Emerging newcomers take the stage this weekend

This emerging act of acoustic/electric duo Larry Smith and Joe Middleton now sports an official moniker: Double Dog Dare. They’ll be live Friday at The Dreamchaser’s Brewery in Waxhaw.

Guitarist Larry Smith admits that his “thing” has “long been to choose dog-inspired names for bands anyway,” which had a lot to do with their pick. “The real reason is boring,” Smith said.

“The new duo’s first show was just for fun – to test the waters and gauge audience reaction. Right after the first show we agreed to move forward,” he said. “Double Dog Dare was a natural name choice since there’s just the 2 of us now. The name has a fun feel to it, and that’s our goal, to engage the audience with humor and familiar tunes. You might say it’s a direct challenge to the audience to have a good time and find a song or two for a sing-along.”

Thanks to the success of the first few gigs, including that “the crowd seemed to really like our selections,” said Smith, “we picked the DDD name which we’d performed under some years ago.”

Based in the south Charlotte/Waxhaw, N.C., area, this acoustic/electric duo of singer/songwriter/guitarist Middleton and classic rock guitarist/singer Smith specialize in “music for the masses,” i.e. pop, rock, country, soul that’s heartfelt and real.

The ante has been upped and the challenge has a name – Double Dog Dare, Friday at The Dreamchaser’s Brewery, 115 E. N. Main St., Waxhaw. For show details and directions call 704-843-7326.

Elsewhere

Another newcomer steps up this weekend to introduce their music. Discover Whit’s End, live Friday at The Handlebar Tavern in Catawba.

Employing a name that’s also a bit of a double meaning as well as a play on a member’s name, Whit’s End from near Kershaw is the brainchild of vocalist Chris Whitaker. Together approximately five months, but with three live shows under their belt so far – including one at Amos Southend in Charlotte – response has been “really good,” says Whitaker. A five-piece group overall, Friday’s gig will be an acoustic duo event with two of the band’s lineup: Whitaker, vocals, and Brandon Ashley, guitar.

“The electric /full band offers a louder, really heavy live experience,” Whitaker said, “while this acoustic combo keeps the sound down and puts more feeling into the music.”

We’re trying to stick to a country music influence but more country with a rock background – and lots of southern rock,” he said.

As far as what’s country, he prefers the “old stuff” such as Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.

“Live, it’s all about the interaction,” Whitaker said. “Love to throw the mic to the crowd and hear that they’re singing along. The main focus is having a good time.”

Find yourself at Whit’s End, Friday at The Handlebar Tavern, 2610 S. Anderson Road, Catawba. Call 803-327-0074 or check Facebook for more details.

Coming up

Friday: Jason Poore at McHale’s on Main, Rock Hill; Remedy Hollow at Hartland’s, Rock Hill; Oneppo Brothers Band at Luke’s Bar & Grill, Rock Hill; Caution Blind Driver at Madison’s on the Corner, Tega Cay; Java Band at T-Bones on the Lake, Lake Wylie; Whiskey Run at Wild Wing Café-Ayrsley-South Charlotte; Jeff Shows at Pineville Tavern, Pineville.

Saturday: The Rockaholics at Revolutions at The Galleria, Rock Hill; The Feel Goods at Original Empire Pizza, Rock Hill; Pocketful of Strange at T-Bones on the Lake, Lake Wylie; Sons of Carolina at Pineville Tavern, Pineville; Matt Stratford at Wild Wing Café-Ayrsley-South Charlotte.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Emerging newcomers take the stage this weekend."