Extra Chill Fest 2023 (Photos + Recap)
It’s now been almost two weeks since Extra Chill Fest 2023, which took place on August 19th at the Charleston Pour House. We’ve had some time to reflect on things, and it’s time to share the coveted photo gallery.
This was the second consecutive year that we’ve hosted Extra Chill Fest at the Charleston Pour House, and the fourth iteration of the event overall. I can’t say enough good things about the venue, and as far as I’m concerned it’s the home of Extra Chill Fest until the building is no longer big enough to hold us.
From the entire Extra Chill family, we thank you for joining us and helping to make this event a success. This was the best year yet, and we hope that you’ll continue to be a part of this movement as we continue to grow and expand.
We’ll see you at Charleston Pour House for next year’s Extra Chill Fest, on August 10th, 2024.
Enjoy a full photo gallery from Extra Chill Fest 2023 below, courtesy of Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo). Broken down by performance to make it easier to know what you’re looking at. Use the table of contents in the next paragraph to jump to a particular act.
Tree Limbs
Tree Limbs kicked off the fest at 3pm on the deck stage. This band has been making a lot of buzz at CofC and they were the perfect act to start the day, even. See their latest EP, To Mold Again, released on the Friday before the festival.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
#GxldApproved Hip-Hop Happy Hour
Up next was the #GxldApproved Happy Hour at 4pm on the deck stage. This segment was curated by Indi’Gxld, also known as Extra Chill writer Thaddeus Adams. He’s been holding down the local hip-hop section on Extra Chill since the beginning of the year, and he curated some of his favorite rappers for a badass cypher session.
Rappers included Dolo Boi, Bka David Sewardd, TJ Pettiglio, Mos Stef, BadTalks, Nu, R Dotta, Shayne Sanders, Loser Chris (featuring John Shields of Little Stranger), and Slim S.O.U.L with MoonKatDaddi, and Appollo Valdez, with DJ Matt Graham holding down the beats.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Chris Wilcox Presents: “Country Proper”
With a stacked band that included all of Human Resources, Chris Wilcox came out strong at 5pm with a few originals followed by covers of favorites from Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers. Childers was playing a sold out show on the other side of town on the same night, so Wilcox dubbed his set “Budget Tyler Childers.”
He also brought out a pair of boots for our very own Public Figure, Chris Gardner, who sat down on stage and tried them on during the set at the cheering demand of the audience. Plus, a guest appearance from Little Stranger tour manager Daniel Snell on harmonica.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Chris Gardner trying on his boots
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Rhodium
At 6pm Indi’Gxld was back again, this time with the recently-formed band Rhodium, a collaborative project formed with Black Zola. This group brings a soulful, genre-blending fusion of hip-hop, rock, and various musical influences to create something truly unique and special.
Rhodium works on an emotional level, drawing out the feels from the audience as the tension rises and breaks within the song. It’s powerful stuff and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this band, especially since they have yet to release any recorded music.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Baby Yaga
Up next we had another complete change in genres with Baby Yaga at 7pm, bringing raucus punk rock energy to the deck stage. This was their first Charleston show in quite some time, as guitarist Avery Greeson and bassist Gee Peralta both moved to New York, and frontwoman Presley Randall live in Asheville.
Baby Yaga’s set was a total rager. The heat had started to give, people who had been there all afternoon already were feeling good, and Extra Chill Fest was in full swing. They played the classics, like “Not Even” (their debut single which premiered on Extra Chill in 2018), and even a couple new ones.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
DJ DollaMenu (Full Band)
Closing out the deck stage with an 8pm performance was local rapper, DJ, and comedian DJ DollaMenu, with a full band for the first time ever. This set was born out of a random idea that came to me one afternoon, and when I ran it by DollaMenu he was immediately into it.
We then spent some time finding musicians for his band, which included Noah James, Alex Brouwer, and McCarthy Fitch. They had a few practices, got everything dialed in, and then they delivered the goods to cap off the daytime segment of Extra Chill Fest 2023.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
She Returns From War
The first of three inside acts was local Americana songstress, She Returns From War, led by longtime Charlestonian Hunter Park — on at 9pm. This has been a monumental year thus far for She Returns From War, starting with the revelation of their new album live on stage at High Water Fest in April.
Extra Chill Fest marked the first full band performance in town from SRFW since that fabled day at High Water, with almost the exact same band. The vibes were on point and Hunter delivered a breathtaking performance including all the classics, like my personal favorite “Swamp Witch”, and the new tear-jerker, “Ruthless”.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Nordista Freeze
Next we were blessed with a performance from headliner Nordista Freeze, taking the stage at 10:15 pm in front of a crowd that was almost as hyped as Freeze himself. The set started with a jam while Freeze jumped around, getting warmed up. When he hopped off into the audience before even singing a single word, I knew it was going to be a wild one.
And a wild one it was. Freeze moved through his catalogue, gradually stripping down from the football practice jersey and pants that he started with until finally he wore nothing but his underwear.
At one point, ran off the stage, out the front door of the Pour House, around the building, and in through the back door before sprinting back to the stage. His band didn’t miss a beat.
This may have been the first time Nordista Freeze performed at the Charleston Pour House, but it certainly won’t be the last.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
Omiwimo
What better way to close down an epic day than with some late night jams from Pour House locals Omiwimo? Beginning around midnight, Omiwimo opened with “Mike’s Song” into “2001”, performing a set heavy with Phish covers plus some originals and Zeppelin.
They played right up until the 1:30am curfew, capping off the night with the full-circle moment that was “Weekapaugh Groove”. And then, the sleepy concertgoers wandered, stumbled, or Ubered to their abodes and the doors closed on the most rad Extra Chill Fest to date.
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).
We’ll see you next year!
All photos by Clif Rhodes (@clif.rhodes.photo).