Most Underrated guitarists

I admittedly have not read every best-of guitarist list out there, but I've read quite a few.
And there's a few axeslingers I wonder why never get their due.
So, here is my Top 6 most-underrated guitar players of the rock era, but not in any order, just six of 'em worthy of some accolades.

Martin Barre, Jethro Tull
David Gilmour, Pink Floyd
Elliot Easton, The Cars
Jack White, The White Stripes/The Raconteurs
Dean DeLeo, Stone Temple Pilots
Billy Joe Armstrong, Green Day

That Crazy Donkey

With Cinco de Mayo rapidly approaching, I've had many questions about whether Burro Loco's annual outdoor shindig Burro Fest would be impacted by the City of Myrtle Beach's new ordinances designed to crack down on May's motorcycle rally mayhem.

In particular, will Burro Fest be shut down by the city's new law cracking down on impromptu tailgating?

If you've ever grooved with the masses in Burro Loco's parking lot on the fifth of May, you'd know that this is a legitimate question and concern for the Grand Strand partier.

So, I went straight to the donkey's, er, horse's mouth for some answers.

First and foremost, is Burro Loco, located at 960 Jason Blvd., actually in the city limits of Myrtle Beach?

The answer:  yes.

OK, then, does Burro Loco need a special events permit, or anything else, to host Burro Fest, which is set for Tuesday (May 5), or will cops in riot gear raid the event and shut it down?

Here's what Mark Kruea, the city's public information officer had to say via e-mail.

"I haven’t seen the plans for the Burro Loco site, but a business can do what its zoning and business license allow,'' said Kruea. "Burro Loco is able, under its zoning, to do certain things.  By virtue of being a restaurant, it can do certain things.  As long as what the business plans is within what it’s allowed to do for the zone that it’s in, and the business license that it holds, and the state licenses that it holds, then the business does not need a special event permit for the property.  In this case, Burro Loco will need a zoning permit for tents and temporary uses, available from Construction Services, and will need to present a site plan, etc., to Construction Services.  In short, what they propose cannot exceed what’s allowed, but they have some flexibility."

 But what about the parking lot, which has been a sea of folks in recent years?

"You’re thinking of the new parking lot rules and the media frenzy over the tailgating at BB&T Coastal Field," said Kruea.  "As I tried to explain (but sometimes the media doesn’t want to hear), the Pelicans could have held a picnic and even some tailgating in their parking lot, had they been the ones to organize it.  The problem was, they weren’t.  The parking lot ordinance prohibits “…impromptu, unmanaged outdoor events or parties… provided however that such events that are specifically permitted through legislative [Special Event Permit] or administrative action, or sponsored by the business license holder in compliance with regulations governing such outdoor events [temporary zoning permit] are not included.” 

OK, I get it, Burro Loco can host Burro Fest because it's the restaurant/bar's event, but if a bunch of people just showed up, on say the fourth of May instead of the fifth, and began an impromptu party in the parking lot, then... 

"If the Pelicans or Burro Loco manage the event and meet zoning requirements and comply with regulations governing outdoor events (tents, etc.), then they can do certain things that do not exceed the requirements for the property or the business.  To exceed the code or do something that is prohibited by zoning, a business or entity needs a Special Event Permit. All the media heard was “you can’t tailgate,” which was true in the case at the Pelicans stadium, where people held an “impromptu” event in the parking lot, but not true if the Pelicans themselves want to host a managed event on their own property in keeping with all city codes.  The bottom line is that, no, you can’t do anything and everything, but you can do what’s allowed by law, with proper permission in advance.  Of course, if you exceed what’s allowed, you’ll be in violation."

That damned media, why don't they listen?

 

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

OK, digging through some old files I found this un-edited version of a story I did for Creative Loafing's ``Topside Loaf'' in either 2000 or 2001 - not sure as I couldn't find it on their archives.

Anyhow, it is one of my favorite stories of all time.

'RASSLIN IN THE 'BURBS

By Kent Kimes

Three muscular young men, a biracial pack known as the Reservoir Dogs, exchange heated insults, threats and obscenities with an older white woman, who responds by shooting back a double dose of her middle fingers.

