Date: March 14, 2015

Venue: Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina Pavilion / Mount Pleasant, SC

One of the coolest things about an event like Off The Record is the opportunity for new and/or emerging artists to take the stage and for more established artists to perform with each other and cover some of their favorite songs.

Artists Jamming on Stage:

Rachel Levitin

Paul Pfau

Travis Ewing

Bracher Brown of King Complex

Keaton Simons

Mic Capdevielle

Steve Bentz

Tony Lucca

Toby Lightman

Matt MacKelcan

Brendan James

Andrea Nardello

Matt Duke

Seth Faulk

Todd Carey

Ryan Star

Kicking off the show was one of last year’s festival attendees, Rachel Levitin. During the last year she wrote a song using last year’s festival theme, Secrets Safe (available on iTunes), and it was the perfect way to start the afternoon. Her voice was strong and her energy even stronger. She’s been writing and singing for some time now and this was a great way for people to see who she is as an artist. She also played another one of her original songs and I was really impressed with her talent. 

Next up was an artist I was excited to see based on his participation in the television show, The Voice: Paul Pfau. I hadn’t had a chance to watch his audition when he took the stage, but after watching him perform I was super excited that he’d made it through the audition and the first battle round. I have since watched his audition and battle and yeah, he’s amazing. Seeing him on stage during the jam session was a lot of fun, especially since he brought up fellow The Voice contestant, Travis Ewing. Both of them have great voices and sounded great together. Paul played guitar and they really made performing look easy. Paul’s personality really shined through and I look forward to seeing more of both of them!

When the next artist was announced, the lead singer of a new band called King Complex, I was pretty certain I knew him but had to confirm with a friend. Indeed I was correct, and it was Bracher Brown, a kid I saw perform a few years ago when he was working on his debut solo album. I loved him then and loved him during the jam session, too. His voice has matured a bit - he was maybe 18 when I first saw him - and he’s still great at performing. He sounded great and I loved the new music. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this band is gonna do.

Keaton Simons took the stage next and he is truly one of the most skilled guitar players I’ve seen, and as you know, I’ve seen a lot. His music is not my favorite but there is no question he’s talented. This was made clear throughout the afternoon when everyone invited him to play. To me, that says a lot about a musician. If other musicians want to play with you, you definitely have something, and I certainly respect that. He’s definitely a crowd favorite and I could tell that people really enjoyed his set. Mic and Tony joined him and all seemed to have a great amount of fun.

Keaton and Mic stayed on stage when Toby Lightman stepped up next and once again, she was fantastic. As in her set the day before, she sang beautifully and played with a whole ton of soul. She and Keaton were having a lot of fun together and that was fun for all of us to watch. Again, I’m a new fan and can’t wait to see her again.

Matt MacKelcan, the opener from the pre-party, took the stage next and Keaton stuck around to play a little with him, too. Keaton was pretty much everywhere during the jam session because like I said, everyone wanted to play with him. Matt was great once again and seemed to really be enjoying himself, as all of the artists did.

Saturday was Pi Day, and while 3.14 arrives every year, it’s only once every 100 years that 3.14.15 arrives and as such, Brendan James had no choice but to jump on stage and sing Stupid for Your Love, which contains the line, “I still remember 30 numbers after 3.14 pi…don’t ask me why.” I mean he had to sing it, right? And it was every kind of perfect. Because of where he was sitting I only got this amazing silhouette shot of him playing. I sort of love it.

The lovely Andrea Nardello took the stage next and gave an empowering plea about the M.I.L.E. (Music Is Love Exchange) project and how much it has affected her life. A number of OTR artists are involved in this project and I’ve watched their experiences unfold on Facebook. It’s an incredible organization and I’m very impressed by the work they’re doing. Accompanied by Keaton on the drums, she then proceeded to play a gorgeous tune that moved us all and showed just how deep and beautiful her soul is. She is truly one of my favorites and if you’re not already involved, then change that right now.

Matt Duke and all of his amazingness jumped up next and he brought Todd, Seth, Mic, Steve, Tony and Keaton along for the ride. It was a spectacular jam and exactly why we love Off The Record. I love watching Todd Carey shred on his electric and he did not let me down. Tony sat down at the piano, Matt sang his heart out, and it was a truly beautiful thing. 

The jam session could have ended there and all would have been right with the world but then came Ryan Star. And holy goodness. I have been a fan of his for a long time and was so excited when I heard he was going to be a part of OTR. Most of my friends had never seen him perform though some knew his music. He only played one song, and it was a cover, but it was all that was needed to show everyone exactly what I’ve been saying for years…he freaking ROCKS. He was joined on stage by Todd, Seth and Keaton and threw down the most amazing cover of Pearl Jam’s Black that I think anyone has ever heard. And when he was done he just walked off the stage like any rock star would. No one would have been surprised if he dropped the mic and left the building. It was just that good. Even other artists were talking about it when they took the stage and I loved it so, so much. As one person said to me, he changed the whole tone of the day with that one performance. And they were absolutely right.

And still…there was more!

I’m not exactly sure who started the final jam or how everyone ended up on stage but Tony was there to lead it, and he was joined by Brendan, Keaton, Todd, Seth and Matt and basically all was right with the world. And after two plus hours of music the jam session finally came to a close and we were all left wanting more.