Yep, STAC House Shows and Awendaw Green put on a marvelous sold out performance at The Society of St. Thomas & St. Denis Parish in Cainhoy off of Hwy 41. The show featured Jim Avett (father of the Avett brothers) with Finnegan Bell accompanying and Marci Shore on fiddle.
Odd venue? Not really, why let history crumble away in forgotten forest. The church and grounds could stand to benefit from the union.
The crowd filed into the church pews as Finnegan Bell strummed their first notes. Finnegan Bell's duo, Shane Williams and Warren Bazemore have played all over the country since they began writing and playing together at USC, but their roots are nourished here in the low country. They play over 100 shows a year sharing the stage with good company such as Nickel Creek, Leigh Nash, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Jars of Clay, David Mead, Griffin House, Danielle Howle, as well as members of Hootie and the Blowfish and Allison Krauss and Union Station.
They strummed and harmonized with beautiful tracks from their new record as well as a moving melodious rendition of "Hallelujah." I watched the sun's last rays blur orange on thick leaded glass window panes marveling that I sat in the same pews where Carolina lineage sat hundreds of years ago. Ironically Finnegan Bell was singing a track off of their CD titled Carolina line.
After their set was done, we took a break for a few and wandered the grounds again. The huge red doors of the church were latched wide open to allow laser lighting from a production trailer outside to beam the stage.
Jim Avett was carousing the grounds as well. Easygoing and approachable, if you make eye contact with him, he is going to talk to you. Jim asked me where I came from in NC and I told him he wouldn't know the little place, Walnut Cove. He took me by the hand and marched me up to the pulpit where Marci Shore, the fiddler was rosining up her bow. "Marci here is from King, NC" he said. King is just a country mile from Walnut Cove. We talked about our little necks of the woods for a few and vowed to catch up with each other again.
Jim Avett is a humorous avid story teller as well as humble musician. Noticeably the venue majority was more the younger crowd than the young at heart crowd, Jim bridged the divide easily with humor, song and encouragement. He held the attention of 120 youthful parishioners’ for the full set. There were some tunes that didn't strike a chord of familiarity with many, Jim described these as being on the "B" side of the record, not quite as popular, but still meaningful. There were others that had everyone singing along, Merele Haggard, Randy Travis, Don McLean. Jim artfully filled in messages of love, faith and strength between the tunes.
Jim refers to himself as left behind. "Left behind, music moved on, America moved on and I pretty much stayed right where I was. But that's ok you see. I don't mind being where I am. I had my day, you'll have yours and the one's following you will have theirs too. And if the only thing I'm known for is siring the Avett Brothers, I'm ok with that too." he tells us.
But, tonight Jim Avett wasn't the Avett brother's father. Jim Avett has a song to play and a story to tell. The word that comes to my mind is re-purposed. I believe this graveyard and grounds with over 300 years of history that include founding SC, fires, revolution, births, baptismal and death lies in wait of ruin without a caring community. It is the perfect venue for re-purposing and showing that longevity has value. Tonight — this night, the church had a song again.
I look forward to many more productions like this. Thank you, The Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan's Island for the use of the church and grounds, Awendaw Green, STAC House Shows, The Society of St. Thomas & St. Denis Church, Jim Avett, Finnegan Bell and Marci Shore for an eventful evening.