"Shut up you old turd," one young man yells at the elderly woman.

"Suck my balls," said another.

This isn't "The Jerry Springer Show," a race riot or a dysfunctional family reunion.

It's All South Two-X-Treme Championship Wrestling, staged every Wednesday night in a 350-person capacity banquet room at US Play in Kennesaw, just off I-75.

For $8, patrons are treated to a night of calculated violence, athleticism, drama, emotion and escapism as big men in colorful garb duke it out in the squared circle - up close and personal.

The brainchild of US Play entertainment director Randy Riggs, a former wrestling promoter,  and professional wrestling veteran "Lover Boy" Lee Thomas, Two-X-Treme wrestling has bolstered the Dave & Buster's0-style establishment's entertainment offerings of billiards, video games, sports bar, on-site brewery, eateries and 24-lane bowling alley for the last three months. They tried a few Friday night shows but ultimately settled on Wednesdays.

Riggs said the show typically draws about 120 people, but on a Wednesday night in late May, the crowd numbered in the 60s, peppered with folks who seemed to know the grapplers personally, teenagers, adults, and several small children.

The league is smalltime, but all the classic elements of the big-time have been appropriated: ringside announcers at philosophical odds with each other, wrestlers goading the audience, the clueless referee, blaring entry music, dazzling lights, merchandising, posing, boasting, prancing, good guys and bad guys, resepectively referred to as “Babyfaces” and “Heels.”

And don't forget the ladies. Three sweet  young things clad in skimpy outfits, look barely old enough to drive, let alone use their feminine wiles to distract the wrestlers and referee to gain advantage for the warrior they escort to and from the ring.

"They're legal," responded Riggs, when asked how old the young ring valets are.

Unless you've been under a rock lately, you're probably aware that professional wrestling has undergone a renaissance in the late `90s on into the new millennium. One of the highest rated cable television shows going is the World Wrestling Federation's Monday night "Raw is War"two-hour program on the USA Network, which consistently scores around a 6.8 audience share as reported by the Neilson ratings. Ted Turner's Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling's television programming also attracts large audience numbers. In addition, WWF superstars Mick Foley and the Rock have both had books on the N.Y. Times bestsellers list while wrestling action toys and merchandise are cash cows. The WWF is now publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Professional wrestling isn't just for the lowbrow, trailer trash audience anymore. It’s commonly referred to as “a male soap opera.”

Although small, local, and regional outfits like Two-X-Treme are nothing new, Thomas and Riggs harbor big plans for the venture and hope to benefit from the trickle down effect of successful heavyweights WCW, WWF and Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling. They claim Two-X-Treme has already become the second ranked independent circuit in the state, according to wrestling websites that track and rate the independents. “This is the future of wrestling right here,” said Two-X-Treme ringside announcer “The Authority” Dave Willis.

The organizers hope to televise matches on a metro area cable system and have set up a phone hotline, 770-556-1540, so fans can keep track of match results. They are also seeking sponsors and want to do fundraisers and community events. “We want to take the organization to the next level,” said Thomas, a graduate of McEachern High School.

Some attribute pro wrestling's surging popularity to the fact that the major federations and their stars, led by the WWF, don't deny that the outcome of matches are fixed as they did in the past and are more open about their lives with the media.  These days, pro wrestling doesn't try to bill itself as a pure competitive sport - it's now referred to as sports/entertainment. While the wrestlers perform intricate maneuvers and death-defying athletic stunts, providing entertainment for a paying audience is what it’s all about. It’s a ballet on steroids.

But why come to US Play, when you can sit at home and watch the polished, big budget WCW Thunder televised at the same time Wednesday nights on TBS?

"It's the live action," said Stone Mountain resident Lamont Chavis, whose brothers Rainman (Darrell Chavis) and Homicide (Demetis Chavis) wrestle as part of Two-X-Treme's Reservoir Dogs. "It's more fun to be here than to watch it on TV. You get to yell and scream. Although it's fake, it's beautiful," he said.

