Sunny to partly cloudy. High 87F. Light and variable winds. .
Some passing clouds. Under 68F. Light and variable winds.
New Brookland Tavern moved to a new location in Five Points in late 2023. The music venue and bar voted the most productive place for live music.
Still from “Pater Noster and the Mission of Light”, an independent horror film filmed and produced by Colombian filmmaker and musician Chris Bickel. (Photo provided)
Terrance Henderson teaches choreography in USC’s theater program (Photos via Sarah Danelli/Post Special
The Nick is a non-profit independent movie theater on Main Street in Columbia.
Preach Jacobs, the top hip hop artist of 2024, DJs at a Columbia food and wine festival at the Dragon Room.
Readers voted for arts, music and entertainment in Colombia. This is what they said.
Now in its 37th year, this downtown birthday party of Hellenic life, culture, religion, and especially food is about the same age as Free Times. The Greek festival fully embraces the joyful spirit of life. There’s baklava, gyros, souvlaki, spanakopita, folk dancing, craft beer, Mediterranean wine and pastries, ancient exhibits, and tours of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, which hosts this year’s big fundraiser as the unofficial start to fall. Ups!
Honorable Mention: Columbia Food
A cultural anchor of the Midlands, the CMA alternates touring exhibitions from major museums across the country with insightful reinterpretation of thematic pieces from its own extensive collection, with many performances by emerging regional artists too. The festive atmosphere of Arts and Drafts and free concerts at Boyd Plaza on first Thursdays draw a younger crowd, while works by Renaissance and Baroque masters in the Kress’s permanent collection never cease to amaze.
Honorable mention: Camden Art Shoppes, Mike Brown Contemporary
New Brookland Tavern moved to a new location in Five Points in late 2023. The concert hall and bar were voted the venue for live music.
It would have possibly moved from West Columbia to the equally historic (though even more student-friendly) domain of Five Points, however, Columbia’s premier place to see local, touring bands in an intimate club setting is still in vogue. Now in an iconic Harden Street domain that has housed everything from a nightclub to a movie theater, NBT remains the most productive position to revel in the next big thing in local music.
Honorable Mention: Art Bar, Steel Hands Brewing
There is a new call for professional dance in the city, but SC Ballet has existed for 63 years as Columbia City Ballet; Its rebranding recognizes the many tours and outreach activities that have an effect on each and every corner of the state. Seasons guided by artistic director and executive William Starrett swap annual audience delights (The Nutcracker, Dracula: Ballet with a Bite) with classics (Giselle, Romeo, and Juliet) and original works celebrating the Beatles, Motown, and the visual art of Jonathan Green.
Honorable Mention: Carolina Ballet by Ann Brodie, Columbia Repertory Dance Company
Almost every child dreams of being the Sugar Plum Fairy or the Nutcracker Prince, and for over 40 years, founder Anita Ashley and her team of dance professionals have provided this opportunity, with categories for beginners from ages 3 years up to students. preparing for conservatory education or careers in ballet or Broadway. Lessons in tap, jazz, new genres and more round out the extensive list of options.
Honorable Mention: Palmetto Dance Center, SC Music and Dance Academy
Come on, as the nicknames of the DJs say, you have to recognize that this one appears. Also known as DJ Stingray 803, this entertainer knows how to get the party started. Music bingo, karaoke, weddings, personal events and club concerts, your faithful are obviously in a position to take a tour.
Honorable Mention: DJ Haile, DJ Prince Ice
Bickel, a former punk rock band frontman and popular karaoke host, is now a visionary but still iconoclastic author of micro-budget underground films like “Bad Girls” and “The Theta Girl. “Their next project, the bloody grindhouse horror film “Pater Noster and the Mission of Light,” will be released this fall, but enthusiasts were able to watch music videos and listen to the original soundtrack music last year, leading them to win this year.
Honorable Mention: Idris Pearson, Wade Sellers
Still from “Pater Noster and the Mission of Light”, an independent horror film filmed and produced by Colombian filmmaker and musician Chris Bickel. (Photo provided)
It’s the best option in rock and roll heaven – the Art Bar has been a popular karaoke venue for years, as well as lively concerts and dance parties, and DJ Linda Carr has many fans in the Midlands. It’s no surprise, then, that her weekly concerts at the Art Bar have been selected as Columbia’s favorite place to show off your vocal prowess outside the shower.
