Sweet T’s New Album will have you grinning ear-to-ear
By Miranda Steadman | Contributing Writer
A hidden treasure here on Folly Beach, local musician Teresa Parrish, is known by most by her nickname, “Sweet T.” It’s an apt moniker, because Parrish has a voice as sweet as grandma’s syrupy sweet tea, making her a local favorite on the Folly music circuit.
A one-woman band, you’ll find Parrish playing at the Folly Beach Crab Shack every Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. and Loggerhead’s Beach Grill every Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Parrish has been playing on Folly Beach for the last seven years and now serenades street goers in downtown Charleston at the Night Market on alternating Thursday and Friday nights from 6-9 p.m. While her audience at the Night Market includes curious tourists wandering the streets as well as local artists and their families, you’ll frequently find children and adults alike grooving along to Teresa’s catchy country jingles.
On her new album, entitled Smile, Smile, Smile, Parrish says, “I wanted to release something full of comedy to the sound of folk music from the story of my life.”
Teresa first moved to Charleston in 2000 at the tender age of 17 to attend Johnson & Whales University. She earned a degree in Hospitality Management and obtained an internship at the historic Charleston Place Hotel downtown, where she worked for years following her graduation. But it was her passion for writing poetry brought her to the Monday Night Blues & Poetry Reading downtown at the East Bay Meeting House, hosted by Jim Lundi, the former President of The Poetry Society in Charleston. He saw something special in Parrish’s poetry and encouraged her to learn to play guitar.
The Gemini Side Project came about as a result of Parrish and Lundi’s collaborative songwriting. Another of Parrish’s early projects was Sweet T & Chuck Wagon, who frequently performed at Brick House on James Island.
Parrish’s first real band was Sweet T n’ A, comprised of Sweet T Parrish and friend and fellow Folly musician Andy Lassiter of The Rusty Hook Ramblers. The duo frequently played at The Drop In Bar & Deli on Folly Beach and The Griffon downtown. “This is when I really started gigging with this small little up and coming bluegrass band,” says Parrish.
This November, Parrish will host the 4th annual Folly Beach Porch Fest, in which local musicians perform on people’s back porches, located within walking distance of each other on Folly. Porch Fest will take place from November 2 through November 5.
While Porch Fest is something Parrish is always excited about, right now she’s stoked about the release of her new album Smile, Smile, Smile. The EP features six tracks recorded at local sound engineer, drummer, and Bert’s Market owner Omar Colon’s Fairweather Studio, located just up the road on Sol Legare. Colon and Parrish were joined by two other Folly musicians, upright bass player Brad Edwardson of Red Cedar Review and electric guitarist Rick Martinez of The Shakin’ Martinis.
The title track of Smile, Smile, Smile is a cheery tune that’s bound to make you … well, smile. According to Parrish, the song was ironically written after a breakup. “It’s the happiest breakup song you’ll ever hear,” she jokes.
Another of Parrish’s original tunes entitled, “Mom’s 5th Marriage” weaves a true tale of past loves won and lost by her mom.
In the cover tune “The Darker The Night,” Parrish illustrates, “The darker the night, the better I see.” The song was written by The Gibson Brothers and made popular by Joe Newberry. It’s a tale of a honky-tonk musician who stays out all night to pursue his passion of playing music.
The anthem entitled “Johnny Cash Always Made Me Cry” features music written by one of Teresa’s greatest supporters, Jim Lundi, who first encouraged her to play guitar.
Another tune is a humorous diddy about avoiding working out, entitled “I Miss The Gym.”
The track titled “Radio Dial” explains Parrish’s respect and love for the music of the local band Shovels & Rope. The husband and wife team of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst left Charleston to pursue a career in Nashville, where they have found critical and commercial success.
Parrish recalls years ago, riding her bike to Art’s Bar & Grill in Mt. Pleasant every Tuesday to see Hearst and Trent perform. “This was back when they were engaged … I have fond memories of these times and would love to see them again back then. Michael was a member of The Films, a band with more of a rock n’ roll sound, which created a good rockabilly sound when they came together,” recalls Parrish.
“I would request country artists from the ’80s, and Cary and I would claim that we knew what ‘real country music’ was. She would tell me, you can go out there and play your guitar.”
On the track, Parrish sings about Hearst and Trent’s departure from the Holy City to Music City. “My friends come to see me everyday… they’re not sitting by my side, they’re on my radio waves.”
Each original song recorded on Smile, Smile, Smile was written in the past two years and shows Parrish’s sunny sense of humor.
“These are songs that people wanted to hear over and over, listeners were repeatedly requesting them at Crab Shack,” says Parrish. All of Sweet T’s original songs are based on true stories from the heart. Smile, Smile, Smile will officially debut at Loggerhead Beach Grill, with a release party date to be announced soon.
