Eclectic themed art and music events in abundance last weekend

Cord + Pedal

It's absolutely one of the most wonderful times of the year. The seventh annual Cord and Pedal Christmas Pageant switched holiday gears by choosing the Tin Roof as this year's host.

While the intimate setting resulted in loads of unhappy people without tickets, the resulting atmosphere was worth it. Seriously festive guests packed the sold-out show dressed in all manner of holiday garb.

The fact that it was Sunday didn't slow the cheer. Drinks were flowing, everyone was dancing and a serious celebration was enjoyed by all.

The Upper Deck's Dwayne Mitchell played Santa, making an entrance with two lovely female elves. Rachel Kate Gillon, Kevin Hanley and others drew thunderous applause, transforming tunes such as TLC's "Waterfalls" into Santa jingles (rap solo complete) while wearing huge light-up hippopotamus heads. Cary Ann Hearst, Michael Trent, Bill Carson, Nathan Koci and friends chose equally stirring but less quirky tunes. Phillip Hyman did a nice job of stupefying the crowd with a Candy Cane jam, complete with a terrifying clown costume and face makeup.

Sarah Miller won this year's $150 "12 days of Christmas" costume contest by donning several golden rings but gracefully donated her prize to the Charleston Animal Society, the night's charity. If that wasn't enough, upon leaving, all guests received a complimentary CD from The Green and Bold.

Shrimp Records opening

Charleston's music all-stars turned out to play and support the launch of Bill Carson's new album, "The Great Whale/Say It; Don't Spray It" last Saturday at the Pour House.

The record launched under the newly formed Shrimp Records, made up of Michael Trent, Cary Ann Hearst, Owen Beverly, Joel Hamilton, Sadler Vaden and Carson himself. All were in attendance to cheer on the release.

The show got a late start, kicking off at 10:30 p.m., but was worth the wait. Vaden, Hamilton and Beverly opened with a bang, waiting until the venue was almost full. Hearst and Trent then took the stage, mesmerizing the crowd with their palpable chemistry and country rock duets.

After getting folks warmed up, Carson finally joined the fun, playing samples of tracks from his new album. The end of the evening turned into an all-out family-style jam with all of the label's musicians plus more packed on stage.

There were oldies renditions ("Lonely Girl" anyone?), indie rock classics and simply good music enjoyed by all.

At only $5, the show was a ridiculous steal.

Presents From Punks

Last Saturday, Mellow Mushroom opened its doors to some punks. Some really sweet, civic-minded ones, that is.

The annual Presents From Punks art show, hosted by BadJon, drew together almost 60 artists to produce 100 works priced less than $50.

All proceeds benefitted Toys for Tots and the Lowcountry Food Bank.

By 8 p.m., the upstairs bar-turned-gallery was uncomfortably packed with art flying off of the walls. The night's Van Gogh Vodka girls hadn't had a chance to offer their complimentary cocktails before most of the art was sold. Several artists such as Kevin E. Taylor donated pieces for a silent auction, raising hundreds of dollars within the first hour alone.

Around 10 p.m., Dante's Camero took the stage, followed by Rocky Horror, resulting in an amped-up "one-in, one-out" crowd scenario.

Unfortunate patrons just looking for a quick bite didn't know what hit them. At the end of the night, the show provided loads of affordable gifts for last-minute shoppers while raising $3,575 to go toward the targeted charities.