The Extra Chill Leap Year Jamboree (Photos + Recap)

This past Saturday, February 29th, Nordista Freeze, Easy Honey, and Rex Darling performed at The Royal American for the Extra Chill Leap Year Jamboree, with a special appearance from Daddy’s Beemer, whom had been engaged in a heated feud with both Extra Chill and Nordista Freeze for the two weeks leading up to the event. The show was sold out, and The Royal American was packed to capacity with a rowdy crowd for a night that will not soon be forgotten.

Rex Darling, a new band out of Columbia, SC, kicked off the evening with their Royal American debut. We first heard about Rex Darling when they opened for Never Better at Big Gun in January, and when Fleur Geurl informed us that she wasn’t able to make it they came to mind immediately. Rex Darling brought with them soulful indie folk, highlighted by acoustic guitar and bongos, and anchored by their talented vocalist and frontwoman Catherine Hunsinger. After an extended sound check, the band hit the stage and gave Charleston a proper introduction to the groovy songs they’ve been working on.

Rex Darling will perform again this coming weekend at Girls Block Music & Arts Festival in Columbia, alongside a stacked womxn-led lineup that includes names like Babe Club, Baby Yaga, Linqua Franqua, and many more. Rex Darling is actually an instrumental part of Girls Block, as Catherine co-founded the nonprofit behind the event alongside photographer and all-around creative powerhouse Kati Baldwin. It’s a great event and you can get tickets and learn more at girlsblocksc.org.

With the vibe set in motion, Charleston representatives Easy Honey were up next. It was the band’s first hometown performance of the year, and they came armed with a few new songs, including the promising single “Like Glue”. Easy Honey are also known to toss in a classic cover or two, and Saturday’s set included a cover of the Elton John hit “Bennie And The Jets”. The band was just as much involved in the party as the crowd was, and that energy combined with their straightforward rock songs easily won over the room. They always have a ton of fun on stage, and when you combine that with a venue like The Royal American it becomes very difficult to not have a good time.

B-Side Sessions were in the house to film some of Easy Honey’s set, including a new song or two. We look forward to seeing those videos soon. The band has also been in Coast Records lately working on some new music with Matt Zutell, so stay tuned for a lot more from Easy Honey this year.

The grand finale was Nashville’s Nordista Freeze, who has been traveling around the country making a legend of himself with his band for several years now. Freeze has a personality unlike any other, and the energy that he brings to every single performance is outstanding. Charleston mostly knew this already, and so the crowd was packed in tight in front of the stage and ready to party. Plus, there had been some Daddy’s Beemer spottings out on the porch, and the band had stolen Nordista Freeze’s rain stick and his portrait of his beloved mother the night prior in Rock Hill. Tensions between the two bands were at an all-time high.

Freeze took no notice of the potential trouble brewing in the audience, and proceeded to get the Royal American jumping. It wasn’t until Daddy’s Beemer appeared in the audience with the stolen rain stick and portrait that Freeze acknowledged their presence. Daddy’s Beemer clawed their way through the crowd toward the stage, and climbed right up there. We all thought there would be a brawl like the one in Greenville, but in a surprising turn of events Daddy’s Beemer returned the stolen items to Nordista Freeze.

What followed can only be described as an epic squashing of the beef. Nordista Freeze and Daddy’s Beemer combined forces to jam and party out the end of Freeze’s set. This included a ton of crowd surfing, which had already been happening the whole time, and the passing around of instruments and microphones, distortion, mosh pits, stripping, and even a few speeches. Nordista Freeze, Daddy’s Beemer, and Extra Chill were able to set aside their differences, and there are no hard feelings on either side. Daddy’s Beemer have, however, stolen our Extra Chill flag. For now we are leaving this beef to rest at a public, friendly request for the return of our flag.

Thank you all for coming. We had a blast, and we hope you did too.

Mia Naome was the official photographer for the event and she did a badass job of capturing the energy. All the pictures sprinkled throughout this article are hers, and there’s a full gallery of more below. Follow her on Instagram at @mianaomephotography.

All photos by Mia Naome. Follow her on Instagram @mianaomephotography.