Summerville's Joseph Tedesco Plays From the Heart-A Story Of Tragedy And Triumph

Two days, two parties. Friday and Saturday nights are always entertaining at Coastal Coffee Roasters of Summerville with its acoustic lineup, but this past weekend was exceptional with two top headliners back to back on the schedule. Add to the mix a birthday party and it became a celebration of candles and music.

The two guitars were propped up on their stands. The head stock of one of the guitars had a fedora hanging on it. Later, we would learn the fedora was a subject of contention between its owner and his wife, a matter dealing with appearance. Joseph Tedesco is its owner, and he was making final preparations for his performance while Brad and staff catered to the party guests. Joseph has become a CCR favorite.

Joseph Tedesco's story is a one of tragedy and triumph. It is a human story. Speaking of more recent times, he recalled, "I stumbled on to Coastal Coffee Roasters and found a very comfortable venue and a very welcoming audience to what I want to do." Though he was born in New Jersey and later moved to Atlanta when he was seven, Joseph has been no stranger to the Lowcountry. In the 80's, he traveled from Atlanta on weekends many times to perform at the Shem Creek Bar and Grill.

Joseph started out on the drums when he was ten and turned to the guitar a couple of years later. His first band was The Rising Sun, established while he was only in elementary school. He began writing songs in his early teens and the first song he wrote was called "Prayer for Pocahontas". After high school, he began working with the Georgia Game and Fish Division and his music took a backseat for a time.

Eventually, Joseph moved to Colorado with the intent of continuing to work in wildlife or fisheries management, but once he settled in things changed. "Colorado can be very inspiring to creative people. Within weeks of moving west, I formed another band," he recounted. The band's name was the Cholla Canyon Band. They opened for numerous national headliners all over the state and did some pretty big shows all on our own name recognition. The band performed together for 12 years.

Then, a tragedy struck that would alter Joseph's course. "My older brother, a big musical influence on me, passed away suddenly and I hit the skids." He developed a panic disorder and eventually terrible stage fright, ending his music career, momentarily.

Joseph moved back to the east, this time to Charleston, and slowly started regaining the ability to perform again, which brings the story to Summerville and Coastal Coffee Roasters. Now, he sings his own songs and songs he feels close to or has some attachment to. He views this as a second chance to do what he loves.

Joseph summed it up this way, "I have played in front of ten thousand people and 25 folks at Coastal Coffee. The number of people makes zero difference to me anymore. I just do what I do, with all the truth and courage I have and hope to connect with at least some of them every night. If my 15 minutes of fame has already come and gone, I'm okay with that. If tomorrow I write that big radio song, I'm okay with that too."

Maureen O'Brien and Kathlene Lainhart

Friday, Joseph played his guitar, piano, and harmonica with non-stop energy and fun. Maureen O'Brien celebrated her 29th(?) birthday while he entertained the crowd with a mix of his own songs and requests of favorites from the happy crowd. Jacki Mallett sang a couple of songs to close out the evening. It was another fantastic night at Coastal Coffee Roasters.

Next time you are in Summerville, stop in and join the fun. Check their Facebook page for the week's schedule of entertainment.

Rebecca Roubion And Jake Etheridge Light Up Coastal Coffee Roasters-Summerville's Hospitable And Vibey Venue

Busker was bustin' it Friday night at Coastal Coffee Roasters and the people were lovin' it. The band, for sometime now, has been a crowd favorite at this Summerville hot spot. When they finally took to the floor around 7:30 pm, the house was packed. At one point, Dave hit the floor and played the guitar on his back, reminiscent of the wild and crazy Angus Young of AC/DC. Unfortunately by then, the battery on my camera was depleted, so I couldn't get the surprise move on video.

Coastal Coffee Roasters has acquired the worthy reputation of being the gathering place for some of the Lowcountry's finest acoustic performers, and a stopover venue for musicians passing through the Charleston area on tour. I have been introduced to quite a few talented singer/songwriters since CCR established its acoustic series. Two of the standouts for me have been Molly Durnin and the duo Rebecca Roubion and Jake Etheridge of CherryCase. Rebecca and Jake are separate solo artists, but have collaborated on songs and recently toured together.
   
I have always been partial to musicians who play the keyboards, being somewhat a kindred spirit. So, when Rebecca Roubion visited Coastal Coffee Roasters, my interest was aroused. And when she sang the sentimentally haunting song "Break" while playing her Yamaha, accompanied by her touring partner, Jake Etheridge on acoustic guitar, I was won over. Rebecca is New Orleans, LA born, Mobile, AL raised, studied communications at LSU, and after college made the leap to Nashville, Tennessee that is, Music City. "That was when my dream materialized into something tangible, real. I knew I needed to take it seriously," Rebecca recalled.

Rebecca has been playing piano since age 7. Age fifteen, she experienced an emotional epiphany from which countless pages of poetry were created and the birth of her first song. Her love for her Louisiana roots have remained strong. Life is the tapestry from which she draws her inspiration.

Awendaw Green

Coastal Coffee Roasters

Rebecca met Jake Etheridge through their producer, Taylor Bray of Maple Studios in Nashville. They began to write songs together and came up with "Make Up Your Mind". "Once we realized we were musically compatible, we decided to hit the road together," Rebecca related. And that is what they did. They began their tour in Mobile, AL and traveled across the southeast to South Carolina where they performed in places like Columbia, Greenville, Awendaw, and beautiful Summerville, where I had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca and where she won my admiration. "We were always pleased to get to play unique, hospitable and vibey venues," Rebecca said, speaking of Coastal Coffee Roasters. "Coastal Coffee Roasters was easily one of our favorite stops."

Rebecca's latest release, November of 2012, was "FIELDS". It consists of four songs showcasing "a perfect blend of indie piano pop, with tastings of soul and folk." Recently, she has been busy playing shows in Nashville, filming a music video, and promoting the release of her next compilation of tunes born from the heart and lived in the soul.

 
Jake Etheridge is a native of South Carolina. He is the frontman for a band called CherryCase originating in Columbia, SC, but has made the move to Nashville since its inception in 2006. The name CherryCase was inspired by a miscommunication.  "I was in a punk/rock cover band and on the phone with my then drummer about the name of the band. He suggested the name 'charity case' and I thought he said 'cherrycase'. I thought it was great. He thought it was lame." They parted ways and genre. "I started writing more chill acoustic songs. I named the side acoustic project 'cherrycase'."

Jake has an EP out entitled "Think Of Me" and  is currently in the studio recording new songs. On March 15th, he will be returning to Coastal Coffee Roasters.

Can't see the "FORESTS" for the trees, you need to be standing in the right "FIELDS". Just some fun with a well known idiom. Seriously, purchase a copy of "FIELDS", take a listen, and you too will be won over to the Rebecca Roubion camp. Once the milestone of 1000 copies sold is reached, "FORESTS" will be released. I eagerly await her return to the Lowcountry.

Click Here For - Love Me Now by Rebecca Roubion