2008.01.31
Roanoke: Music City
One of the perks of my job is I get to copy-edit Inside Out the day before it's published each week. This week, while perusing the music listings, I counted 22 musical acts among the Roanoke-area nightclub advertisements. When I added in the bands, duos and singers from the entertainment calendar, that number exceeded 40 acts playing somewhere this weekend between Roanoke and Blacksburg.
Rock, country, bluegrass and hip-hop artists are all on the marquee. That's an astounding number, especially in a place where deadbeats claim there's nothing to do. If you really believe none of these performers are worth catching ... well, the next installment of "American Idol" is Tuesday, so enjoy!
So True. I was thinking about this after last Sunday night's show by the Asylum Street Spankers. It was possible for pretty typical reasons-because with Sunday nights and especially Mondays being the slower days for entertainment, the band could add a gig in little ol' Roanoke on Sunday between Pittsburgh on Saturday and Raleigh on Tuesday. Thus our position in the booking food chain actually can give us the advantage of a really good show on otherwise slow nights, and as Ralph points out and the In/Out calendar proves, the rest of the week can get filled with good stuff.
Also, during the show, the band asked the audience what to do in the Roanoke area on their Monday off. The best the audience could sugggest was mini-Graceland (is that still a worthy novelty trip, btw?). One Spanker later asked about pickin' jams, which we certainly can offer, but unfortunately none were happening Monday. Also, from their remarks about Floydfest and Floyd Music Hall gigs, it's clear that they think of the Rke./NRV region as a fairly unified place; we local folk should be able to as well.
P.S. Props to virtual turntablists Tad and Ralph for this site; but, which one cuts 'em and which one scratches?
Comment by H.B, Oprah — February 1, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Ralph is a cutter. I am a scratcher.
Comment by Tad — February 1, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
Very cool indeed. I'll say there's plenty to do and boo to the naysayers who always complain about the lack of activities for the Valley's finer arts and music fans. Roanoke Music City is here to stay...
Comment by Rev. Zicka-funk — February 4, 2008 @ 1:49 pm