Extra Chill is a Charleston, SC-based music and lifestyle blog that I started in 2011. Today it is proudly a cornerstone in the South Carolina arts community. As a writer, Extra Chill is the main place where you will find my words.
On Extra Chill, I write about a wide variety of topics, but mainly related to the Charleston music scene, the national music scene, or music history. This includes in-depth interviews, concert reviews, and song analyses.
My Recent Extra Chill Posts
See a feed of my most recent articles on Extra Chill below. Click a post title to read the whole post.
The Timeline of Extra Chill
After so many years and literally thousands of articles, I have some favorites. Below is a listing, broken down by year, of what I feel is my best work on Extra Chill (with personal bias included). Plus a little description of each one.
Take a trip down the rabbit hole and watch me evolve, if you’d like.
2024
- Back to the Source with Andy Greenberg: 10 Years of Runaway Gin
- Published January 4th, 2024.
- Interview with Andy Greenberg, frontman of the long-standing Phish tribute Runaway Gin, based in Charleston, SC.
2023
The first complete year of running Extra Chill full time.
- Big Ups: Extra Chill’s 2023 in Review
- Published December 28th, 2023.
- A collaborative post from the Extra Chill team reflecting on our favorite memories of 2023, and giving shout-outs to specific Charleston locals who deserved “Big Ups.”
- Bearcat: It Takes Tree to Tango
- Published October 27th, 2023.
- Restaurant review of Bearcat, a highly-anticipated pop-up turned full-fledged establishment in the Avondale neighborhood of Charleston, SC.
- The Story of TAUK Moore: Interview with Kanika Moore and Alric “A.C.” Carter
- Published September 5th, 2023.
- Interview with TAUK Moore discussing their origin story, creative process, and the friendship at the core of the band.
- Peach Music Festival 2023 (Photos + Review)
- Published July 10th, 2023.
- First-hand review of my experience at the Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA. I took a solo road trip and camped out on the mountain for 4 days, on media credentials.
- High Water Festival 2023 (Photos + Review)
- Published April 20th, 2023.
- First-hand review of High Water Music Festival, the annual event taking place at Riverfront Park in Charleston, SC.
- Doom Flamingo Celebrates New Album, Peaches & Bobbi with Two Sold-Out Charleston Pour House Shows
- Published February 23rd, 2023.
- In-depth review of Doom Flamingo’s Peaches & Bobbi album release shows in Charleston, SC.
- Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros at North Charleston P.A.C. (Photos + Recap)
- Published February 6th, 2023.
- Review of Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros’ performance in North Charleston, with photos by Zach Ubaldini. A big milestone for me as a fan of the Grateful Dead.
2022
The year I dove heavily into music history, with a side of journalism.
- The Meaning of the Grateful Dead’s “Brokedown Palace”
- Published December 12th, 2022.
- Song analysis of “Brokedown Palace” by the Grateful Dead. One of my favorite Garcia-Hunter collaborations.
- Austin City Limits Festival 2022 – Weekend Two (Photos + Recap)
- Review of Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX. Took a trip to Austin to visit some of my best friends for this one.
- Premiere: Wolf Mask – “LIQUIDCRYSTALDISPLAY”
- Published September 27th, 2022.
- Debut single from Ross Bogan’s Wolf Mask premiering on Extra Chill, right before the band made their live debut at Extra Chill Fest 2022.
- Charleston Pour House: 20 Years Down
- Published August 24th, 2022.
- In-depth interview with Alex & Vanessa Harris, owners of the Charleston Pour House, commemorating the iconic venue’s 20th anniversary.
- The Meaning of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
- Published May 10th, 2022.
- In-depth lyrical analysis of “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.
- The History of South Carolina’s Monkey Island
- Published February 11th, 2022.
- Tells the story of Morgan Island in South Carolina, an island off the coast of Beaufort that is home to a colony of Rhesus monkeys and was once the site of scientific experiments.
2021
The year I started expanding the scope of my content.
- A Guide to Grateful Dead Album Covers
- Published December 12th, 2021.
- An in-depth historic overview and timeline of Grateful Dead album covers, spanning their entire career.
- The History of John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 Guitars
- Published December 4th, 2021.
- In-depth, researched piece on John Lennon’s guitars.
- Premiere: Easy Honey Play Two Unreleased Peach Fuzz Songs Live from Stone Studios (Video)
- Published October 29th, 2021.
