Stagbriar
Columbia, South Carolina, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
"South Carolina’s Stagbriar is last on this list only because it’s in alphabetical order. I imagine of all the bands traveling to Austin to play music, Stagbriar had one of the roughest trips. No, nothing was stolen, just one car broken down twice all for one show at SXSW. Maybe this trip wasn’t worth it, but the band led by the McCollum siblings are destined for a bigger audience and this was just a bump in a long road. When singing together Alex and Emily McCollum seem to have fire burning deep inside of them that comes out with every lyric they spit and heats back up with each breath they inhale back in. It’s only a matter of time before more people take notice." - David Stringer, Scene SC
"The brother-and-sister-centered band Stagbriar played a commanding set, leaning on evocative vocal harmonies and a rich mixture of indie rock and folk that was dark and cathartic. The players seemed pretty much business-as-usual as they blasted through songs from their debut LP — Quasi-Hymns, Murder-Ballads, and Tales of How the Hero Died — and a few songs from their in-progress follow-up. The group’s live lineup seems to have not only cemented but gelled completely, giving the still-young band a surprising air of professionalism." - Kyle Petersen, Free-Times
"Every year, more than 2,000 acts swarm to SXSW — and every year, NPR Music painstakingly handpicks 100 of the music festival's best discoveries for a downloadable six-hour sampler. We call it The Austin 100, and it's virtually guaranteed to contain something you'll love that you didn't know existed.
For the next 30 days, you can download The Austin 100 from this page — either song by song, or with one click, in its 839 MB entirety — as well as stream it as a continuous mix, both here and through NPR Music's various mobile apps."
[Stagbriar listed as one of these bands] - Stephen Thompson, NPR
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Stagbriar, are relative newcomers to the South Carolina music scene, but they have a quiet confidence that suggests many years of experience and a few notches under their belt such as a spot on NPR's Top 100 Bands to Catch at South By South West (SXSW) and a recent nomination Best Band for Columbia's Best of Free Times. Both Alex and Emily McCollum have been crafting music for a combined 20+ years as it turns out. Ranging from the whispers like Iron and Wine or Bon Iver, to the more invigorating sounds in the style of The Civil Wars, with a dash of Shovels & Rope, Stagbriar are comfortable, yet challenging. The best part is that they see it all through the lens of the South, both born and raised in South Carolina. Anyone who has heard them live knows the harmonic balance of their vocals is second to none; such precision is only natural at this point. Both Alex and Emily were weaned on harmony, growing up singing together in church next to their mother, who often made it a point to only sing harmony instead of melody. Their father is also an accomplished singer/musician in his own right and is a local minister of music. In other words, they get it honestly. What they do is not easy, though they fool you. Preliminary listens to their first full-length, Quasi-Hymns, Murder-Ballads, and Tales of How the Hero Dies, indicate quite a head-trip. They use the inherent darkness available in folk music like a well-worn tool, delivering a raw catharsis all their own as they learn to wield it well. It creates the sense that they are building a house only to burn it down, with haunting sonic abstractions and unexpected chord/vocal motions that belie far more eclectic influences than the aforementioned comparisons.
Band Members
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