Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Murrels Inlet, SC

Born and raised in Georgetown County, Carl Tompkins started playing guitar when he was 5 but later switched to drums when he heard his neighbor banging away next door.

After his neighbor heard Tompkins on the drum kit, he delivered some prophetic news.

"He told me, 'I've got bad news, man – you’re not a guitar player. You're a drummer,'" Tompkins said, adding that he started playing drums at 11 or 12.

When he was 15, he and some friends played their first gig at the grand opening of the Walmart at Georgetown Plaza.

"We were not good," he said. "I mean, we were friends that started jamming and decided we were going to get together and learn the songs a couple of hours before the show. Let’s just say it was a rude awakening, but probably the best thing that ever could have happened."

Practice was key, and Tomkins continued to play in bands through high school. When he moved to Garden City Beach, he met up with a whole new crew and started a band called GRUEL.

"We were heavy and angry," he said, adding that the band played a number of shows at House of Blues Myrtle Beach and once opened for hip-hop outfit Cypress Hill.

He later joined a band called the Strike-O-Matics, played a number of shows here and recorded an album in California. Tompkins said the band toured from California to South Carolina and back.

"It was seven dudes in a van for a month or more. When we got back, I was like, 'OK, I don’t want to see anybody for a while,'" Tompkins said. "We eventually ended up breaking up, and I went another way."

That other way was the formation of his current band, Downtribe, in 2003, which Tompkins said is reggae-influenced "darksteady" or "rastabilly."

"We’ve invented our own genre, basically," he said. "It was a couple of the same guys from the Strike-O-Matics and a couple of new guys. We’ve had three of four lineup changes since then."

The current Downtribe lineup is Tompkins (percussion, vocals and sarcasm), Jamie Dlux (keyboards/guitar), Kevin "Bud" Reeves (guitar and sound), Eddy Tanner (lead vocals/guitar) and Rob Gilley (bass).

Tompkins said Gilley is a distant relative of country music icon Mickey Gilley.

You can listen to original music from Downtribe on all streaming platforms, along with videos on YouTube. Get the new album, "Downtribe," in 12-inch vinyl or CD at www.elasticstage.com/downtribe.

Catch Downtribe at the Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet on March 6 from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.

"That’s one of our favorite places to play down on this end," Tompkins said.

Expect mostly originals with a lot of covers thrown in — with their own spin.

"We down-tribalize the covers – know what I mean?" he said.

Culinary goodness on the MarshWalk

The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk has long been a go-to destination for visitors and locals alike. It’s an idyllic setting featuring a half-mile wooden boardwalk along a natural saltwater estuary – but it’s also a hotspot for the best in live music and top-notch cuisine.

Through March 6 from 4-9 p.m., all eight MarshWalk restaurants are offering three-course menus for $40 as part of the sixth annual MarshWalk Restaurant Week event, which will also feature Jamie Sanderson, aka The Culinary Encourager.

Menus will run the gamut from sushi to steaks to fresh local seafood and much more. For complete details, visit www.marshwalk.com.

Nuns in a pickle

It’s always a hoot to take in this musical comedy.

"Nunsense" is the story of The Order of the Little Sisters of Hoboken and what happens when they take over the church to put on a variety show to raise funds to bury several sisters. They met their unfortunate ends after being accidentally poisoned by the cook. Time is of the essence because they need to inter these buns before the health inspector shows up and finds them in the freezer.

The original Off-Broadway production opened Dec. 12, 1985, running for 3,672 performances and becoming the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history.

Catch the Swamp Fox Players production, directed by Karen Morello, at the Strand Theater in Georgetown from March 5-15. Reserved seats are $25. For tickets, showtimes and more, visit www.swappfoxplayers.com.

Rub elbows with local authors

On March 7 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Waccamaw Library in Pawleys Island hosts a Local Author Fair. Meet and mingle with local and area authors while discovering a wealth of talent, exploring different genres and engaging with the literary community. You can also purchase books onsite.

Local publishers, including CLASS Publishing, will also be represented. Sponsored by the Friends of the Waccamaw Library (FOWL), the event is free and open to the public. If you are a published author, there might still be time to register for a $15 fee payable to FOWL. To register, contact Daniel Cross Turner at dturner@gtcounty.org. For more information about the event, visit www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheWaccamawLibrary.