Flying Under the Radar is an ongoing series of interviews with those who are promoting and performing the arts in the form of live music in Charleston, SC. My goal is to introduce you to those who are shaping the musical landscapes in the Lowcountry. They deserve our praise and support.

• 

Let me introduce you to Charles Carmody, General Manager of the Charleston Music Hall and force behind the “Around the Bend” concert series at the Bend in N. Charleston. Charles has done much to promote local artists and the arts community on a whole while bringing national touring acts to an intimate theatre for rare appearances.

Charles was born in Charleston, SC in 1989 and grew up across the river in Mt. Pleasant. He was in the fourth grade when his parents took him to his first concert, In Sync at the N. Charleston Coliseum. He grew up as neighbors with Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish. He recalls picking Mark’s brain and record collection for the sounds of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, among other influences. Mark Bryan took Charles with him, at fourteen, to his next show, Cowboy Mouth at the Windjammer on the beach in the Isle of Palms. He recalls that his ears rang for days! Like many of his contemporaries, he spent many nights in the cigarette smoke filled Music Farm. To this day, his Mom still doubts Charles’ claim of not indulging in those cancer sticks!

In grade school Charles learned to play the guitar and now enjoys the banjo and mandolin among the string instruments he plays. A regret that he admitted to was not learning to read music back then. His first live performance was playing guitar in the youth band at his church. In the sixth grade, he was a member of Circadia, his first live band. They recorded an album in HS. As is common for most musicians, he played in various arrangements in high school and college, mostly for fun. You might have caught his act on King Street as one half of the comedy duo “introducing Fish Taco”. In college, while living on Spring Street, he arranged weekly open mic nights at his rental house.  Referred to as “Bean Night” the rice and beans meal was served up every Tuesday. With help from friends, they built a stage in the backyard, added lights and a PA system. Voila! It was there you could find Charles alongside local musicians and the occasional touring group playing to an audience of his peers in the heart of college living in downtown Charleston. He credits these open mike nights as his first attempt at organizing events for the enjoyment of all. It was here that Charles first recognized that the heart and soul of the local music scene needed to be recognized and appreciated for what they were creating. Being a champion for local bands and artists is in the essence of Charles’ soul and a driving force in his work today.

After college, Charles was bitten by the traveling bug as many do. He loaded up his VW Rabbit and ventured out to Vancouver, BC in the hope of making a go of it with a lady he met in college.  He stayed there for a few weeks, after which he turned around and headed for Seattle and points south. Arriving back in Charleston in 2012, Charles faced an uncertain future as do many college graduates. Through some family connections, an interview was arranged with Michael Bennett, a local hotel and construction company owner. Their conversation led to a meeting with a General Manager of one of Bennet’s hotels. Both soon realized that Charles was not destined to work in the hotel industry. From his initial interview with Mr. Bennett, Charles had an interest and curiosity about a shuttered Bennett property, the Charleston Music Hall. At one time, Bennet collaborated with a Myrtle Beach promoter to bring a variety show, called Serenade, to the theatre for the growing tourist trade. The building, originally built in the 1850’s, was retrofitted with seats on two levels.  The show ran for four years and then the building went dark for many years.

On a personal typewriter Charles typed a letter to Mr. Bennett along with an eight-page business plan and mailed it off. His hard work paid off in a second meeting where Charles was given the green light to make something of the facility. Armed with an intense desire to succeed but not much else, Charles was sent off in search of the keys to the building. What awaited him was a “nightmare”, a dark, dank and dirty building badly in need of repair and one working phone line. Armed with a vision, beer and pizza, Charles convinced friends to help him clean up and paint the building. He built a box office, put a ticketing system in place and scrambled for staff to work those early functions. He learned QuickBooks, FB Marketing and wrote all of the social content for the Hall.   

 In September,2012 at the age of 23 he re-opened the Charleston Music Hall. Early shows in the fall of 2012 included Andrew Bird, Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic), Victor Wooten (Flecktones) and Keb’ Mo. He was doing all of this with no real set budget and precious little involvement by the Bennett’s’. Charles wore many hats while figuring out how to staff and run a performing arts center. Flying by the seat of his pants, Charles realized he need professional partners to make this work so in the spring of 2013, he drove to Nashville and talked to Booking Agents and Operators, anyone who would give him the time. This resulted in an agreement with NS2, an exclusive talent buyer who promised him 20 shows to be booked that year. The reality was that NS2 brought 45 shows to the Music Hall that year and Charles was off and running. The Charleston Music Hall, a 965-seat theatre in the heart of the historic district began to set Charleston on the map for many artists who were not filling up stadiums and coliseums.

In 2014, Charles brought on Bonny Wolff to handle the box office, the volunteer staff and whatever needed to be done to operate this facility. In 2015, he recruited Nicholas McDonald to be the operations and technical manager, a role he performed most recently with the Music Farm, a block away.  Both remain integral parts of the Music Hall’s success, despite the CV pandemic.

