Rock Out with your Rooster Out
Something special is going on in Awendaw.
You may already be a fan of the Southern comfort food at the famed SeeWee restaurant, but the real question is, have you been to a Barn Jam?
Charleston is home to some great music venues and gifted musicians. Maybe you’ve noticed recently that there is a concert you’d love to go to nearly every night. If only it didn’t start so late. If only you could bring your kiddos. If only you could afford to run up a big bar tab. Well, Awendaw Green’s Wednesday night Barn Jams may be your answer to all of that.
Bands formed. Songs written. Memories made. That’s how Eddie White, the messiah of Awendaw Green, sums up what his experiment is all about.
White, a local dentist whom people actually look forward to seeing, has become an avid promoter of live music in the Lowcountry. His mission is to bring people together and foster community through music.
Hence Awendaw Green, a non-profit organization funded mostly by donations and staffed by volunteers with a passion for the cause. Every Wednesday from 6-10pm, there is a Barn Jam concert – a laid-back haven for live music lovers.
Right off of Highway 17, across from the SeeWee restaurant, musicians have a place to reach a broad audience in a gorgeous outdoor setting. There’s a bonfire, a big tent with a professional sound technician, crickets chirping, BBQ sandwiches for sale, dogs and kids running around and people mingling. Hundreds of bands and solo artists have performed there since its inception. And it’s all free. Free for musicians and audience alike.
It doesn’t end there. Awendaw Green hosts S.C.’s own ridiculously talented Danielle Howle as its artist-in-residence on the compound. There’s a full-on recording studio for budding musicians to bring their music to the world. And then there’s Rocktoberfest, a four day music festival in October with a dreamy lineup of local and regional acts. Any way you slice it, Awendaw Green has become a real music boom for our area.
So saunter up the sweetgrass highway and get your good vibe jam on.
Story and photos by: Dee Dee Arthur
Poster by: Gil Shuler
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