Shinefest bands rock out for education (and small crowd)

While covering music events here in town, I am often asked why Charleston doesn't have it's own permanent multigenre music festival.

Other towns across the country have multiday festivals that return year after year, and which are financially successful.

Be it Bonnaroo, Coachella, New Orleans Jazzfest or the Austin City Limits Festival, these events start small and grow over time.

Charleston has had its share of festivals over the years, and while a few have endured, such as the excellent Lowcountry Blues Bash, they are focused on one type of music.

Some local promoters seemed to have concocted the right formula a few years ago when Chazzfest debuted at the Family Circle Stadium on Daniel Island. The first year was well-attended and musically diverse. The second year, largely thanks to the threat of rain hanging over the Lowcountry, only a couple of thousand people came out. It rained all of 10 minutes that day, but because of the low turnout, Chazzfest failed to return.

The mighty 96 Wavefest ran for a number of years, and was successful because of a solid musical lineup each year, but also because the tickets were free. I'm giving this brief history lesson on music festivals in Charleston, because I have a bone to pick with a large segment of the population of Charleston who claims to enjoy live music.

For the most part, these folks can be a fickle and fair-weather bunch. Now there are plenty who do indeed get out and support shows. To those, I say thanks.

To the rest, especially the ones who don't support these events and then gripe that there are never any cool events in Charleston, I say buy a ticket if you want to see these sorts of events continue.

The latest attempt at putting on an all-day show for a worthy cause happened this past weekend. Shinefest, which took place at The Joe on Saturday, was dreamed up by Christi Page, who found inspiration in her late husband, Trip.

I won't even go into how absurd it is that we have to hold a benefit concert to support our local schools, but at least Page and her associates are doing something to improve the situation.

One of the cooler things about Shinefest was that with every ticket that was legitimately sold, a local teacher got a free ticket to the event. The gesture was unexpectedly generous for a non-profit putting on an inaugural event.

The lineup included several local and regional bands, including Number One Contender, Sipe-Coffin Group, Gaslight Street, Dangermuffin, and Blue Dogs. Also on the bill were national touring groups The Original Wailers and Blues Traveler.

Every band played its heart out Saturday. Sol Driven Train played a special children's set early in the day, then returned to play just before Blues Traveler.

Sipe-Coffin Group featured Jeff Coffin, who has played with Bela Fleck and The Dave Matthews Band, as well as Kofi Burbadge from the Derek Trucks Band.

When Blues Traveler hit the stage at 7:15 p.m., lead singer and harmonica virtuoso John Popper kept the crowd dancing with favorites that included "Mulling It Over," "But Anyway," "Runaround," "Carolina Blues," and an encore that included "Hook."

Sounds like a great day, right? With all that great music, not to mention beer, food and various vendors and exhibits, only about 2,500 people bothered to show up. In a venue the size of The Joe, which is one of the best places in town to see an outside show, those 2,500 people fit comfortably in front of the main stage.

Take into account that half of those folks were probably teachers that had received a free ticket, and you begin to see that the costs involved with putting on an event such as this greatly outweighed the proceeds.

The Shinefest organizers have reportedly vowed that the event will return next year. That festival, along with other grass-roots events such as Awendaw Green's "Rocktoberfest," is trying to do something good for the community while at the same time providing a great selection of live music acts.

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.