- Interview with Charleston, SC band Easy Honey about the making of their album Peach Fuzz, at The Space with producer Wolfgang Zimmerman.
- The Story of Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
- Published August 16th, 2021.
- Researched piece on Jimi Hendrix’s famous headlining performance at Woodstock in 1969, where he closed out the festival at sunrise.
- Premiere: SUSTO – “Dead Flowers” (Rogue Acoustic Live Version) ft. She Returns From War
- Published May 26th, 2021.
- SUSTO performing “Dead Flowers” live at The Royal American in Charleston, SC, with harmonies from She Returns From War.
- The Timeline of Grateful Dead Keyboardists
- Published March 6th, 2021.
- In-depth timeline of Grateful Dead keyboardists, offering short bios of each one and insight on what they brought to the band.
2020
What a weird year.
- The 10 Best South Carolina Albums of 2020
- Published December 30th, 2020.
- Year-end list of my favorite South Carolina music for 2020.
- The Story of Jerry Garcia’s Missing Finger
- Published December 10th, 2020.
- Researched piece on how Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead lost his finger.
- The History and Meaning of the Iconic Grateful Dead Bears
- Published November 29th, 2020.
- Historic overview of the Grateful Dead bears and their inception. I’m proud of this one because it has been cited as a resource in many different places.
- Extra Chill is Evolving
- Published October 23rd, 2020.
- This article is special because it represents a very early version of me realizing what had to be done in order for Extra Chill to become an actual business.
- The 10 Best Songs About Sailing and the Sea
- Published September 10th, 2020.
- A nostalgic piece for me as a sailor. Gathering my favorite sailing songs and writing about them in one place. Published on my 27th birthday.
- The Extra Chill Leap Year Jamboree (Photos + Recap)
- Published March 3rd, 2020.
- Just before the onset of the pandemic, when things got incredibly strange, Extra Chill hosted our first-ever sold out event.
- Hungover Again With Mo Lowda & The Humble
- Published January 28th, 2020.
- In-depth interview with Mo Lowda & The Humble following a show at the Charleston Pour House. My second interview with this group.
2019
A solid pre-pandemic year for Extra Chill. We had lots of momentum at this time.
- 20 Best Albums of 2019: South Carolina Edition
- Published December 30th, 2019.
- List of 20 albums I thought were the best from South Carolina musicians in 2019.
- Extra Chill Fest 2019 (Photos + Recap)
- Published November 11th, 2019.
- Two nights of Extra Chill Fest at The Royal American.
- Jah Jr. is ‘Still Dub’, and Always Will Be
- Published October 18th, 2019.
- Interview with rapper Jah Jr. in advance of his performance at Extra Chill Fest.
- Keon Masters is Off to the Races with Solo Debut ‘Many Thanks’
- Published October 3rd, 2019.
- Interview with Keon Masters of Brave Baby in advance of his performance at Extra Chill Fest.
- Moontalkr’s ‘Blue Door’ LP the Product of Jeff Wilson’s Deep-Rooted Spiritual Transition
- Published July 29th, 2019.
- This is an interview all about magic mushrooms and the profound effect they can have on someone’s life.
- We Finally Convinced Daddy’s Beemer to Move to Charleston
- Published May 1st, 2019.
- Interview with Daddy’s Beemer right after they moved from Charlotte, NC to Charleston, SC, at the urging of Extra Chill.
- Two Sold Out Nights with Tyler Childers and Ona (Photos + Review)
- Published April 25th, 2019.
- A review of Tyler Childers at the Charleston Music Hall. Childers shared this article on his Facebook page and ended up using Mia’s photos as his official ones for a couple years.
- Contour’s Khari Lucas Shares His Creative Voice
- Published April 15th, 2019.
- Interview with Khari Lucas of Contour all about his mindset behind music, and the issue of racism in Charleston.
- The Story of SUSTO and Ever Since I Lost My Mind
- Published February 18th, 2019.
- Interview with Justin Osborne of SUSTO about the making of the third SUSTO album, Ever Since I Lost My Mind.
- The Flow States of Illiterate Light
- Published February 13th, 2019.
- Interview with duo Illiterate Light about their musical philosophies.
- The Courtroom is the Heart of the Rock Hill Music Scene
- Published January 17th, 2019.
