Tonight is the first installment of “Live at the Charleston Music Hall”, whose idea was created by esteemed musician and Hootie & the Blowfish member, Mark Bryan. The show has been in development for several years with the first recording being done in March of 2013. When asked, Bryan states, “It takes a lot of fortitude to make this happen. It’s a different process making a television show than selling hard tickets to the public. We were trying to finesse where it’s fair for everybody. Since we are new at this process, we are figuring it out as we go. We did 2 shows per recording in order to utilize our time best. Last year was slow, but we are gaining steam in 2016.”
The first two installments premiere on June 30th with South Carolina’s Edwin McCain at 9:00 p.m., and Newgrass artist Sam Bush at 9:30 p.m. “I loved working with Mark. He’s a great guy,” Bush said. “The crowd was very welcoming and the Music Hall is absolutely beautiful.”
The third and fourth installments will be featured on July 7, and will feature Elise Testone and Stop Light Observations (SLO). Bryan is currently working with SLO as their manager and has been traveling with them around the country on their North American tour in support of their album, Toogoodoo.
Bryan opens up about how this project came about. Here, he speaks about how he brought his team of influential partners together to make “Live at the Charleston Music Hall” a success.
“When I started CTMG (Chucktown Music Group), I met Johnny Diamond, the legend. He was maybe 10 years younger. We met at College of Charleston’s radio when I was working on programming. He came to work for me 10 years later. We’d brainstorm, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do a tv show in CHS?’ Bennett, the owner of the Music Hall was also trying to figure out what to do with the space. He didn’t want to be a promoter. This was before (Charles) Carmody came in as manager. When Charles came to the Music Hall, he also thought it would be a great idea. I had a contact at ETV, and the director of programming fell in love with the idea as well. Until Charles came along, it didn’t have any steam. But after he was on board, we got sponsors and pilots scheduled and then began working with partners to create Charleston’s new genre.
Tim Fennell is our director. He began at the College of Charleston by teaching production classes and marketing. He’s a really good producer and director. He’s done an amazing job on “Live at the Charleston Music Hall”. Most of his assistants came from Trident Tech, where he is now currently working. As of now, all of the editing is being done by Fennell himself.
I am extremely grateful to offer thanks to Palmetto Brewery, Firefly Vodka, Terrell Bradley, and ETV Endowment for all of the support and sponsorship they have given us over the years.”
Make sure to watch the first installment tonight on PBS at 9pm, or join Bryan at the Charleston Music Hall for a quick discussion and live viewing. The event is free to the public and doors open at 8pm.
A lifetime of music addiction and appreciation has led Stephanie to her passion of live music photography and the entertainment industry. Having a particular interest in exceptional guitar work, she is best known for introducing her kids to Steve Vai’s and Yngwie Malmsteen’s talent in an effort to promote musical discovery to a new generation.
