COLUMBIA—What even is a sampler? Costco’s snack tasting aside, a sampler is a curated playlist of new or unreleased music from a variety of musicians. The SceneSC Sampler is specific to South Carolina musicians, made up of artists from every corner of the state. David Stringer, the mastermind behind SceneSC, decided making a playlist is an art form.
Starting in 2008, SceneSC has diligently kept tabs on regional musicians and cultivated a space where South Carolina artists of any musical genre can be seen and heard, all in one place.
“At this point you can keep clicking and watch the scene evolve,” Stringer said.
To build a digital community space means attending shows regularly, cultivating meaningful relationships and creating unique collaborative efforts. And after 12 years, it got exhausting. As the music scene regained its traction in a post-pandemic world, David stepped away from SceneSC to try and catch his breath, skipping a 2021 sampler.
Two years later, the sampler is back and badder than ever.
Stringer enlisted the help of Free Times freelancer and local music aficionado Eden Prime and WUSC’s Music Director Brandon Jolley to help build the list. Once they go to work, the team decided: this year’s sampler would be different. They had to think of a new way to grab the right cross-section of music to capture the evolution of the state’s music topography. Typically, Stringer would solicit bands for new music; this year, the playlist was entirely submission-based.
The team set out to encourage any and every South Carolina musician to submit, and none of them would be turned away. This all comes as a total surprise, as the playlist is rife with seamless transitions that feel organic. How did they do it? Hours and hours of listening and rearranging by Stringer and his team.
“I was listening and making changes up until the night before the release,” Stringer laughed., “I don’t think anyone makes a playlist like we do.”
Gabe Crawford (left) and Richard Wells (right) make a dynamic bass/guitar duo that keeps the crowd on its toes. September 24, 2023.
What do 35 individual artists, each claiming a different genre, sound like all together?
Comprised of a range beginning with the Alternative R&B stylings of Columbia’s ethereal voice of Desirée of Death Ray Robin (who really does sound like that live) to the affectionately dubbed “cosmic elevator rock” of Bones Hamilton,all the way to Charleston’s classically trained hip-hop artist, SXVXNT, this playlist leaves no one wanting.
SXVXNT (pronounced “savant”) is a transplant, fresh to Charleston’s music scene from the Santa Monica, California coast. A classically trained trumpeter and keyboardist, SXVXNT’s music just makes sense. A hypnotic, almost nostalgic beat immediately draws your attention as he packs his lyrics on by the layer, a story unfolding between each count. Looking forward, SXVXNT eyes more collaborations across the state. When asked if he’s heard the sampler: “It’s been on repeat for the last two days,”
Spencer’s grip on the microphone mirrors her hold over the audience’s attention in the intimate, DIY space. September 24, 2023.
He said some of his area favorites are Milah, Tam the Vibe, My Life As A Dog and Columbia’s own party-punk trouble makers, Flippants.
Speaking with Flippants feels like entering the fifth season of a show that is committed to the bit. Their track “UTI” was chosen just before the 2023 Sampler’s due date. The decision to use bassist Sarah Trowbridge’s smooth, cadential speaking voice was a last-minute choice, too. In an era where most of us can’t even listen to our own voicemail message, Sarah said it was “totally weird” to hear her scribbled journal entry as a song backed by her band. This track will launch a new direction for Flippants, whose goal is to incorporate Sarah’s writing and voice with lead singer Austin Syms’ more regularly. And they hope to collaborate with other acts. “Definitely Spartanburg’s Slow Funeral,Tam the Vibe and Black Nerd Mafia.”
In the ever-growing machine of the music industry, who’s next? Critics and musicians agree it’s Cassidy Spencer. (Spencer is a freelancer writer for Free Times covering non-music stories.)
Cassidy Spencer imbues her performance with both elegance and chaos while Sammy Young adds elemental harmonies in voice and synth. September 24, 2023.
On the second song of the sampler, Spencer lays claim to the vocals of Gamine’s “Capitol,” a retro, knock-your-socks-off ballad with the echoing likes of Siouxie and her Banshees. She then exceeds expectations a few tracks later with “Friday the Thirteenth,” delivering a resonant sound with a voice that will strike a chord in your gut.
Shows to look out for: SXVANT’s upcoming gig at Fox Music House in Charleston on Nov. 3, and new music on the horizon. Flippants will release a new single, “Gilly’s Got a Gun,” on Oct. 11h.
Find this year’s sampler, new artists, upcoming shows and opportunities to support your local music scene at SceneSC, scenesc.com.
