The PopCulteer
March 29, 2013

Last night I got to experience the infancy of a new creative scene in the Charleston area. I went to Mojo’s, in South Charleston, near the Mound, for a night of local stand-up comedy.

To be honest, I went in with low expectations. I’ve seen some local attempts at stand-up before. Some showed promise. Others did not. This could have been a train wreck, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We had a lot of fun. The comedians are still learning their craft, but their material was original and funny.

We were there to support Patrick Felton (above right), of the That Conversation podcast, who is currently directing Melanie Larch (you should know her by now if you’ve been reading PopCult for any length of time), in Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance” (Opening in late April at the Alban Arts Center). Patrick surprised me with a terrific set of confessional and contoversial material. He was really good, and he was not alone.

Tim Hoover

The evening got off to a good start with the MC, Tim Hoover, and we were treated to some great comedy. Sadly, your PopCulteer is horrible with names and didn’t take notes, but since we’ll be going back and probably recording some of the comedians for Radio Free Charleston, I think I can get a pass on it this one time.

Jacob Allen

Charleston has never really had much of a stand-up comedy scene. Last night at Mojo’s was the first time I ever saw anything lcoal that looked like a comedy club, where the comedians are in the audience and there’s a laid-back “Hey, we’re just working out our material here” vibe. Mojo’s is a nice space. Parking is free and close. And after the show you can go hang out on the Mound.

Let’s hope that we can nurture this scene and watch it grow into something cool for our area.

Stuff To Do

Speaking of comedy, improv, that is, The No Pants Players will be holding auditions to add members to their troupe on Friday and Saturday. You can read all about it in Bill Lynch’s cool article here.

Tonight at Little India, The Snake and The Pot celebrate Duane’s birthday with a free show of tribal/electronic/bellydance at 8 Pm. You can see and hear them on RFC 181.

More free music Friday includes The Songwriter Stage at The Daily Cup on D Street in South Charleson, featuring performances by Gary Lee Toley, Timothy Lloyd Bratcher and Blues Crossing and more. Hosted by Roger Rablais, the stage will be open from 6 PM until 9.

Also free: Himes and Allen at Taylor Books at 7:30 PM and Buckstone at Bruno’s at 9 PM. Johnny C and The Scurvy Dogs will destroy the 80s at Smiley’s on Friday and Saturday, but we aren’t sure if there’s a cover charge.

Dataphonic, soon to be on Radio Free Charleston, will be at Timothy’s as part of the Play Hard Social Club at 10 PM Friday, with a five-dollar cover. Five bucks also gets you into Sam’s Uptown Cafe to hear Hybrid Soul. Over at The Empty Glass, The Tom McGees skank into the night, starting at 11 PM, with the usual EG $7/5 sliding cover.

Free music Saturday is highlighted by Marium Bria, with Ryan Kennedy and Ammed Soloman, at Timothy’s, downstairs from the ex Quarrier Diner, starting at 9 PM.

Other music on Saturday includes Hillbilly Carnival and Tribe of the Elk at Sam’s Uptown Cafe at 10 PM ($5), 69 fingers with Composure at The Boulevard Tavern at 10 PM ($5), Miniature Giant, Pure Noxious and Calendars And Kerosene will be at the Empty Glass at 11 PM ($7/5). Beyond The Wayside, Erasing Never, Below The Tide, and Dutch Underwood will celebrate Carmel’s birthday at 10 PM ($5).

At The Sound Facotry, it’s The Big Bad’s CD release party with special guests Rockwell’s Ghost and Foz Rotten & His Dirty Scoundrels, kicking of at 10 PM ($5).

That’s it for this week in PopCult. Be sure to refresh your browsers every five minutes for all our regular features.