CALENDAR: Singleton to release 4th solo album July 3

Staff reports  |  Local jazz musician Charlton Singleton will release his first new studio album in seven  years when Date Night is available July 3 on the Beehive label.  It’s the first time Singleton, who helped propel Lowcountry band Ranky Tanky to a Grammy award, will enter the smooth jazz genre.

“The instrumentals just came to me in the last year or so usually while I was doing yard work,” Singleton said in a press release.  The vocal tracks hearken back to when Singleton was a member of the popular local Charleston rock/ska band SKWZBXX in the 1990s.  The new album includes four instrumental tracks and four songs with Singleton’s vocals.  It’s produced by Calvin Baxter III, who also plays drums on the album.  

Additional musicians contributing to the album include keyboardist Demetrius Doctor, guitarists Dave Grimm and Greg Loney, and bassist LaVonta Green. The new album’s first single, “Sea Breeze, was released on April 24, and has already been picked up by multiple terrestrial radio stations across the U.S., as well as SiriusXM Radio’s smooth jazz channel Watercolors (Ch. 66). The second single, “Sunrise,” was released on May 22. “Date Night” will be available starting July 3 on all digital music services, including Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, and Tidal.

Also on the calendar:  

Living Your Truth series, 7 p.m. Tuesday via Zoom.  The Social Justice Racial Equity Collaborative will feature Maya Green and Courtenay White, co-founders of SheStrong, at its June 30 online discussion. Green is a 2020 graduate of the School of the Arts.  White is a 2020 graduate of Porter Gaud.  According to a press release, “These remarkable and accomplished young women have taken on the mantle of social justice and women’s rights and represent the next generation of global leaders. Hear their perspective on the skills young leaders need to cultivate to effectively lead and service and advocacy efforts that are making a difference, not only for youth but also for communities across the country.”  Register here..

Safe Sounds at Firefly.  You can enjoy these shows at a socially-distanced concert series every Friday and Saturday night through mid-July:

• July 3 – The Midnight City Band
• July 11 – The Yacht Club
• July 18 – The Reckoning
• July 25 – Natty Grass

Tickets for the events are limited to 500 and no more than four tickets can be purchased at a time. Each set of four tickets will secure a spot in a 10-by-10 square, separated on all sides by 8 feet. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to enjoy the concert.  You are not allowed to bring dogs, children, and outside food and drink. Tickets are available now to anyone 21 and over at citypapertickets.com. Shows will begin at 7 p.m., with doors at 6 p.m.

Aquarium to open new experience on July 4.  “Monsters” is a new experience offered starting July 4 at the S.C. Aquarium.  “From micro to mega, explore the Aquarium in a whole new way,” according to promotional material.  You can also participate online in the attraction’s daily Nature Challenge, a virtual “Passport to Fun” and a “Moment of Zen” that has started.  The aquarium also offers daily education classes at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday to Friday, via its virtual network.  Learn more.

Redux show: Through July 24. Redux Contemporary Art Center offers Creative Corridors: The Annual Redux Studio Artist Exhibition through July 24. The Annual Studio Artist Exhibition is an opportunity for Redux resident artists to showcase a sample of their work, as it relates to a specific prompt and is curated as a group exhibition in Redux’s main exhibition space.  The exhibition is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  More.

Online offerings:

• Spoleto at Home offers virtual programming through June 5 that you can enjoy from the comfort and safety of your own living room! Tune in for original concerts, best-of Chamber Music hits, and insightful conversations with Festival artists. All programs are free to experience; no tickets required.  Click here to find more fun stuff to do. 

• Gibbes Museum.  You can enjoy lots of local art offerings through the website and social media accounts of the Gibbes Museum. At 10 a.m. on weekdays, the museum posts virtual readings and workshops on Facebook. Find more online.
• Avian Conservation Center.  Access videos and live streaming presentations online to learn about what’s going on at the Center for Birds of Prey. 
• Around the world.  You can visit 500 museums across the world online through this Google amalgamation of sites.  

If you have any online events, drop us a line (editor@charlestoncurrents.com) and make sure to put “Online event” in the subject line.  Similarly, if you’ve got cool ideas for stuff to do while in isolation at home, send them our way.