Greenville, South Carolina isn't exactly known as a music town and that's part of what makes its scene worth paying attention to. After a hometown show at Swanson's Warehouse, we caught up with Jake and Zion of Celadon, a shoegaze outfit steeped in '90s influence, to talk about what it's like building a band in a city that doesn't always make it easy. They talked about growing up chasing "weird" alternative shows in Asheville and Columbia because Greenville didn't have much to offer; about watching spaces like the Melon Barn finally give local kids somewhere to be part of live music; and about the sting of venues like New Brooklyn Tavern not having a stable home, to a state that makes it hard for small stages to survive. But mostly, they talked about hope for a scene that's growing, a community that's finally showing up, and a band that's aiming for stages far bigger than the one they'd just played.
Where do you see Celadon and the Greenville music scene heading, and how do you see yourself fitting into that as it grows?
Zion - Just in the Greenville scene, you know, I feel as things are getting appreciated a little bit, you know, we got some talents that have been playing for a long time. I just wanted to showcase them and show that, like, everybody's still here and everybody still support the music, the originality, and the creativity and the process. So with that being said, like, building this bill for before they stop doing the shows here.
What made you want to put this bill together tonight here at Swanson's Warehouse?
Zion - I just wanted, like, show love to, like, Jest, 'cause they've been showing out for years. Blind Strike have stepped up in the picture, always been a great out-- asset to the community. And, you know, Celadon, just up-and-coming band, really on that '90s/modern-day shoegaze, really wanna, um, reach out. But general- generalizing everything I just said, I'm so glad that we can bring everybody in together to a venue on a Friday night, or either consecutively throughout the weeks. I'm just happy that the community can come out and show that they love genuine, organic music from their community.
Looking ahead, what does the next six to twelve months look like for the band?
Zion - I see us playing freaking huge venues. Definitely gonna hit up Asheville and playing, like, Eulogy or Orange Peel. Definitely wanna be categorized with our influences or even newer up-and-comer artists, too. Just more collaborations and more spots for the community to come out.
What was the Greenville music scene like when you were growing up?
Jake - I grew up in Greenville, and when I was coming up as a kid, all of my friends and I were sitting and listening to just, like, some weird shit, alternative noise music, uh, just anything that we could get our hands on that was just, like, off-putting to, like, the, the status quo, just the normal music enjoyer. Um, and we always traveled for, like, shows, uh, just, like, looking for indie shit. You know, we would go to Atlanta, we'd go to Asheville, we'd go to Charleston, we'd go to Columbia. Um, but that's kinda how the music scene was, like, back then.
So to follow along with that thought of "back then". What's changed the most in Greenville's music scene since you were a kid?
Jake - Growing up and becoming an adult and, like, watching things like the Melon Barn pop off and, like, really create a space for, like, kids to come out and, like, to be around live music and be passionate about live music, like, that, that in itself has, has changed the scene so much. There's so many people in Greenville now, and there's so many of them that just, like, really show out for shows, especially, like, in the hardcore scene. Like, you got Poe Mill doing some really cool shit. Um, bands like Reviler, just bringing people out and, like, getting people out of the house and, like, experiencing live music. And that's, like, so important to me as a person who was, like, searching for that in Greenville, um, as a kid. And like, seeing people show out for shows is, like, so important to me 'cause live music is one of my favorite, favorite things about being alive. Um, so, like, I'm, I'm so happy that, like, the music scene in Greenville is growing and is changing.
What are the challenges the local scene is facing right now, not just in Greenville but around the state of South Carolina?
Jake - The state of South Carolina's is really hard on music venues, uh, with, like, the way that they tackle insurance. And, and a lot of places, like New Brooklyn Tavern, like we were just talking about are having a hard time keeping their doors open and a set location for shows. It's a tragedy, and it's a shame that, like, it feels like South Carolina doesn't want live music to thrive and be a part of their culture when, like, there's so many people in South Carolina, so many people who are, like, like, screaming for live music, and so many people who are just hungry for it. So I hope that, like, that hunger can kind of, like, drive the community and, like, more people will show out and be a part of the culture and, and support live music, um, 'cause it's so important. So, I mean, hopefully, people keep showing out, people keep supporting artists, people keep hanging out and having a good time, and we create spaces for, for that to happen and grow and, and be supported by a community, which is already happening so, so much more than, than it was when I was a kid. So it's just inspiring to see and be a part of and enjoying that space.
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Tanner Hall