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The Columbia music scene has long suffered from the overpowering appeal of Charlotte and Atlanta for touring bands and musicians, but fall 2005 was quite the exception. Playing host to numerous independent and mainstream favorites, Columbia had a few shining moments last semester.
One of the first shows of the season was Acceptance, touring in support of their latest release, "Phantoms." New Brookland Tavern was overflowing with fans excited to rock out. Energy flowed the whole night as the band played an eclectic mix of new and old, and slow- and fast-tempo songs. Acceptance ended their set with the dreamy fan favorite "Out of Line."
September brought Pirate Fest 2, featuring a handful of local talents. Burns Out Bright and The Heist and the Accomplice were crowd favorites and brought down the house with new and old material. New Brookland Tavern was happy to have Pirate Fest, which was a much bigger hit this year than the original Fest. The variety of sounds attracted an even greater variety of music supporters and contributed to the success of the show.
South Carolina hardcore quintet Stretch Arm Strong played Headliner's the way hardcore is meant to be -- loud. Fall 2005 proved to be a great season for one of Columbia's largest local bands. The CD release show for "Free at Last" sparked the band's energy and motivation for their upcoming tour. Friends, parents and children of the band members were all present to support Stretch Arm Strong and the band seemed to be fueled by the endless audience energy. Burns Out Bright and Hopesfall prepped the crowd with their hard-hitting rock.
The Bravery hit Columbia and performed a sold-out show at New Brookland Tavern. Fans crammed into the venue, dancing to the contagious beats of People in Planes and VHS or Beta first. Both bands gave solid performances and VHS or Beta broke the dancing ice with their single "Night on Fire." In spite of the small venue, the Bravery was excited to play such an intimate show, and singer Sam Endicott said that was "the way rock shows are supposed to be, everyone packed together."
Hitting all 50 states, the Fat Wreck Tour blasted through Columbia, bringing with it punk rock, new wave and folk. The Soviettes opened the tour's lineup with their rock 'n' roll-influenced garage rock. Smoke or Fire added a harder punk edge, and new wavers the Epoxies engaged the crowd with a mini light show. The tour's headlining band, Against Me!, shouted out folk punk to the crazed fans. A member of the band's crew had a full cooler of bottled water that was handed out to the crowd during Against Me!'s set to prevent heatstroke.
A surprising amount of ska acts hit Columbia, and one of the best ska performances was Streetlight Manifesto. Featuring the ex-songwriter of Catch 22, Streetlight played a tight set. The band was robbed twice in one month, so they seemed excited for the loving audience at NBT. Even though the show was on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, ska-punk lovers showed up to sing along to Streetlight's set featuring songs from their debut album "Everything Goes Numb." The band also played new material that is being recorded in the band's home state of New Jersey.
Columbia's Colonial Center had many great mainstream acts pass through, including Elton John, who continues to focus on glamour and showmanship in his concerts, changing outfits and bringing fans to their feet with hits like "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" and "Bennie and the Jets."
Fall 2005 will be a hard season to follow for Columbia's music scene. The growing appeal of the city will no doubt attract more popular independent and mainstream music acts. Here's to 2006, a brand new year for music.
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