Heavy thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Heavy downpours, frequent lightning with storms. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Heavy thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Heavy downpours, frequent lightning with storms. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.

Fans gather inside Cutty's for a live show to see Maxton Stenstrom of Infinitefreefall. Troy Parmeter/Provided

A disco ball reflects light during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Cutty's shows were a place to shine for touring bands and local bands alike. The venue stopped hosting live shows on June 25 . Troy Parmeter/Provided

Bands who played at Cutty's often said it was their favorite venue on tour because of the energetic crowds in a small space. Here, Naomi House plays keyboard with Infinitefreefall. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Elizabeth Southwell plays guitar with Art Star during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Mia Mendez sings with her screamo band Art Star during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Jackson Wise sings with his band Dawning at a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Evan Tilson plays drums with his band Dawning during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Jackson Wise sings with his band Dawning at a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Fans gather inside Cutty's for a live show to see Maxton Stenstrom of Infinitefreefall. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Bands who played at Cutty's often said it was their favorite venue on tour because of the energetic crowds in a small space. Here, Naomi House plays keyboard with Infinitefreefall. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Jackson Wise sings with his band Dawning at a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

The underground music scene of Charleston has long thrived in house-show territory, popping up from place to place over the years, organized by either the artists themselves, college students or local original music fans with backyards or large living rooms — or sometimes neither, but a go-getter DIY spirit. 

For a short stint this year, it arose in glorious splendor in a downtown dive bar that serves picklebacks, Jell-O shots and $1 mystery beers. Cutty's at 227 St. Philip St. took on local and touring punk rock, hip-hop, hardcore, synth, shoegaze and more bands with the hopes of growing and supporting the original music scene. 

Unfortunately, that came to an end with one final farewell performance on June 25 that featured Chicago post-punk noise pop outfit Dendrons and Charleston's own chillwave dream techno project Infinitefreefall.

Let's look back at how the whirlwind journey all began and what it meant to the people involved. 

The rise of Cutty's shows arrived at the same time the establishment was gifted $10,000 last year by a local rapper and bartender, Clayton James Sears, who won a cocktail contest through Chasing Sage. Plans for the money included widening the bar's side door to allow artists to directly carry in their gear and getting rid of seats in the back to build a stage. 

Both of those projects commenced, and since December the show schedule really took off.

A disco ball reflects light during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

It all came reeling off the quarantine era that forced many bands to screech to a touring halt in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2021, it finally felt like things were back, in a sense, a much-needed reprieve after almost two full years of uncertainty and pivoting. Cutty's outdoor picnic tables on the Bogard Street sidewalk at the time remained a visible reminder of how things had changed. 

"I struggled to avoid the inevitable insidious thoughts; everything felt hopeless," Cutty's general manager Sarah Griffith recalled of the extended pandemic era. "Every day I wondered whether I was ever going to be able to bartend again, if I was ever again going to be able to experience the soul-cleansing catharsis of seeing my favorite bands perform live. During the arduous process of reopening post-quarantine, I refocused my energy on programs that would grow the Cutty’s space beyond its established identity as a neighborhood watering hole."

She, along with some help from longtime Cutty's patrons and music scene notables like mutli-project collaborator Evan Tilson, had the idea to really make the dive bar a show destination. 

Feb. 16 marked the first concert on the bar's new stage, one that featured sludge metal band Yashira, hardcore outfit Slow Fire Pistol and local screamo group To Forget. 

The stage was built by a longtime friend of Griffith's and Cutty's regular Mackie Bones at Pink Hawk Metalworks.

He was the perfect fit for the project. Then there was Rylee Miller, a lighting tech with audio engineering knowledge to boot who lit up house shows on occasion. For such a small space, it was impressive that a full lights show was in effect for each show and added a certain liveliness. 

Cutty's shows were a place to shine for touring bands and local bands alike. The venue stopped hosting live shows on June 25 . Troy Parmeter/Provided

"I happened to enjoy going to house shows to see live music, and I wanted to get involved in a similar behind-the-scenes way," said Miller, who has a background in theater lighting. "At one point, I wired a few wall outlets to radial dimmer switches and plugged in some clip lights. I was able to buy all of it at the hardware store."

Cutty's gave Miller the chance to test out some upgraded equipment. With Bones' stage, Miller's lighting and audio work, and Griffith's booking, concerts were ready for action. 

There was something special about an organized house show project of sorts being held not in a living room, but at a neighborhood bar. More people rallied behind it, and it was quickly a hot ticket item for those who sought to be moved by an immersive music experience in the center of a sweaty crowd. It was simply the thing to do for the DIY scene on show nights. 

And the bands loved it; unlike most venues that take a cut from door money, Cutty's gave it all to the musicians.  

"Having never operated a dedicated venue before, I was beginning this program from a place that was admittedly a bit naive, but ultimately I think that naiveté lent itself to the creation of a show space that was purely about the shared experience of music and support of the incredibly talented people in the underground scene rather than profit," said Griffith. 

Though I had heard live music at Cutty's before, the first show I saw on the new stage featured two of my favorite Charleston bands: Art Star and Dawning, along with Asheville, N.C.'s Secret Shame. The line was out the door; with such a limited capacity, the small space filled up quickly, but the interior, while packed, felt intimate. The pool table became the merch table, and the back by the stage a mosh pit. 

For smaller bands who have played to almost empty rooms, Cutty's was a refreshing energy burst. 

"Since the space is tiny, it fills quickly, and a very excited and supportive energy spreads over the small crowd," Miller said. "Many artists have taken note of this unique experience, and a few have shared with us that this has been their favorite venue on tour so far."

