They say “if the music is good, you dance,” and last Saturday night, the music was good. All over King Street great music was booming out from restaurants, bars, cars driving by, apartment windows—anywhere music could be played, you heard it.

Although I hit up a couple different spots around town, my favorite by far was the dance party happening at Kickin Chicken. As I walked in the door, I was hit by a wave of good vibes and funky tunes played by a band in the far corner of the room called The System. These guys are a high-energy reggae/rock/ jam band with influences from the greats such as Warren Haynes and Santana among others. As I looked around the room, taking in the heads bobbing up and down to the soulful beat, I’m pulled to the back of the room where the real dance party is stomping the floors. There’s a girl passing out trendy bumper stickers with the band’s name on them. I took one. From the get-go of the night, I knew I had to remember the name of this band.

The System consists of four guys with the typical style of an up-and-coming jam band: surfer, skater, intellectual, chill. Adam Coyne (also plays for another local wonder called Schema) and Thomas Kenney play guitar, Keller Ridgeway holds down the bass and vocals along with Will Thompson on the drums. The band was born in 2008, and together every member has grown in their love and knowledge of music every day since. Four unique musicians who contribute separate talents, yet all possess a passion for creating music that brings melodic mayhem and joy everywhere it’s heard. Their musical masterpieces bond them together in a way that is obvious in the songs they create, their stage presence and the way they engage their audience. The listening is smooth, the notes are complex, the experience is unforgettable.

As I took a breather from all of the dancing, I watched a local karaoke phenom and friend-of-the-band chick, who goes by the name of Cricket, make a guest appearance. This gave me the opportunity to watch the four band members groove to her sound while jamming out to the music being created by each other. That was really cool. I turned to my right to see another guitarist, Ryan Bresnihan, from the local band Schema sitting back and soaking up the vibes. I asked him to give me his thoughts on The System to which he replied, “Ah, well, they are an electrifying jam band who knows how to get down and dirty, and yet, they keep it fresh and clean at the same time—covering old school jam songs with a new-age twist that makes it original.” Here I am writing about them, and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Even though the band members aren’t able to live in the same city—they are all between Charleston and Columbia, SC— and don’t have the ability to practice on a regular basis, their chemistry together is enough to make you coming back for more. I’ll be following them on Facebook and SoundCloud, and wherever I can see them live next. Check The System out, ASAP.