Somehow we made it to October. Pumpkin spice is infecting the world and All Hallows Eve is looming, and of course, we still have a whole bunch of STUFF TO DO in and around Charleston and West By God Virginia to tell you about.
As always, you should remember that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS. It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments. Also, if you have a show that you’d like to plug in the future, contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky , Spoutible, Instagram or possibly Elon’s beast, if it should ever choose to forgive me. I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote. Note that some links look like they shouldn’t work because they have lines through them, but that’s just a WordPress glitch, so click on them anyway. They should still work.
There are some big things happening this week. FunktaFest will take over Huntington Friday and Saturday, and you can find a complete schedule of the cool stuff happening there HERE. This is a great show where you can hear lots of the bands we bring you on Radio Free Charleston, as well as tons of other cool things.
We have a pretty huge show in Dunbar Friday night as well. Friday at The Shop in Dunbar, it’s The Chris Chaber Community Garden Project. This is a fundraiser to name the East End Community Garden after the late and much-missed Chris Chaber and make some improvements to it to make it even better.
This epic shows starts Friday, October 3rd at 5 PM at The Shop, in Dunbar.
For 25 years, Chris Chaber poured his heart into the East End community—lifting up local music, connecting people, and supporting neighborhood projects that made Charleston a better place for everyone. Now we have a chance to honor Chris by renaming the East End Community Garden in his memory, and restoring an agricultural water account at the property to keep the garden thriving.
There will be Live Performances All Night in Chris’s Honor. Here are just a few of the names you’ll see on stage: Andy Frampton; Jeff Haynes; Tony Harrah; Johnny Compton; Nolan Collins; The Spurgie Hankins Band; The Carpenter Ants; Jerks; Duck City Music; Justin Steele; C.W. Vance; Christopher Carter (Hurl Brickbat).
Plus you can see live artist: Eric Thomson and you can expect a guest appearance by John Chick.
There will be a suggested donation at the door, but you should give more than that because every dollar goes directly to officially dedicating the garden as “The Chris Chaber East End Community Garden.” As it says on the Facebook Event page where I swiped most of this info, “Come for the music, stay for the community. Invite your friends, spread the word, and help us honor a legend the right way.”
Those are the two big shows, but there’s always more than just two things going on around here.
We are very happy to remind you that Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.
You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.
Most weekends you can find live music at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 PM. This weekend they have The Lone Canary on Friday, and Ar Lewi on Saturday.
You can find live music every night at The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe. Mondays feature open mic night. The first Tuesday of every month sees the legendary Spurgie Hankins Band perform. There’s both Happy Hour music and local or touring bands on Thursday and Friday, and live bands Saturday nights. On Sundays when there’s a new Mountain Stage, musicians from the legendary WV Public Radio show migrate to The Glass for the Post-Mountain Stage jam.
Live at The Shop in Dunbar hosts local and touring bands on most weekends, and is a nice break away from the downtown bar scene.
Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, regularly brings in local bands on weekends.
In Huntington, local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club), brings in great touring and local acts three or four nights a week.
The Wandering Wind Meadery holds several events each week, from live piano karaoke to bands to comedy to burlesque.
The multitude of breweries and distilleries that have popped up in Charleston of late bring in live musical acts as well. I tend to miss a lot of these because, being a non-drinker, they fly under my radar.
Roger Rablais hosts Songwriter’s stage at different venues around the area, often at 813 Penn, next door to Fret ‘n’ Fiddle in Saint Albans, or at The Cavern on Charleston’s West Side, and also at The Empty Glass many Tuesday evenings or Sunday afternoons.
There’s also some cool stuff hapening at Slack Plaza in Downtown Charleston, as part of City Center Live. Check out the graphic at right.
You might also find cool musical events at Route 60 Music in Barboursville and Folklore Music Exchange in Charleston.
To hear music in an alcohol-free enviroment, see what’s happening at Pumzi’s, on Charleston’s West Side. Pumzi’s looks to be beefing up their offerings in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to check that link in case we miss something.
You can also visit Coal River Coffee in Saint Albans for live music in an alcohol-free environment. I am looking to expand this list, so please contact me through the social media sites above if you know about more alcohol-free performance venues. The Huntington Music Collective has recently started hosting all ages shows at Event Horizon and those look to be incredible.
For cutting-edge independent art films, downstairs from Taylor Books you’ll find the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema by WVIFF. Each week they program several amazing movies in their intimate viewing room that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else.
Please remember that viral illnesses are still a going concern and many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding while you’re out. And if you’re at an outdoor event, please remember that it’s awfully inconsiderate to smoke or vape around people who become ill when exposed to that stuff. If somebody asks you to refrain, don’t be a jerk about it.
Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.
Here we go, roughly in order, it’s graphics for local events happening over the next several days that I was able to scrounge up online…
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