Despite a general public awareness that the outcome of professional wrestling matches are  predetermined, the guys who get moonsaulted, powerbombed, piledrived, and chokeslammed still rankle at the word FAKE.

Two-X-Treme star Rob Adonis, a 23-year-old driver's education teacher at Woodstock High School, and opposing grappler The Redneck Hero spill outside of the tiny ring at US Play and exchange blows. A member of the front row audience, who happens to be one of Adonis' students, tosses him a plastic restaurant tray lifted from McDonald's. The Redneck Hero kicks Adonis in the gut, and the tray drops to the floor. The Redneck Hero picks up the weapon, lines it up with Adonis' skull and gives him a whack. The tray splinters, sending shards into the crowd, eliciting a "pop", the loud burst of audience reaction all wrestlers crave like a drug.

There is nothing fake about getting smacked over the head with a restaurant tray, said Adonis. "That hurt," he said."It's not fake. You do get hurt. There's not a Thursday I don't show up at school walking funny."

But taking "bumps" - the wrestling term for willingly giving yourself up for a hard spill, smack or slam - is all part of entertaining the crowd. "Taking bumps on the floor hurts the most. But we want to give them their eight bucks' worth every time," said Adonis.

But Two-X-Treme's wrestlers don't necessarily get their money's worth for putting their bodies through weekly punishment - at least not right now.

They get paid between $75-$100 a night, according to Riggs. "There's not a lot of money involved, like the big boys (of WCW, ECW and WWF). But theses guys have fun and love doing it," he said.

While all of the league's talent hold down day jobs, Riggs said, they also harbor dreams of hitting pro wrestling’s upper echelon. "Hell yeah," said the 270-pound Adonis, who has been a pro wrestling fan since he was four, idolizing legends like Dusty Rhodes, and now looks to inspiration from current WWF stars Triple H, the Rock, Chris Jericho and former Olympian turned pro Kurt Angle.

They know the bright lights and big contracts are right here in metro Atlanta, at WCW.

“I would love to sign with WCW or WWF, either one. It would just tickle me pink,”

said the 34-year-old Thomas, a service worker for B and N Heating and Air who has had a taste of the big-time having wrestled in WCW events and the now-defunct NWA. With a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin-like rapid fire soliloquoy  in which he refers to himself in the third person several times, Thomas rattles off a list of some of the industry's bigger names he claims to have mixed up with in the ring. “I’ve wrestled Thunderbolt Patterson, the Godfather, the Undertaker, Tommy Rich……..the list goes on and on,” he said.

He says a few unflattering things about WCW, whom he thought he was under contract, then takes them back, just in case.

Thomas' reluctance to go on the record about WCW underscores professional wrestling's reliance on image. As the saying goes "image is everything." The right name, theme music, gimmick, outfit, finishing move, microphone style, and concocted storyline about the wrestler's character can propel a career. For instance, Thomas doesn't want it known that he's married for fear of alienating Two-X-Treme's female fan-base. And Adonis, who was a cheerleader in high school, won't divulge his real last name. "Nobody knows what my real name is. My checks even say 'Adonis'," he said.

It's this type of blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality that has brought professional wrestling under fire from some circles. Critics condemn the industry for promoting violence that spawns copy-cat behavior among children, for perpetuating stereotypes, and for containing excess profanity and gobs of sexual innuendo. However, Riggs said his wrestlers keep an eye on the makeup of the audience at US Play to determine the extreme extent of language and actions. But they have no control over what the audience might do or say. "The old ladies on the front row are the ones you have to watch out for," said Riggs.

Battling Bands

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

Hey folks, come and join me at Hard Rock Cafe (almost said Park, oops!) as I judge the second round of the Ambassador of Rock Battle of the Bands on Friday night.

This not your run-of-the mill contest offering gift certificates to your neighborhood pizza parlor, rather what’s at stake is a pretty big deal: a chance to perform at the Hard Rock Calling festival at London’s Hyde Park on June 27-28. 

