Cola-Con, Moogfest among cultural, musical celebrations
Columbia and its neighboring cities this fall are host to a number of music and cultural festivals, spotlighting music from everywhere between the local scene and the international electronic community and foods from the State Fair’s fried candy bars to the Greek Festival’s cuisine. Here are a selection of five local and regional festivals taking place this semester.
Cola-Con, Sept. 2
Among Columbia’s newest festivals is perhaps its most intriguing. Cola-Con is being put on by Preach Jacobs, a rapper, writer and photographer, who is among the Columbia music scene’s foremost figures. The one-day event seeks to explore “where hip-hop music and comic book culture intersect,” according to the event’s website, cola-con.com. On the comic book side of things, the day will include appearances and panel discussions, including those by Sanford Greene, whose work includes “Deadpool” and “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and by Jody LeHeup, an editor at Marvel Comics. For the hip-hop inclined, it will include performances by Talib Kweli, a prominent emcee and member of the much acclaimed rap duo Black Star, along with a number of regional acts.
Greek Festival, Sept. 15 — 18
Following in what has become a considerable local tradition, the Greek Festival hosts Columbians downtown this year for its 25th iteration. The festival features presentations on Hellenic culture and history, live music, tours of the recently constructed Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and Greek folk dancing. Perhaps more exciting, though, is the wide variety of food — including souvlaki, gyros and baklava — and its excellent and long-standing tradition.
South Carolina State Fair, Oct. 12 — 23
Certainly among the season’s most consistently hyped-up event, nothing quite signals fall like the annual convergence of roller coasters, livestock and fried food by Williams-Brice Stadium. Adrenaline junkies and skee ball aficionados will enjoy the expansive midway; for the more adventurous set, vendors peddling fried candy bars, cookies and even Pepsi abound. The fair also features a wide range of musical acts on its Grandstand, including this year’s headliners, legendary hip-hop group The Roots. That show begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 22.
Moogfest, Oct. 28 — 30
Though it isn’t in Columbia, one of the country’s best and fastest growing music festivals isn’t far from town. Formed to celebrate the late Ashevillian and electronic music pioneer Robert Moog, Moogfest returns to Asheville this October for its second year with an impressive lineup. This year’s acts include psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips, dance and electrofunk duo Chromeo, electronic musician Dan Deacon and Carolina alumnus and resident chillwaver Toro Y Moi, among others. Festival passes are on sale now.
Free Times Music Crawl, Nov. 5
Born of a desire to highlight and celebrate local and regional music acts, the Music Crawl, which is put on by Columbia’s alternative weekly newspaper Free Times, returns this November for its 12th installment. Though this year’s details and lineup haven’t yet been announced, last year’s festival packed 35 shows into one evening across six Vista venues. Among them were emotive rock-and-rollers Coma Cinema, USC’s own comedy rap duo Sweet Vans and indie pop band — and fellow Carolina students — kemp ridley. Regardless of its composition this year, the Music Crawl is a great place to see your favorite bands play live or else get a quick crash course in Columbia’s music scene.