www.roanoke.com

Here's the printside review, on roanoke.com.

What's up with Roanoke not showing up for New Orleans music? Only 230 came to the Jefferson Center, capacity about 940, for the Henry Butler Trio.

Before the show, I spoke to a couple of concert-goers who had gone to 202 Market on Friday to hear Bonearama, a New Orleans horn act. They said that attendance was light, as it had been at 202 when Porter, Batiste Stoltz played there a few months back.

Sure, Southwest Virginia is Scots-Irish roots country, so people show up for big bluegrass shows, and for some reason it's a good-enough blues town to support acts that come through. But if you don't dig New Orleans, you're missing out.

Butler, as I wrote in the deadwood version, is more than simply a New Orleans-style player. He has deep jazz knowlege, and played a lot of stuff outside the norm of what conventional soloists would try. He's obviously studied at the church of Thelonius Monk and Herbie Hancock. He mixes in classical stylings too, and his timing is impeccable -- a trait his sidemen, Tony Gullege (bass) and Kindler Carto (drums), share with him.

But he also studied with Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint, paragons of the New Orleans style, so he's well locked in to the Storyville style of piano, and can drop it into practically anything he's playing at a second's notice, it seemed.

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Hear a really good band, pretty new to Abingdon, celebrating the release of first its Pinecastle Records disc, "Ripe."

By the way, bandleaders Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward seem to be excellent human beings.

Go to Top Tickets for sound samples, and more show info for Roanoke (switching to outer-space TV show announcer voice) *and beyoooooooooond."

Details: 7 p.m. Monday. Barter Theatre Stage II, 127 West Main St., Abingdon. $10. (276) 628-3991, bartertheatre.com, dixiebeeliners.com.

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FloydFest has survived and thrived for three primary reasons, in my humble opinion:

1.) Founders Kris Hodges and Erika Johnson have willed the festival to success with a commitment and sense of purpose that borders on fanatical.
2.) Amazing performers keep the crowds coming.
3.) An army of volunteers donates several thousand hours of physical labor every year, saving the organizers tens -- if not hundreds -- of thousands of dollars.

You can be part of No. 3 May 3-4, when the FloydFest gang holds the first of its workday weekends. According to the organizers, much works needs to be done:

"Scheduled activities include clearing the woods for additional camp spaces, cleaning up brush and winter debris, building a stilt-walking platform, landscaping, and general maintenance projects. Suggested items to bring include tools, chainsaws, pick-up trucks, shovels, rakes and hoes, sunscreen and gloves for poison ivy. Children are welcome. Interested persons should RSVP to vendor coordinator Danica Mingee, at volunteers@floydfest.com."

Drop 'em a line, put on your work gloves and help 'em out.

Poe Mack, the Young Sinclairs and Rootstone Jug Band are among the acts performing in-store on Saturday at Plan 9, in Raleigh Court.

It's part of an independent disc shop celebration called "Record Store Day," according to a news release from Plan 9. The store, along with other indie shops across the country, will mark everything down 20 percent, and will be giving away free schwag, too.

The live music will be going on all day, so even if you're too broke to buy something, you get free entertainment.

Check out the store's myspace page for the full music sked.

Plan 9 Music
1314 Grandin Road
24015

Hey y'all, In today's Riffs, I suggest that rock 'n' roll is dead. Actually, I don't suggest it, I state it.

Wimpy indie-rockers, Madonna in the Rock Hall of Fame, Mariah Carey surpassing Elvis ... if that's not an obituary, what is?

Let me know what you think.

Costello, who had chops galore but kept an understated nature to his playing, was found dead on Tuesday in an Atlanta motel room, according to news accounts. He was just about to turn 29.

If you don't know his work, check out this cut, "No Half Steppin,'" from a self-titled CD. As you can hear, he was a really good singer, too.

Read on for a nice remembrance, via myspace bulletin, from harmonica player Richard Rosenblatt, of Tone-Cool Records.

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From new channels editor Dwayne Yancey:

> Our MusicCast site of local music videos is getting record traffic -- and people must like what they're seeing and hearing because for the third week in a row, the order hasn't changed. Once again, The Seed holds down the top three spots:

1. "No More," by The Seed
2. "Can You Understand?," by The Seed
3. "A New Season," by The Seed
4. "OxyContin Rock," by the Roanoke Allstars
5. "Untitled Waltz," by The Wading Girl

So why isn't your band on the MusicCast? It could be. We've got details on how to submit a video on the site.

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New Orleans pianist Henry Butler is coming to Jefferson Center on Friday night. I just posted this podcast with him.

http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/wb/158309

His show concludes the Jeff's series, "The Blind Leading ...", which is all about blindness and the creative process. Check out the 'cast to hear Butler talk about being a blind musicians, about Hurricane Katrina (which ran him off from New Orleans, at least for now), and his new record, "PiaNOLA Live." And he gives us a great history of New Orleans pianists.

First, the ever-lovin' deadwood version.

Another good show at the Jeff. When are they going to book a dud?

Earle, as is his wont, talked a little about politics. At one point, a guy in the audience yelled, "Just sing!" Earle ignored him.

But c'mon. Do you expect to hear an artist like Earle and not get a dose of his opinions. It's not like we're talking Linda Ronstadt in Vegas -- and she has the right to say what she wants, too. This is a guy who nowadays is known nearly as well for his strong opinions as for his songs. And a lot of his songs have opinions in them. I guess it's just easier to ignore something about which you disagree if it has a nice guitar part with it.

Still, the "just sing" guy wasn't the entertaining yeller. That honor goes to a guy who definitely loves him some Steve Earle. He was obviously one of those fans who has been with Earle from the beginning, and definitely digs the outlaw vibe of a lot of Earle's music. He just would not shut up, until finally an usher settled him down. But he did get in a couple of funny statements.

Late in the show, Earle asked the audience, "Have I ever played here before?" Several people shouted no. The excitable Earle fan shouted: "Every night, at my house! In my car! In my house! All the time, Steve."

Earle, who had tried to ignore most of the man's statements (lest he encourage him?), had to crack a smile at that one.

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From roanoke.com's So Salem blog:

RC Alumna and Salem native Corynne Wilder to rock Alumni Weekend

Get more details Thursday, in Inside Out's Top Tickets.