Provided

Ozzie the guest music columnist

My pet human (Stu Johnson) is busy this week with the March Madness Battle of the Bands so he asked me to write his column for him.

I am a 13-year-old black and tan, standard smooth Daschund.

Now you might ask what a dog knows about music. Well if you live with Stu, music is the center focus around the house. He’s always got guitars laying around the house, stacks of promo CDs, amplifiers moving in and out and I don’t think five minutes goes by without him making some kind of noise.

Frequently, other musicians drop by for one reason or another. The other guys in the band, my favorite sax player (Louis Dixon), or some other musician comes over to the house daily and the topic of conversation is always music. The phone never stops ringing and there are piles of contracts, posters, flyers and bumper stickers everywhere. I often hear him proclaim, “This is driving me crazy!” I don’t pay to much attention to that though as it would be a real short drive.

My mom and I just roll our eyes as he flies in and out the door on his way to and from sound gigs, rehearsals and meetings. I overhear the phone conversations about bands, and who is playing where, so I think I can give you the scoop on what’s happening this week.

Wild Wing Café provides some kind of entertainment most nights of the week. This week is no exception. Wednesday it’s Brett Searcy. Thursday The Mighty McFly fills in for Plane Jane. On Friday, Raleigh favorites party band Sugar will take the stage with an impressive repertoire  of cover tunes. They are in the process of changing their name to The Design but it will be the same great band, playing the same great songs.

On Saturday, it’s Wild Wing’s yearly Irish Fest. The fun starts at 3 p.m. with great music from Simplified, Soul Fish, Bonepony and Plane Jane. With a line up like that, it should be a wild, wild party.

Then to round out your weekend, it’s the weekly Patio Party with The Larry David Project. You can always check out what’s going on for yourself at  www.wildwingcafe.com/our-locations/mt-pleasant-sc.php.

At The Windjammer on Thursday night it’s Nashville singer/songwriter Patrick Davis. Originally from Camden S.C, Davis has written songs with some of the biggest names in the business and has toured extensively opening for, among others, Hootie and The Blowfish.

Find out more at    www.myspace.com/patrickdavismusic.

This Friday night at A Dough Re Mi, it’s the return of Smoky Weiner and the Hot Links.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Smoky.

He scratched me behind the ears and rubbed my belly. He’s quite the character. His harmonica playing and singing combined with his wit and charm make for a fun night of surf rock influenced blues and boogie. Always backing him are top-notched musicians and fun is on the menu when he’s in the house.

Battle of the Bands

Last Friday night, Goose Creek’s Tenfifty were the winners. Active rock with energy to spare these guys pulled out all the stops to win.

Check out more at www.myspace.com/tenfiftyrocks.

Saturday night was a fierce  battle with very young but very talented bands squaring off. Red House, Collectors Set, and the immensely Chris Baur with his band Campfield put on great performances but it was 16-year-old  Sarah Cole and her band Cole Train that came out on top. Check them out at  www.myspace.com/coletrainbandohyeah.

Well this was really fun and I hope Stu asks me to fill in for him again.

You will be hearing from me later on in the year as I will be organizing a benefit to raise awareness about Canine Diabetes.

I not only think it is a worthy cause but it is also a condition that I suffer from.

Next week: Gospel music in the Lowcountry and its impact on The East Cooper Music Scene.

Contact Stu Johnson by e-mail  at  Sjohnson@allnightkungfu.com.