Honorable Mention: Snow/Kevin Snow Events, The Capital Club
Wait, Henderson is a dancer and choreographer. No, he’s a singer. In reality, he is all that: educator, principal, activist and self-proclaimed “instigator”. The vocal role of the carnivorous plant is the ultimate laugh in “Little Shop of Horrors,” yet Henderson, as a choreographer, devised a way to get noticed and heard in last summer’s Trustus production, portraying an entirely different kind of man-eater, which led to this year’s victory.
Honorable Mention: Paul Lindley, Taylor Diveley
Terrance Henderson teaches choreography in USC’s theater program (Photos via Sarah Danelli/Post Special
Playing a disgruntled top school student who just needs to take her friend dancing in last summer’s production of “The Prom” at the Trustus Theatre, Liv Moody broke, then warmed, our hearts. Still, she has been running professionally at Columbia Children’s Theater for years, playing the lead role in “Pinkalicious” and several roles in “The Little Mermaid Comedy. ” Also in the university, the Acting Force is evidently strong there.
Honorable Mention: Brittany Hammock, Mel Driggers
There’s a bit of Buckingham/Nicks in their harmonies, and a bit of Alison Krauss and Robert Plant in their folk guitar and mandolin sound, but Jessica Skinner and Jeff Pitts have forged their own acoustic identity as Prettier Than Matt. Capable of thrilling thousands of people at an open-air festival or pleasantly accompanying visitors in an intimate brasserie, this dynamic duo mixes popular versions with originals, ensuring maximum musical enjoyment.
Honorable Mention: Civil Action, Interrupted Daughter
Have you heard the comedian who was so funny that he voted the most productive in Columbia?Columbia Comics is a collegial, supportive group, creating its own audiences and fans when they appear in locations around the world. Snyder, whose self-proclaimed purpose is to “bring all people together through laughter,” is one of the mainstays of the local scene, and you’re sure to stop by smiling after one of his concerts.
Honorable Mention: Phil Carter, Sam Clarke
Not only does the Trustus Theatre offer state-of-the-art plays and musicals, but it also houses an improv and comedy comic book team. Drawing on local college comedy troupes, the wealth of comedic skills discovered among Trustus Company members, and the near-endless number of skilled local performers, The Mothers delivers satire and silliness between main stage performances and on occasions and venues around town.
Honorable Mention: Bustercups, Tomorrowquest Theater
Preach Jacobs, the 2024 hip-hop artist, DJs at a Columbia Food and Wine Festival event in Dragon Room.
A staple of the local music scene, “Preach” is also (and a regular columnist for the Free Times), presenter, DJ, occasional actor, and even ambassador for Columbia. Skilled at creating music and setting the right mood for a variety of low-key and eventful life events, this artist is a true Columbia original.
Honorable Mention: Bustercups, H3RO
Whether he leads bands of all sizes on trumpet or solo, Mark Rapp delivers a lively show, making jazz a regular fixture in places where previously only rock music could be found. In addition, it has created several outreach systems to attract and teach a more varied audience. Collaborations with local theaters and dance corporations have led to successful multidisciplinary productions, helping to foster a revitalization of the jazz scene in Colombia.
Honorable Mention: Robert Gardiner, Amos Hoffman
Thank goodness, the capital is right in the middle of the state and our state museum is right in the middle of the city. This makes it available seamlessly to tourists and school teams from all corners of the state and beyond, as well as local tourists. There’s history, science, nature, art, culture — everything that makes South Carolina special, curated and interpreted to tell our story.
Honorable Mention: Anne Frank Center, EdVenture Children’s Museum
Chances are, you’ll see Rapp leading a lively outdoor band at a brewery or art festival, or at a fancy restaurant full of complicated musicians dancing to cool tunes. However, he also offers many solo concerts, performing in smaller clubs, in private. Professional occasions and receptions. Man, this jazz cat doesn’t sleep!
Honorable Mention: Jody Jackson, Ruth Spence
As we approach our 40th anniversary, Vista’s Trustus Theatre remains true to the vision of its founders Kay and Jim Thigpen: to make theatre more available to a more varied audience and to produce exhibitions that are unlikely to be held in Colombia: the risky, the controversial, the new and avant-garde, the disturbing. . . and downright unpleasant. Or what other people would say, anyway, theater is theater. Expect the unexpected, from Pulitzer and Tony Prizes to premieres of original works.