Friday's battling bands are Audio Saints, Echo Code, Freedom Street Prison, Sideways Derby and Stealing Anger. I'll be honest, I am only familiar with Sideways Derby, but at least I don't have any pre-conceived notions of what the bands will sound like, right?

Octopus Jones and Wonder Shakedown have already advanced to the May 1 finals, also at HRC.

So come join us and help make one of these band's dreams one step closer to reality.

Here's the best part: there is no cover charge. 

And it’s an all-ages show for all you kiddies out there.

The party gets started at 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Café is at 1322 Celebrity Circle, Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach. Call 946-0007 or visit www.hardrock.com.

If you show up, come by the judges' table and say "hi'' - I love to meet folks - and I love to get news tips on the local entertainment scene.

 

 

Hometown Hotties

I was doing "research'' - I swear - and I came across a couple of lovely ladies in Maxim magazine's annual Hometown Hotties contest who claim to be from Myrtle Beach.

Now, you know, I've got a history of letting folks know about it when local beauties are in these national contests.

So, it is your civic duty to go to www.maximonline.com and vote for Jade, who describes herself as a professional student, and Erica, who says she's a high school teacher.

Cue Van Halen's ``Hot For Teacher'' anyone?

Super Saturday

Lots of lots of stuff happening tomorrow (Saturday) along the Grand Strand:

SATURDAY

 

Earth Day Music Fest & Expo 2009 is set for 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Grand Park at The Market Common.  The music lineup features Sideways Derby, Hand Grenade, Riptide Taxi, Skitch, The Intangibles, and Ras Bonghi. There is no admission charge - and you can sneak over to Gordon Biersch for some on-site brewed brews.  Grand Park is off Farrow Parkway, adjacent to The Market Common on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. For more, hit up www.wellnesscouncilcsc.org or call 995-3199.

 

 SATURDAY

The Froggy Volleyball Tournament at Broadway at the Beach from 12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, an event that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association.   Register at Senor Frog’s at Broadway at the Beach - $50 per team, up to five persons per team. But you can also watch and support the event for free, at Broadway Commons, Broadway at the Beach, on the 21^st Avenue North side of the complex, between Robert M. Grissom Parkway and U.S. 17 Bypass, Myrtle Beach. For more information, call at 424-0554.

SATURDAY

The Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach hosts the 9^th annual Doggie Bone Hunt at McLean Park starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.   A donation of $10 will register your pet in the bone hunt, and pre-registration is encouraged.  McLean Park is located at Oak Drive and 2^nd Ave. South in North Myrtle Beach. Call 249-4948 or visit www.humanesocietynmb.com.

 SATURDAY

  The Rivertown Bluegrass Society hosts Ken Scoggins & Miller’s Creek and The Subject To Change Band on Saturday at Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s Burroughs and Chapin Auditorium as part of the society’s monthly concert series and open jam session.  You are encouraged to bring an acoustic instrument and participate in the jam sessions that run throughout the event, which starts at 5 p.m. Saturday.  Admission is $8 for Rivertown Bluegrass Society members and $10 for non-members.  Burroughs and Chapin Auditorium is on the campus of HGTC, 2050 U.S. 501 East, Conway.  For more information, call 457-2854 or visit online at www.rivertownbluegrasssociety.com.

SATURDAY

 Country legend George ("The Possum'') Jones returns to The Alabama Theatre on Saturday night in support of his most recent release, a duet compilation, “Burn Your Playhouse Down,’’ featuring collaborations with Keith Richards, Shelby Lynn and Mark Knopfler, to name a few. Showtime is 7 p.m., with tickets ranging from $44.95 to $58.95. The Alabama Theatre is at Barefoot Landing, 4898 U.S. 17 South, North Myrtle Beach. Drop by www.alabama-theatre.com or call 272-1111 for more.

 

U2 Carolina Update

An update on the previous post on U2's Carolina ambitions.

Bono and the boys are definitely coming to Raleigh, N.C.'s Carter-Finley Stadium on Oct. 3, and tickets go on sale today - so you'd better hurry.