Mia Mendez sings with her screamo band Art Star during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Nate McKinley, guitarist of To Forget and drummer of Art Star, compares Cutty's in a way to a DIY venue he remembers from a decade ago in Charleston: the Communications Museum at the College of Charleston. 

"A shaky old upstairs room, always filled to the brim with people losing their minds," McKinley recalled. "I was amazed right from the beginning. Whether it was in living rooms, skateparks, garages, you name it, someone was always being creative and finding a place to make cool stuff happen. Some really great bands, venues and people have come and gone over the years, but I think we've always had something special here. Charleston shows up, and people care."

McKinley said Cutty's is his favorite space since the Communications Museum.

"I just feel like everyone there gets it," he said. "People feel like they could really be themselves. They felt welcomed and appreciated for being there, and that goes a long way. Shows were intimate, loud, sweaty and a whole lot of fun. Just what the doctor ordered."

For Elizabeth Southwell, the guitarist in Art Star, Cutty's was a fresh haven for the music scene she's been a part of in Charleston since 2012. It felt like a safe space. 

"There are a lot of places I don’t feel awfully safe at as a trans woman, and I’m sure a lot of people who aren’t straight or White would say the same," said Southwell. "Also, a lot of spaces down here have a pretty high bar for entry, whether it comes to what they need out of the door money or the kind of turnout they need guaranteed. We need people willing to make things happen and willing to take risks."

"I wanted to encourage a safe, supportive environment where everyone was accepted and felt free to be themselves unapologetically," said Griffith. "I wanted every band that played a show here to leave feeling like a legend. We were here to support them, not the other way around."

Elizabeth Southwell plays guitar with Art Star during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Griffith has booked a large number of bands with queer and trans members. To Southwell and Miller, the venue's trans lighting designer, that was meaningful. 

"More than just in reference to me, many in the local queer community have taken notice to this," said Miller. "I have met more trans people, local or otherwise, at Cutty’s shows than I have at any other bar in Charleston collectively. This is especially important because so often queer and trans individuals can have a harder time being successful in the music industry. This not only gives these artists a fighting chance, but it gives queer patrons the opportunity to see themselves represented on stage, as well."

It's not just about the music or the people behind the music. It's much bigger than that. 

Music has and will always be one of the greatest, most accessible tools to bring diverse crowds together and form a collective, inclusive sense of identity, Griffith said. The hopes are for that collective identity to foster a stronger community at large, serving as a catalyst for positive changes socially, politically, locally and beyond. 

It was always the goal at Cutty's to do such. 

But it's hard to see any lasting change when such venues come and go so quickly. 

"A lot of things that happen and are talked about here are just what’s palatable to tourists," said Southwell. "The reality is there are a lot of artists that live in Charleston. There’s a lot of marginalized communities that live in Charleston and have for many, many, many years."

"What are we doing for them?" Southwell queried. 

Jackson Wise sings with his band Dawning at a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

DIY spaces, both private and public, have certainly and clearly served as refuges to the artists and fans who have been a part of them and remain nostalgic homes away from home to the community that cherished them, from the Communications Museum to Cory's Grilled Cheese. 

There's Dan Dickey's Purple Buffalo, a branch off his former King Street DIY venue King Dusko, that instantly became a haven for the "underground" music and art scene and continues to host EDM, hip-hop and experimental concerts consistently. The Instagram page lists an updated series of upcoming shows. 

Big Gun on Calhoun Street and Burns Alley Tavern off King Street are two other notable venues that host occasional hardcore, screamo, emo and otherwise heavy bands. 

Recently, Monster Music & Movies has taken on more of a role in hosting artists in the record store, like with a lineup featuring instrumental rock band Shy, Low along with local bands Catholics and Gods, on Aug. 6. 

A funky little place called Tua Lingua exists in North Charleston that also caters to the DIY scene. No alcohol is allowed, as it serves the under-21 community as a safe space to gather, listen to live and often thought-provoking experimental shows. 

An upcoming concert there will star Georgia math rock band Things Amazing; Brooklyn, N.Y., art-rock outfit Big Scary Indian; along with projects Elders and Phantom on Aug. 28. 

And Cutty's does still host DJ acts, like an evening that will star Southwell's personal DJ project DJ Normal Girl, along with Fake Fever and Leopard Lee's Prime Time on Aug. 12.

Evan Tilson plays drums with his band Dawning during a show at Cutty's. Troy Parmeter/Provided

Griffith, who has spearheaded Cutty's music efforts, is moving to Philadelphia at the end of the summer. The future of the St. Philip Street bar in relation to the music scene is uncertain. 

"Unfortunately our live music program came to an end this summer," said Griffith. "For reasons beyond our control it became unsustainable for us. Though it was short-lived, I think a precedent was set, and I hope one day to utilize the knowledge I’ve gained at the helm of a DIY spot of my own in Philadelphia." 

Griffith said that she felt like the community rallied around the good thing she had going. Community support is vital in keeping any underground or DIY scene alive, she said. 

Support is one thing, but money and resources are certainly another. That's why these efforts are often not long-lasting, but little heavenly blips in a cover band-dominated tourist destination. 

"It made me realize that the fight for, I guess we’ll call it underground music, in Charleston is a lot more of an upward battle than I’d previously thought," Southwell said of Cutty's show days fizzling out almost as quickly as they began. "The people who want to make these things happen are here, we just need the money and the places to do it."

Reach Kalyn Oyer at 843-371-4469. Follow her on Twitter @sound_wavves.

Kalyn Oyer is a Charleston native who covers arts & entertainment and food & bev for The Post and Courier. She's a music festival & concert photographer and used to write about music for the Charleston City Paper, among other publications.

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