Stratton Lawrence

It’s been a thrill to get my book out to the world over the last month. My favorite moment, apart from each time I put the book in someone’s hands or drop one in the mail, may be reading this story in the James Island Messenger and WestOf newspapers this week. Thanks to Kristin Hackler and the publishers of the papers for the ink! It’s a bit surreal to see my name in print, but not as a byline. If you don’t have a copy and want one, order it here and I’ll sign it and send it to you.

Last December, I flew to New York with a pocket full of cash and a mission to bring home a new Larrivee. The experience could not have gone better. I made a new friend, Gary, who was in the process of opening a Larrivee dealership in Queens. We drank good whiskey and I played an array of beautiful instruments as I whittled it down and fell in love with my DV-03, Italian Spruce top.  Gary asked me to record a video with the guitar when I got home. Here it is:

Stratton Lawrence - Chagar Music from Chagar Music on Vimeo.

Yesterday, I went kayaking face-first down the French Broad River. It wasn’t anything too intense, and I’m ready for bigger and better, but that first taste of dropping into a rapid on your belly is quite the rush.

My Bellyaking career on Folly Beach has not gone as smoothly. I took my new boat out this evening in what looked like small waves from the porch, only to find myself not quite making it to the peak of a shoulder-high wave.

But instead of wiping out as it crashed on top of me, I caught it. Backwards.

I’d forgotten to put the fin on the boat, and I slid down the face, feet first, watching the curl just inches from my nose. I made it out of the wave, and then washed it collapse and churn in front of me (really, what should have been behind me, but I was still moving backwards). And then I wiped out.

So I’ll have to keep practicing. For the record, the picture below was taken on a much smaller day. 

Here’s my City Paper piece on what could be the next craze in watersports. 

There will be no (legal) booze in the sand on Folly Beach this summer. But that could change by the fall. Here’s my update on Folly’s alcohol ban and the ongoing efforts for a compromise, from City Paper’s Beach Guide. 

Disclaimer: I like ’90s country.
I liked Garth Brooks and Clint Black and even Lorrie Morgan. I recognize that these acts paved the way for today’s even more polished ‘country’ acts, some of which I don’t mind. Earlier this year I wrote about Eric Church. He even got a few plays after the story was done. But I can say that I will never, ever again listen to Little Big Town. See if you can tell how I really feel in my Charleston Scene piece here. 

If you haven’t heard Stereo Reform’s new album yet, click here and listen now. Start with the track “Fire.”

And if the link doesn’t work for you because you aren’t using Spotify, download it, because you’re behind the times and the future started yesterday. Streaming is now.

This is the most exciting album by a local band that I’ve heard in years, and I’m easily excited. But this got me going, and I haven’t stopped. 

By the way, I didn’t know what Maroon 5 sounded like until I pulled them up on Spotify after reading in my City Paper article about Stereo Reform that they sounded like Maroon 5. Chalk that one up to the editors, and don’t believe that everything with my name on it is mine. For the record, I recognize a few of these Maroon 5 songs, and I’d rather be listening to Stereo Reform. 

If you grew up in a family that regularly sat down to home cooked meals together, it’s easy to take for granted that it’s not the norm for countless families across the country. Even in families that do cook, if they’re whipping up Hamburger Helper it may not be any healthier than grabbing Chinese food on the way home. That’s why the Cooking Matters classes at Pinehurst and Angel Oak Elementary Schools impressed me so much — they are not only teaching students and their families how to cook real meals together, they’re also offered in conjunction with a school farmer’s market that lets kids bring home fresh veggies on the bus. 

Since this City Paper cover story came out last week, it’s been pointed out to me that Walmart and ConAgra are the primary financial backers of Cooking Matters. That’s worth noting, and I can’t speak to the effectiveness of other Cooking Matters classes in promoting truly responsible eating and buying habits. They could, theoretically, even be steering families away from farmer’s markets and into Walmart — although anyone that could be true about was probably more likely to shop at Wally World than the farmer’s market already.

But the Cooking Matters class I attended, partnered with the hyperlocal Children’s Garden Project and the Lowcountry Food Bank, is a cause worth celebrating. My story about the program is an uplifting and quick read - check it out here.

Over the last eight years, I’ve written about hundreds of books, albums, projects, charities, trips and initiatives created by people I’ve come to admire. Even as I regularly performed with Po’Ridge for five years, we never got any media coverage of our own, while I sort through emails every single day from bands hoping for a shout out. 

That’s why Anna Evans’ piece about my book, Images of America - Folly Beach, in the May issue of Charleston Magazine made me so happy. It’s short and sweet, it has my name on it, and I didn’t write it. 