In my conversations with Charles, one thing really stood out. He has always had an unwavering conviction that he would be a success in this industry. “I always knew it would work” was his answer to whether he ever doubted what he was doing and why. The Music Hall became a magnet for local artists of all styles and substance. Charles supports theatre, comedy, conversation and music by local artists looking for an outlet to impart their talents. He promotes diversity in the style of performance and the people he associated with in the product he brings forward. He has a vision to use the charms of the Hall so that local talent would have an outlet for their creativity. It was this way when he began and it remains that way 9 years later. Charleston’s growing popularity with tourists is hurting the local artist community. It’s become too expensive to live for many and is not friendly to the community. He has seen many talented people leave to ply their trade somewhere more affordable and welcoming.

I asked Charles’ to share some of the highlights of his days growing the business. He spoke about shows in 2014, his first full year with NS2’ backing/involvement. A large smile graced his face as he recalls shows by Shovels and Rope, Stop Light Observations and Brave Baby. Here is a trio of local acts that have gone on to gain national attention, tour the country extensively and in Europe, also. This was quite an accomplishment as these local musicians got critical support from the Music Hall and Charles, in particular, while developing their audience. Charles also co-managed the band Susto for four and a half year. Once more, a local act that has gone on to national prominence. He has fond memories of the shows he promoted in 2017 and 2018.During this stretch, Charles found the time to get married and start a family. With the love and support from his wife Becca Barnet and son Cassius, Charles delivered many memorable performances. In 2019, the Music Hall hosted 278 performances of music, theatre, lectures, movies and multi-media offerings to an appreciative audience. In the seven years of full-time promotion (2013-19) many artists returned again and again and spoke fondly of their love of performing here. If you are lucky, you just might come across that night’s performer grabbing an early dinner at any number of local restaurants within walking distance of the Hall.

In February of 2020, Frank Productions, a national promoter based in Wisconsin took over the operation of the Music Hall while the Bennet’s’ remained the owners of the building. The future was looking brighter than ever and the possibilities seemed endless. Then came the Covid pandemic and the Hall, like most businesses around the country, was forced to go dark for an unknown length of time. Like most, the thought was this would be temporary and they would re-open in weeks or a month or so. By May, he realized that nothing was going to change soon. While some local clubs reopened with outdoor shows, constrained by the Covid regulations, the Music Hall remained closed. Things got really scary in June as the employees were furloughed or their salaries trimmed to face the reality that there would be no live music at the Hall anytime soon. Charles knew he couldn’t stay closed for much longer or there would be no more Music Hall. So, he set out to find an outdoor venue to bring music to the masses, within the protocols set by the state of South Carolina. He toured several, local outdoor facilities but there was always an issue that couldn’t be resolved favorably in order to promote the kind of program he envisioned.

He met with the local owners of a pleasant patch of land along the Ashley river in N. Charleston called “the Bend”. He realized that he could make a go of it promoting outdoor shows here. There was a big open field, a small paved lot for parking and easy access to the Interstate…but not much else. From this, Charles developed the plan to build two hundred and fifty secured spaces(pods) that four people could safely occupy. (Insert video of Charles venturing from downtown to the Bend) Sponsors were pitched; plans were drawn and in October the first concerts were announced. It has a festival like atmosphere where patrons bought a pod for four friends. One could bring their chairs and furniture, food and beverage and create a friendly spot to watch live music for the first time in a year. Eight of the eleven shows were quickly sold out while the remaining three had very respectable attendance. The downside? After most performances, everything needed to come down from the individual pods to the stage and tents used for the night. Quite the challenge. The “Bend” hosted local artists with a national following when Shovels and Rope, Ranky Tanky and Susto performed on the weekends. St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Marcus King and the duo of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires were some of the artists that they were able to bring to a music starved audience this past fall. A partial schedule has already been announced for April and May and there will be more shows to come in June and possibly July. This is a testament to his vision and desire to bring the best possible entertainment to an audience desiring a return to normal. In grand Charles Carmody style, he and his friends created a short video which tells the story of Charles’ search for the Bend. Take a moment and enjoy.  https://youtu.be/5Ym9DMzYdyU

In full disclosure, I have worked for Charles Carmody as an usher since March of 2015 and have been witness to many of the spectacular performances they have brought to an appreciative audience. During the shutdown in 2020, the Music Hall exchanged the permanent orchestra seats for new, removable seating. For the right band, the orchestra can be converted to a dance floor for those so inclined and the capacity can be increased to 1200. Charles has spoken many times of the inability to book acts that demand an open space for dancing and carousing. With Covid restrictions none of this was possible but the future looks brighter for audiences to experience this new look and feel soon. What does the future promise? Hopefully, the Hall will be back in full swing by July and the house can be full beginning this September. He acknowledges that there is great interest from touring acts to fill the house from September through next January. Charles wants to continue trying to make Charleston the best music city in the world. That sounds great but exhausting! Charles thinks of the possibilities and just smiles.

If the past is any indication of what he can accomplish, I would say that the music and arts scene will be in good hands.

#CharlestonMusicHall   #TheBend   #CharlesCarmody   #MarkBryan #ShovelsandRope #RankyTanky #Susto #BraveBaby #StopLightObservations #FrankProductions #BonnyWolff #NicholasMcDonald

Like and subscribe and get an email when a new blog gets posted! we won’t bombard you with junk.