<p>What's the music scene like at USC and in Columbia in general? How about just the all-over "alternative" scene?</p>
<p>The music scene is alright. As far as notable events hosted by USC’s Carolina Productions, the year before I got here they had Kanye come. Freshman year, Lupe Fiasco and Gym Class Heroes (who canceled and were replaced by The Plain White T’s. Earlier this year they had Matt Nathanson, and this week they have Girl Talk and J. Cole coming.</p>
<p>Every year bands play at the Five Points St. Patty’s Day celebration. This year they have Jet headlining. Last year they had MuteMath and The Airborne Toxic Event. Theory of a Deadman and Three Days Grace in the previous two years.</p>
<p>Headliner’s is a venue that gets some pretty big bands coming through. Usually they’re not my thing, but they did have the Smashing Pumpkins once. I saw Pearl Jam at the Colonial Center two summers ago. The plus for me is that Charlotte and Charleston are pretty close by. I’ve seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers / Gnarls Barkley and Incubus in Charlotte, and missed out on Nas / Talib Kweli and Mos Def / Jay Electronica in Charleston. John Mayer was practicing here in Columbia last week so he threw a free show, then played a real show in Charleston this past Monday. Friends have seen Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band in those cities. I’ve seen the Goo Goo Dolls and Smashing Pumpkins in Myrtle Beach and Asheville, missed out on the Alice in Chains show in MB though (they play there again next week).</p>
<p>The Columbia scene is okay, but there’s a lot going on close by, basically.</p>
<p>Columbia gets its’ fair share of concerts, but for many of the bigger artists there is no reason to play Columbia when you could play Atlanta, Charlotte, or Charleston (or any combination of the three). A lot of concerts I hear about people going to are usually in Charlotte or Charleston, but Columbia does okay too. Jimmy Buffett is playing Colonial Life this upcoming week, as Steeler said J. Cole and Girl Talk are playing the Coliseum next week (free for students). </p>
<p>Overall, it’s pretty good but with Charleston and Charlotte 2 hours away, the options expand a lot more.</p>
<p>Yeah, you won’t find too many big name bands in Columbia except for the occasional concert in the Colonial center. There are definitely some good smaller venues though. New Brookland Tavern is probably my favorite place, followed by Headliners. Elbow room in five points also has some really fun shows, but I’m pretty sure it’s always 21+. You should check out the calendars on their websites if you’re curious about the kind of music they usually have. </p>
<p>[new</a> brookland tavern dot com](<a href=“http://www.newbrooklandtavern.com/index.php?target=home]new”>http://www.newbrooklandtavern.com/index.php?target=home)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.myspace.com/headlinerscolumbia[/url]”>http://www.myspace.com/headlinerscolumbia</a></p>
<p>Also, I use the free times of columbia website a lot to see what’s going on around town. Here’s the music calender for this week…</p>
<p>[Free</a> Times: Where it’s At - Local Club Calendar](<a href=“http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064167692&ShowArticle_ID=11011602102707708]Free”>http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064167692&ShowArticle_ID=11011602102707708)</p>
<p>Thanks, and especially for the links. That’s a lot of help!</p>
<p>Elbow Room is 18+ when a band is playing there.</p>