Honorable Mention: Workshop Theatre, Columbia Children’s Theater
You may have seen Little Shop before, but never like this!Last summer’s Trustus production featured an impressive vocal cast that included Equity artists Jonathan Monk and Hunter Boyle, but noted choreographer Terrance Henderson doubled the role of the murderous menace Audrey II. Spoiler alert for an exhibition that ended a year ago: Venturing beyond a rich baritone and a few anthropomorphic lips into a Venus Flytrap puppet, Henderson has become a mobile, interactive Audrey who is part of Tina Turner, Little Richard, and all the hilarity.
Honorable Mention: CATS (Atelier Theater), The Sound of Music (City Theater)
The Nick is a non-profit independent movie theater on Main Street in Columbia.
There are fewer festivals in this category each year, but the leaders of this venerable nonprofit arthouse sense that there is more to life than Netflix and relaxing. Hence a tempting list of pop hits like “Barbie” interspersed with classics. , foreign films, thematic festivals and educational outreach programs. Oh, and a huge variety of craft beers and wines.
Honorable Mention: CMA Harbison, Regal Sandhills
It possibly would have started as a way for some community taverns to generate some business, however, St. John’sPat’s has the iconic social event in the Five Points area, attracting 50,000 or more attendees when it’s not raining. -A curated variety of bands is essential, with popular older artists, cutting-edge newcomers and emerging local stars all components of the formula. Additionally, profits are donated to charities. Erin, show off!
Honorable Mention: Hidden City Music Fest, Main Street Jazz Fest via ColaJazz
Of course, this is the choice. This is the 94-year-old municipal corridor where medium-sized artists perform. But the township has welcomed everyone from Bruce Springsteen to the Marscorridor Tucker Band, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Additionally, their Loading Dock Live outdoor exhibition series in the back parking lot features many up-and-coming local artists. And it is undeniable that there is a certain majesty and grandeur to the building.
Honorable Mention: New Brookland Tavern, Senate
Located in the St. Andrews area, Sims Music has thrived for forty-five years as the premier selection of tools, audio equipment, studio and recording supplies, musical tool rentals, band, string arrangement, and even classes taught in partnership with Freeway Music. Sims, owned and operated by a circle of musicians’ relatives, will have you rocking in no time.
Honorable Mention: Supply of Musicians, Pecknel
The diversity of the finalists shows how much we can all wish to celebrate differently: with smart food, cold beer or family fun. Transmission Arcade offers all three, with eclectic gastropub-style bar fare (like smoked wigs and Banh Mi fries). , craft beer from regional microbreweries, and several dozen vintage video games and pinball to choose from. And the little ones can also play until 8 p. m.
Honorable mention: Crafts and Openwork, Patinoire des Trois Fontaines
Just a generation ago, the discreet steel sign next to the front was the only hint of any kind of club inside. Still, this downtown destination has been a haven for the LGBTQ network for years and now proudly and boldly welcomes everyone. conventional, with several local clubs offering some form of entertainment with strutting divas, but there is a lot to be said for original and authentic.
Honorable mention: PT’s 1109, The Venue
Their site sums it up simply: “helping musicians move toward their goals since 1988. “This equates to 150 years in an organization: years of longevity. Founder Jay Matheson has played in several bands and is the founder of the aptly named Jam Room Music Festival, so he and his team know a studio well. They will help you raise it to 11 or even lower it a bit if necessary.
Honorable Mention: Saucewithspoons, Seaboard Recording Studio
Today, vinyl is gold for creditors and audiophiles alike, but Papa Jazz sold vinyl when it was all the rage the first time around and still maintains a major presence as an iconic component of the Five Points scene. Recent renovations and innovations have improved on the store’s decades. We have been on Greene Street but we locate the same wide variety of possible options and expert staff as always.
Honorable Mention: 2d and Charles
You may not know it, but you’ve noticed it running everywhere. As a painter, she is to blame for the “Lady Vista” mural in the parking lot of Motor Supply Co. . As an illustrator, Maloney has created labels for Peak Drift brewing and posters for the State Fair, Open Studios, the famous New Year’s Eve, and much more. Also, look for copies of his paintings at outdoor festivals like Rosewood Arts, Crafty Feast, and Cottontown Art Crawl.
Honorable Mention: Christine Crawford, Joel Cothran