- Interview with Mike Gentry about the Rock Hill, SC music scene and Concerts at the Courtroom.
2018
Another good early year. The year of the first Extra Chill Fest!
- 20 Best Albums of 2018: South Carolina Edition
- Published December 22nd, 2018.
- Year-end best South Carolina albums list.
- Premiere: Baby Yaga – “Not Even!”
- Published December 12th, 2018.
- The first-ever single from rock band Baby Yaga.
- Ron Gallo, TWEN, and Ian Ferguson at The Royal American (Photos + Review)
- Published November 19th, 2018.
- Concert review of these three bands at The Royal American. Crowd surfing and lots of shenanigans.
- Matt Tuton Expands Recording Operation With New John’s Island Studio: Interview
- Published October 23rd, 2018.
- Interview with producer Matt Tuton of Charleston, SC studio The Lab just before he moved into the space.
- Introducing Bill Wilson: “I Wonder”
- Published October 17th, 2018.
- Introduction to Charleston, SC local legend, Bill Wilson.
- Benny Starr’s A Water Album is Life-Changing (Photos + Review)
- Published October 3rd, 2018.
- Concert review of Benny Starr’s groundbreaking performance at the Charleston Music Hall, recorded as a live album. Changed my perspective completely.
- Extra Chill Fest 2018 (Photos)
- Published September 20th, 2018.
- Not much writing in this one, but it was a huge milestone for me. My first-ever event.
- Liz Cooper & The Stampede Enjoying the Splash of ‘Window Flowers’: Interview
- Published August 27th, 2018.
- Interview with Liz Cooper about her album Window Flowers.
- Watch: Interview with Human Resources at Coast Records Studio
- Published March 23rd, 2018.
- Embarrassing to watch now, but this was a video interview done in advance of Human Resources second album Champagne.
- Rare Creatures Wrapping Up Debut Album at Coast Records Studio
- Published February 9th, 2018.
- Interview with Rare Creatures at Coast Records, during production for their debut album.
2017
We’re getting really far back now.
- 25 Best Albums of 2017: Charleston Edition
- Published December 1st, 2017.
- My favorite albums from artists based in Charleston, SC in 2017.
- Drivin N Cryin Headed to Studio in January: Interview
- Published November 20th, 2017.
- Interview with Tim Nielsen of Drivin N Cryin about their historic ties to Charleston, SC.
- Behind the Scenes: The Making of “Soothsayer”
- Published November 3rd, 2017.
- Interview with Paul Chelmis about creating the music video for “Soothsayer” by Brave Baby.
- Summer Shindig 2017 at The Royal American (Photos + Review)
- Published June 28th, 2017.
- Festival review for Summer Shindig, featuring a notable performance from Futurebirds after moving the party inside the bar.
- SUSTO & Heyrocco at Music Farm on Saturday, February 25th, 2017 (Concert Review)
- Published March 1st, 2017.
- Concert review of SUSTO with Heyrocco at the Music Farm in Charleston, SC.
- SUSTO – ‘& I’m Fine Today’ (Review)
- Published January 11th, 2017.
- A review of SUSTO’s second album, & I’m Fine Today. I was very excited about SUSTO at this point in my life.
2016
These are the true early days. This was before a lot of people even knew about Extra Chill. But these articles helped get the word out.
- ET Anderson, Zack Mexico, and Secret Guest at Royal American on Sunday, December 11th
- Published December 15th, 2016.
- Concert review from one of my first times ever going to The Royal American. I loved it right away, and all three bands were awesome.
- Interview with Nathan Hussey of All Get Out
- Published October 12th, 2016.
- One of my first interviews with a musician that people had heard about.
- An Ode To The Vault Charleston
- Published July 22nd, 2016.
- Saying goodbye to the store that I worked at in college, which closed around this time. It was also the start of a new chapter for me, because this was right after I started working on boats.
- Hearts & Plugs Third Annual Summer Shindig Was Lit
- Published June 28th, 2016.
- Review from my first time ever seeing SUSTO.
- The History Of Neil Young’s Famous Guitar, Old Black
- Published April 11th, 2016.
- Historic overview of the guitar that Neil Young has played for the majority of his career. My first-ever music history piece,
Note: While Extra Chill was founded in 2011, most of the content from my college years has been removed, so the oldest post currently live on the site is from 2012. And I didn’t become a journalist until 2016. So this historic overview only goes back to 2016.