Annual festival brings local acts to Columbia Museum, Vista bars
“Two days. Thirty-six bands. Enough said.”
That was the slogan used by the Free Times to simply describe what this past weekend would be like for anyone spending an evening at the Flying Saucer, The Art Bar, Kelly’s, The Tin Roof, The Mellow Mushroom or the Columbia Museum of Art.
The Free Times held its 13th annual Music Crawl, an event that has filled the Vista with local music talent since 1999.
Driving or walking along Park Street, passers-by witnessed crowds coming and going from bar to bar as well as gathering outside, catching different acts at every venue.
“Music Crawl has always been about celebrating the great music scene that we have here in Columbia,” said Free Times music editor Patrick Wall. “It’s not just a celebration of local music, but a cross-section of what you can expect to see week-in and week-out every year in Columbia.”
For the small price of $8 for one night or $13 for both nights, attendees got wristbands that granted them access to all venues to enjoy a variety of genres from hip-hop to modern rock to surf pop to bluegrass. Admission was limited to those age 21 and older.
“It’s such a treat to only have to pay $8 to see all these different bands perform all over the Vista,” said kemp ridley lead singer Cayla Fralick, who performed with her band at the Flying Saucer.
This year’s event featured all the returning venues from last year except for the Moda Lounge, which closed down earlier this year. The Mellow Mushroom, which hosted acts such as pop-rock band Postcard Fiction, hip-hop groups Gritz and Analog and blues-rock band The Mobros, is a new addition to the Music Crawl festivities. Though the energy was low at first, it dramatically increased as attendees flocked in to enjoy a slice of pizza with their music.
The event kicked off Friday night at the Columbia Museum of Art and marked the second year that the Free Times partnered with the museum’s Arts and Draughts event. A large crowd gathered to hear indie-rock bands The Sea Wolf Mutiny and Bombadil perform outside the museum while folk band Kovacs & The Polar Bear and funk band Floating Action entertained a crowd inside.
“We love the Columbia Museum of Art because of what a great institution it is and we have a great working relationship with them,” Wall said. “The partnership has gone really well and hopefully we can keep growing at a manageable rate.”
Coma Cinema started Saturday’s event by performing at the Tin Roof at 6:30 p.m. as the crowd started jamming with drinks in hand. Folk rock act The Restoration, punk band Drunk with Guns and Marshall Brown and Shades of Blue followed.
The schedule for Saturday night gave concertgoers the chance to see many acts perform without missing their favorite local artists. Each artist was given 30 minutes to perform on stage with 30-minute gaps in between acts at each venue.
“The moment one band stops, another band starts somewhere else,” said Eric Greenwood, lead singer and bassist of indie rock band Parlour Tricks. “It makes it easy to slip in and out of the clubs without missing the bands you want to see.”
Parlour Tricks performed at the indoor stage of the Art Bar to a crowd that jumped, jammed and cheered for the local talent. The band performed with The Sea Wolf Mutiny, punk bands Burnt Books and Chemical Peel, rockers The Fishing Journal and bluegrass group The Black Iron Gathering.
In the outdoor stage area, attendees had to endure the increasingly low temperature to see their favorite local acts perform, but still expressed excitement once bands like garage rock group The Unawares, experimental-metal band Happiness Bomb and bluegrass group Say Brother took the stage.
Variety was the main draw to the Music Crawl Saturday night. Kelly’s Deli and Pub especially featured a variety of artists from post-punk band Modern Man to jazz trio The Reggie Sullivan Band to hip-hop artist Fat Rat da Czar.
“The town is changing and becoming a little more progressive and I’m proud to be part of that change,” Fat Rat said. “By performing here at the Music Crawl, I feel like I’m becoming a part of a new day and age of music, a new idea of art.”
While most venues continued to see an increasing audience, The Flying Saucer began to see less and less people compared to the increase in attendance at the newest venue, The Mellow Mushroom, as The Mobros took the stage a little after midnight.
But even though the vibe slowly died down over time at the Flying Saucer, excitement was still present once pop-rock bands kemp ridley. and Atlas Road Crew performed.
“There’s always excitement and a great atmosphere when you’re performing here in the Vista,” Fralick said.