First, a note. I'm reviewing local and regional CDs now. I'll probably get to one or two a week, so I'll do my best to review them in the order I receive them, though I will go back through my back catalog of local artists. I'll include a mailing address at the bottom of this entry.
So, let's get into "Freedom," the new record from Sol Creech Band.
We published news of this concert a few weeks back. Today, the Roanoke Civic Center has confirmed the 7:30 p.m. March 18 show. Tickets are $45 and $25, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 1
Ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts is on the bill, too. He and Rev. Run, formerly of Run-DMC, will not be opening acts, but instead will join Kid Rock onstage during what his publicists are calling Rock's "most ambitious tour to date."
Does that mean three cage dancers, instead of two? I kid the Kid. I saw his show in Roanoke a few years back, and really got into it. He's one of those guys with a big, flashy, explosion-laden stage show, which mixes correctly with his bombastic rap-rock.
Blacksburg band Blame James is very metally-adventurous. Check out the video: http://www.roanoke.com/multimedia/video/wb/148142 | Related story: http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/148159
Check out recording session video from a group of Patrick Henry High School punkers, who get their subject material from "anger, disgusting things ... and violence." Here are scenes from their recording session at Downtown Music Lab: http://www.roanoke.com/multimedia/video/wb/148017
The freakishly good and oddly tasteful jazz guitarist has had to postpone his Jeff Center show, due to a family emergency. The Jeff's Dylan Locke said there will be a new date, and that all tickets will be honored -- if you can't make the new date, you can get a refund.
He was the leadoff of this week's Top Tickets, which is still a very exciting week of shows: http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideout/music/wb/xp-148123.
OK, so it's another Flashback Friday for Riffs. Just deal with it. While crafting this week's epistle, I stumbled upon this 1970s Fun Fact: From mid 1977 until mid 1978, only five different albums topped the Billboard chart.
They were:
"Rumours," Fleetwood Mac
"Hotel California," Eagles
"Simple Dreams," Linda Ronstadt
"Barry Manilow Live," Barry
and, of course, "Saturday Night Fever"
This week on the ExtraCast, we have video from Enter the Haggis and the Asylum Street Spankers, both playing in the area this weekend. Also, we have the Juniors, who you can find on our MusicCast blog. And we have some audio from the Ministers of Soul, whose Hoppie Vaughan hosts 202 Market's Wednesday night jam. http://www.roanoke.com/multimedia/video/ecast/wb/134420
Just got this news release today from the Mix One6. Perpetual Groove is coming to the Mix on Feb. 9. Other shows in February are:
** DJ Monk on Feb. 2
** Grace Potter After Party, with the Bridge, on Feb. 14
** and Telepath, with guests Segway, on March 1.
We're still shooting the MusicCast, but we're also accepting submissions for live video that you shoot. Here's how to do it:
Go to http://blogs.roanoke.com/musiccast, and click on "click here to upload your band's video", on the right side of the page. You can figure out the rest from there.
What's up ... Tad Dickens here, slinging The Roanoke Times new music blog, cutNscratch. Ralph Berrier and I will be posting music news, tidbits, reviews, etc., ad nauseum here. But it won't be any fun if we don't get you all in on it. ...
