Clemson is steeped in the American college experience. Look left, and football rules the world. Look right and Greek life dominates culture. If you want a good time go downtown to a crowded bar or a sporting event.
These are staples of the Southern college experience, but they might not appeal to everyone. For Clemson students who love the college experience but also like to walk to the beat of their own drum, the live music and vibrant spirit of WSBF’s fall kickoff show was the place to be.
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and there was already a buzz in the air. Moe Joe’s coffee shop was testing the limits of how many people could socialize inside with a coffee in their hand while WSBF members took tickets and sold merchandise near the front door.
No one knew exactly what to expect, and everyone was ready to see.
Sound checks and instrument tuning pick up in frequency as 7 p.m. turns closer and closer on the clock. The first band is introduced and WSBF has officially kicked off the year. Tangerine Scene is a local outfit made up of two Clemson alumni who have a good thing going. The sound is soft and pure.
Their voices are melodic and the instrument balance is well-struck. “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac was a smooth intro to the event and the crowd sang along with passion in the chorus. People continued to file into the coffee shop, pointing and motioning to open seats or spots on the floor in an attempt to get some elbow room. Those in the back stood on chairs to get a picture or a peek at what was going on up front.
Tangerine Scene made an excellent first impression for anyone new to the local music scene in Clemson, and they closed out their set with an original that holds its own against the classics they had been playing for most of the set. The band members stepped off stage and Modern Mammals squeezed their way in to start their set and get wired up. After a quick sound check the upstate-based group was off to the races on an original, “Crying Eyes.”
Modern Mammals is what you look for in a good local band. They have their own sound and their own songs. Covers are present as with any good group, but the sound is no imitation. The way the bass guitars shout and the dual vocalists push on the microphone with their own personal styles is something to be witnessed.
The band has their original identity, but there are bits of other familiar modern moments seen throughout. Maybe a guitar riff reminiscent of a favorite pop-punk group, or a bass flick like something out of the modern indie rock playbook, it’s all very original and very refreshing.
The groups brought with them a selection of their ever-faithful fans and seeing the real hometown passion for live music is contagious. Moe Joe’s was a last minute replacement in an attempt to sidestep the dreary clouds and rainy disposition of Jaycee Park, and the only thing missing from the coffee house was more floor space to accommodate any onlooking fire marshals.
The venue was jumping near the end of the last set. Modern Mammals ran a little long but no one in the audience seemed too broken up about it. The only unfortunate thing was that Sunhouse didn’t get to fully stretch their legs on stage as the hard-cut off was set at 10 p.m.
Sunhouse has built a name for themselves in Greenville and the surrounding area. Attendees of last year’s Clemson Music Fest got a taste of what they offer already. Sunhouse is a group that puts serious time and effort into their craft and it shows.
Everyone in the group knew exactly how to hand off to one another and to keep the party going. As the show came to its final moments, the members belted out a fantastic cover of “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant that rocked the block.
The event concluded around 10 p.m. and everyone on the clock was quick to start cleanup. Those not on the clock stuck around for a minute in the parking lot reminiscing on memories just made and memories from times gone by. Close friends sticking together, new friends sitting together and bonding over the high points of the concert.
WSBF seems to know what they are doing with the live music scene in Clemson and anyone with a taste for the other side of life in college should mark their calendar when the next WSBF show gets announced.