Hate to give TicketBastard a plug, but unless you're in Raleigh or want to buy 'em off a scalper, you gotta go to www.ticketmaster.com.

Tickets range from an affordable $30 to a don't-they-know-we're-in-a-recession $250.

Supersuckers update

Hey, I've got the ticket info here for Supersuckers.

You can get tickets at Spencer’z South, 5141 U.S. 17 Bypass, Murrells Inlet, or Village Surf Shoppe, 500 Atlantic Ave., Garden City Beach. The show, which also includes a buffet with your admission price, and performances by The Independents and whistlepunk, is a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation. Call 333-2034 or visit http://surfridergrandstrand.org.

 

A sucker for Supersuckers

I've been hearing for months that punk/rockabilly (punkabilly?) outfit Supersuckers was coming back to the Grand Strand to play a gig, and this week it has been confirmed.

Supersuckers will rock your face on May 10 at Spencer'z South in Murrells Inlet in a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation.

Stay tuned for ticket info.

If you recall, the last time these guys played, it was a memorable outdoor show at The PIT (Pawleys Island Tavern) underneath the live oaks.

No word yet whether this show, which comes during the Spring Bike Rally, will be outside as well.

Original Song Lyrics (without audio)

I chatted the other evening on Facebook with my first ever girlfriend (funny how Facebook can do this too you) and it reminded me of a nostalgic song I wrote at a time when it looked like I was going to be forced to move back into my parents' basement. I avoided that by finding a job in Georgetown, but that's another story entirely.

So, I'm going to go with an experimental approach and post some original song lyrics here.

Hope you like.

"HOGAN ROAD"

(C) 2009 By Kent Kimes

At times it would be so silent

At the house with the funky door

But when the boys were racing

You could hear those engines roar

I'd lay in bed for hours

Pretending to be asleep

The world kept passing by me

Right down our little street

Hogan Road

Where did those memories go?

The circle brings me back

To Hogan Road

Hogan Road

Is paved with love and sadness

Couldn't wait to leave

But now I'm going home

Caught the bus on the corner

Before the sun came up

Fighting in the church yard

You know I had some decent luck

Got my first kiss on the playground

A couple of blocks from home

We snuck down by the creek side

And she slipped me a little tongue 

Hogan Road

Where did those memories go?

The circle brings me back

To Hogan Road

Hogan Road

Is paved with love and sadness

Couldn't wait to leave

But now I'm going home

(BRIDGE) 

Tales of a misspent 

And wasted youth?

No, that ain't 

half the truth

No guns and mobsters

No stabbin' steely swords

The simple fact remained

I was completely bored

On Hogan Road...

No Carolina Line on U2's Horizon?

Just got an email from U2's Web site about the band's upcoming 360(degrees) Tour and can't wait to see how close they'll come to li'l ol' Myrtle Beach.

And the answer is...

There are only four North American dates announced so far, and this thing looks to only be hitting massive stadiums: Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 12, Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sept. 16, Gillette Stadium outside of Boston on Sept. 20 and Giants Stadium in the swamps of Jersey on Sept. 24.

Ticket on-sale info isn't available yet.

You have to figure more North American shows will be announced, too.

So what's our best bet?

Williams-Bryce Stadium in Columbia?

Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. (Just saw a rumor that says the tour will come to this venue on Oct. 3.)

Death Valley in Clemson?

Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.?

Brooks Stadium in Conway?

BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach?

Carolina Entertainment Complex in Marion?

Myrtle Beach Speedway?

Grand Strand's Best Bests for March 13-18

FRIDAY

While Mudvayne’s metallic sound and devilish stage costuming has smoothed out a bit (as evidenced by the chart-climbing single ``Do What You Do’’) since its breakthrough song/video ``Dig,’’ Friday night’s gig at the House of Blues is sure to be a bone-crunching affair no less. Nonpoint and In This Moment are also on the bill. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; music starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $24-$63. House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 South, Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.hob.com

SATURDAY

St. Paddy’s Day isn’t until Tuesday, but that hasn’t stopped the forward-thinking folks in North Myrtle Beach from partying hearty a wee bit early as the northside burgh’s annual Celtic-themed bash is set for Saturday. The 21^st annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival kicks off 9 a.m. Saturday with a parade down Main Street in Myrtle Beach, followed by the street festival featuring food, drink, arts and crafts, a play area for lads ‘n’ lasses, and live music on two stages. The shindig lasts until 4 p.m. The best part: admission is free.Main Street is off of U.S. 17 N., North Myrtle Beach. For more information, call 280-5570 or visit www.StPatNMB.com.

