or a picnic - or grilled chicken with red sauce slapped on it - then you’ll want to head to Surfside Drive on Saturday for the Surfside Beach BBQ Festival featuring a cook-off competition, kids activities, and performances by local progressive bluegrass pickers Sawgrass (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and local country act The Josh Brannon Band (2-4 p.m.). Admission is free, but bring your wallet because the vittles ain’t.

For more information, call 650-9548 or go to www.surfsidebeach.org.

SUNDAY

And if you tie one on Saturday night, remember you’re going to lose an hour of partying if you stay out late. That’s right, it’s time to spring forward as Daylight Saving Time goes into effect at 2 a.m. Sunday. That means you’ll need to set your clock back an hour when you awaken from a haze Sunday morning - or risk being very early everywhere you go.