Who I'd like to meet:
PAUL THORN with David Simpkins
Sunday, July 19 @ 5:00PM
Sunken Garden Amphitheatre, Radford VA
Tickets: $25
Call (540)745-6643
Ticket outlets and details HERE
The first thing you notice is The Voice, unique and distinctive, the voice of a man who has walked a long, hot span over dusty Mississippi country roads. At turns soulful, raw, melancholy, brazen, funky, circumspect, serene, brooding, and mutinous, the voice expresses the range of human emotions, from forlorn grimness to incandescent optimism. And after repeated listens, you realize that his is not merely the voice of a poet but also of a merciful prophet, a summation not unjustified. Those who follow the career of Paul Thorn believe he is both.
His newest CD is A Long Way From Tupelo, a collection of songs which once again illustrates Thorn’s versatility and authentic connection to the music of the Mississippi heartland: blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll. Thorn excels as a musical storyteller. Maybe, given his background, he just can’t help it. His songs are conduits for that gritty part of the South where beleaguered wisdom is as likely from the bottom of a bottle of Johnny Walker Red as it is from the pulpit of an old country church. And the latest Paul Thorn CD remains true to form.
Radford, Virginia-based performing songwriter David Simpkins has been actively entertaining audiences for over 35 years — starting with 22 years in cover bands. Since 2000, David has been focusing on writing and performing his own songs. He plays regular solo acoustic gigs, and has performed at numerous songwriters-in-the-round events, festivals, benefits, celebrations, songwriters’ nights, and open mics.
NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE
SHOW CANCELED DUE TO RAIN
Sunday, August 2 @ 5:00PM
Sunken Garden Amphitheatre, Radford VA
Tickets: $15 advance $18 day of show
Call (540)745-6643
Ticket outlets and details HERE
The New Riders of the Purple Sage, signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis, released its eponymous first album in September 1971 to widespread acclaim. In the next 11 years the band toured and released over 12 albums, selling over 4 million records.
NRPS began as a part-time spin-off from the Grateful Dead when Jerry Garcia (pedal steel guitar), Phil Lesh (bass) and Mickey Hart (drums) teamed up with John Dawson (guitar, vocals) and David Nelson (guitar). Although early live appearances were viewed as an informal warm-up to the main attraction, the group quickly established an independent identity through the strength of Dawson's original songs.
By 1971 Dave Torbert had replaced Lesh, and Spencer Dryden, formerly of Jefferson Airplane, had joined as the group's permanent drummer. Garcia remained in both The Dead and The New Riders until he found himself overcommitted, at which time Buddy Cage replaced him and the classic NRPS lineup was born. Original NRPS bass player Dave Torbert and drummer Spencer Dryden have passed away, and co-founder John Dawson cannot lend his considerable talents at this time due to ongoing health problems but has given his blessing and is excited to know his music is being heard live again to a whole new generation of fans. The new lineup vows to keep the NRPS spirit and tunes alive by taking them to fans everywhere.
STEPPIN' OUT FESTIVAL
Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 from 10:00AM to 10:00PM
Downtown Blacksburg, VA
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
Steppin' Out, Downtown Blacksburg's annual street festival, takes place on the first Friday and Saturday in August from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Steppin' Out features over 150 artists and crafts people from around the United States selling unique handcrafted items - jewelry, pottery, textiles, metal work, basketry, stained & fused glass, yard art, fine art, furniture, toys, artisan foods and so much more! Street performances make the scene magical...you could be greeted by a visiting Jedi Master, or have your wishes granted by the Blue Fairy. This year features performances by artists like JAMIE MCLEAN, CREAM OF THE CROP, THE FIRECRACKER JAZZ BAND, THE JORDAN HARMAN BAND and THE GREGORY BROTHERS just to name a few!
Downtown Blacksburg merchants also hold their much-awaited final clearance sidewalk sales during Steppin' Out. Great merchandise goes at bargain-basement discounts. And those festival foods you love are provided by downtown restaurants. Admission is free. Town of Blacksburg metered parking is all free and Blacksburg Transit provides free shuttles to get you there without the hassles.
Bring your friends. Bring your family. Don't bring your dog.
THE HACKENSAW BOYS with Patrick and Goorskey
Sunday, August 23 @ 5:00PM
Sunken Garden Amphitheatre, Radford VA
Tickets: $15 Advance $18 Day of Show
You see them in the early hours of the morning walking hotel corridors, or boldly traversing rush hour streets. They are sincere, polite but talkative men with instrument cases. They admire the local scenery and appear unfed. By day they seem incapable of action but at night they step onto a stage and with taut fiddle bows, worn cutlery and dirty strings bring you a focused, vibrant and joyful sound. They are the Hackensaw Boys — and they are in your town.
After seven years of relentless touring throughout the United States, Europe and the U.K., the Hackensaw Boys are being recognized as one of the most exciting groups on the diverse Americana music scene. The group’s second release for Nettwerk Records, (Look Out) represents the recorded culmination of the Hackensaw’s unique vision: A celebratory but defiant sound culled from old-time mountains, backstage doorways and punishing drives through the evolving American landscape. Nine of the album’s 12 songs were written from within the group and sometime Modest Mouse/sometime Hackensaw, Tom Peloso, contributed two tracks. A pounding rendition of the traditional “Gospel Plow” rounds out the package. The Hackensaw Boys have survived departures and arrivals, tribulations, blessings and, most importantly, each other. Add to this, thousands of nights in hundreds of clubs from Nashville to Bangor, from Los Angeles to Rotterdam and you begin to get an idea of the dedication and sheer mule-like tenacity that is the Hackensaw Boy ethic. So, whether you catch these guys on the road or pick them up in a store, be sure to check out the Hackensaw Boys — the perfect anodyne for the aches and pains of modern life.
In 2006, musicians Scott Patrick and Abe Goorskey started playing together and learning each other's style of music. Patrick, a guitarist, and Goorskey, a guitarist and mandolin player, both play bluegrass differently. "We started playing and had a good connection from the start," Goorskey said. "I saw it as an opportunity to learn from him because he's more of a straight-ahead bluegrass player and I was playing in more of a progressive bluegrass band at the time." The duo met about five years ago at the Floyd Country Store's weekly music jamborees.
MORE TO COME IN 2009!
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