I don’t remember the year, but I remember the meeting. The SCV was having its Georgia Conference at the Radisson on Augusta’s beautiful Riverwalk. I’m not much for big meetings, but my good friend Mike was nominated for an office and I wanted to
be there to cast my vote for him.
After the meetings I needed something to help me endure the hour long ride home, so I stopped by one of the vendors selling music in the hotel lobby. I wasn’t familiar with many of the artists in his display, so I grabbed the CD closest to me, the 2nd South Carolina String Band. The way I look at music changed from that point on.
The 2nd South Carolina String Band is a group of men with a passion for capturing the true spirit of period music. They do more than just play the correct notes on the proper instruments, they perform with a style and character that draws you in and makes you love it as much as they do. That talent has earned them much acclaim and invitations to work with Ken Burns and on the feature film Gods and Generals.
Joe Ewers is a cornerstone of the band, and when we interviewed him we knew why. He’s a quick witted man, easy to talk with and very candid about himself and the band. Our first surprise was finding out where the band members hail from. Every last one of them is north of the Mason Dixon line. Excuse me? Doesn’t the band dress in grey, claim the name of the first state to secede, and sing a resonating version of Dixie that can bring tears to your eyes? Absolutely. Joe has all the makings of a Copperhead (See definition at the end of this article). Still the question stands. How does that happen?
As a child Joe learned about the war and was amazed by the story of Pickets Charge. He found a hero that day and says “From that day on, I knew which side I wanted to be on”. As an adult Joe was working as a freelance illustrator for children’s books. He hired some new help and the subject of reenactments came up. When someone here in the south says reenactment, we immediately know that means War Between the States, but according to Joe it’s not nearly as common up north. The more he talked about it, the more he knew he wanted to be part of it.
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Joe went looking for a Confederate camp to join, a rare commodity up north. He had many offers to join Yankee camps, but he politely declined each one. He finally found a reenactment group named for the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry.
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The 2nd South Carolina String Band is a group of men with a passion for capturing the true spirit of period music. They do more than just play the correct notes on the proper instruments, they perform with a style and character that draws you in and makes you love it as much as they do. That talent has earned them much acclaim and invitations to work with Ken Burns and on the feature film Gods and Generals.