 

 

SATURDAY

Local slasher flick production company Kluckin Films hosts the March Madness Movie and Music Festival on Saturday at Crazy J’s in downtown Myrtle Beach. On the docket are screenings of Kluckin’s flicks “Kill Syndrome’’ and “The Bleeding (Day of the Leakers)” along with performances by The Majora and Awake in Khaos.The throw-down is from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday. There’s a $2 cover charge, plus a donation of a non-perishable food item, which will be given to Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach. Crazy J’s is at 819 Main Street, Myrtle Beach (in that triangular-shaped building where Main Street splits off from U.S. 501). For more information, call 461-5550 or visit (if you dare) wwww.kluckinfilms.com. There's an anti-crack public service announcement on the site that is a must-see.

SUNDAY

How long can he go on? The Redheaded Stranger rides again, as iconic Americana artist Willie Nelson returns to the House of Blues for a gig Sunday night, with up-and-comer Jamey Johnson also on the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8. Tickets are $40.50-$96. House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 South, Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.hob.com.

Despite Nelson's penchant for lighting up the wacky tobaccy, Sunday's show is non-smoking event inside the venue.

 

MONDAY

Why is everybody saying eh, eh? The Grand Strand rolls out the red carpet to our visitors from north of the border for the Canadian-American Days Kickoff Celebration Expo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The festival will include performances by Nickelback, Rush, Alanis Morissette and Anne Murray. OK, we’re kidding about that last part, but Monday’s kickoff event includes exhibitors giving out free stuff, live performances and food and beverages. And admission is free. Myrtle Beach Convention Center is at 2101 N. Oak Street, Myrtle Beach. Call 626-7444 or visit www.canamdays.com.

MONDAY

Rapper Flo-Rida is riding high again with the popular iTunes download “Right Round’’ based on the late `80s Dead or Alive track ``You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record)” and brings his skills to Club Kryptonite for a performance on Monday.

Doors open at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Club Kryptonite is at 2925 Hollywood Drive, off U.S. 17 Bypass in Myrtle Beach next to Planet Hollywood. Call 839-9200 or visit www.club-kryptonite.com.

 

TUESDAY

Tuesday is officially St. Patrick’s Day, a time for everyone to don the green and proclaim to be Irish - and call in sick on Wednesday. Every bar in town will be Irish, so just pick one - and make sure you have a designated driver.

 

Why Banks Suck, Part XVI

Why are these people getting bailouts?

Yesterday, I learned from my tax preparer that if we wanted to receive our refunds via electronic deposit rather than paper check, that the bank would charge $30 per transaction - that's a total of $60, because of state and federal returns.

Say what?

So, I quickly got on the horn and called my family's main financial institution - which so happens, thankfully, to be a credit union and not a corporate money-skimming bank.

The nice lady at the credit union kind of laughed and assured me that there would be no charge for having my tax returns deposited electronically.

To which I replied, ``that's why I belong to the credit union.''

Unfortunately, I also have a couple of accounts with some McBanks that I'm going to finally withdraw and close.

Bail that!