                          
I’m well overdue to post a new playlist, but I think the five months spent amassing this one will pay off. Nothing here got thrown in. This is what I’ve been obsessing over in 2013. It starts off big, like spring did here in Charleston a month ago. Then it slows down, mirroring the last few weeks of wet relative warmth. Today, the sun is out full force over the ocean here on Folly Beach, the wetsuit is back in the closet, and it’s time to turn up the volume and get outside. Enjoy this and let me know your favorites!

If you use Spotify already, you can click into the playlist here.

During my senior year of high school in 1999, I wrote my ‘extended essay’ (yes, in the IB program you have to write a thesis in high school) about how Bob Dylan changed music by creating poetry that could be related to world events and then used to influence public opinion and policy, because the words sounded good put to music and could thus be spread en masse. Dylan then took that power and electrified it, turning rock and roll into something that could actually be meaningful instead of just fun. 

It’s impossible to imagine where music would be today without Bob Dylan. He’s at the core, and is the single most influential living musician in the world. 

That said, for my taste in 2013, I’d rather listen to Dawes (although Dylan’s new disc, Tempest, is definitely enjoyable). Here’s my story about both Dawes and Dylan from the Post and Courier.

It took me a few listens to warm up to J. Roddy Walson and the Business’ self-titled disc, but once it hooked me it held on tight. That’s the cover of it in the picture above. Pretty badass, but hard to know what you’re getting at face value. Music to ass out to?

Rod turned out to be a very cool and casual interviewee, and I kept him on the phone for way too long because the conversation flowed so naturally. He’s already a rock star, but he might be a big rock star soon, and I’m pretty sure he’ll still be a down to earth guy. With shaky hands. I’m pretty happy with how this City Paper piece turned out.

I’m hooked on quail. Chicken is boring. Can’t decide between the dark and the light meat? Just go with quail. It’s rich, it’s flavorful, and when wrapped in bacon it’s one hell of a sexy bird. 

Before touring Manchester Farms, I’d never seen the inside of an industrial meat processing facility. I’m sure I’d have been squeamish at a cow slaughterhouse, but I took no issue with the assembly-line style of defeathering and cleaning these little birds. The workers were happy, the birds were happy (right up to the moment of their demise), and the whole operation was run by a friendly, down-home S.C. family. They even sent me home with a few birds, which made for an incredible feast on our patio grill. And these S.C.-raised quail are the same ones being served at 5-star restaurants from Vegas to New York. 

Here’s my story about Manchester Farms in the latest issue of City Paper’s Dirt. It’s worth reading for the poop story. 
             

And here’s the Frank O. Hill quail poop appearance with Johnny Carson. 

When I was 17, I got fired from my job at an Episcopal summer family camp. It was a Friday, and there were some bands I’d heard were good playing just across the mountains in Knoxville. Rather than worry, I took full advantage of the unexpected weekend off.  Although the two friends who accompanied me opted to embellish their experience with fungal fun, I was scared. But for some reason, the little tab of paper I was offered didn’t seem like such a big deal. 

And thus began the rest of my life. That day, for the first time each, I saw moe., Galactic and the String Cheese Incident. Some long hair named Keller Williams played between the sets. About 9 o’clock, the last band of the day took the stage. I had to sit down. This was heavy. Talk-to-God heavy. The bassist absolutely thundered. I was afraid, but I was locked into a hard rock trance. 

I had the chance to see Allen Woody play bass two or three more times after that, and I consider myself better off for it. He coaxed every inch of tone out of a four string, and nobody’s done it like him since. Fortunately, Gov’t Mule haven’t lost their edge. They still make it thunder, no embellishment required. 

Here’s my City Paper interview with Warren Haynes, catching up on what’s new for Gov’t Mule. 

Among Will Smith movies, The Pursuit of Happyness is one I can actually stomach and appreciate. A far cry from fighting aliens and saving the world, its a feel-good film with a strong message about how homelessness can strike even the hardest workers among us. Before talking to the real life man that Smith portrays in the film, Chris Gardner, I watched a handful of videos, including one where Gardner is casually interviewed in the backseat of a Chicago cab. He talks nonchalantly about his wealth, his Ferrari and having a quarter-million dollars in his pocket. Although Smith’s portrayal may have been a slightly more lovable and subdued version of the real thing, Gardner is still a down-to-earth guy. Despite the millions he’s made, he’s still willing to fly to Charleston for free, speak to raise money for Crisis Ministries, and then donate $10,000 to the cause before returning home. Here’s my brief interview with him in Charleston Magazine. 

At 87-years-old, I didn’t expect that B.B. King would be granting interviews to a small town newspaper reporter. It’s beyond impressive that he’s still out there gigging. When I couldn’t confirm an interview with a band member, however, I wondered how I’d make this cover piece for Charleston Scene hold together. So I turned to Facebook, and sure enough, six musicians who have been directly or profoundly influenced by King’s playing emerged. It turned out to be one of my favorite music stories I’ve worked on in awhile. Read it here.