For the last three years, Burnt Books has been an integral part of South Carolina’s hardcore punk scene.
Born and bred in the Soda City, members Troy Thames, Matt Thompson, Chuck Sligh, Zoë Lollis and Joey Parker got together to create Burnt Books after leaving their former bands: Thompson from Thank God ; Thames from Guyana Punchline; and Parker and Sligh from Tunguska.
When the band initially got together, they were in search of a vocalist until after they began performing.
“We just saw [Lollis] and fell in love with her,” Thames said. “We had Zoë go with us to our first show, she rode with us … After that, she joined the band, and within six months we were recording our first LP.”
A UNIQUE SOUND
Besides having a female voice lead a predominately male, hardcore punk group — an arrangement the punk scene could stand to see more of — there’s something unique about Burnt Books.
“It’s definitely not straight forward punk,” Lollis said. “It’s surprising the amount of people that don’t really listen to punk or metal that actually really enjoy our band.”
The memorable sound of this group is what makes it stand out from other hardcore groups, both locally and nationally. Taking influences everywhere from Bikini Kill to Bad Religion, the group’s music stems from the diverse spread of their own musical influences, forming a unique Burnt Books sound.
“We have the same social, political lyrics [as punk],” Thames said, “I would say the music is more intense, but not quite as refined as metal.”
Thames described the album’s new sound as “catchy and melodic.”
BACK IN THE STUDIO
After they released their first album a few years back and got signed to Retro Futurist Records, Burnt Books has really started to attract some attention.
Their second LP will be released in March of 2015, and the band is confident. They are unsure, however, about the feedback they’ll get from fans and where it will take them.
“It’s hard to say what we’re going to do,” Thames said. “If the response of the record is mediocre, we’ll probably play regionally and up and down the coast. If there’s a larger response, you never know.”
Burnt Books is looking forward to releasing the new album, but they admitted it won’t be easy transitioning from a year of writing to go back to a life on the road while touring.
PLAYING AT HOME
They play plenty of different venues, but Burnt Books is staying here this weekend to play at Columbia’s home base for local music.
The New Brookland Tavern is celebrating its 10th anniversary under the current ownership and will feature local bands all weekend.
Burnt Books is happy to headline the New Brookland this Sunday and celebrate what they consider to be the most important venue in the area.
“The New Brookland Tavern has been a focal point in the punk and metal scene for many, many years,” Thames said. “Whether you like the bands or not, this weekend is a great opportunity to support a local business that, with its peaks and valleys, has kept its doors open and consistently provided Columbia with great live music.”