Best Bets for the coming Week

FRIDAY

Off-kilter pop crooner Morrissey is back, and with a new album no less, “Years of Refusal’’ which dropped in February, and a return engagement Friday at the House of Blues. Doors open at 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $29.50-$74. House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 South, Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.hob.com

 

SATURDAY

Are you ready for some baseball? The Myrtle Beach Pelicans hope so as the advanced Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves host Fan Fest on Saturday at BB&T Coastal Field, featuring behind-the-scenes guided tours of the stadium, a scavenger hunt, and a chance for kids (and wannabe ballplayers) to play catch out on the field. And all you hams out there, the Pelicans organization will also hold tryouts for national anthem singers and P.A. announcers so get your pipes warmed up. Fan Fest is free. But what would a baseball stadium sans a baseball game be without hot dogs and other concessions? They’ll be on sale Saturday for $1. Gates open at 10 a.m. Saturday and event will go until about 2 p.m. BB&T Coastal Field is at 1251 21^st Avenue N., Myrtle Beach, at the intersection with Robert Grissom Parkway. Call 918-6000 or visit www.myrtlebeachpelicans.com.

 

SATURDAY

Find out who takes home the title of Miss Myrtle Beach when the official preliminary for the Miss South Carolina and Miss America pageants invades Coastal Carolina University’s Wheelwright Auditorium on Saturday. The pomp and pageantry starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $25 (which will also get you into the Miss Myrtle Beach Teen pageant from 2-5 p.m.). Wheelwright Auditorium is on CCU’s Conway campus, between U.S. 501 and S.C. 544.

Call 446-6019.

 SATURDAY

Put your hands in the airrrrr, and wave ‘em like you just don’t carrrrre.That’s right, yo, another edition of the hip-hop flavored local showcase, Myrtle Beach Rocks – The Mic, is on tap for Saturday night at the House of Blues. Featured acts include L.I.D. Boys, Jim Snooka a.k.a. Dirty Dickens, 843 Boys, Turpentine and Neff and The Masterminds. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are a recession-friendly $5 each. House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 South, Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.hob.com

 TUESDAY

Tuesday is 3-in-1 Day at Huntington Beach State Park’s Atalaya Castle – but get your mind out of the gutter. The event is a three-way celebration of the park’s namesakes’ birthdays and wedding anniversary (Archer Huntington and his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington were both born on March 10 and that’s the same day they were wed, too), and a mini-arts festival of sorts from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday. The shindig will feature local artists displaying their wares, tours of the Moorish-style castle, a live painting-in-progress by local artist Danny McLaughlin, and a cake and champagne toast. Regular park admission is waved for 3-in-1 Day participants, but there’s a $10 charge per person for the festivities, which benefit Friends of Huntington Beach State Park. Space is limited, so you must make reservations. For reservations, call 237-2162. Huntington Beach State Park is at 16148 Ocean Highway (U.S. 17), just south of Murrells Inlet.

 

TUESDAY

Indie rock darlings Modest Mouse (“Float On,’’ “Dashboard’’ and “Missed the Boat’’), which will Morrissey’s former Smiths band-mate Johnny Marr on guitar, also returns the House of Blues for a gig Tuesday night. Japanese Motors and Mimicking Birds are also on the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30-$32. House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 South, Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.  Call 272-3000 or visit www.hob.com

 WEDNESDAY

Are you one of the growing ranks of gainfully unemployed – or simply fed up with your crappy job? Then make no excuses and hike your ass down to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Wednesday for the 2009 Job Expo, hosted by the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association.  The job fair, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature roughly 150 businesses looking for new employees. There is no admission fee or registration charge for job-seekers. Myrtle Beach Convention Center is at 2101 N. Oak Street, Myrtle Beach. Call 626-9668 or visit www.mbhospitality.org.

 

 

Resurrection

We're in the season of Lent, so with resurrections on the mind, I thought it was time to reignite this blog.

Wow, where have all the good times gone? (To quote Van Halen via The Kinks)

When last we met - or when I had the gumption to post something here, my now 18-month-old daughter Ava was still in her mama's belly.

And now she's got a sibling brewing in that same gastro-chamber.

But it's still early, so we don't know if Ava's getting a bro or sis yet.

I've got to keep this short, but just wanted my adoring readership to know that I'm planning to revamp this blog and getting it popping again.

I've got lots of stuff to post, from daily entertainment options along the Grand Strand to news items to a serial novella I'm working on which I plan to post in installments.

Please stay tuned.

- Kentavo